#92Noon! 10am Hour 11/19 Ben Goessling!

92Noon! Goessling - NDN

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
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Speaker 2 (00:43):
Y'all don't know football?

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Court to see the talkback machine, y'all don't know football.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
You're probably right, it's nine to noon. What am I
going to say? I want my.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Favorite teams to win, and then maybe there's a bias
associated with it. No bias though, when we're talking about
the Star Tribune Star Tribune dot com and guestling who
covers the Minnesota Vikings at Ben Geslin via x that
you've got the Access Vikings podcast and myriad content during
the season. Sadly for a four and six football team,
but thank you Standard heating and air for bringing him

(01:13):
in studio weekly. How you doing, man, I'm doing well.
How are you I am?

Speaker 2 (01:17):
I am good. It's see, it's well.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
I'm not good because of the team's bad, and I'm
emotionally I'm not emotionally compelled by watch outside of my
own house these days. The team still gets me a
little bit and it gets me excited and it breaks
my heart every single season. But just talking with Mike
Florio specifically about the QB, that remains the a topic
for this entire operation.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
It does.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
I'm just curious where your head is at in terms
of now through five starts, you know, just kind of
laying it out like I think, you know, in terms
of trying to find progress. You know, the coach is
going to talk about fundamentals. He's going to talk about
the mechanics of things. And as a matter of fact,
I believe you and wrote a piece in regards to mechanics.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
But bad at balls. Yeah, So what is what is
your path now?

Speaker 3 (02:06):
Is a guy that covers the team on a week
to week basis, because we've heard all sorts of different excuses.
Kid can be clutch, kid throws at ten feet over
people's heads, Like, what is your what have you found
yourself a in a groove? In terms of this Sunday Lambo,
I need to see this, like what is the next step?

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Is it mechanics? Is it accuracy?

Speaker 3 (02:26):
Like how do you kind of parse through all of
the tea leaves at the touch.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
And the team are thrown out there?

Speaker 4 (02:32):
Well, I think the tricky part is that we are
analyzing each one of these starts kind of as a
referendum on where he's at. I mean, it's almost like
a you're taking a test every week to say, Okay,
how much development has he made? And the answer to
this question probably does not arrive in a week. And
that's the tricky part of it, is that we get

(02:52):
these weekly snapshots of where he's going to be. But
you know, we've seen it. We saw it last year
in the sense of Sam Darnold is here having busted
out of his drafting team and having been with however
many teams I think five or whatever it was previous
to the Vikings, in part because he was that first
round pick that didn't make it. So you see him,

(03:15):
you see Baker Mayfield, you see you know these guys
that were high draft picks that didn't pan out. With
their original teams and then they stuck and play and
once they figure it out later in their careers, somebody
else gets to be the beneficiary of that. So, you know,
is he going to be somebody that takes a while
to figure it out or is he going to be
somebody that doesn't figure it out at all? There's plenty
of those guys too, And I don't know that you're

(03:38):
going to have the definitive answer to that right away.
And I think there's you know, certainly valid reason to
look at it and say, well, there's a lot that
needs to get cleaned up here. So I think the
mechanics are a big part of it. I mean, I
think you look at a lot of that stuff and say,
can he be a little more sustainable? I think in
terms of how you deliver accurately and then how you're

(03:58):
reading things out. He was a little better at that Sunday,
a little more decisive. He didn't get sacked as a
result of that, I think. But there's a lot of
the basics of the position that you look for. But
it's also I think even if he has a week
where you know, like a Lions game, where hey, he
goes into Detroit and wins it. It's I think the

(04:19):
job I have to do is say this all has
to be in context, whether it's really good or really bad.
And there's been a lot of really bad and I
think they're really good. Are the wins in some cases
with the Lions. I don't know how much of that
is him rather than him as being a part of
the team.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
I don't think he's carrying them to those wins. That
was a group effort. Yeah it was.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
It was, and he did not impede it in the
way that he has at different times. But yeah, I
think a lot of this is trying to remember this
just takes a long time, and it's hard to tell
people to be patient, and it's hard to for all
of us to remain patient in this kind of a world.
But that is how this position tends to go. Is
it takes a little time to get it figured out.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
I used to spend I used to spend time. Within
the last couple of weeks, I was kind of spending
time thinking through it, like, Okay, so we're watching these
games and there are some things that maybe look but
in the end there's like new bits. It's so inconsistent.
You can't necessarily he's say he's progressed or regressed over
the course of this handful of starts, because there's different

(05:23):
things that make me want to pull my hair out tweak.
But I was trying to think, Okay, so is Kevin
O'Connell creating an offense that suits the kid's strengths or
are we trying to raise the kid to fit the offense.
Now I've just completely given up on trying to find
that answer because in so I'm seeing it every week.

(05:46):
There are easy options, and the easy options are not
being taken, and so you know, for a coach that
under nobody should feel bad for the head coach who
chose this path. Right, collectively or singularly, We're moving on
with JJ McCarthy. We got a cool roster. I think
we can win some games. Yeah, and it's not happening right,
But I'm just curious, like how that process has worked

(06:09):
in terms of because we've heard it, like I'm not
taking pages out of the playbook like this kid. You know,
we're going to go full speed ahead, We're going to
challenge him, and I just wonder, at what point has
it already happened? Maybe could it happen in the future
where it's like, I think I just got to settle
in on what this is or has become mean, and

(06:30):
maybe that's when even potentially a material drastic change takes place.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, I think they are.

Speaker 4 (06:37):
You know, we talk about whether it's molding the offense
for the kid or molding the kid for the offense.
I think it's more the latter, I do. I think
they want him to execute a full version of the
offense rather than kind of doing the Well, we're going
to give you the middle school playbook, the cadet's version
of it. Then you come up to the high school
playbook later. You know, you hear a high school teams

(06:58):
will do that sometimes where hey, this is our system
middle school, We're going to run some streamline version of this.
I don't think that's what they're doing with him here,
but I think they would look at the tape and
you can see this on the tape where there are
guys running open and yeah, yeah, And I think Kevin
O'Connell would say, well, why do I need to dumb

(07:20):
that down? I mean that it's not a checkdown throw
that's five yards. It's maybe I have to hit somebody
in stride over the middle of the field. But if
I see it and I throw it, that's not a
hard you know, quote unquote hard throw to make, or
a quote unquote difficult play to make if you have
a guy running open. It's just you have to be
able to see it. I mean, he talks rhythm and
timing all the time, but that is part of it.

(07:42):
Is when I get to the top of my drop,
I see it. I throw from a solid base. I'm
not necessarily moving my feet around so much, clicking my
heels together, all that kind of stuff. If I execute
the mechanics of the position from that, from the read
to the drop to the row and a guy's running open,
that should be fairly accessible. So I think a lot

(08:05):
of their approach to it is the answers are here.
You just have to get the basics of the position right.
And that's why you hear him coaching that part of
it quite a bit. So I don't think they want
to delude any of that for him. I think some
of it is raising him to him up to the
point where, hey, all of the tools are here, you
just have to know how to use them at your

(08:25):
disposal correctly.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, I kind of feel, you know, you and all
others of the media have spent some time focusing on
the QB.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
I was laughing.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
I got a text Nord's why are you asking about
our quarterback?

Speaker 2 (08:38):
He has looked and played terrible. You know that.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Well, it's kind of an a topic of the team. Yeah,
it's kind of. It's JJ McCarthy and then it's everything else.
Now to that end, to the Texter's point, QB has
not looked very good. Hopefully he's better at Lambo this weekend. Yeah,
and just put together, put together a full freaking game, kid,
Please and do it against the.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
Packers because it's beautiful.

Speaker 3 (09:00):
The quarter battle victories are the among the best and
my favorite every season. He is two and oh on
the road in the NFC North, he is two and oh.
His pastor ratings better away from home as well. Silent
counts have been sometimes a better option. But there is
another part of the team that being the rest of it. Yeah,
this might be believe it or not Week twelve. If
you get Grenard back, and if you get Ryan Kelly

(09:22):
in the mix and you have a different helmet, guardian
cap the whole thing. Yep, I think this, you know
and I know Jeff Acuda's hurt.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
This might be the most.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
This might be the first game where we actually have
a fully healthy team.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
That would be awesome to see.

Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yeah, that would be further along than they've been in
that capacity all year. I mean, if you get Grenard back,
you get Kelly back. Okuda is not going to be there, certainly,
But the rest of it. I mean, if you were
sitting there week twelve and saying, Okay, we're missing our
third corner and we have everybody else that we want
or expect to have, that's pretty good. I mean, they've

(09:56):
they've had to go through it with the offensive line,
but you're not talking about anybody that's had season ending injuries.
It has been people that you know, in Darrisa's case,
it was coming back from a season ending injury.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Brian O'Neil has been able to place through.

Speaker 4 (10:09):
Some things, Ryan Kelly obviously coming back from the concussions,
Donovan Jackson coming back from the wrist surgery. But they
have not been six month type things. That's been you know,
four to six week type things. And that has an effect, yes,
but health wise, they are in about as good a
shape as you'd want to be in mid November, so

(10:29):
they have to take some advantage of that. I think
the with the game against the Bears and it's a loss,
and the kid, by the.

Speaker 3 (10:36):
Way, is inconsistent as he is. It is like six
to eight for eighty yards and he gets that TD.
So for some reason when he turns the brain off,
it appears that there is a smoother operation of the offense,
which is interesting to me. I don't know if anyone
can pull any ideas out of that. In that game though,
with the late kick return, how how did you feel

(10:58):
from from covering the team and just hearing the pressers
and all of that, whether it was Matt Daniels people
getting greedy I think with some terminology that he used,
but just kind of now through with for a four
and six team, the special teams unit, moments the kicker
is fantastic, moments of greatness for Miles Price, right, my goodness.
The penalties, Yeah, we have given up a few big

(11:20):
returns this year. This one happened to be a dagger
leading to a Cairo Santos field goal. Yeah it just
what do you think of the special teams? I'll just
I'll put it there and you can take it wherever
you want it. I just think it's been problematic and.

Speaker 4 (11:32):
Dah twenty five I would agree with that, and they
have had I mean, Will Record's been terrific and Miles Price,
I think is maybe the most dynamic returner they've had.
I mean certainly since Kane Wongwu, but you could go
back probably even a little bit further than that. When
he is on kicks and punts. I mean it's they
have not had a guy that makes the type of
impact that he does. And this dynamic kickoff, you know,

(11:54):
for better or worse, the Vikings have seen it both ways,
does change things again. I mean that is a jittim
at play now where you can make some things happen,
you can affect field position, you can get big plays
out of it. I think people are still figuring out
how to cover it and how to block it and
all of those kinds of things, which is where you
see the penalties I think in kick return phases a

(12:16):
lot of times, and the coverage bus like they had
on Sunday, where yes, it's a couple of guys over pursuing,
trying to make the play, trying to get the big
stop rather than saying no, We're just going to wall
this thing off and give you nowhere to go and
then we make the tackle as a team. But that
stuff has been a problem because when you have a

(12:38):
quarterback that's this young and we will bring it back
to JJ McCarthy only in the sense that the point
of this is to make everything around him as reliable
and consistent as possible. And when you have had breakdowns
on the offensive line with that, I think defensively stopping
the run at times, there's been some coverage bus and

(12:59):
certainly on specialty teams. You see it with the penalties
and then with that return on Sunday. They were set
up after he leaves that drive and throws the touchdown
pass to come back and win the game, even as
bad as it had been. If they can put the Bears,
if you know, first and ten on their own twenty
three correct whatever, And then you have Kayleb Williams getting

(13:20):
the ball late, and Kayleb Williams has made some comebacks
and they still got three timeouts and Cairo Santos can
hit long field goals. But you also put some pressure
on Kalla Williams. Maybe he makes a couple of bad throws,
Maybe he takes a sack. I mean, there's enough you
would much much much rather be in that position where
you feel like, Okay, this is a defense at home,
this place is going to be allowed. We're gonna have

(13:40):
a chance to close this thing out. All you have
to do is not give up that type of a return.
And yes, the bus have come at bad times. All
they had to do, That's all they had to do.
And that one, I mean you could see that reaction
from Kevin O'Connell. You heard Matt Daniels talk about it yesterday.
That is kind of thing that you can't have happened

(14:02):
when the margin for error is a little smaller, when
you're not up at ten points because your quarterback has
been good enough to put you there.

Speaker 3 (14:10):
I mean, and I was obviously listening, but I was
scrambling because where you keyed in with me was yet
you would have had Caleb Williams would have had to
make play. Yes, instead of three runs in a freaking field, yep,
instead of three runs. Caleb didn't have to do anything
other than turn around and hand the ball off. Nothing explosive,

(14:32):
nothing exciting, nothing magical. I think they used their first
time out to let the clock dream to kick.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
The field goal.

Speaker 4 (14:39):
Yep, let's get this exactly where we want it and
then take the time out.

Speaker 3 (14:43):
Oh my goodness, a year of frustration. What did you
think of again moving backwards to move forward, mentioning that
Grenard might come back? What did you think of of
Dallas Turner? Yeah, in that game. So I'm kind of
split here, and I'm kind of I'm going to talk
out of both sides of my mouth, which I've difficult,
but I'm going to do it where I see the productivity,

(15:04):
not just in the stat line, which it was there.
I mean, you know, tied for most tackles of his career,
several QB hit, some pressures, all of those things. Yeah,
But when I see it on tape, then when I'm
watching the game back, I'm like, hey, they were kind
of winning with Cole Comet on you for like half
the game, which allowed them really to kind of max
on the on the other side of the line.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
I'm just kind of where was your head at with that?
As he filled in?

Speaker 3 (15:27):
I saw some cool moments, like kid can make some plays,
but I almost feel like I'm talking about the defense
is JJ McCarthy where it's like I can see why
he's here, But I'm just not seeing it consistently.

Speaker 4 (15:39):
Yeah, I think that's a good read on it. I
think you certainly see the speed. You certainly see the
ability to get around the corner with some explosion, and
that was a big piece of it. On Sunday, I
thought he had a good day getting pressures. But yes,
being able to beat blockers is I think still something
he is trying to figure out how to do with
this level and that that was always the thing. I

(16:00):
think when Daniel Hunter came in here, he had his
last year at LSU, he had like a sack and
a half, and everybody thought, why are they taking this kid?

Speaker 2 (16:06):
So Hi.

Speaker 4 (16:07):
They took him because they saw the athletic ability and
they saw the potential. It's just we have to teach
this kid a secondary move, how to beat an NFL
offensive lineman or in some cases an NFL tight end,
where it's not just I'm faster than you, I can
get around you and I don't have to think about
anything else. That's still the part that I think Turner
is figuring out is, Yeah, when somebody can stop my

(16:28):
first move, or somebody can set in a way that
I can't just get around them?

Speaker 2 (16:33):
How do I come back?

Speaker 4 (16:34):
How do I know whether it's converting speed to power
or whether I cross back over their face or having
a whim with my hands, whatever it happens to be
figuring out the moves. When somebody takes away plan A,
what can I go to to make something happen. I
think he's still developing some of that, and that does
take some time. I think when you have not had

(16:57):
to have it because you've just been faster than everybody else,
you're not sitting there always saying you know what, Yes,
I can get for sacks a game in Alabama because
he's tackled on very good. But I really have to
work on these things because I'm going to be in
the NFL in a year. I mean, you certainly can
think that way. I just don't know how many college
players are going to think that way because there's nothing
compelling them to do it yet. So I think that's

(17:18):
always part of the adjustment. There were some flashes, yes,
but I think overall, with what they spent to get him,
you need to see production kind of go up and
be more consistent.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
It needs to look like that more often.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, I'm not you know, Hey, Cole Comett might be
sneakily the strongest guy in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (17:38):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (17:38):
Maybe he was a tackle converted to tight end because
he didn't want to do the six thousand care every day.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, with the.

Speaker 3 (17:44):
Chicken, I mean that sounds tremendous on my side. But
to that end, who knows. I think does Cole Comett
kind of handled him on Sunday one v one? That
probably shouldn't happen with your highly touted pass rusher. But
to that end, I mean, this is again, whether it's
the quarterback, it's the pass rusher, it's a four and
six season and just trying to find like morsels of
greatness like Eric Wilson, that's a super cool marsel that

(18:06):
has kind of really popped given the opportunity. Jalen Redman, Like,
you know, it's I wonder how you sell it, like
covering the team in some ways where it's like the
team is probably not going to the playoffs. Yeah, but
here's a really cool thing about the team you might
be interested in, Like, you know, trying to do that
at this time of the year.

Speaker 4 (18:24):
Yeah, you start to think about some of those things.
I mean, Jalen Redmond certainly is a pretty unique component
of this and has become maybe their best defensive linemen.

Speaker 2 (18:33):
I mean, I have to go a lot aways. Certainly
you might be right.

Speaker 4 (18:35):
One of their more disruptive pass rushers from that position
that they've had in a while. So, yeah, you start
to look at it in the context of what is
this all going to mean going forward? And this is
an offseason where they have salary cap issues, they need
young players to probably step in and show they can
be counted on. So there's some of those things that
you start to think about as well. And they've got

(18:57):
a lot of draft picks this year. And I don't
think we're at a point yet where you start saying
the well, if they lose and the pick is higher.
I mean, I don't think they're so far out of
it yet that anybody is going to be playing that game.
There may be fans already doing that, right, It's not
where my head's at yet, But you do start to
think about, Okay, if this is not going to be

(19:18):
a playoff team, there is this larger question of how
do you move forward from this? There are major cap needs,
there are major draft pick opportunities. How do you get
all of that to work when the drafts have not
so far supplied the needs of the team, So a
lot of that stuff comes into it, and how the
young players fit into the future. I think that becomes
a little more of a topic.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, it's one thing at the facility.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
Yesterday we had we have ko on with the x's
and o's bit, which will be hurt again tonight. I
believe around six thirty ish. There's a thing a theme
post Ravens and then I think he even said it yesterday,
kind of the idea that everyone came in today ready
to work. Everyone came in today or Monday morning, Yeah,

(20:02):
I think tuesdays of their day off, yes, but you
know everyone came in the next morning ready to get
to it. There's a connection, there's a strength, there's a
grit in this locker room. And I have to really
believe him because we've seen that consistency of belief and
that's part of the culture building. I think when he
first came here, how long does that last? Though in

(20:23):
a season like this where we on Mike off Mike
have all kind of joked like this feels like, I
mean ten months in ten weeks. Yeah, with the way
this season is gone, and at some point, you know,
I thought the damn broke in a good way after
the loss, it's so fi now I'm thinking, does the
damn break in terms of you know, guys legitimately just

(20:45):
kind of going, I don't think we got it this year?

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, I don't think.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
You know that the Bears are kind of the twenty
twenty two vikings and then everything's bouncing their way, and
good for them and Ben Johnson, clearly, I think deserves
a ton of credit as a coach. But in the end,
you know, I wonder for a guy that preaches belief
and connects with players on the level at the level
that Kevin O'Connell does. At some point, when does potentially

(21:11):
pessimism or realism.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
Start to creep into that equation.

Speaker 4 (21:14):
Yeah, I think it probably does at some point, and
that's just human nature. You're going to have a moment
where players are going to say, hey, we're not going
to make the playoffs. And I think the thing that
pushes against that a little bit is there are enough
players that are saying, I need to put good things
on tape so that if my next employer is somewhere else,

(21:35):
then I've got good things on tape to get paid,
and I need to be able to make a case
for myself going forward. And I think there are going
to be guys that think about it that way, so
you do get competitiveness as a result of that. I mean,
a player like Eric Wilson is probably thinking about that, where, Hey,
my next job, whether it's here or elsewhere, is going
to depend on what I put on tape. And he's
put a lot of good things on tape to this point,

(21:57):
and I'm thinking I want him to stay. Yeah, yeah,
I like him. He has He's been a difference maker
in a way that has surprised me.

Speaker 2 (22:05):
I'll say that.

Speaker 4 (22:06):
I mean, you know, he had a nice run here
under Mike Zimmer in my earlier years covering the team.
He was an undrafted free agent that they really liked
and grew into a rotational player that played some every
down stuff. I think had a number of interceptions one year.
But his impact as a pass rusher has been I
think a unique component to this season.

Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah yeah, that's so. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (22:27):
One of the aspect where he's kind of he just
kind of slid in yep. And and it's not about
trying to trying to drag or dog dog Ivan Pace, right,
he kind of is like he does everything Ivan Pace
does better yep.

Speaker 2 (22:41):
Yeah, but a little more discipline.

Speaker 3 (22:43):
Yeah, and discipline and size yeah, I mean there is
some you know, there is sadly that just the fundamentals
of height and weight that kind of play into this.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
He does what Ivan Pace does.

Speaker 3 (22:54):
He's just maybe a little more mature in that aspect
and bigger.

Speaker 4 (22:58):
Yeah, he is. He is a built as anybody in
that locker room. And I was talking to people a
couple of weeks ago. We were joking on I think
our podcast about I Think we got a question on
this of who would win an arm wrestling contest in
that locker room, and we said, like, this actually sounds
like a great tell us with Mattelis for the future.
So we went up to Josh Mettelis and said, hey,
we got an idea for you. We started talking about it,

(23:20):
and I think either he brought up Eric Wilson or
maybe Andre Kramer did, and I was like, okay, I
could think about that, and then you see him walk
through the locker room like, yeah, okay, I see why
you're saying that he is.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
He is well sculpted and that's one of those things.

Speaker 4 (23:36):
I'm sure over the years of being in the NFL
you get your body to that point. But well, the
musicality shows up in that regard.

Speaker 3 (23:42):
Denila Danil had to leave for anyone else to have
a chance.

Speaker 5 (23:46):
In that conversation, he doesn't look quite like that, because
I don't know that anybody ever will. But he looks
closer to that than I think a lot of people
would expect a you know, kind of ninth tenth year
linebacker to look.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (24:01):
That's Ben Gasline, brought to you weekly by Standard Heating
and Air Covers in Minnesota, Vikings. When we return, the
season's not over. We got a border battle the NFC
North is interesting. Are the Bears frauds? And just kind
of more football conversation with Ben Gessling in here with me,
Nordo in for Pa on a beautiful Wednesday morning.

Speaker 2 (24:20):
We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (24:26):
The feast rolls on to Buffalo Wild Wings Blame this week.
You can join Pa, Nordo alec Lewis. This Friday is
the game you set for this Sunday's border battle with
Green Bay.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
I might even show up.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
And great enjoy great food, drinks, your side of prizes
all morning long.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
Goes open at eight am. Go to details KFA dot com.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
Key recount, Welcome back nine to noon, Steve texting in

(25:15):
six four six eighty six, Nordo. Have you mentioned where
PA is today? I hope this isn't another deep KFA.

Speaker 2 (25:22):
N secret Sacred Sacred Vocal Maintenance day Teams four and six.
What do you expect, man? I mean, old people got
to get rest, all right.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
I mean it's getting tougher to dial this thing up
to eleven each and every week.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
Uh, when when we're having.

Speaker 3 (25:39):
The struggles we are with the with the kid QB.
But you know what, it's a border battle and the
Box is going to be ready. He's going to be
back in full force tomorrow. Do you wonder Pa has
brought this up a couple of times and now it's
in my head and I can't get rid of it.
The idea that potentially the packers are at a crossroads

(25:59):
with and there are some aspects of that that just
I mean, it seems insane to me, and but then
there are some other sides of it with I think
there's new executive guy in a big spot and it's
kind of just like anything else Yep, I want my
own people. But from the work that he was able
to do with Rogers before he left, albeit it kind

(26:20):
of ended with a thud, and now to really kind
of maintain ultra competitiveness as long as love and company
are healthy. I think over he seems kind of Honestly,
I would be annoyed if I had to do like
your job, because I think he's kind of stand offish
for no freaking reasons.

Speaker 2 (26:37):
Sometimes with the media. But you you understand and deal
with all that, sure, good times, bad times.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
I kind of just I think he's a very good coach,
and I just it's there's there's an odd thing where
you know, if this team misses the playoffs, you're really
just going to start fresh, like the investments and parsons
and some other things like that. Seems kind of nuts
to me that they're truly pondering that idea moving on for.

Speaker 4 (27:00):
Yeah, I mean, I think it's both both Lafloor and
Gudakuns are both in need of new contracts, so they
basically have they have a new president because as I
understand it, Mark Murphy, the previous president, they have like
an age limit where once you hit seventy oh really,
you're out. I mean it's like Alan Page was in

(27:20):
the Supreme Court in Minnesota that they have an age
limit on how long you can be the president of
the Green Bay Packers. So they have a new guy.
I think it's ED policy. I think related to your
common policy. The old forty nine ers.

Speaker 3 (27:35):
Executive, the diseased Packers fan behind you was nodding, which okay,
that's him, which means that it's ed.

Speaker 2 (27:41):
Okay, you nailed it.

Speaker 4 (27:41):
So verific verification has arrived, yes, And I think that
thought process because they went to this different structure a
couple of years ago, the kind of the old Vikings
triangle of authority thing where it's like the GM and
the coach both reporting to the president rather than the
coach reporting of the GM. And so now I think
that's the structure he inherits, and he's trying to say, Okay,

(28:03):
do we want to keep these guys or do I
want to look at going somewhere else. Brian Gudikuns, I
feel like it would be really hard to get rid
of him. I mean, the drafts that they've had and
the trade from Michael Parsons have been pretty good, pretty good,
So then would you go with a different coach and
have a new keep the GM or do you start

(28:23):
completely over. It's a lot of moving parts. I think
in the end they may say, you know what, Matt
Lafleur has been good enough, because I do think he's
a good coach.

Speaker 2 (28:30):
I think they've had a lot of success.

Speaker 4 (28:31):
There are times where you watch them in close games,
you watch them in the playoffs, and it's like, what
are they doing? I think some of his end of game,
you know, fourth down type decisions are a little bit
of a head scratcher. But he's not the only coach
where you'd say that. So it's a question of do
you want to pull the plug on a guy because
he's gotten to the playoffs a lot, hasn't won at

(28:54):
the level that you would like to see. But the
risk of getting the wrong guy if you replace is
pretty high. So yeah, it's the old devil. You know,
devil you don't think. I think that's kind of the
The question with them is is what's going to happen there?
But I mean that's why that is a topic more
so than you would expect it to be because this
because of the new president. But I don't know it

(29:16):
would be strange. Yeah, exactly. It just it pains me
to say it. I want nothing positive for that franchise
to ever occur. But it's just but Lafleur's a good coach. Yeah,
I mean it's and it's really impressive what he's done.
So anyway, to that end, you mentioned it made me laugh.

Speaker 3 (29:30):
The triangle of authority, Yeah, so what the vikings is it?
Is it like a hexagon of authority? Is that pentagon
an octagon of authority because the collaboration, you know, is
I mean, I'm just it might be an octagon of authority.

Speaker 2 (29:46):
There might be guys in the world. There are a
lot of people.

Speaker 4 (29:48):
I mean you have Kevin O'Connell, Quasioto Fa Meensa, Rob Razinski,
and then you yeah, you've got Ryan Grigson in there.
I mean, yes, there is Demitrius Washington. Demetrius Washington. There
are a lot of people. And then some of the
pro staff people as well, Ryan Monins. I think, you know,
everybody has different Quaysy obviously has control over the roster,

(30:09):
and I don't know if I don't, I mean, Kevin
O'Connell talks to ownership every week. Koysey Alfa Messa talks
to ownership every week, and a lot of their discussion
points with one another are the last quasy, have you
talked to Kevin about this? How does Kevin feel about it? Kevin?
Have you talked to Quaycy? I mean, so there's a

(30:29):
lot of elements of ownership that are trying to say, hey,
let's make sure everybody's on the same page here and
encouraging we are on board with this if you if
you all agree on it, we trust you, but we
want to make sure that there is kind of this
alignment of vision. They spend a lot of time talking
about that. I had got a chance to talk to

(30:50):
a lot of people about this when I did that
story last year on the Wills twenty years of ownership
and kind of how they run the team, and that
was the thing that kept coming up, is Hey, are
all of you on the same page on this? And
what do we need to do if we're not? Like,
what do we need to get worked out? So that
is a high value for the owners. I know that,
and so the reporting structure is probably a little bit

(31:13):
money to me in terms of who does what.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
But I think there's also.

Speaker 4 (31:17):
An understanding that the owners are going to talk individually
with each one of these people, and then a lot
of their approach is saying, hey, we want to make
sure that everybody when we come out of this room
can support the decision we've made and can be in
line with it, even if there's disagreements and differences of opinion.

(31:38):
Let's get that stuff figured out so that when we
go forward with it, we can go forward.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (31:42):
I just I wonder and I mostly joke about it.
I mean, you know, just wanting this team to win
every game, just just appreciating some of the things that
have been put in place. But I just think, you know,
the old cook too many cooks in the kitchen thing.
I just think like there's there are positive aspects of
collaboration where you are getting different idea. Yeah, there's a
creative element there that I think can be really purposeful

(32:03):
and good. The other end of it, the disadvantage of
it is that it's also then tougher to identify some
of the issues that exist because there are so many
voices and you know, I don't want to say, you know,
it's like people pointing fingers, but I think you get
kind of the idea of just the more people in there.
The more collaboration, there is an aspect of identifying problems

(32:27):
and I think can be more difficult.

Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah, I think if it's the thing of well, we
have to make sure everybody's voice is heard and put
equal weight on those things. Yeah, that does get tricky
because at some point somebody has to make the decision,
and I think in their case with roster decisions, that
is quasi adopo mets. I don't think anybody has any
doubt about that. But good, yeah, there is that. I mean,
managing a group of people where you have a lot

(32:49):
of ideas on a lot of voices, that is always
a challenge. I think in any type of an organization.
Can you imagine what Abbot has to do to manage that? Yeah,
I mean I think there's probably some some dynamics that
that poor Chad Abbot has to wade through there.

Speaker 3 (33:03):
But some anxiety, some stress and hair loss associated with.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, yeah, you know this.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
There's going to be anybody that's running a high level
organization like kfa N and the Minnesota Vikings is going
to have some of those things they have to figure out.
But that's why the great leaders get paid what they
do indeed like a Chad Abbot.

Speaker 3 (33:18):
So what do we think about the border battle this weekend? Obviously,
you know the quarterback is going to remain in the
a topic for me and I think many, if not
most people, But in the end, four and six team
can become five and six by beating up on Jordan
Love and potentially no Josh Jacobs. I think that's very
the weekend, although you know we'll see the practice, well,
we'll get to see how that pans out. What pops

(33:41):
about the border battle for you this weekend?

Speaker 4 (33:43):
It this is an interesting one because the Packers are
at times they'll look like, oh, this is one of
the best teams in the NFC. This defense is more
than anybody can handle with that pass rush. Now, the
Michael Parsons is there, and they've got enough pieces on offense,
but losing Tucker Craft I think has changed the way
they play offensively. And if they're without Josh Jacobs, I'm

(34:04):
not entirely sure what the offensive identity of that team
is because when they've lost games this year, they have
not scored a lot of points. And I think the
Vikings are going to have a hard time with that defense.
But I also think the Packers could have a hard
time with what the Vikings might do, especially if they
don't have Josh Jacobs to kind of set the tone.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
So this one is interesting.

Speaker 4 (34:25):
I think the Packers are like six and a half
point favorites, which I think I see that because I
don't know how McCarthy plays against this defense. But I
could see the Vikings defense making this one interesting and
forcing Jordan Love into enough trouble that they could hang around.
I wouldn't be shocked if they steal it, And there
may be a little bit of a you know, this

(34:47):
has gone far enough, we have to take a stand.
I mean, kind of like they did in fort Field.
You can't ask them. You can't ask a team to
have to do that every week. I think this sort
of emotional, you know, the buckstops here kind of declaration,
especially when they're gonna have to do it again the
following week. Yeah, in another building where they haven't had
a lot of success in Seattle. I eventually had a
fair amount of success at Lambell Field the last few years.

Speaker 2 (35:09):
They've been better there. They have a lot of places.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
But it's totally going to bite me too, you know,
just like the fourth Piattle Donald, and it's like, you know,
Donald and kind of JB long the rams voxa after
the fourth pick, he turned them back into a pumpkin.
It so far, Yeah, and just kind of thinking about
how things ended last year and then seeing that he's
going to go for four hundred and four against US
in a couple of weeks and it's gonna hurt Ben,

(35:31):
It's gonna hurt.

Speaker 2 (35:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (35:33):
There's I mean, these next two, if they don't come
out of this with least a split, I have a
hard time seeing how you come back from that. They
may need to win them both with the way the
NFC is set up, but yeah, the border battle, I
could see this one being tight, just because I don't
quite know how the Packers will set up offensively with
the injuries they have. So I still think it's probably

(35:54):
the Packers winning it at home because I just it's
hard to see McCarthy go through what he's been through
and imagine he's gonna get it done. But they did
it in Detroit and I thought they'd lose that game,
so you know, maybe they'll be able to steal one there.

Speaker 3 (36:08):
Hey thanks for all you do, man, for sure appreciate it.
That's Ben Gasling at Ben Gesling go O E, S,
S L I, N G v r X, start Trebingstar
Tribune dot com, Access Vikings Podcast, tons of work and
content with Andrew Kramer, Emily Leiker and everyone involved with
the strip.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
And of course Standard Heating and Air. There we go.

Speaker 3 (36:28):
I was filibustering until I yeah, pull Standard heating and
Air out of my brain.

Speaker 2 (36:32):
Standard Heating and Air.

Speaker 3 (36:33):
Thank you so much for the weekly the weekly effort
providing mister Guessling. We'll talk to you next week and
then when we return, it'll be news nine to noon
on the fan.

Speaker 1 (36:45):
Corey's Home Services has your shot at four tickets to
see Green Bay take on the Purple in early January,
plus five hundred dollars in game day cash pressure for
your chance to win today KFA dot com slash Furnace
KFA dot com slash Furnace.

Speaker 2 (37:15):
Welcome back nine to noon. Thanks again, Ben Gasoline.

Speaker 3 (37:18):
Star Tribune in studio News Denord is brought to you
by the Casino at Canterbury Parkcanterbury Park dot com. It's poker,
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Speaker 2 (37:39):
Oh and I think they got this sweet Black.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
Friday ten K giveaway thing going on and they're gonna
have Christmas trees in the parking lot.

Speaker 2 (37:46):
Is there anything else they can do for you?

Speaker 3 (37:47):
I just I mean, come on, it's Canterbury Canterbury Park
dot com where we headed to first Brett.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
Number one z Carella.

Speaker 6 (37:56):
Harry's in back to Poldia Try tip why by art
second truck fifteen seconds to go in.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
Overtime to Carrella up top Holdie one touchback Superrello crossis past.

Speaker 6 (38:04):
Caprisos Corilla, Caprisong, stuck in the wild, woo it over time.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
And the while turning it around, slowly but surely crawling
their way up the standings, they get the Hurricanes tonight.
It's listed as an eight to thirty puck drop, but
we really know it's an eight to fifty five puck drop.
So to stick it to TNT, you can mute TV
and listen to the game right here on the fan.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
The big News the line combinations.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
First of all, we learned from John Hines earlier in
the show that Walstett is in net tonight and Danila
Yarov is centering your top line with capriceof and Zucarello.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
Hopefully that last the entire duration of the game. Nor
to your thoughts. Well, first of all, it was awesome
to have the coach.

Speaker 3 (38:53):
We did find out that yesper voltall sets will be
between the pipes tonight, two straight shoutouts for him and
Gus was better the other night against Vegas. How about
that goaltending coming around? All part of a story of
a team that's won six of eight. Beat the Canes tonight,
make it seven of nine. This Danilla you're off thing.
When I asked the coach, the coach was on the phone.

(39:14):
I use this sneaky talkback function because of where he
started going with sample size and such. Because by the
way I got to work on this maybe on air
production meeting. Okay, people don't need you. I'm starting to
ask some long, ask barero like questions and it.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
Needs to stop.

Speaker 3 (39:30):
Its convoluted, and there's like two different bits in there.

Speaker 2 (39:34):
Who has to put bullet.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
Points down or make a paragraph break to ask a
freaking question. Get to it, Nords. So that's a little
self scouting on air. Sorry about that your thoughts. And
I think it could be that easy, frankly, but I
had to kind of double check with you because it
just didn't fit in my head. Like, the kid's going
to be up top tonight, and I think this is

(39:56):
a really cool opportunity for him, and I'm excited for that.
You know, in terms of expectations, you heard the coach
talking about that as well, is you know, expectations for
certain players as the team is finding a rhythm and
maybe getting to its identity. I believe paraphrasing, he kind
of spoke to it. Well, individual players are kind of
finding their rhythm on their own as players and getting

(40:20):
to their identities. So really pumped, because, man, this thing
was negative, and frankly it still is. I mean, just
kind of rattling off in every year. I try to
put it nicely when I get the chance to talk
to him. It's like each year, new adventures, each year,
fifty injuries.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
It's crazy.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
Whether it's ROSSI, it's Hartman, I think, but go there
was an update yesterday. I think Bagosian and Storm can
we just both say, like a couple weeks something like that, right,
So my goodness, still haven't gotten to see Nico.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
I want to see Nico. All those face off wins.

Speaker 3 (40:55):
So the team's playing better and capitalizing on brand because
you know, arena ice, which was an issue earlier in
the season, is not an issue. The game they played recently,
the coach said, you know, he takes a ton from
that game. Wonky weird game where again I think it
was boldy in the first minute, ties it ailers, makes

(41:16):
it four to three, and then you just had thirty
nine minutes of disjointed penalties here, there and everywhere, scoreless hockey,
and it was just kind of a weird game because
you feel like the flow of a hockey game. I understand,
like beginning of periods like energy, urgency, endings of periods.

Speaker 2 (41:38):
Of course, maybe make a two goal deficit.

Speaker 3 (41:40):
One goal into the break like that can be a
massive energy or momentum changer. But I mean, ugh, thirty
nine minutes of just l in special teams.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
It was awful.

Speaker 3 (41:51):
So hopefully tonight's tonight's a riot and that can start
by ninety seven. Handle it, let's get let's get a
puck in the Net tonight again, Carell love.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
It number two.

Speaker 1 (42:01):
They have a programming predicament in the Cities because the
Timberwolves are hosting the one and twelve Washington Wizards. The
injury report from earlier the biggest one. McDaniel's questionable, but
going in Devincenzo looks like he's gonna be a go.
It's a left wrist brain for mcdaniels's. Yeah, not great
at all, but it should be offhand. The old Wolves

(42:25):
maybe would play with their food. I don't think this
year's Wolves or last year's Wolves are gonna play with
their food. I think it should be a win for
the Wolves. You'll hear that on the Timberwolves channel in
the iHeartRadio app. Well, that's why it's not a programming predicament.
What time's the Wolves game on?

Speaker 2 (42:39):
That's seven?

Speaker 3 (42:40):
It is, so by the time we get to eight
point fifty freaking five, yuck, it's gonna be Wolves by
twenty and you can confidently turn the channel knowing that
they'll beat the Wizards. Just talking about it earlier with
Parker Fox just kind of feasting on these bad teams.
It's something the Wolves have had trouble with in years past,
and even just you know, ten to fifteen games into

(43:02):
the season.

Speaker 2 (43:03):
The.

Speaker 3 (43:05):
League has already started making its own decisions in terms
of who's going to be a factor and who's not.
I mean, some teams have fallen out that the Mavericks
are just freaking terrible, and you have the Clippers.

Speaker 2 (43:17):
At some point, if you.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
Just kept adding the oldest possible player you could in
the NBA, by the time you got to six or
seven of them, something bad was going to happen. That's
your four and ten Clippers Lakers with Lebron looking good
dropping a buck forty. I think last night, they're certainly
a factor. My point is, though, is that ten to
fifteen games into the season, the usual suspects are still

(43:42):
the same five or six teams that matter. Now the
wild card in this conversation is Wemby's Spurs. Now Wenby's
going to be out for a bit, how does that
team sustain Not that their season is going to be over,
but just thinking about the hierarchy of the West.

Speaker 2 (43:57):
You know, big guy like him, I.

Speaker 3 (43:59):
Mean calf strain that might be a two to three
week affair, and so how do they maintain during that
time to that end it's still again the West. The
Sacramento Kings not interesting, not interested in playing good basketball.
They're a non factor. Jah and this Grizzly team just hideous.
So feasting on these bad teams and winning these games

(44:23):
means that in a super muddy, top heavy West in April,
we're not in fifth place because of a Wednesday night
loss we took to the damn Wizards back in November.
That's why these games matter. I think that they have
figured that out. And yes, we want to, we want to.

(44:44):
We want to beat those teams.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
You know.

Speaker 3 (44:46):
Of course we've lost to the Nuggets. I think we're
rowing five with teams over five hundred records. Of course,
we but beat these teams badly. Don't play with your food,
as Brett would say, I think they won't, and I
think they'll handle business tonight.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
I got time for one, and I've got four different
NFL notes. You want to just rapid fire through.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
That's sweet. I don't you know.

Speaker 3 (45:06):
Lavelle may be here, he may be running late. I
have no idea. So let's let's keep the party going.

Speaker 1 (45:10):
All right, Here's just four notes, then we can be done.
Jamar Chase his suspension was upheld here by the name
of Jordy Nelson upheld the suspension, so he will serve
a game suspension. Aaron Rodgers will not need surgery to
repair his fracture to his left non throwing wrists.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
Hey, when do you start to love Rogers again? When
did I stop? Okay, just checking.

Speaker 1 (45:35):
Yeah, Michael Pennix needs surgery to repair his ACL sprain,
So that's going to be basically a full reconstruction, as
may as well be an HCl tear. So that is
Kirk Cousin's ship to fly. And then as Shador Sanders
gets the start against the Raiders for the Browns this week,
well I gotta do something.

Speaker 3 (45:53):
Yeah, I feel again, Like I said, don't feel bad
for Kevin O'Connell.

Speaker 2 (45:57):
The decisions are his.

Speaker 3 (46:00):
Don't feel bad for Kevin Stefanski, two time Coach of
the Year in Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
The decision or his decisions are mostly his.

Speaker 3 (46:07):
But without a quarterback, I think he's done as much
as he possibly can. I wonder if if Stefanski might
be finding his way to a different coaching vacancy in
twenty twenty six. I think he's a tremendous coach. That
happens to work for just an absolutely futrid franchise. Yeah,
Schauduur didn't look good. I think it was tough circumstances,
though I'm not, you know, should do it well.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
It wasn't just he didn't look good. Shudur looked terrible.

Speaker 3 (46:33):
But I am actually interested to see what take two
can look for him, not trying to dager guys after
one start, not trying to dagger guys after five starts,
to start six around the corner for my guy JJ.
But but yeah, that's a little improvement, wouldn't hurt. And
you mentioned the spitting thing. Yes, I seriously, it's not

(46:57):
like I'm a tough guy by any stretch of the imagination.
I would rather someone take a swing at me than
spit on me like that is just the grossest thing ever.
I mean, it's demeaning and just it's degrading to the
absolute max to me spitting on another person. And by
the way, we got like four K video, didn't you
just blakely led and just it didn't happen, Okay, Jamar,

(47:19):
all right, that's news. Denord brought to you by the
Casino at Canterbury Parkcanterbury Park dot com. Final hour ahead.
Lavellineil the Third Star Tribune in studio