December 26, 2024 • 22 mins
Welcome back to the Vikings Tailgate presented by Ticketmaster - The official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings. Much like all of you, we've been spending some extra time with our loved ones this holiday season, but we wanted to make sure to post some of our favorite moments from 2024 on The Vikings Tailgate this week. Host Cy Amundson starts off talking with comedy legend Jeff Foxworthy about his 'skoldier' son-in-law who has taught Jeff's grandson the 'Skol Vikings' fight song and even went on a hunger strike after a tough loss. For the second half, Cy catches up with touring comic Adam Ray to talk about his love for the Seahawks and Adam's friendship with quarterback Sam Darnold. All of this and more is on episode 51 of the Vikings Tailgate presented by Ticketmaster - The official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings. We'll be back with another great show in Week 18 to preview the regular season finale in Detroit. See you then! Also, Adam Ray is all over the country right now for his 'Dr. Phil Live!' tour and will be coming to the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis on March 2nd. Be sure to grab your tickets for his shows right here: https://mnvkn.gs/4fy9E6K
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
The Recket Recket.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm here, Hey everybody, Welcome back to the Vikings Tailgate,
brought to you by Ticketmaster, the official ticket marketplace of
the Minnesota Vikings. I'm your host, sy Amensen, and we
hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. Just like you,
We've been enjoying some time with our families, but we
(00:29):
still wanted to give you a little best of the
show in case you missed some of our favorite guests
of the season. First up, you're gonna hear from comedy
legend Jeff Foxworthy about his insane son in law, who
is a huge Vikings fan. Jeff also has a grandson
who already knows the school chance. You're you're gonna love
that segment. And then, secondly, one of the biggest up
(00:51):
and coming names in all of comedy, Adam Ray, who
is currently on his Doctor Phil Live Comedy tour. He's
gonna be coming to Minneapolis. He's a longtime friend of
Sam Darnold. You're really gonna love our conversation with him. Finally,
we hope you have a safe and wonderful rest of
your holiday season, and most importantly, that the Vikings get
the big win this weekend. Enjoy the show. Everybody, Ladies
(01:13):
and gentlemen, please welcome the one and only Jeff Foxworthy.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm excited to be here. I'm always loved Minnesota. I
did my last comedy special there. I always love playing
up there. And my football team has broken my heart
so much that the Vikings are, you know how you
always have to have like the second team because I'm
a Falcons fan. I grew up in Atlanta, but they've
(01:41):
gutted me so bad that the Vikings are my fallback team.
And my youngest daughter married into a family of insane scoldiers,
so you guys are my backup team. So this actually,
this weekend's kind of hard for me.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So as your son, And is he from Minnesota originally
or is he one of these places that his family
was and then they grew up somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
He and his forty five cousins, all of their aunts
and uncles are from Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I'm catching strays with that one. Jeff as a man
who's got a mom with eight brothers and sisters, and
I have a but you hit it on the head.
Is he Swedish too? Is he a giant Nordic Swedish person.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Now he's Irish poorly, but they're all they're all Minnesota people.
I mean they're Twins fans, they're Vikes fans. He's taught
my grandson. He's three now, but I found him last year.
He's two years old, two years old, down at my
farm in the middle of a field, and I videotaped
(02:42):
him singing the Vikings fight song.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Two years old, every word of it, at.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
The top of his lungs with it. Because we had
to negotiate because he was a Vikings and a Notre
Dame fan.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Another one that would break your heart.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And I was a Bulldogs and a Falcons fan, so
two more that break your heart. So before he was born,
we had serious negotiations and who was going to get
the college team and one was gonna get pro and
one was gonna get college.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I think you made the right decision.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
I think I did too.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
But now, like in pro, the NFC North is like
the SEC.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
In the NFC South, it's kind of like the Sun Belt.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Now, yeah, there's a little easier.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Nobody wants to win the conference.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Are they down? Are they near you in Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Do you guys get together or do you commiserate afterwards.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
It depends on how big the game is. If it's
a really big one, he'll go into a shell. And
he's got a one year old and a three year old,
so I kind of clear space for him. I'm running
like his wing and he'll tell me first the wait
look Sunday, I gotta have I gotta be all it.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Can you take the kids?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
You're his NFL babysitter wing man.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, I've got footage of him, like when the Vikings
win in the last second.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Well, I was with him in the car the other
day when he lost his mind.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
But this dude like rips his shirt off, is out
in the front yard beating past screaming skull. He loses
his mind and then like in eighteen I can't remember
who they lost to, but he announced he was going
on a hunger strike. He was as down as I've
(04:34):
ever so I literally I went to Honey Baked Ham
and got him a Honey Baked Ham sandwich and soup
and took.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
It over there. So he was sick.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So he yeah, like he has pneumonia because the Vikings lost,
and I'm in there like, dude, you got to eat,
you got to eat. Now I will tell you this
as an outsider looking in Okay, probably as a Vikings fan,
and it's it's a lifetime of frustration. But I think
(05:04):
other people look at y'all is one of the top
tier football.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Teams because you have been.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Always think of the Vikings like the Vikings. Oh, the
Vikings are good. The Vikings are good. I never think
of them as a bad team. I always think of
the Vikings as being good. But it's like you.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Get right up to the top of the thing and
then find a way.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
To fall off the mountain. We hang out on the mountain,
but we like to fall out.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, you guys, you've got that falcon thing where they
know how to break your heart. Yeah, you guys are
such good fans. You'll come back the next week and
you know, be right there. But maybe this is the year.
I mean, your defense, your defense is so much better
wild and this I think this iteration of the Vikings.
(05:56):
This team has hard and and to me, that's the
difference in great teams and teams that aren't.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
That both the belief in those moments that you're going
to figure it out.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And I think this team has that more than the
Vikings have had in recent years. Dude, I don't think
there's anybody that wouldn't take your head coach. I think O'Connell.
I mean, what a great surprise. He's been right and
hell I would take him today. Nothing again Raheem Morris.
But I think he's going to be around for a
(06:32):
long time. And I I just feel like you guys
are on the on the right track.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
It's weird, it's and it's funny until you win the
big one for the first time, which neither of us
have experienced. I think you don't trust anything. And so
even at ten and two, you feel this interesting. I
was home over Thanksgiving spending time, I was at the
game on Sunday. You feel this odd combo energy of
(07:00):
this is so great? Oh no, how's it going to end?
It just permeates through people.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Well see, I'm that way, like I'm a Georgia Bulldogs fan.
So we we had not won the Natty since nineteen
eighty with herschel Walk, forty one years, and you know,
then we played Bamman like seventeen and they in overtime
beat us, and then the Falcons turn around twenty eight
(07:29):
to three and lose.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
It's like, so I actually I was not going to
go to the Bulldogs. I'm like, all right, I've wasted
too much money going to these games.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
But in twenty one when they.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Played in Indianapolis, and then like the week of the game,
me and my brother and my two buddies couldn't stand it.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
And so we drive up.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
To Indianapolis and we win the Natty and I told
my I called my son in law. I said, it's
worth it for all the heartbreak, this may be the
greatest moment of my life. And you guys, see, I'm
old enough to remember as a kid the Purple People
Eaters and it was like, you guys just kept going
to the Super Bowl and could never win it. And
(08:15):
and then I was it ninety nine.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Into ninety nine when you guys, when you guys crushed
my soul as a child.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Well, we had to come up there and play you there,
and I thought, we're going to get our teeth kicked in.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
There's so much better than us, That's what.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
But that's what I've been telling everybody this year when
they worry that the egos are the lions, and I
got you just never know in one game if you're
if you're some version of good, you just never know.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, especially you know, that's kind of what I'm going
through in college this season with Georgia, because they can
look unbeatable and they can look horrible. Because we were
talking about it and I thought, you know, the Lions
are playing so good that it's probably going to end
up being the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
And the Bikes in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
In the playoffs, and so Arthur Blank invited me and
my son in law Brendan down to watch the game.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
And he's so funny because he's.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Sitting there at the I mean, we're in Arthur Sweet
on the fifty yard line and he's watching the Bikes
on his phone between his legs, and so I'm like, dude,
let's go, Let's go watch Kirk and because this is
gonna end God, we played awful last week like the Chargers,
(09:37):
and just just so now.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I don't know, the Bucks are on a roll.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
So yeah, maybe you guys end up with the Bucks,
but what do you guys have won like five straight.
I really like this football team.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And I like Darno.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
You know, when Matt Ryan when we were going through
all that, and he was kind of the guy I
always thought this guy hasn't shown what he can do.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I think he's better, and obviously he is.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I mean, Koc is like a such a good quarterback,
and so when Sam went to you guys, I thought, well,
at least he's going to get a fair shot with
a good team to see if and I think he's
been fabulous this year.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Stick around after the break for our other guest, Adam Ray.
Right here on the Vikings Tailgate brought to you by Ticketmaster.
But first, the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings
and the NFL is Ticketmaster. It's the safest and most
convenient marketplace to score fully verified Viking tickets. So get
those touchdown celebrations ready and score your tickets today at
ticketmaster dot com. Slash Vikings Unreal is back with their
(10:49):
limited edition Vikings drop, so head over to nurl dot
com today you could win a Polaris razor and help
vets get a quality career. Visit all True dot com
slash code for more details. Welcome back to the Viking's Tailgate.
Let's get into our conversation with comedian Adam Ray. Ladies
(11:10):
and gentlemen, we are joined by the Great Adam Ray.
Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Man, happy to be here.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
First time caller, longtime listener. Your beer looks great. Just
does the carpet match the drapes? That's where everybody wants
to know.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
It's very I'm oscillating between guy in a cult and
guy you wouldn't want to be your wife's yoga teacher.
That's where I have entered into the era where I
am wearing one of these women's headbands like a European
soccer player. And it's not you would not like the
version of me that exists right now. Absolutely not.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Well I'll tell you who would love that. What's your
mascot's name? The Viking.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
I'm gonna get fired for my show, Victor Victor, the Victor,
the Viking.
Speaker 5 (11:54):
Yeah, yeah, but you know it's like, you know, the
Clippers have like what Paulie the pair It or Peter
the Plican.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Or something that has nothing to do with clipping.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Yeah, they should move to Seattle anyway.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
The only one I remember is the Chargers mascot, which
is Bolt, who's a lightning bolt that when you take
his glasses off, looks like he's been huffing dried up
red bull.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Like it's well, who hasn't done that.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, he's a wild He's a wild looking dude.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
I mean, let me ask you this, Sam.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
When I was in uh Minnesota in September, and you know,
he was maybe two games. You guys were maybe three
and oh or or four to oh, and you were
definitely rolling. And but it was so early that he
was like, you know, we we we love it here
and you know we we don't know everyone's telling me
to brave for the winner, and we don't know what
we're getting ourselves into. But but he's like, you know,
(12:46):
it's great, We're clicking. Jefferson's one of the best, you
know guys I've ever played with, and kept saying how
he got his PhD in football at San fran and
just really you know, grew up and matured and learned that,
like because I was like I keep hearing this on
in the meeting. Yeah, but like when you hear from
a source and he's like, well, dude, I just like
got to a place was like, oh, I don't have
to like force things and like it's okay to like
(13:07):
eat the ball or throw it away and like get
it on the next one. He's like, but everybody, you
feel so much pressure to like make something happen on
every play, and he's like, once I kind of like
subscribe to that.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
It's kind of calmed him down.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
And and and you know, obviously like faith and trust
to be able to sit in the pocket like that
goes a long way. But he was like, uh, yeah,
we'll see. He's like, I gotta keep balling out and
they got to want to like keep me. So I
can't imagine the conversation over there is anything but how
much and how long? Because like, and you know, it's
not like you have to get rid of McCarthy, but
unless you want to trade him to my Seahawks. But like,
(13:39):
if you guys didn't resign Sam, I would I would.
I think I would think the fan base would be like, what,
what's the move here?
Speaker 2 (13:45):
It's really interesting because I mean, he has universal like
approval rating here and as he should, and it's been
so so fun to watch him play. I remember, you
know you're talking September. I remember being at camp this
summer and this is before it's open to the public.
His presence was one of, Oh, this is just a dude.
(14:07):
This is just a dude who like I'm I mean,
unassuming in the best way, right. He could walk by
you in a hallway with a couple of other players
and it wouldn't like switch the room, you know what
I'm saying. He was just there. You could tell he
came in really excited off of San Francisco to be
in a situation with koc Here. It's almost amazing to
(14:29):
think it's the same a similar offense as the last
couple of years. Because when you see this dude's arm
as somebody who loves a comeback and like a vindication story. Dude,
it's so cool. I can't imagine there's a guy in
the NFL and I'm biased, but that that has a
better route for him. Fact.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Oh yeah, dude, yeah he I mean he also just
is doubt in.
Speaker 5 (14:50):
I mean I tried to get him to go to
the show on that Friday night before you guys were
in Green Bay and and he was like, dude, I
gotta be asleep by nine because we got this in
the MO And I was just like, dude, get after it, man.
I mean, he just was like, he was showing us
plays and he read a few and they made no sense.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
I mean, he read one play that he would read
in the huddle.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
And it was like qx five you know, qan On
Panera times five, Baron Trump, bar mitzvah sidekick break.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
And I was like, dude, there's no way I can
remember any of that.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
And he said it's so articulately and casually, and I
was like, man, this like but I guess it's like,
you know, it's a comedy. Like he's probably like, how
do you memorize your jokes? How do you write an act?
Speaker 4 (15:32):
How do you whatever?
Speaker 5 (15:33):
But I know how you know, well, revered Sam is,
but yeah, he's he's just a bud man.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
The other reason people need to go to your Instagram
is cause your homeboy, Sam Darnold literally is wearing an
Adam Ray as Doctor Phil hooded sweatshirt on his way
to the Monday night white out game against Chicago Bears.
I know, like, you get to this point where your
career grows, you get to do these cool thing Steelers do,
(16:01):
it's still gotta be a weird moment, like because they
just become your friends and stuff. You're like, hey, the
starting NFL quarterback, who's you know, weren't it not for
Josh Allen is probably the in the MVP conversation right now,
just has my silly comedy hooded sweatshirt on that hat.
That's such a cool thing when you think about who
you were as a kid and where you are now.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Yeah, it's it's cool.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
But it's also he's a big comedy fan, so it's like,
you know, it's he had been following me for a
little bit when we first met, and so for him too,
he takes ownership and seeing me kind of you know,
have a cool last couple of years and just you know,
have things kind of elevating a more fun direction. And yeah,
and so and I'm you know, almost like a supportive
(16:42):
mom the way I messaged him sometimes after certain things
that he does. And yeah, that was a sweet shout out.
And he was looking like a snack, so that didn't hurt.
You know, got to show the people of Minnesota that,
you know, Aaron Rodgers isn't the only you know, guy
out there that's that you know, looks like you could
be Brad Pitt's cousin. Yeah, it's it's awesome, man. And
the doctor Phil Merch is so fun and it's trying
(17:06):
to get Sammy to stick around hopefully and pop by
that Orpheum show. But he might be back in the
OC at that point. But but who knows, if you
guys take care of business, he might just you know,
he might just.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
They might just have to pave cement over him and
turn him into a statue.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
That's what I'm saying, Dude, put the statue down now
and let him know how much.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
You care if the Vikings ever win a Super Bowl
and if there's any sort of defining moment in that
Super Bowl run, the amount of like I think there'll
be a city council moving like we're gonna do a
lot of statues. We're just gonna, you know, it'll look
like when they dig up like those terra Cotta warriors
and an ancient civilization. That's what Minneapolis will look like
when somebody finds our city fifty thousand years from now.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, just a bunch of Sam Darnold's just with their
you know, just with their their helmet in their hand
all over the place.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Dude.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
It's also cool that, you know, Sam, you know, looks
like he's not old enough to be in the you know,
stadium without his parents, so that I think growing the
beard was a sweet move on his part.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Everyone moved.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
When you have a beard like that and you still
got like, you know, a young, affable vibe to you.
But Sam's got this clean cut, you know, California vibe
too that I think everyone's vibing with. And there is
a laid back style to him as a person that
definitely I see translating on the field ob asolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
He's in go mode. You guys are lucky, you know.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
I always ask people this when you get close and
don't make it, would you rather that or like not
even have that? Because like the Seahawks, we've gone. I
think we went ten years in a row to the
playoffs with Russ after the Super Bowls and it was
awesome because every Sunday mattered, and that's all I asked
for as a fan is like to be in a
place to where like you can watch the games and
actually get a little emotionally invested, which is tricky for fans.
(18:52):
I remember when the Seahawks won the first Super Bowl
in twenty thirteen and I went with my boy Brad Williams,
who's a dire Broncos fan. He's also a Dwarf, and
was sitting there and it was like fifteen to nothing,
and then Percy Harvin ran back the kickoff to start
the second half.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Brad looks down.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
I take a picture he was about to cry, and
he goes, you might not want to post that. If
a Dwarf cries at the super Bowl and it's public,
it's seven years bad luck. And I was like, so funny,
And I forgot how emotionally invested you get into your
team as a fan to where I was like accepting
partial responsibility.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
People were like, dude, congrats on the super Bowl. Congrats.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
I had no problem accepting partial like response, I was like, dude,
thank you man. Those fifteen beers I had a half
I think gave Marshawn the extra boost he needed. But
you guys probably have that same delusion where you're like,
we are a reason the team stays consistent.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
But I also think that there's a lot of truth
to that. You know.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
To go back to your original question, which would I
rather have? I think I'd rather be close because I'm
like you, I like to be invested in something you know,
because otherwise you get apathetic. But I also think the
secondary answer to that, which is something that you have,
it's something that I have ownership that cares about the
community and winning.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Right, that's all that sports is. And so I think
more than getting close, I think having an ownership group
that actually is invested in winning a title and building
in the community in a way, because you hear that
with the Seahawks, people like to go be a part
of that organization. They really like the way people talk
about the Vikings organization. That to me is the big
(20:23):
deal and the thing that allows you to reinvest because
you're like, well, at some point it has to work out.
Now you here's my question back to you, because you
won that Super Bowl and then all of a sudden,
it's like you guys entered into this almost new era.
We're like, well, they're kind of just one of the
franchises that they might have to rebuild, but they'll be back.
You're just expected to be there. I mean, where were
(20:46):
you at before that in that same regard, because it
was just years of misery with one Hasselbeck miss like
you were us with less of a long history before
that Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Yeah, I think you don't have a winning history.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
That super Bowl in twenty five against the Steelers that
was clearly rigged for Jerome Bettis to.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
Walk off into the sunset.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
And even my Steeler fans know that and will admit
it slightly, but nobody cared about the Seahawks. We were
small markets, still our small market team, but it's the
one sport where we have made more of a splash
in the zeitgeist, but at least for the Northwest. But yeah,
it was a weird time because you're such a diehard fan,
(21:31):
but you're also so aware of like, oh, we're just
not there.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
We have a lot of holes on the team.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
And getting Marshawn was like a big deal. I don't
think it was like a huge signing, but it was
a big It's like a back.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
To the future timeline shift getting him.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Seattle people are now so you live and die. We
also are just craving a super Bowl that will wash
away twenty fourteen.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
You're the king, dude. This means a lot. Thank you
for doing the.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Show anytime, Baby, Good to see us, sich.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Thanks again to both Jeff Foxworthy and Adam Ray for
joining the show. Be sure to check out Jeff and
Adam sites for their upcoming live tour dates in twenty
twenty five. Also check out the entirety of the Vikings
Tailgate Podcast. We've had incredible guests all year. You can
get it on whatever your favorite podcast app is, and
while you're there, leave us a review, a rating. We
would love it. It would help us out. Finally, huge shout
(22:27):
out to Ticketmaster, the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings,
for helping this show happen. We will see you all
again next week.
The Recket Recket.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm here, Hey everybody, Welcome back to the Vikings Tailgate,
brought to you by Ticketmaster, the official ticket marketplace of
the Minnesota Vikings. I'm your host, sy Amensen, and we
hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. Just like you,
We've been enjoying some time with our families, but we
(00:29):
still wanted to give you a little best of the
show in case you missed some of our favorite guests
of the season. First up, you're gonna hear from comedy
legend Jeff Foxworthy about his insane son in law, who
is a huge Vikings fan. Jeff also has a grandson
who already knows the school chance. You're you're gonna love
that segment. And then, secondly, one of the biggest up
(00:51):
and coming names in all of comedy, Adam Ray, who
is currently on his Doctor Phil Live Comedy tour. He's
gonna be coming to Minneapolis. He's a longtime friend of
Sam Darnold. You're really gonna love our conversation with him. Finally,
we hope you have a safe and wonderful rest of
your holiday season, and most importantly, that the Vikings get
the big win this weekend. Enjoy the show. Everybody, Ladies
(01:13):
and gentlemen, please welcome the one and only Jeff Foxworthy.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm excited to be here. I'm always loved Minnesota. I
did my last comedy special there. I always love playing
up there. And my football team has broken my heart
so much that the Vikings are, you know how you
always have to have like the second team because I'm
a Falcons fan. I grew up in Atlanta, but they've
(01:41):
gutted me so bad that the Vikings are my fallback team.
And my youngest daughter married into a family of insane scoldiers,
so you guys are my backup team. So this actually,
this weekend's kind of hard for me.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So as your son, And is he from Minnesota originally
or is he one of these places that his family
was and then they grew up somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
He and his forty five cousins, all of their aunts
and uncles are from Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I'm catching strays with that one. Jeff as a man
who's got a mom with eight brothers and sisters, and
I have a but you hit it on the head.
Is he Swedish too? Is he a giant Nordic Swedish person.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Now he's Irish poorly, but they're all they're all Minnesota people.
I mean they're Twins fans, they're Vikes fans. He's taught
my grandson. He's three now, but I found him last year.
He's two years old, two years old, down at my
farm in the middle of a field, and I videotaped
(02:42):
him singing the Vikings fight song.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Two years old, every word of it, at.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
The top of his lungs with it. Because we had
to negotiate because he was a Vikings and a Notre
Dame fan.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Another one that would break your heart.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And I was a Bulldogs and a Falcons fan, so
two more that break your heart. So before he was born,
we had serious negotiations and who was going to get
the college team and one was gonna get pro and
one was gonna get college.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I think you made the right decision.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
I think I did too.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
But now, like in pro, the NFC North is like
the SEC.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
In the NFC South, it's kind of like the Sun Belt.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Now, yeah, there's a little easier.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Nobody wants to win the conference.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Are they down? Are they near you in Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Do you guys get together or do you commiserate afterwards.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
It depends on how big the game is. If it's
a really big one, he'll go into a shell. And
he's got a one year old and a three year old,
so I kind of clear space for him. I'm running
like his wing and he'll tell me first the wait
look Sunday, I gotta have I gotta be all it.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Can you take the kids?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
You're his NFL babysitter wing man.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, I've got footage of him, like when the Vikings
win in the last second.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Well, I was with him in the car the other
day when he lost his mind.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
But this dude like rips his shirt off, is out
in the front yard beating past screaming skull. He loses
his mind and then like in eighteen I can't remember
who they lost to, but he announced he was going
on a hunger strike. He was as down as I've
(04:34):
ever so I literally I went to Honey Baked Ham
and got him a Honey Baked Ham sandwich and soup
and took.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
It over there. So he was sick.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So he yeah, like he has pneumonia because the Vikings lost,
and I'm in there like, dude, you got to eat,
you got to eat. Now I will tell you this
as an outsider looking in Okay, probably as a Vikings fan,
and it's it's a lifetime of frustration. But I think
(05:04):
other people look at y'all is one of the top
tier football.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Teams because you have been.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Always think of the Vikings like the Vikings. Oh, the
Vikings are good. The Vikings are good. I never think
of them as a bad team. I always think of
the Vikings as being good. But it's like you.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Get right up to the top of the thing and
then find a way.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
To fall off the mountain. We hang out on the mountain,
but we like to fall out.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, you guys, you've got that falcon thing where they
know how to break your heart. Yeah, you guys are
such good fans. You'll come back the next week and
you know, be right there. But maybe this is the year.
I mean, your defense, your defense is so much better
wild and this I think this iteration of the Vikings.
(05:56):
This team has hard and and to me, that's the
difference in great teams and teams that aren't.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
That both the belief in those moments that you're going
to figure it out.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And I think this team has that more than the
Vikings have had in recent years. Dude, I don't think
there's anybody that wouldn't take your head coach. I think O'Connell.
I mean, what a great surprise. He's been right and
hell I would take him today. Nothing again Raheem Morris.
But I think he's going to be around for a
(06:32):
long time. And I I just feel like you guys
are on the on the right track.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
It's weird, it's and it's funny until you win the
big one for the first time, which neither of us
have experienced. I think you don't trust anything. And so
even at ten and two, you feel this interesting. I
was home over Thanksgiving spending time, I was at the
game on Sunday. You feel this odd combo energy of
(07:00):
this is so great? Oh no, how's it going to end?
It just permeates through people.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Well see, I'm that way, like I'm a Georgia Bulldogs fan.
So we we had not won the Natty since nineteen
eighty with herschel Walk, forty one years, and you know,
then we played Bamman like seventeen and they in overtime
beat us, and then the Falcons turn around twenty eight
(07:29):
to three and lose.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
It's like, so I actually I was not going to
go to the Bulldogs. I'm like, all right, I've wasted
too much money going to these games.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
But in twenty one when they.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Played in Indianapolis, and then like the week of the game,
me and my brother and my two buddies couldn't stand it.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
And so we drive up.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
To Indianapolis and we win the Natty and I told
my I called my son in law. I said, it's
worth it for all the heartbreak, this may be the
greatest moment of my life. And you guys, see, I'm
old enough to remember as a kid the Purple People
Eaters and it was like, you guys just kept going
to the Super Bowl and could never win it. And
(08:15):
and then I was it ninety nine.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Into ninety nine when you guys, when you guys crushed
my soul as a child.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Well, we had to come up there and play you there,
and I thought, we're going to get our teeth kicked in.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
There's so much better than us, That's what.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
But that's what I've been telling everybody this year when
they worry that the egos are the lions, and I
got you just never know in one game if you're
if you're some version of good, you just never know.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, especially you know, that's kind of what I'm going
through in college this season with Georgia, because they can
look unbeatable and they can look horrible. Because we were
talking about it and I thought, you know, the Lions
are playing so good that it's probably going to end
up being the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
And the Bikes in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
In the playoffs, and so Arthur Blank invited me and
my son in law Brendan down to watch the game.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
And he's so funny because he's.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Sitting there at the I mean, we're in Arthur Sweet
on the fifty yard line and he's watching the Bikes
on his phone between his legs, and so I'm like, dude,
let's go, Let's go watch Kirk and because this is
gonna end God, we played awful last week like the Chargers,
(09:37):
and just just so now.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I don't know, the Bucks are on a roll.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
So yeah, maybe you guys end up with the Bucks,
but what do you guys have won like five straight.
I really like this football team.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And I like Darno.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
You know, when Matt Ryan when we were going through
all that, and he was kind of the guy I
always thought this guy hasn't shown what he can do.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I think he's better, and obviously he is.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I mean, Koc is like a such a good quarterback,
and so when Sam went to you guys, I thought, well,
at least he's going to get a fair shot with
a good team to see if and I think he's
been fabulous this year.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Stick around after the break for our other guest, Adam Ray.
Right here on the Vikings Tailgate brought to you by Ticketmaster.
But first, the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings
and the NFL is Ticketmaster. It's the safest and most
convenient marketplace to score fully verified Viking tickets. So get
those touchdown celebrations ready and score your tickets today at
ticketmaster dot com. Slash Vikings Unreal is back with their
(10:49):
limited edition Vikings drop, so head over to nurl dot
com today you could win a Polaris razor and help
vets get a quality career. Visit all True dot com
slash code for more details. Welcome back to the Viking's Tailgate.
Let's get into our conversation with comedian Adam Ray. Ladies
(11:10):
and gentlemen, we are joined by the Great Adam Ray.
Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Man, happy to be here.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
First time caller, longtime listener. Your beer looks great. Just
does the carpet match the drapes? That's where everybody wants
to know.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
It's very I'm oscillating between guy in a cult and
guy you wouldn't want to be your wife's yoga teacher.
That's where I have entered into the era where I
am wearing one of these women's headbands like a European
soccer player. And it's not you would not like the
version of me that exists right now. Absolutely not.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Well I'll tell you who would love that. What's your
mascot's name? The Viking.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
I'm gonna get fired for my show, Victor Victor, the Victor,
the Viking.
Speaker 5 (11:54):
Yeah, yeah, but you know it's like, you know, the
Clippers have like what Paulie the pair It or Peter
the Plican.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Or something that has nothing to do with clipping.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Yeah, they should move to Seattle anyway.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
The only one I remember is the Chargers mascot, which
is Bolt, who's a lightning bolt that when you take
his glasses off, looks like he's been huffing dried up
red bull.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Like it's well, who hasn't done that.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, he's a wild He's a wild looking dude.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
I mean, let me ask you this, Sam.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
When I was in uh Minnesota in September, and you know,
he was maybe two games. You guys were maybe three
and oh or or four to oh, and you were
definitely rolling. And but it was so early that he
was like, you know, we we we love it here
and you know we we don't know everyone's telling me
to brave for the winner, and we don't know what
we're getting ourselves into. But but he's like, you know,
(12:46):
it's great, We're clicking. Jefferson's one of the best, you
know guys I've ever played with, and kept saying how
he got his PhD in football at San fran and
just really you know, grew up and matured and learned that,
like because I was like I keep hearing this on
in the meeting. Yeah, but like when you hear from
a source and he's like, well, dude, I just like
got to a place was like, oh, I don't have
to like force things and like it's okay to like
(13:07):
eat the ball or throw it away and like get
it on the next one. He's like, but everybody, you
feel so much pressure to like make something happen on
every play, and he's like, once I kind of like
subscribe to that.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
It's kind of calmed him down.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
And and and you know, obviously like faith and trust
to be able to sit in the pocket like that
goes a long way. But he was like, uh, yeah,
we'll see. He's like, I gotta keep balling out and
they got to want to like keep me. So I
can't imagine the conversation over there is anything but how
much and how long? Because like, and you know, it's
not like you have to get rid of McCarthy, but
unless you want to trade him to my Seahawks. But like,
(13:39):
if you guys didn't resign Sam, I would I would.
I think I would think the fan base would be like, what,
what's the move here?
Speaker 2 (13:45):
It's really interesting because I mean, he has universal like
approval rating here and as he should, and it's been
so so fun to watch him play. I remember, you
know you're talking September. I remember being at camp this
summer and this is before it's open to the public.
His presence was one of, Oh, this is just a dude.
(14:07):
This is just a dude who like I'm I mean,
unassuming in the best way, right. He could walk by
you in a hallway with a couple of other players
and it wouldn't like switch the room, you know what
I'm saying. He was just there. You could tell he
came in really excited off of San Francisco to be
in a situation with koc Here. It's almost amazing to
(14:29):
think it's the same a similar offense as the last
couple of years. Because when you see this dude's arm
as somebody who loves a comeback and like a vindication story. Dude,
it's so cool. I can't imagine there's a guy in
the NFL and I'm biased, but that that has a
better route for him. Fact.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Oh yeah, dude, yeah he I mean he also just
is doubt in.
Speaker 5 (14:50):
I mean I tried to get him to go to
the show on that Friday night before you guys were
in Green Bay and and he was like, dude, I
gotta be asleep by nine because we got this in
the MO And I was just like, dude, get after it, man.
I mean, he just was like, he was showing us
plays and he read a few and they made no sense.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
I mean, he read one play that he would read
in the huddle.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
And it was like qx five you know, qan On
Panera times five, Baron Trump, bar mitzvah sidekick break.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
And I was like, dude, there's no way I can
remember any of that.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
And he said it's so articulately and casually, and I
was like, man, this like but I guess it's like,
you know, it's a comedy. Like he's probably like, how
do you memorize your jokes? How do you write an act?
Speaker 4 (15:32):
How do you whatever?
Speaker 5 (15:33):
But I know how you know, well, revered Sam is,
but yeah, he's he's just a bud man.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
The other reason people need to go to your Instagram
is cause your homeboy, Sam Darnold literally is wearing an
Adam Ray as Doctor Phil hooded sweatshirt on his way
to the Monday night white out game against Chicago Bears.
I know, like, you get to this point where your
career grows, you get to do these cool thing Steelers do,
(16:01):
it's still gotta be a weird moment, like because they
just become your friends and stuff. You're like, hey, the
starting NFL quarterback, who's you know, weren't it not for
Josh Allen is probably the in the MVP conversation right now,
just has my silly comedy hooded sweatshirt on that hat.
That's such a cool thing when you think about who
you were as a kid and where you are now.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Yeah, it's it's cool.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
But it's also he's a big comedy fan, so it's like,
you know, it's he had been following me for a
little bit when we first met, and so for him too,
he takes ownership and seeing me kind of you know,
have a cool last couple of years and just you know,
have things kind of elevating a more fun direction. And yeah,
and so and I'm you know, almost like a supportive
(16:42):
mom the way I messaged him sometimes after certain things
that he does. And yeah, that was a sweet shout out.
And he was looking like a snack, so that didn't hurt.
You know, got to show the people of Minnesota that,
you know, Aaron Rodgers isn't the only you know, guy
out there that's that you know, looks like you could
be Brad Pitt's cousin. Yeah, it's it's awesome, man. And
the doctor Phil Merch is so fun and it's trying
(17:06):
to get Sammy to stick around hopefully and pop by
that Orpheum show. But he might be back in the
OC at that point. But but who knows, if you
guys take care of business, he might just you know,
he might just.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
They might just have to pave cement over him and
turn him into a statue.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
That's what I'm saying, Dude, put the statue down now
and let him know how much.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
You care if the Vikings ever win a Super Bowl
and if there's any sort of defining moment in that
Super Bowl run, the amount of like I think there'll
be a city council moving like we're gonna do a
lot of statues. We're just gonna, you know, it'll look
like when they dig up like those terra Cotta warriors
and an ancient civilization. That's what Minneapolis will look like
when somebody finds our city fifty thousand years from now.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, just a bunch of Sam Darnold's just with their
you know, just with their their helmet in their hand
all over the place.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Dude.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
It's also cool that, you know, Sam, you know, looks
like he's not old enough to be in the you know,
stadium without his parents, so that I think growing the
beard was a sweet move on his part.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Everyone moved.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
When you have a beard like that and you still
got like, you know, a young, affable vibe to you.
But Sam's got this clean cut, you know, California vibe
too that I think everyone's vibing with. And there is
a laid back style to him as a person that
definitely I see translating on the field ob asolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
He's in go mode. You guys are lucky, you know.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
I always ask people this when you get close and
don't make it, would you rather that or like not
even have that? Because like the Seahawks, we've gone. I
think we went ten years in a row to the
playoffs with Russ after the Super Bowls and it was
awesome because every Sunday mattered, and that's all I asked
for as a fan is like to be in a
place to where like you can watch the games and
actually get a little emotionally invested, which is tricky for fans.
(18:52):
I remember when the Seahawks won the first Super Bowl
in twenty thirteen and I went with my boy Brad Williams,
who's a dire Broncos fan. He's also a Dwarf, and
was sitting there and it was like fifteen to nothing,
and then Percy Harvin ran back the kickoff to start
the second half.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Brad looks down.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
I take a picture he was about to cry, and
he goes, you might not want to post that. If
a Dwarf cries at the super Bowl and it's public,
it's seven years bad luck. And I was like, so funny,
And I forgot how emotionally invested you get into your
team as a fan to where I was like accepting
partial responsibility.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
People were like, dude, congrats on the super Bowl. Congrats.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
I had no problem accepting partial like response, I was like, dude,
thank you man. Those fifteen beers I had a half
I think gave Marshawn the extra boost he needed. But
you guys probably have that same delusion where you're like,
we are a reason the team stays consistent.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
But I also think that there's a lot of truth
to that. You know.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
To go back to your original question, which would I
rather have? I think I'd rather be close because I'm
like you, I like to be invested in something you know,
because otherwise you get apathetic. But I also think the
secondary answer to that, which is something that you have,
it's something that I have ownership that cares about the
community and winning.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Right, that's all that sports is. And so I think
more than getting close, I think having an ownership group
that actually is invested in winning a title and building
in the community in a way, because you hear that
with the Seahawks, people like to go be a part
of that organization. They really like the way people talk
about the Vikings organization. That to me is the big
(20:23):
deal and the thing that allows you to reinvest because
you're like, well, at some point it has to work out.
Now you here's my question back to you, because you
won that Super Bowl and then all of a sudden,
it's like you guys entered into this almost new era.
We're like, well, they're kind of just one of the
franchises that they might have to rebuild, but they'll be back.
You're just expected to be there. I mean, where were
(20:46):
you at before that in that same regard, because it
was just years of misery with one Hasselbeck miss like
you were us with less of a long history before
that Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Yeah, I think you don't have a winning history.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
That super Bowl in twenty five against the Steelers that
was clearly rigged for Jerome Bettis to.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
Walk off into the sunset.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
And even my Steeler fans know that and will admit
it slightly, but nobody cared about the Seahawks. We were
small markets, still our small market team, but it's the
one sport where we have made more of a splash
in the zeitgeist, but at least for the Northwest. But yeah,
it was a weird time because you're such a diehard fan,
(21:31):
but you're also so aware of like, oh, we're just
not there.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
We have a lot of holes on the team.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
And getting Marshawn was like a big deal. I don't
think it was like a huge signing, but it was
a big It's like a back.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
To the future timeline shift getting him.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Seattle people are now so you live and die. We
also are just craving a super Bowl that will wash
away twenty fourteen.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
You're the king, dude. This means a lot. Thank you
for doing the.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Show anytime, Baby, Good to see us, sich.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Thanks again to both Jeff Foxworthy and Adam Ray for
joining the show. Be sure to check out Jeff and
Adam sites for their upcoming live tour dates in twenty
twenty five. Also check out the entirety of the Vikings
Tailgate Podcast. We've had incredible guests all year. You can
get it on whatever your favorite podcast app is, and
while you're there, leave us a review, a rating. We
would love it. It would help us out. Finally, huge shout
(22:27):
out to Ticketmaster, the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings,
for helping this show happen. We will see you all
again next week.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com