Welcome to Episode 286 of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast presented by Pepsi – Made for Vikings watching! The 2024 season kicks off Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against the NY Giants and Gabe Henderson sits down with Vikings Team Owner and President Mark Wilf to reflect on the state of the team. Mark looks back at 20 years of team ownership, their commitment to investing in the future, providing the fans with a worldclass experience, the rule change processes during the offseason, and his expectations for the 2024-25 season. Gabe also connects with Tatum Everett and Jay Nelson about what to expect in week 1 versus the Giants, key matchups in the ‘Pepsi – That’s what I like’ segment, and the curiosity surrounding our revamped defensive personnel under Brian Flores. All of this and more is in Episode 286 of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast presented by Pepsi.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Well.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Week one of regular season Minnesota Vikings football is back
in action as we welcome you to the Minnesota Vikings
Podcast presented by PEPSI. My name is Gabe Henderson. I
am inside the TCO Radio studio alongside the talented trio
of Vikings Entertainment Network. Folks. I got Tatum Everett here,
Jay Neltson and our producer mister Eric Davidson. And guys,
(00:25):
this is a week that we have talked about for
so long. If fans have been tuned into our podcast
post January tenth last year when the Viking season ended,
we're finally back. The New York Giants are on the horizon,
and for me, I can officially tell when football season
is back when the Vikings finally released their Week one
unofficial depth chart.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Jay, I love the fact that we are here welcome everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
To the season.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
It feels like it its official, feels.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Like it, I got to say in the building. I
was talking with a couple of coaches too, and just
the idea of it feels like you can tell it's
regular season when everything feels like it's already in warp speed.
You show up at nine am. Next thing you know,
it's lunchtime. The next thing, you know, it's five o'clock.
So we're all in good point, and so we're all
at the point where everyone's just realizing how precious a
commodity time is at this point and being able to
(01:14):
see things like depth charts and injury reports and different
things because there's you know, different teams that are playing
earlier this week as well. NFL is back, and it's
a lot of fun to be able to officially see
where the coaching and those guys want to at least
slate those positions for the players, and I think for
the fans it's always just another sign of something fun
to pay attention to and figure out who do we
(01:35):
got sitting in the number ones and the number two's.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah, I thought today it was Friday, you know, I
really did.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
No, it's one of those things where your schedule gets
like so overloaded. You are looking at things from a
whole different lens because you have a matchup to talk about,
you have depth charts that you can analyze who's ones
against their ones and all that kind of stuff. So
it is an exciting time. Like, you know, the guys
are ready, they're probably itching to get out there and
(02:03):
as we're itching to talk about real football for a change.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, real football is finally here and kickoff is set
for noon at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants.
And just thinking about the history between these two teams,
the Vikings have won four out of the last five matchups,
but the Giants won the most recent matchup in twenty
twenty two, thirty one to twenty four in the wildcard game,
which essentially ended the Viking season in Kevin O'Connell's first
(02:28):
year here as head coach of this team. And I
don't know about you, guys, but this Giants game is
starting to somewhat feel like a mini rivalry just thinking
of some of the bad blood that has been intertwined
between both teams. I'm just thinking about the players that
were on that twenty twenty two roster that played against
(02:48):
the Giants that are still currently on this Minnesota Vikings team.
And I believe there are twenty players that are on
this Vikings roster that were on that team that lost
in twenty twenty two, and out of those twenty players,
Tatum four of those were starters on the defenses side
of the ball. And then seven of those players were
starters on the offensive side of the ball. Walk me
through what you think about this game.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yeah, I think that's the most interesting part. That was
my one thing to like what I well, I don't
want to go to ahead of the segments here, but
it is part of my point to make in our
next segment that we're going to do, is that no
one knows what this team really is going the unveil.
It is so many so much newness. You know there
(03:29):
obviously there's some continuity there for the last three seasons.
They've had Kevin O'Connell, they've had Wes Phillips, and so
the offense you kind of know what you're getting, but
that major piece of quarterback is the giant question mark.
And then the defensive side of things. Sure, Brian Flores
is in his second year, but this is a defensive
guys that he has hand picked. Yeah, so I think
that that surprise is part of this whole matchup. It's
(03:51):
it's kind of a they don't know. The Giants don't
necessarily know what they're going to get.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
That's always the weird thing about the beginning of the
season period. You don't know what kind of tricks are
coming out the bag for the different offensive coordinators and
defensive coordinators. You think about the fact that Justin Jefferson
this week even said, you know, there's a little something
extra for this remembering what that playoff game was like
and just how frustrated they were with the way that
it ended. So for the Vikings this week, coming out
here between things we've talked about in the past, new
(04:17):
kickoff rules, tackling rules, some of these other pieces that
are have changed this offseason, let alone the roster changes
that we've made, especially defensively, I think it's got to
be a little more daunting for coaches. You really have
to try to plan for everything you could. But at
the same point, if a coach decides to come out
and throw the kitchen sink at him something completely different,
you know that's the way it's going to be.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Coming up later in the show, Minnesota Vikings owner Mark
Wolf will join us to give his thoughts on his
twentieth season as owners, last team president of this team.
But before we get there, we're going to jump into
our first PEPSI that's what I like segment where we
put forty seconds on the clock and each of us
gives the fans one thing we like about the Vikings
(04:59):
upcoming matchup heading into Sunday and Ted and we'll start
with you, so forty seconds on the clock. There's a
forty second play clock in the game of football, So
you'll be the quarterback on this and I'm going to
press the start button and it's on you.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
So I might actually take about twenty seconds, okay, and
I'll give I'll read I'll give my twenty seconds to
you guys.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
You're yeah, basically I am.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I am because I feel like I did kind of
make my point a little bit earlier. I don't want
to repeat myself, but I do think that the fact
that there's so many new faces on both sides of
the ball is what I like about this matchup. It's
something that I think they're going to be able to
come out swinging. They didn't really show much in the preseason.
We didn't see a lot from the starters, so I
do think they're going to come out and it's going
to be a look that maybe the Giants aren't ready for.
(05:42):
I know that it's been said around the Giants team
that Brian Dable has been telling his group like this
is not the same team you saw in the playoffs,
and so yeah, so that's that's what I think is
what I like. I like that we're an interesting, mysterious team.
Right now, that thirty.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Five seconds I rambled, I love it, Jay, I think
take seconds made a really good point. There's so many unknowns,
but I don't want that to steal your thunder. So
I'm gonna put forty seconds on the clock for you
starting now. What do you like about this Week one
matchup against the New York Giants.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
One thing that I am most interested in seeing is
the hype that is currently surrounding mister Malik Neighbors for
the New York Giants. For me, the piece is going
to be how does the Viking's new look secondary focus
on him or at least try to negate him out
there on the field. There's a lot of question marks
as far as the veterans that we've added in, guys
like Gilmour and Griffin and just to see what they do.
(06:37):
We all kind of know what we have in the
safety position, but how does this Vikings secondary attack a
guy like Malik Neighbors, who he's gonna have his rookie
moment coming into the NFL. So for the team, seeing
what kind of game plan they throw out there is
something that I'm very interested in seeing on Sunday, Wow,
right on the dot.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Nice, you didn't even need it.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
I know Tatum is probably thinking LSU when you hear
Malik Neighbors. Yeah, of course you never never.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Yeah, I am still team. Might be on a fantasy
team of mine.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, And that's the thing like for me, just looking
at the level of talent, you got to think for
a guy like that too, seeing what Justin's done in
this league, having him on the other sideline or at
least playing against your defense, there's gonna be a little
extra juice there for him to play. So I'm really
curious to see just how we attack him and try
to negate him, and then see what the rest of
the offense looks like for the Giants, because they have
(07:24):
a lot of question marks at this.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Point, a lot of question marks, and the one thing
that they do have going on their side right now
is their run defense and their pass rush. And that's
the one thing that I like about this Minnesota Vikings
team this year is starting fat well, not starting fast,
but getting the run game involved early and if you
can do that against a defense that kind of predicates
(07:46):
itself one stopping the run with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns,
who was recently acquired in free agency or i via
trade this year for the New York Giants, as well
as you know Kavon Thibodeau, who was a guy that
was drafted there. If you can run the ball early
and often, that'll set up everything else in the back
end for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and Jalen Naylor
and so on and so forth. So I think there
(08:08):
are a lot of opportunities for this Minnesota Vikings offense
to have success. And if you're Sam Darnold, you really
want to get the ground game going early if you
want everything else to open up for you down the field.
So a lot of positivity, a lot of excitement for
this run game with Aaron Jones not being tackled yet
since what January? How does that fare? How does ty Chandler?
(08:29):
How did those guys you know work their way into
this offense? And so on and so forth. But I
want to move on to the keys to success. I
know we talked about some things that we liked about
this Minnesota Vikings team starting the season off in New York.
But keys to success, Tatum, what's one key to success
for you?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
For me, it's a big one, and I feel like
it's very cliche. It is probably word to say, so
I feel really, you know, maybe weird saying it, but
this team has got to start fast. I feel like
with the schedule set up up the way that it is,
you've got after the Giants, it's the forty nine Ers
and the Texans, who are both favorites in their division,
and then you go and play the Jets and the Packers,
(09:10):
who are supposed to be favorites in this division, and
then you play the favorites the Lions after your bye week.
I mean, it's just a juggernaut in the beginning, and
I don't think it gets any easier. So you need
to start fast against this Giants team. We saw last
season that a slow start really really hurt this team
as well as all the fumbles and the dropped passes
(09:32):
and the mistakes, and I just remember being so frustrated
last year. I feel like you need to start fast
and get up ahead on the Giants team, build that
confidence so that you can have the momentum to at least,
you know, start the season out one to know knowing
that you've got a really tough road.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
As far as mine goes, it's very similar to what
you're talking about, And I think that fast start is
going to come off of having Sam Darnold stay clean
in the pocket against that pass rush. They have some
nasty guys, especially in the middle with Dexter Lauren, and
again they're going to try to look at a guy
like Sam Darnold who hasn't had experience live game action
(10:07):
with this offense, and they're going to try to get
to him as early as possible in order to rattle
him and see if they can get him to make mistakes.
And for the offensive line, it's going to be absolutely critical,
especially on the interior part of that offensive line, knowing
how good our bookend tackles are for them to keep
Sam clean. So if Sam can get a clean pocket,
or he can read what's going on and step up
(10:27):
in the pocket, that's going to give Justin and the
wide receiver corps at this point as much time as possible.
So for me, you talked about the fact that you
got to start fast. The way you're going to be
able to do that is keep Sam Donald clean so
that they can get the pass and get the ball
down the field.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah, those are all really good points. And if this
Minnesota Viking Steam want to be successful, you have to
do all of that. And you know my point kind
of aligns with all of that. You know, you have
to start fast, you have to keep the pocket clean.
I know we talked about running the ball, but if
you don't stop their their offense, they're an all that's
that's still trying to figure it out. You know, Daniel
(11:02):
Jones is a quarterback right now, that's trying to figure out, Okay,
are we are running team or are we a passing team?
Now you do have Malik Nighbors to throw to, but
they're trying to figure it out. So our defense can
you know, get up on those guys early and Brian
Flores if he you know, initiates his scheme, which ultimately
you know, puts pressure on their offense. I believe, you know,
we can win a close battle. We know, you know,
(11:24):
the first two to three weeks of the NFL season,
the offense is you know, usually trying to figure out
it's footing, so it's it's a defensive battle, So can
our defense Carrie carry the weight of the team the
first couple of weeks of the season.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And I think the biggest thing with that too, is
they're trying to figure out their offense looks like now
that Saquon's gone, So they have to really kind of
revamp vamp and figure out where they're at. And I
think as long as you, like you said, if you
can get pressure on the flip side, if you can
get pressure on those guys, that's going to be a huge,
huge help for this team in order to feel like
they can really put the pressure to New York in
their home stadium.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Yeah. No, shade to Devin Singletary. I really like the guy,
but he's not a Saquon bark So I like that
point j a lot.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, the Saquon Barkley run in that Wildcurb game at two.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
You had to bring it up, didn't You.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Still bothers me. But we are onward, and we are upward,
and this new look Minnesota Vikings team is ready for
a matchup on Sunday at twelve noon against the New
York Giants. And coming up after the break, we will
hear from Minnesota Vikings owner and team president Mark Wilf,
who is going into his twentieth season as owner of
this team. But in addition, this week one matchup is
(12:28):
against a team he grew up rooting for, the New
York Giants. You won't want to miss out in this interview.
We'll be right back with more on the Minnesota Vikings podcast.
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Speaker 2 (13:20):
Welcome back to the Minnesota Vikings podcast resented by Pepsi
and What a Pleasure it is to now be joined
by Minnesota Vikings owner and team president Mark Wilf. Mark,
first and foremost, thank you for joining me. There are
two milestones that I want to highlight to start this
interview off. First, this is your twentieth season as the
(13:41):
owner of this great Minnesota Vikings franchise. And secondly, this
Minnesota Vikings team opens up the season on Sunday against
a team that you grew up rooting for, the New
York Giants. What does it signify for you to kick
off your twentieth season against your hometown team. Well, thanks
for having me on.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
And I will say this, it's hard to believe it's
twenty seasons. And for my brother, myself, for our whole family,
it's just it's amazing how the time has flown, and
it's really it is a milestone, and it remains a
great privilege, a humbling privilege, to be stewards at this
incredible franchise. And it is kind of interesting that we're
in our backyard, if you will, our base as you know,
(14:22):
in the New Jersey, New York area, and the Giants
team we grew up rooting for. And I know it's
a big week every year when you open the season,
but especially this year on a twenty season, and I
know our fans are looking forward to this game as
we are very much.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
As you approach you your twentieth season as owner of
this team, do you have a special memory or a
favorite moment during your first twenty years with this team.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Well, there's been so many great, great milestones and memories.
And I just think of all the people that we've
come across in this great league, in a great sports business,
and of course, like our fans, we've enjoyed all the
playoff success we've had. I think of the Minneapolis miracle,
I think about great division wins. I think about the
milestones off the field. Getting an incredible stadium for our
(15:07):
fans and our team, US Bank Stadium, and TCO Performance Center,
our headquarters and where our fans can enjoy training camp
and coming to games. So a lot of great milestones,
a lot of great evolutions of the club, and of
course meeting all the alumni and players over the years,
and coaches and so many people have contributed to the
success of this organization. So it's been, like I said,
(15:29):
an incredible experience.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I love that two thousand and five, correct, that's correct
thinking about how the game has changed since two thousand
and five. How has your perspective on the sport of
football evolved since taking on this role.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Well, it remains the great game that we all fell
in love with as kids, the ultimate team sport, where
you have every player on the roster having contribution, the
incredible strategy involved, and what I've really grown to appreciate
is the way football touches everyone's lives. It's a part
(16:05):
of so many people's lives and the fact that we
have a platform that can touch so many on the
field but also in the community. I'm very proud of
the fact that what our players do in the community,
whether it's visiting hospitals or serving meals or what have you,
just incredible proud of the impact we have in people's lives.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
I love that. Are there any opportunities that you see
that the NFL and the Vikings can continue to capitalize
on as we approach another decade of football.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, there are a lot of exciting things to look
forward to. Of course, the evolution of the game and
the health and safety area has been profound, and we
always try to promote and appla all the league's efforts
on that front. Flag football is another new area where
we're leaning into. And the fact is that we host
in a variety of schools trying to get it to
(16:56):
be a sport in Minnesota at the high school level.
And so we're proud to sponsor the state finals and
all the rest at TCO Stadium. And so that's an
area we want to lean into heavily. And that's going
to lean into flag football being an Olympic sport. I mean,
that's going to be another exciting chapter for football. So
there's a lot to look forward to, and there's a
lot to look forward to growing what we do with
(17:18):
the community, whether that's expanding our meals program or doing
other things in that area. So and of course the
ultimate thing we're looking forward to is hoisting those Lombardi
trophies for our fans. That that is something that keeps
us driven every single second.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, that's the ultimate goal. And you know, having other
elements of this organization that could also win while hoisting
that Lombardi Trophy is always a plus to what you
guys are doing. And just thinking of you know, you
talked about player health and safety and this past offseason,
there were recent rule changes like the elimination of the
hip drop tackle win the modification to the kickoff rule.
(17:53):
Can you just, you know, briefly walk us through just
some of the process and the priorities that led to
some of these decisions that enhance since player safety.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Well, there's a lot of process that goes behind in prinstance,
the kickoff for well, I know all thirty two teams
special teams coaches met for close to a year and
looked at every possible perspective, every angle of this. I
know in other leagues this was kind of experimented with
the way kind of the format that we're going to
be seeing here this season. So again I applaud the
(18:21):
efforts the league has made. They take a lot of
time and consideration. We discussed it as ownership at our
mostly in our March annual meeting. So I think the
fans are going to enjoy get this play. I think
it's going to be certainly safe for them. What we
had before it became kind of a non play in
a way the last couple of years where almost eighty
percent of the kickoffs for resulting in touchbacks. I think
(18:44):
you're going to almost see the inverset of that now,
so it'll be exciting and I know coach O'Connell's got
our team ready to deal with that.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I love that. Speaking of head coach Kevin O'Connell, I
want to talk some football with you before we get
out of here, and I want to ask this question,
because this offseason, you guys really invested in the youth
of this organization. Justin Jefferson and both Christian Darisol were
extended for the foreseeable future, and you also added some
quality free agents on both sides of the ball. What
(19:13):
do these moves say about the future of this organization.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Well, we're very bullsh on the future of the organization
and we're always trying to compete to win, and you
can't do that without a strong foundation and players like
JJ and CD, both JJ's and all the free agents
were bringing in. I think the fans are going to
see a whole new energy on the defensive side of
the ball from last year. And I just we believe
(19:39):
that the best way to invest in the team is
to invest in the team and not to be year
by year. And I think when you know there's a
foundational talent like those gentlemen you mentioned, it was an
easy decision to make to go ahead and support our
guys to mess with them.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
I love that, just thinking of you know that those
guys leading the troops of this Minnesota Vikings team. What
are your expectations and goals for this team in twenty
twenty four.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Well, we're aiming as always to compete for division championships
and ultimately be in that playoff dance to get to
the super Bowl. So we know the tough task we have.
We know our opponents particular division are not sleeping there.
They're working hard and on the same front too.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
So we have.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Probably one of the highest competitive divisions in the league.
And we feel again Coach Kyle's had a very tough,
tough training camp and I think he's going to have
these players ready starting this Sunday and against the Giants.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
I love that. My final question for you is, you know,
just thinking about the Week one game, this upcoming Sunday
against the Giants, everyone is looking forward to that, But
if you're a Vikings fan, you're also looking forward to
the season opener Week two at home next week. Can
you just describe how the Will family has consistently worked
to create and maintain that world class fan experience at
(20:58):
us Bank Stadium.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Well, it's something we owe always are evolving to make
sure to keep up to make it interesting, exciting, and
whether that's showtime, pregame, or training camp or all the
content you guys at VN produce, and we just want
to keep the fans close. We want them to be
energized because when we come to us Bank Stadium the
week two this year to open, the energy is unsurpassed
(21:22):
the NFL. So our job as stewards of this great
franchise is to provide the resources, have some fun cement
legacy in the community, and hopefully have some trophies to
show at the end of the rainbow as well. So
we're excited, can't wait to see everybody this week via
television and hopefully Week two at us Bank to be
(21:44):
loud and proud as we always are.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
So Skull Vikings, Skull Vikings, thank you so much, Mark,
looking forward to it and hopefully this twentieth year results
in some magic for this Minnesota Vikings team. Ay Man, Well,
that was Minnesota Vikings' owner Mark Wilf providing us with
some time talking about out the future of this Minnesota
Vikings organization. Well, the future starts now. That starts this
upcoming Sunday against the New York Giants twelve pm kickoff
(22:09):
Central Time, right here on Kfan one hundred point three.
So much to get into. You can listen to that
pregame show at ten am with Mike Mussman. And after
a long in a very long offseason, Vikings regular season
football is back. So with that said, for Mark Wolf Our,
producer Eric Davison, Jay Nelson, and Tatum Everett, my name
(22:30):
is Gabe Henderson. Thank you guys again for tuning into
another edition of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast presented by PEPSI
Well.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Week one of regular season Minnesota Vikings football is back
in action as we welcome you to the Minnesota Vikings
Podcast presented by PEPSI. My name is Gabe Henderson. I
am inside the TCO Radio studio alongside the talented trio
of Vikings Entertainment Network. Folks. I got Tatum Everett here,
Jay Neltson and our producer mister Eric Davidson. And guys,
(00:25):
this is a week that we have talked about for
so long. If fans have been tuned into our podcast
post January tenth last year when the Viking season ended,
we're finally back. The New York Giants are on the horizon,
and for me, I can officially tell when football season
is back when the Vikings finally released their Week one
unofficial depth chart.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Jay, I love the fact that we are here welcome everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
To the season.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
It feels like it its official, feels.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Like it, I got to say in the building. I
was talking with a couple of coaches too, and just
the idea of it feels like you can tell it's
regular season when everything feels like it's already in warp speed.
You show up at nine am. Next thing you know,
it's lunchtime. The next thing, you know, it's five o'clock.
So we're all in good point, and so we're all
at the point where everyone's just realizing how precious a
commodity time is at this point and being able to
(01:14):
see things like depth charts and injury reports and different
things because there's you know, different teams that are playing
earlier this week as well. NFL is back, and it's
a lot of fun to be able to officially see
where the coaching and those guys want to at least
slate those positions for the players, and I think for
the fans it's always just another sign of something fun
to pay attention to and figure out who do we
(01:35):
got sitting in the number ones and the number two's.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah, I thought today it was Friday, you know, I
really did.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
No, it's one of those things where your schedule gets
like so overloaded. You are looking at things from a
whole different lens because you have a matchup to talk about,
you have depth charts that you can analyze who's ones
against their ones and all that kind of stuff. So
it is an exciting time. Like, you know, the guys
are ready, they're probably itching to get out there and
(02:03):
as we're itching to talk about real football for a change.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, real football is finally here and kickoff is set
for noon at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants.
And just thinking about the history between these two teams,
the Vikings have won four out of the last five matchups,
but the Giants won the most recent matchup in twenty
twenty two, thirty one to twenty four in the wildcard game,
which essentially ended the Viking season in Kevin O'Connell's first
(02:28):
year here as head coach of this team. And I
don't know about you, guys, but this Giants game is
starting to somewhat feel like a mini rivalry just thinking
of some of the bad blood that has been intertwined
between both teams. I'm just thinking about the players that
were on that twenty twenty two roster that played against
(02:48):
the Giants that are still currently on this Minnesota Vikings team.
And I believe there are twenty players that are on
this Vikings roster that were on that team that lost
in twenty twenty two, and out of those twenty players,
Tatum four of those were starters on the defenses side
of the ball. And then seven of those players were
starters on the offensive side of the ball. Walk me
through what you think about this game.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Yeah, I think that's the most interesting part. That was
my one thing to like what I well, I don't
want to go to ahead of the segments here, but
it is part of my point to make in our
next segment that we're going to do, is that no
one knows what this team really is going the unveil.
It is so many so much newness. You know there
(03:29):
obviously there's some continuity there for the last three seasons.
They've had Kevin O'Connell, they've had Wes Phillips, and so
the offense you kind of know what you're getting, but
that major piece of quarterback is the giant question mark.
And then the defensive side of things. Sure, Brian Flores
is in his second year, but this is a defensive
guys that he has hand picked. Yeah, so I think
that that surprise is part of this whole matchup. It's
(03:51):
it's kind of a they don't know. The Giants don't
necessarily know what they're going to get.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
That's always the weird thing about the beginning of the
season period. You don't know what kind of tricks are
coming out the bag for the different offensive coordinators and
defensive coordinators. You think about the fact that Justin Jefferson
this week even said, you know, there's a little something
extra for this remembering what that playoff game was like
and just how frustrated they were with the way that
it ended. So for the Vikings this week, coming out
here between things we've talked about in the past, new
(04:17):
kickoff rules, tackling rules, some of these other pieces that
are have changed this offseason, let alone the roster changes
that we've made, especially defensively, I think it's got to
be a little more daunting for coaches. You really have
to try to plan for everything you could. But at
the same point, if a coach decides to come out
and throw the kitchen sink at him something completely different,
you know that's the way it's going to be.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Coming up later in the show, Minnesota Vikings owner Mark
Wolf will join us to give his thoughts on his
twentieth season as owners, last team president of this team.
But before we get there, we're going to jump into
our first PEPSI that's what I like segment where we
put forty seconds on the clock and each of us
gives the fans one thing we like about the Vikings
(04:59):
upcoming matchup heading into Sunday and Ted and we'll start
with you, so forty seconds on the clock. There's a
forty second play clock in the game of football, So
you'll be the quarterback on this and I'm going to
press the start button and it's on you.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
So I might actually take about twenty seconds, okay, and
I'll give I'll read I'll give my twenty seconds to
you guys.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
You're yeah, basically I am.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I am because I feel like I did kind of
make my point a little bit earlier. I don't want
to repeat myself, but I do think that the fact
that there's so many new faces on both sides of
the ball is what I like about this matchup. It's
something that I think they're going to be able to
come out swinging. They didn't really show much in the preseason.
We didn't see a lot from the starters, so I
do think they're going to come out and it's going
to be a look that maybe the Giants aren't ready for.
(05:42):
I know that it's been said around the Giants team
that Brian Dable has been telling his group like this
is not the same team you saw in the playoffs,
and so yeah, so that's that's what I think is
what I like. I like that we're an interesting, mysterious team.
Right now, that thirty.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Five seconds I rambled, I love it, Jay, I think
take seconds made a really good point. There's so many unknowns,
but I don't want that to steal your thunder. So
I'm gonna put forty seconds on the clock for you
starting now. What do you like about this Week one
matchup against the New York Giants.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
One thing that I am most interested in seeing is
the hype that is currently surrounding mister Malik Neighbors for
the New York Giants. For me, the piece is going
to be how does the Viking's new look secondary focus
on him or at least try to negate him out
there on the field. There's a lot of question marks
as far as the veterans that we've added in, guys
like Gilmour and Griffin and just to see what they do.
(06:37):
We all kind of know what we have in the
safety position, but how does this Vikings secondary attack a
guy like Malik Neighbors, who he's gonna have his rookie
moment coming into the NFL. So for the team, seeing
what kind of game plan they throw out there is
something that I'm very interested in seeing on Sunday, Wow,
right on the dot.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Nice, you didn't even need it.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
I know Tatum is probably thinking LSU when you hear
Malik Neighbors. Yeah, of course you never never.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Yeah, I am still team. Might be on a fantasy
team of mine.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, And that's the thing like for me, just looking
at the level of talent, you got to think for
a guy like that too, seeing what Justin's done in
this league, having him on the other sideline or at
least playing against your defense, there's gonna be a little
extra juice there for him to play. So I'm really
curious to see just how we attack him and try
to negate him, and then see what the rest of
the offense looks like for the Giants, because they have
(07:24):
a lot of question marks at this.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Point, a lot of question marks, and the one thing
that they do have going on their side right now
is their run defense and their pass rush. And that's
the one thing that I like about this Minnesota Vikings
team this year is starting fat well, not starting fast,
but getting the run game involved early and if you
can do that against a defense that kind of predicates
(07:46):
itself one stopping the run with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns,
who was recently acquired in free agency or i via
trade this year for the New York Giants, as well
as you know Kavon Thibodeau, who was a guy that
was drafted there. If you can run the ball early
and often, that'll set up everything else in the back
end for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and Jalen Naylor
and so on and so forth. So I think there
(08:08):
are a lot of opportunities for this Minnesota Vikings offense
to have success. And if you're Sam Darnold, you really
want to get the ground game going early if you
want everything else to open up for you down the field.
So a lot of positivity, a lot of excitement for
this run game with Aaron Jones not being tackled yet
since what January? How does that fare? How does ty Chandler?
(08:29):
How did those guys you know work their way into
this offense? And so on and so forth. But I
want to move on to the keys to success. I
know we talked about some things that we liked about
this Minnesota Vikings team starting the season off in New York.
But keys to success, Tatum, what's one key to success
for you?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
For me, it's a big one, and I feel like
it's very cliche. It is probably word to say, so
I feel really, you know, maybe weird saying it, but
this team has got to start fast. I feel like
with the schedule set up up the way that it is,
you've got after the Giants, it's the forty nine Ers
and the Texans, who are both favorites in their division,
and then you go and play the Jets and the Packers,
(09:10):
who are supposed to be favorites in this division, and
then you play the favorites the Lions after your bye week.
I mean, it's just a juggernaut in the beginning, and
I don't think it gets any easier. So you need
to start fast against this Giants team. We saw last
season that a slow start really really hurt this team
as well as all the fumbles and the dropped passes
(09:32):
and the mistakes, and I just remember being so frustrated
last year. I feel like you need to start fast
and get up ahead on the Giants team, build that
confidence so that you can have the momentum to at least,
you know, start the season out one to know knowing
that you've got a really tough road.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
As far as mine goes, it's very similar to what
you're talking about, And I think that fast start is
going to come off of having Sam Darnold stay clean
in the pocket against that pass rush. They have some
nasty guys, especially in the middle with Dexter Lauren, and
again they're going to try to look at a guy
like Sam Darnold who hasn't had experience live game action
(10:07):
with this offense, and they're going to try to get
to him as early as possible in order to rattle
him and see if they can get him to make mistakes.
And for the offensive line, it's going to be absolutely critical,
especially on the interior part of that offensive line, knowing
how good our bookend tackles are for them to keep
Sam clean. So if Sam can get a clean pocket,
or he can read what's going on and step up
(10:27):
in the pocket, that's going to give Justin and the
wide receiver corps at this point as much time as possible.
So for me, you talked about the fact that you
got to start fast. The way you're going to be
able to do that is keep Sam Donald clean so
that they can get the pass and get the ball
down the field.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah, those are all really good points. And if this
Minnesota Viking Steam want to be successful, you have to
do all of that. And you know my point kind
of aligns with all of that. You know, you have
to start fast, you have to keep the pocket clean.
I know we talked about running the ball, but if
you don't stop their their offense, they're an all that's
that's still trying to figure it out. You know, Daniel
(11:02):
Jones is a quarterback right now, that's trying to figure out, Okay,
are we are running team or are we a passing team?
Now you do have Malik Nighbors to throw to, but
they're trying to figure it out. So our defense can
you know, get up on those guys early and Brian
Flores if he you know, initiates his scheme, which ultimately
you know, puts pressure on their offense. I believe, you know,
we can win a close battle. We know, you know,
(11:24):
the first two to three weeks of the NFL season,
the offense is you know, usually trying to figure out
it's footing, so it's it's a defensive battle, So can
our defense Carrie carry the weight of the team the
first couple of weeks of the season.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And I think the biggest thing with that too, is
they're trying to figure out their offense looks like now
that Saquon's gone, So they have to really kind of
revamp vamp and figure out where they're at. And I
think as long as you, like you said, if you
can get pressure on the flip side, if you can
get pressure on those guys, that's going to be a huge,
huge help for this team in order to feel like
they can really put the pressure to New York in
their home stadium.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Yeah. No, shade to Devin Singletary. I really like the guy,
but he's not a Saquon bark So I like that
point j a lot.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, the Saquon Barkley run in that Wildcurb game at two.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
You had to bring it up, didn't You.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Still bothers me. But we are onward, and we are upward,
and this new look Minnesota Vikings team is ready for
a matchup on Sunday at twelve noon against the New
York Giants. And coming up after the break, we will
hear from Minnesota Vikings owner and team president Mark Wilf,
who is going into his twentieth season as owner of
this team. But in addition, this week one matchup is
(12:28):
against a team he grew up rooting for, the New
York Giants. You won't want to miss out in this interview.
We'll be right back with more on the Minnesota Vikings podcast.
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Speaker 2 (13:20):
Welcome back to the Minnesota Vikings podcast resented by Pepsi
and What a Pleasure it is to now be joined
by Minnesota Vikings owner and team president Mark Wilf. Mark,
first and foremost, thank you for joining me. There are
two milestones that I want to highlight to start this
interview off. First, this is your twentieth season as the
(13:41):
owner of this great Minnesota Vikings franchise. And secondly, this
Minnesota Vikings team opens up the season on Sunday against
a team that you grew up rooting for, the New
York Giants. What does it signify for you to kick
off your twentieth season against your hometown team. Well, thanks
for having me on.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
And I will say this, it's hard to believe it's
twenty seasons. And for my brother, myself, for our whole family,
it's just it's amazing how the time has flown, and
it's really it is a milestone, and it remains a
great privilege, a humbling privilege, to be stewards at this
incredible franchise. And it is kind of interesting that we're
in our backyard, if you will, our base as you know,
(14:22):
in the New Jersey, New York area, and the Giants
team we grew up rooting for. And I know it's
a big week every year when you open the season,
but especially this year on a twenty season, and I
know our fans are looking forward to this game as
we are very much.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
As you approach you your twentieth season as owner of
this team, do you have a special memory or a
favorite moment during your first twenty years with this team.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Well, there's been so many great, great milestones and memories.
And I just think of all the people that we've
come across in this great league, in a great sports business,
and of course, like our fans, we've enjoyed all the
playoff success we've had. I think of the Minneapolis miracle,
I think about great division wins. I think about the
milestones off the field. Getting an incredible stadium for our
(15:07):
fans and our team, US Bank Stadium, and TCO Performance Center,
our headquarters and where our fans can enjoy training camp
and coming to games. So a lot of great milestones,
a lot of great evolutions of the club, and of
course meeting all the alumni and players over the years,
and coaches and so many people have contributed to the
success of this organization. So it's been, like I said,
(15:29):
an incredible experience.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I love that two thousand and five, correct, that's correct
thinking about how the game has changed since two thousand
and five. How has your perspective on the sport of
football evolved since taking on this role.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Well, it remains the great game that we all fell
in love with as kids, the ultimate team sport, where
you have every player on the roster having contribution, the
incredible strategy involved, and what I've really grown to appreciate
is the way football touches everyone's lives. It's a part
(16:05):
of so many people's lives and the fact that we
have a platform that can touch so many on the
field but also in the community. I'm very proud of
the fact that what our players do in the community,
whether it's visiting hospitals or serving meals or what have you,
just incredible proud of the impact we have in people's lives.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
I love that. Are there any opportunities that you see
that the NFL and the Vikings can continue to capitalize
on as we approach another decade of football.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, there are a lot of exciting things to look
forward to. Of course, the evolution of the game and
the health and safety area has been profound, and we
always try to promote and appla all the league's efforts
on that front. Flag football is another new area where
we're leaning into. And the fact is that we host
in a variety of schools trying to get it to
(16:56):
be a sport in Minnesota at the high school level.
And so we're proud to sponsor the state finals and
all the rest at TCO Stadium. And so that's an
area we want to lean into heavily. And that's going
to lean into flag football being an Olympic sport. I mean,
that's going to be another exciting chapter for football. So
there's a lot to look forward to, and there's a
lot to look forward to growing what we do with
(17:18):
the community, whether that's expanding our meals program or doing
other things in that area. So and of course the
ultimate thing we're looking forward to is hoisting those Lombardi
trophies for our fans. That that is something that keeps
us driven every single second.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, that's the ultimate goal. And you know, having other
elements of this organization that could also win while hoisting
that Lombardi Trophy is always a plus to what you
guys are doing. And just thinking of you know, you
talked about player health and safety and this past offseason,
there were recent rule changes like the elimination of the
hip drop tackle win the modification to the kickoff rule.
(17:53):
Can you just, you know, briefly walk us through just
some of the process and the priorities that led to
some of these decisions that enhance since player safety.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Well, there's a lot of process that goes behind in prinstance,
the kickoff for well, I know all thirty two teams
special teams coaches met for close to a year and
looked at every possible perspective, every angle of this. I
know in other leagues this was kind of experimented with
the way kind of the format that we're going to
be seeing here this season. So again I applaud the
(18:21):
efforts the league has made. They take a lot of
time and consideration. We discussed it as ownership at our
mostly in our March annual meeting. So I think the
fans are going to enjoy get this play. I think
it's going to be certainly safe for them. What we
had before it became kind of a non play in
a way the last couple of years where almost eighty
percent of the kickoffs for resulting in touchbacks. I think
(18:44):
you're going to almost see the inverset of that now,
so it'll be exciting and I know coach O'Connell's got
our team ready to deal with that.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I love that. Speaking of head coach Kevin O'Connell, I
want to talk some football with you before we get
out of here, and I want to ask this question,
because this offseason, you guys really invested in the youth
of this organization. Justin Jefferson and both Christian Darisol were
extended for the foreseeable future, and you also added some
quality free agents on both sides of the ball. What
(19:13):
do these moves say about the future of this organization.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Well, we're very bullsh on the future of the organization
and we're always trying to compete to win, and you
can't do that without a strong foundation and players like
JJ and CD, both JJ's and all the free agents
were bringing in. I think the fans are going to
see a whole new energy on the defensive side of
the ball from last year. And I just we believe
(19:39):
that the best way to invest in the team is
to invest in the team and not to be year
by year. And I think when you know there's a
foundational talent like those gentlemen you mentioned, it was an
easy decision to make to go ahead and support our
guys to mess with them.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
I love that, just thinking of you know that those
guys leading the troops of this Minnesota Vikings team. What
are your expectations and goals for this team in twenty
twenty four.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Well, we're aiming as always to compete for division championships
and ultimately be in that playoff dance to get to
the super Bowl. So we know the tough task we have.
We know our opponents particular division are not sleeping there.
They're working hard and on the same front too.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
So we have.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Probably one of the highest competitive divisions in the league.
And we feel again Coach Kyle's had a very tough,
tough training camp and I think he's going to have
these players ready starting this Sunday and against the Giants.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
I love that. My final question for you is, you know,
just thinking about the Week one game, this upcoming Sunday
against the Giants, everyone is looking forward to that, But
if you're a Vikings fan, you're also looking forward to
the season opener Week two at home next week. Can
you just describe how the Will family has consistently worked
to create and maintain that world class fan experience at
(20:58):
us Bank Stadium.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Well, it's something we owe always are evolving to make
sure to keep up to make it interesting, exciting, and
whether that's showtime, pregame, or training camp or all the
content you guys at VN produce, and we just want
to keep the fans close. We want them to be
energized because when we come to us Bank Stadium the
week two this year to open, the energy is unsurpassed
(21:22):
the NFL. So our job as stewards of this great
franchise is to provide the resources, have some fun cement
legacy in the community, and hopefully have some trophies to
show at the end of the rainbow as well. So
we're excited, can't wait to see everybody this week via
television and hopefully Week two at us Bank to be
(21:44):
loud and proud as we always are.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
So Skull Vikings, Skull Vikings, thank you so much, Mark,
looking forward to it and hopefully this twentieth year results
in some magic for this Minnesota Vikings team. Ay Man, Well,
that was Minnesota Vikings' owner Mark Wilf providing us with
some time talking about out the future of this Minnesota
Vikings organization. Well, the future starts now. That starts this
upcoming Sunday against the New York Giants twelve pm kickoff
(22:09):
Central Time, right here on Kfan one hundred point three.
So much to get into. You can listen to that
pregame show at ten am with Mike Mussman. And after
a long in a very long offseason, Vikings regular season
football is back. So with that said, for Mark Wolf Our,
producer Eric Davison, Jay Nelson, and Tatum Everett, my name
(22:30):
is Gabe Henderson. Thank you guys again for tuning into
another edition of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast presented by PEPSI
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