Xs and Os with Rick Spielman and Eric Sugarman | Week 4

On this edition of Xs and Os, Head Coach Mike Zimmer is replaced by GM Rick Spielman and Head Athletic Trainer and Vice President of Sports Medicine Eric Sugarman to talk about the Vikings COVID-19 preparations this week after finding out last week's opponent the Titans had several positive tests. Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen discusses how the Vikings are preparing for Week 4 against the Texans.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for X and with Vikings head coach Mike
Zimmer on the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network. Now from the
TCO Studios in Egan, Here is the voice of the Vikings,
Paul Hellen. XS and OS on the KFA and Minnesota
Vikings Radio Network is underway. The show is courtesy of

(00:22):
US Bank, honoring the Vikings sixty greatest fans this season
and this week we are happy to kick it off
with Minnesota Vikings General manager Rick Spielman. Vikings set to
play the Houston Texans noon for the Boom on the Fan.
That's this Sunday, and Rick joins us. Now, Hey, Rick,
first to you guys, what have you seen from the

(00:45):
Vikings staff in terms of adapting quickly given the nature
of the world, you know, just talking about everything that
happened this week, and we got a call on Tuesday
that there were some positives from Tennessee staff and a
few players coming out of the game they tested positive

(01:06):
for COVID nineteen. I think the NFL, the NFLPA has
really done a fantastic job preparing us for all the protocol,
our Eider plan, all the emergency think that we had
to put in place. Once we found out that some
of the Tennessee staff and players tested positive. So at
nine o'clock we got the call from the league. Eric

(01:28):
Sugarman got the call. He came up to my office,
We talked to doctor Sills, We implemented the plan. By
ten o'clock we had everybody out of the building. It's
a huge game plan day for the coaches, but we
were able to adjust to get them out of the building,
get them set up so they can meet virtually, and
by one o'clock we were back functioning again. So it's

(01:49):
a great job by everybody in the building during their
part to keep it as normal as possible. Today we're
out of the building. Tomorrow we're expected back in. We're
going to have to go through some more stringent protocol,
a little bit deeper into everything that we're doing, going
to have to get tested twice as we come back

(02:11):
in the building. So we are going through the normal
procedures of getting prepared for the game. I know Coach
Zimmer does not look at this or anything as any excuses.
I feel very confident and he knows that he's got
You'll have this team ready to go on Sunday, regardless
of the circumstances that we're dealing with right now, there's

(02:33):
no question that ZIM and the coaching staff and the
players will be excited to play on Sunday now. Involving
your essentials to keep the game going, the level of
respect rick you have for protocol and safety, no matter
their opinion of what's requested, it seems like everybody's being
a good soldier. Yeah. No, we've been very good, you know,

(02:56):
trying to follow the protocol has been set in place.
The number one priority as the health and safety of
our players, our coaches, our entire staff, and their families.
We don't want to get anyone sick. So in order
to do that and minimize the risk as much as possible,
you have to follow the protocol. And there's a lot
of science behind everything that's been put in place that

(03:18):
shows it that you follow through and do the right thing.
Social distancing, washing your hands, wearing your mask with our
contact tracers, and making sure that we're keeping away from
each other that we can continue to have a sixteen
game season. So we'll do some extra even more this
week just because of us being potentially exposed from the

(03:41):
Tennessee players and staff. But as of right now, we
have no positive tests and we'll get ready to go
tomorrow and through this whole thing. You guys are kind
of innocent bystanders in the Titans COVID situation. So let
me ask you this. The Texans practice today, you guys didn't.
Why is that fair? I think that if you talk

(04:04):
to the league, and I know I've been in situations
throughout my career, is that they have a little bit
background on this from when teams can't practice, if there's
a hurricane that comes through, you know, down in Miami
or New Orleans, the fires that are out west, you know.
So I think that talking it through with the league,

(04:24):
they know how long and what a team needs to
get prepared to get ready to play a game on Sunday.
Coach Zim's adjusting his schedule, so we'll have tomorrow's Thursday,
we'll have a Wednesday type day in practice. On Friday,
we'll have a Thursday type day in practice, and on Saturday,
usually it's a mock game. We'll do a watered down

(04:45):
version of our Friday practice. But we're not going to
look at this as any type of excuse, And Coach
Zim told the players aft this morning in a team meeting.
It's all the jobs to get prepared for this game.
Put in the extra time you need, and let's go
do under and get a win. On Sunday, Minnesota Vikings
general manager Rick Spielman on X's and o's trainer Eric

(05:06):
Sugarman the next segment. Now, with my Vikings Entertainment network
work that I do at Twin Cities ORTHOPEDICX Performance Center,
I might see three percent of the building two or
three times a week, but I still can tell from
afar just how stringently and seriously the safety protocols are
being managed at Twin Cities ORTHOPEDICX Performance Center. It just

(05:31):
how deeply does safety go in that facility. Well, we've
quarantined off the building where all the players and coaches
what we call Tier one and Tier two employees, which
are basically all the football operations, and from everywhere else
in a building. After every meeting, every tables wiped down,

(05:51):
we have a cleaning schedule, and not just from the
maintenance crews and everybody else. Everybody pitches in. I have
scouts pitch in. I pitch in after the meetings and
the players are out, we go in there and scrub
everything down before the next meetings begin. The way we
get our food into cafeteria, the one way hallways in
and out, going in one entrance, coming out the same entrance,

(06:15):
So there are a lot of protocol in place. You
don't walk into that building without having a contact tracer on.
When we go on the road, when we're on a bus,
when we're on the airplane, when we're in a hotel,
we always have our contact traces on so we can
find out if there's been anyone in close contact that
may have been affected. We're following all the CDC guidelines.

(06:36):
And the biggest thing too, is the mask and how
important it is to have mask on. And you see
our coaches out of practice wearing mask. You know, you
saw some of the stuff that happened in the NFL.
They sent out another memo today re emphasizing how important
it is to have some kind of face covering on.

(06:56):
So as long as you try to do everything the
right way, and I know we're trying to do everything
the right way, you're going to minimize risk and hopefully
not have an outbreak. And then they leave the facility
and live life. So I mean, it's a constant worry, right.
I would imagine you implement in minds, all right, we're

(07:16):
doing this well, but when you leave, you have to
do it better. Yeah, And it's just being responsible when
you leave the building at night. And I think we
have a great group of guys in the locker room
that understand how significant that this h this is. You know,
you're dealing with a pandemic and you want to make

(07:36):
sure that when you go home that not only you're
taking care of yourself, but your family as well. So
I think we have a lot of people that in
our building and including our players, that are trying to
do every they can to minimize the risk. Now, you
guys didn't beat Tennessee, but justin Jefferson kind of stole
the show with that big performance. What have you liked

(07:58):
about justin up to that game and having no preseason,
virtual off season, and the way he has adapted He's
just from the beginning when he stepped into the building
when we first started, you can see that he has
some unique ability and his ability to adjust to learn
the offense on the fly, as most of these young

(08:20):
guys are trying to do right now, but just his
natural ability to catch the ball how quickly after he
catches the ball he gets it upfield. You see that
he has explosive playmaking ability. And I think the more
we evolve as a football team with all the young players,
we're getting better and better every week, and you're going
to see a lot not only him and what he

(08:42):
was able to perform at the level he performed at
this week, but a lot of these rookies you see
growing and continue to grow as they get game experience.
How is Ezra Cleveland coming along? He's been great. I
know the coaches are excited about his progress. You know,
he was a left half his career in college. The

(09:02):
first time he lined up in guard, so that's a
huge adjustment from gorn from left tackle inside to a
guard position, just because of how quickly everything happens a
lot sooner than it does when you're out of tackle
and protecting the edge. But he's adapted very well, very smart,
bright kid, and I think he's going to get his

(09:23):
opportunity here shortly as well. Time for two more now
with your new defensive end unique in Gokway, I have
respect for the transition. In other words, when the trade
took place, he's uprooted, gets here or in the pandemic
and just everything involved with changing and moving. So with
that transition in mind, how is he coming along through three?

(09:47):
I think you've seen, you know, the steps he made
from week one, because that was the first week he
got in here to where he was in week two
and then and continues to get better in week three.
The other thing, not only all the transition and from
moving and getting situated up here, dealing with a pandemic

(10:08):
everything else, but he also has to learn what we
do from a defensive scheme standpoint, what we do from
a technique standpoint, because it's totally different than what he
has doing what he was doing down in Jacksonville. So
you're starting to see him, Andrea, I know he's been
spending a lot of extra time with him. The kid
is truly a pros pro. He wants to get better.

(10:29):
He wants to go out there and prove that he's
one of the best in the league. And he comes
in with that attitude every day. Oh last one, Rick,
thank you very much. How is your level of patience
with this team given the injuries and the youth. Well
I knew, you know, we have a young ball club,
especially you know, and you look at the defensive side,

(10:51):
and those guys are learning the scheme on the fly,
but also the coaches are learning what these guys strengths
and weaknesses are too. So Zim's doing a great job
and the coaches are doing a great job trying to
adjust some things to help these guys, but they're also
learning what the players can do. So the first week
they did some things, and some guys can do good

(11:12):
and they can't do good in this other area, so
they make adjustments. And even though last week we didn't win,
you've seen us. I think we were very good on
third downs. Red zone was excellent last week. So I
think with Jim's point of emphasis, this week is just
eliminating the big plays on first and second down. But
you're seeing a lot of progress when you come in

(11:34):
on Monday and watch the tape, and I think that's
going to start translating into some wins. Rick, thank you
very much for the time, and have a good day.
Thanks for having me on. Rick Spielman, general manager for
the Minnesota Vikings. Kicking off x's and o's got coming
up next athletic trainer Eric Sugarman. But first, it's game day.

(11:54):
Any day play the new Vikings Scratch game from the
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(12:17):
stores for details. It's XS and OS on the KFA
n Minnesota Vikings Radio Network. XS and OS on the

(12:44):
KFA in Minnesota. Vikings Radio Network continues hey. In celebration
of sixty seasons, the Vikings are selecting fans for the
sixty Greatest Fans Team. It's presented by US Bank. Nominate
yourself or someone else today at Vikings dot com Slash
six zero fans. Eric Sugarman is the vice president of
sports Medicine and head athletic trainer for the Minnesota Vikings,

(13:08):
and he joins us now sug Paul Allen. How are you.
I'm doing great? Thanks for having me, no problem, Bud.
Have you have you memorized every word on the CDC website?
You know? I read it at night. It's it's really good.
Help me go to sleep. And finally, is your business card?

(13:29):
Is it an eight by ten with VP sports Medicine,
head athletic trainer? And now we add IFCO. I don't
think people use business cards anymore. So no, hey, some
of us are still on aol ma'am all right, um
shug COVID and the serious nature of everything just stream

(13:49):
your consciousness. What have you learned during the process and
being part legitimately of a case study. What's transpiring now
with the Titans and you guys, well, you know, every
day is a new day, and you never know what's
going to be dealt to you each and every day
with this virus. And that goes for you, people in

(14:13):
your family, people in society, and the Minnesota Vikings and
you know, we saw that very real yesterday when I
got a phone call in the morning from doctor Allen
Sills and told me we had a shutdown our facility
because the Tennessee Titans were having an outbreak. Okay, and
now speaking of outbreaks, but with COVID nineteen right into

(14:37):
training camp, you you got bit so you know you
actually had it. What what what did it feel like like?
What was it like? Well, I, first of all, it's
embarrassing that the ico who just spend a day with
Peter King a couple of days later test positive for COVID.
But I think I have to thank one of my
family members for that. Who will go nameless. I felt

(14:59):
like the night when I got sick that Lindvall, Joseph Schamar,
Stephen and maybe Anthony bar tackled me at the same time.
The body aches were unbelievably intense, made me take my temperature,
realize I had a fever, and then within a day
lost all sense of taste and about fifty percent sense

(15:23):
of smell. But I will say after about forty eight hours,
I really was feeling normal, except for the lack of
taste and smell, which lasted very long. Jeez, Now you
have it back. Now I feel like I have my
taste back and my smell back, probably about sevent okay,

(15:45):
And to avoid this because it's so unpredictable the enhanced
protocols at Twin Cities ORTHOPEDICX Performance Center, I read the
Peter King piece. I'm there three days a week, so
so I know how vigilant you guys are playing the
enhanced protocols. Yeah, I mean, you know our building you know,

(16:05):
when this all started and when we realize the players
were going to come back, and you know, you know,
really took a completely different look from arrows in the
hallway to make sure people only go one way to
labels and asking people not to use elevators, to changing
all the meeting rooms as far as you know, the
auditorium which seat one hundred and seventy five now only

(16:28):
see forty two, so that there's more six feet distance
between every area. It's intense, and it's done with one
thing in mind, and that is to keep our players,
coaches and staff safe and healthy and their families and
Paul and the players return tomorrow because we've got the
green light for that. You know, we will have enhanced protocols.

(16:50):
We are going to have increased testing. We're going to
do what's called a point of care test, which is
the same nose swab that you've been getting when you
get tested, except you get the results in twenty minutes.
You do give up a slight bit of accuracy on those.
But we'll also do a PCR test. We will be
doing increased symptom checks on the guys and certainly increased
a PP which is personal protective equipment, things like face

(17:12):
coverings and social distance. Minnesota Vikings well respected HAD athletic
trainer Eric Sugarman is on Exes and Nos discussing the
events of the week with the Minnesota Vikings currently scheduled
to play the Houston Texans boom adnoon on the Fan. Now,
I mean, you're you're very blessed with the jobs you
have and you've worked extremely hard to be where you

(17:34):
are now. So with that said, are you ever able
to totally relax given all that you're you're the point
person for all of this, Can you ever really relax? No? Um,
And this is I'm not issuing a complaint because this
is what I signed up for the hardest part for
me since COVID is that when someone if someone tests positives,

(18:01):
I am the person along with one of our team
docks that gets alerted. And you know, every morning I
wake up, I grab my phone and see if I
have that message because I missed text that alerts me
that the player's positives or staff member, because I have
to immediately react and make sure that that person doesn't
come into TCOPC is quarantined and then goes through all

(18:23):
the other steps that they have to go through not
to mention immediately, do a contact tracing report, etc. And
don't forget I do all this along with my day job,
which is take care of these athletes and make sure
that we have healthy players on the football field to
help help our team well. And you look at the
COVID curveballs and there probably are some screwballs around the corner.

(18:45):
You got no idea, but you have those false positives
in August and then now you guys are kind of
the bystander net next to you know, another team where
it started. So the curveballs of COVID just keep coming. Yeah,
you never know what's going to come next, and every
minute a new minute, and you know what, we're just
going to deal with it as it comes. Thankfully, you know,

(19:07):
the NFL, the NFLPA have prepared us very well with
science based protocols to react and respond to these emergencies.
And we have things like ITERS, which is an infectious
disease Emergency Response plan. You know, we were ready to go,
so you know, we'll take whatever comes, We'll handle it.
We won't use as an excuse and we'll go. Eric

(19:31):
in closing up your staff, I mean like when somebody
goes down for the Vikings or even another team like
with Taylor Lewan. I saw your run out there in
the Titans game. Many people are familiar with you, but
your staff it's because I know them personally. It's a
great given giving staff. They're wonderful people, dedicated to their

(19:52):
work and they have to be big now, right because
you have so much to do. Yeah, they you know,
I give them all the at it. And you know,
you know, like coach Zimmer and Rick or the face
of the football operation obviously on the face of the
sports medicine operation, but I couldn't do it without them.
And it goes deeper. You know. You have Rob Roach

(20:12):
who's been with me. He was a student of mine
at Westchester. We've known each other for over two decades.
And you know, I have Dave Jansy, I have a
Manda Mechanic. I have Matt Duommel who we stole back
from the Timberwolves in my intern Andrew's Armstrong. They're they're
phenomenal and they deserve all the credit. Not to mention,
there is no question we have the best team positions

(20:33):
in the business, led by doctor Shelton Burns and Chris
Larson and on and on. So we're so fortunate and
blessed the care that we were able to provide these players.
You know, we're very lucky. Eric, that was terrific. Stay
safe and I'll see you soon. Okay, all right, Paul,
thanks so much, by bye. See you about Eric Sugarman,
head athletic trainer for the Minnesota Vikings, and that puts

(20:53):
a rap on XS and o's. Vikings currently scheduled to
play the Houston Texans Sunday at noon, and you know,
make sure to listen to nine to noon radio tomorrow
beginning with the Power Trip at five to thirty in
the morning, KFA N and kfaan dot com for those
of you on the Vikings Radio network for any updates
on if anything changes with the Vikings and the Texans.

(21:15):
You know, fairly you have COVID and incubation, so granted,
these individuals test six times a week, but they still,
you know, with the incubation process, you still kind of
got a sweat until you get you know, four or
five days removed from said process. It's all very confusing.
I'm Paul Allen. Thank you for listening to X's and

(21:36):
O's on the KFA and Minnesota Vikings Or Radio Network