October 9, 2025 • 47 mins
Dan Barreiro opens the show explaining the Doofus Factor doubling in the Arizona Cardinals recent touchdown meltdown situation before our guy Sean Salisbury makes his weekly appearance for more outstanding Vikings and NFL talk.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Basis. You're the Dufest Factor, Squared Leader fan Fan Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Is lens is out of a question and kfan dot com.
One minute and fifty four seconds past the hour three
o'clock Central daylight time, we welcome you back to the
Bumperta Buppet program. Very controversial combo platter program that runs
Monday through Friday, customarily three to six thirty. During the
(00:32):
football season. A lot of Thursdays were out at six,
but we're not this week because the Vikings are in
their bye week, so they are making us even today.
Go the distance, Guards, he tells me, we'll be wrapping
up just before six thirty this evening. My name is
Dan Verrero, formering Stine Retch newspaper of the Twin Cities Guards.
He produces the show, and we thank you for whatever
(00:53):
way in which you might try to participate in today's program.
A quick reminder if you like to participate via the
doctor Dan inbox bit, today's the days still time to
text or I should say email the producer of the
program and the man who must call through all of
your clever and snarky letters. Jg at k f A
(01:17):
N dot com. Jg at k f a N dot
com I'm assuming Thursday night football tonight on the fan.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Oh no, it's wild? Am I talking about?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (01:27):
You got there?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Wild Blues? How could I possibly? Maybe it's on the
NFL channel. Do we have an iHeart NFL channel the
way we have like a Wolves channel channel.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
I assume it's on Cafe and Plus tonight ninety six
point seven, and it was probably the Plus on the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Big ballgames, I mean the two teams that despise each other,
the always plucking New York Giants hosting the Super Bowl champion, right,
Philadelphia Eagles. Didn't they win the Super Bowl this last year?
Fortunately they did? Yeah, four and one versus one and four.
There's your Thursday night game. Oh goodie, it's football, it's
(02:06):
pro football. I get it, but doesn't really do all
that much for me. Russo Radio will file a live
report speaking of the Wild tonight on the fan.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
He will join from Saint Louis.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Meet me in Saint Louis or meet me No, what's
the bit meet me in Saint Louis Louis.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Is that from a song?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Or is that just a saying look up? Meet me
in Saint Louis. Comma Louis. That's not the ways to
leave your lover song? Right, No, Simon and Garfunkel, I
don't think so, and that is only Paul Simon, Garfunkel
and Simon and garfunkele by vap that point despised?
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Always?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Bad boy?
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Are you talking about Meet Me in Saint Louis in
nineteen forty four Christmas musical film?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Maybe that's what it is.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
But I wonder if that lyric is from that Meet
Me in Saint Louis, Louie get it.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Clever? Is it?
Speaker 4 (02:57):
I'm pretty sure Gerbschmid has called in as Lewis from
Saint Louis before.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
That's probably tru snuck By. You're probably right about that.
So Russo on the wild season, Oprah tonight? Have we
have we lost any other players to injury at the
morning skate?
Speaker 4 (03:10):
I don't think so. Brodean's not gonna play. He's not
going to play. I know he's day to day.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I know, it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
It's just it's I thought hockey was the tough guy sport.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I'm all confused.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I mean, is this our former load management or we
just why can't we keep people healthy?
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Our training camp is too tough. Must be what John hines.
We've lauded it the.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Less Deckel style of training camp too much junction boys.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, that's another term for it.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Meet Me in Saint Louis Louis is a popular song
from nineteen oh four.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Of course, what am I Saint Louis World's fair? Ah
oh yeah, highly acclaimed one of the best world's fairs ever.
Do you want to know why?
Speaker 4 (03:48):
No, yes, I do, because we celebrated the Louisiana purchase exposition.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
That was a bargain. By the way, that was a
good deal, right, unbelievable deal. That was a steal. What
was it wasn't a five million? What was the price
of the.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Fifteen a fifteen millik No, hold on, hold on the
Louisiana Louisiana Purchase.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I thought it was five mil back then.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Yeah, because hold on, because the exposition was like a
celebration of it one hundred years later. Yes, that costs
fifteen oh I see okay, yeah, but this actually says
in return for fifteen million dollars, the US acquired a
total the land that you got in the Louisiana purchase.
So fifteen million.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Bus what did we get we got more than Louisiana,
didn't we I thought we got more than what is
now the state of Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
We did.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
We got parts of Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, Louisiana,
and Mexico. According to Wikipedia, Minnesota was part of the
Louisiana purchase, a little bit of it or part of it. Okay,
what part do we know? But miidgie, No, it would
be well, actually further than you'd think. It goes all
the way up to central minnesot seriously, but the whole
(05:01):
south part of the state. If again, huh, I'm reading
this map correctly, which is a crap shoot. Yeah, but
it basically goes from Saint Louis you know, the Mississippi River, Yes,
of course, over to you know, part way through New Mexico, Colorado,
Wyoming in Montana. I assume there's another river that's the
border there that I'm too stupid to know, the Colorado River.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Maybe I wouldn't know. I'm not, Yeah, just winghing it.
But that's a hell of a purchase.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
For fifteen as that that was a bargain that was
changing everything. That's a steel we call that in the
in the in the vernacular today, that'd be uh, that
would be called a steep again.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Rudy Gobert for four first and a couple.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Of pick swaps. Wow, and Walker Kessler. Yeah, we still
could get Walker Kessler. Eventually, he's going to be available available.
We have too many centers now probably, Oh that's true.
We got the kid, the baby, Yeah, I had the baby.
That's it exactly. Are you big Canada Dry guy? Just
I thought i'd mix it up today and I brought
one of these little mini Canada Dry cans? Are you
(06:00):
a Canada Dry? Are you a ginger ale? Guysher?
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I'm like most people. It's only on airplanes.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
For me typically it's at all and I haven't had
a ginger ale and probably all that.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Tastes pretty good. I wish you. I prefer it with ice.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, clear ice, by the way, got to be clear ice,
not cloudy cubes and not shaved ice. I like clear
cubes with my Canada Dry because why you don't trust
the class I like the aesthetic. Yeah, I don't know
why the problem on airplanes is if you ask for
Canada Dry, a lot of times they think you just
(06:32):
mean a ginger ale and so you end up with
like schwepes ginger ale. I'm are you kidding me out
of your mind? I want a Canada dry ginger ale.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Not gonna work.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
In fact, we've talked about this before and then somebody
sent me like about twelve kinds of ginger ale.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
That's right. Anyway, where were we? Well?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I mentioned Russo, I mentioned the inbox. Sean Salisbury is
scared to join us at the bottom of this hour.
So I think we've got a lot of stuff covered.
I hope a little more time to get into some
stuff I've been saving and you know, sort of embargoing
for the last several days, the dufus factor squared.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
We have not talked about one of the bigger.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
League wide National Football League talkers this week, and it
has to do with, well, it's it is I think
has been one of the soap opera teams in the
National Football League for quite some time, the Arizona Cardinals.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
The Cardinals are two and three a rather improbable loss
last week in which a running back name is it
Imari de Mercado, Yeah, decides to drop the ball, let's
go of the football on his way to the end
zone before crossing the goal line and they have the
(07:57):
game in complete control. They would have been up to
twenty eight to six. Yeah, that's a tough one. At
that point, they ultimately lose the game to the who
they play other Rams twenty two to twenty one. So yeah,
a massive play dufus factor. There's no there's no excusing
it in any way, shape or form. I think it
(08:19):
had also happened to it in Apple Indian Apple's receiver
Mitchell the week before, so it almost seems to be spreading.
And anytime this happens, because it has happened from time
to time, it ends up becoming kind of a huge story.
What set this one off, though, took it to another level,
was that the Arizona Cardinals head coach, his name is
(08:40):
Jonathan Gannon, and on the sidelines video captured a confrontation
in which Gannon not surprisingly, was livid with what his
running back had done. What set this apart though, from
most sideline scenes of drama, is that he appeared to
(09:02):
kind of punch at him, right, was it to the midsection.
I've seen the tape a few times and it's a
real quick shot, so I you know, my guess is
gan thought, well, this isn't going to be like this
is a good I'm not gonna be Woody Hayes on
the sidelines when I when he remember when he well,
you're too young to know, but you said, I'm sure
(09:23):
the story. Uh punched an opposing player. I want to
say it was a Clemson players the end of his career.
It was terrible scene, awful scene. We've talked about it
often over the years with Glenn Mason, and in this case,
film captured or video captured exactly that what took place there.
And ultimately Gannon ends up apologizing, said he apologized to
(09:48):
the team and then he was fine. How much was
he fine? Do you have the number in front of him?
It was one hundred grand? Was it one hundred thousand dollars? Yeah,
I'm pretty sure I got you. What's interesting about this
one is in the in in the football world, a
debate has broken out about who you should really be
angrier with. I'm not gonna I refuse to sort of
(10:11):
play that game. I would just call it Dufus factor squared.
I think one stupid move begat another stupid move, and
there's no excusing Frankly, either one of them now has
the player? Has the running back apologized to the team?
Has he apologized for his dufus factor stupidity?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Do we know?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
In all?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Seriously we know?
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Gannon, he's in the position of authorities. He said, well
he has to. I would say the players should be
doing the exact same thing to his team. And the
debate is, look, in a real world office setting, of
course you can't have any kind of physical confrontation like
(10:55):
what took place there. But stop pretending that a college
football or college or pro football sideline is like a
real office. We have physical confrontations that often take place,
including who's the chiefs head coach?
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Andy Reid? Andy Reid? Andy Reid?
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Has he not used his belly or is it his
shoulder to bump his tight end? They've gotten into it
on the sideline, Yeah, he's the tight end has grabbed
the head coach? Did Andy Reid get fined for that?
For those bumps? Is the distinction? It looked like there
was a slugging or a half a slug or whatever
(11:37):
the case may be.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Is that the distinction here?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I guess I do you spend your your saturdays on sideline?
Speaker 1 (11:43):
So I don't want to get too far behind.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I want you after the break to speak to this
because again, I you know, we'll talk to Glenn Mason
about it. We probably should have this week, but we
maybe can even next week because my impression of Glenn
has been he thinks of himself as.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
An old school coach.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Yeah, but I also know remember hearing Glenn say you
cannot put your hands on your players.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You can't do it.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
And I think that was pretty much the Mason approach philosophically.
He found other ways to punish him, for sure, but
that's not it. So we'll get your view as a
guy who watches a lot of weird things happen on
the sidelines. We'll appine a little bit more on that
because I just can't. I cannot defend either one of them,
quite frankly. And then we will prepare for Salisbury at
(12:33):
the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
But first, Fan and two men and a junk truck
want to give you a shot to win Bonus Bucks
with our National cash contest. First keyword of the afternoon
his bank. Go to KFE and dot com and enter
the keyword bank.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Tom from Columbia Heights Rights dan Gannon spent so many
years under Sirianni thinks he can also act like Tony Soprano.
That being said, the idiot running back should kind himself
lucky that he still has a job. Don't celebrate jfter
you score. I throw the book at the running back.
I have no problem.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
You know again, I don't know what his contract was.
I don't know any of that. I'd cut him.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
To me, there are some acts athletically speaking from a
competitive standpoint in a team sport that are so egregious.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
They say we're done.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
It's good run, go find a job someplace else. We're
not messing with that. So believe me, I'm not defending
the running back at all. I just don't know that.
I just don't think that in twenty twenty five, the
person in the position of authority, you can't strike him
that way. Maybe you can, maybe bumping him is okay,
(13:48):
But I don't think you can do what you can
do now you again have grown up on sidelines, especially
now you see all kinds of stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
It's not like any other workplace. No, it just isn't.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
It's not.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
So what do you make of this? You can't anybody.
That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Now, does you need to be fined one hundred grand
I don't know, because I know there's a lot of
people that are saying, hey, let the guy coach his team. Yeah,
he wasn't trying to hurt him. He wasn't trying to,
you know, physically harm him. But I do think once
you you open yourself up, once you make it more physical.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
I agree that people are going to have reactions.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
And I think it was you take away from the
egregious act itself.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
It is the team right that find him and not
the NFL trial. So obviously ownership didn't like it. Whoever
made that call, so it crossed the line for them.
I haven't seen too many. There's only been this is
year fifteen on the sidelines. Oh good for me.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Not as much as you would think, or not as
many as you would think in terms of confrontations.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I'd say fewer than three times where I felt uncomfortable,
right like, Yeah, that's not many. It feels like it's
over the line. It might be more personal than just
hey you need to you missed your assignment.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Got again.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
That's college And we basically had two coaches killing Fleck.
They're they're both you know, they're not known for that anyway, right, So,
and in different assistants and everything, there's and even then
what I deem uncomfortable might not have been uncomfortable in
the football world. And that's you know, one hundred plus
games and a million practices, So it is pretty rare
(15:19):
to have it go to the level that it went to.
I've never seen anything like we just saw here where
it gets a little physical.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
How about Kirk cousins vicious assault on m Zimmer That
was a classic remember that one? It was of course,
that was that was extremely uncomfortable. I wish they could
have finished that one out. A lot about quite frankly,
how they felt about each other. I think I don't
even I don't. Do you ever think Zim was a
big Cousins guy. No, no, although on the other hand,
he wasn't a big He obviously was not a big.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Keenum kem guy either. The only quarterback you liked was
Teddy Bridge That's true. That's the only one that really
loble quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
How about this historical nugget, Well, it's a in a
Hollywood sense, and it's a good one. As Jonathan from
Bloomington rights, this is how Norman Dale ended up as
the coach at Hickory. Coach Dale says he can see
himself stopping his fist from hitting that player. Remember that's
how he was a college coach, and that's what left
(16:20):
him with no place to go but Hickory High School,
where the principal happened to be an old friend of
his who said, you know what I'm gonna give. I'm
gonna give old Norman Dale shot right backdrop worked was
completely fictitious, had nothing to do with the real story
of that team, but you needed that little extra hook.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
I guess you had to add little extra human melodrama.
Is that correct? And it added so much. We've had
some I'm trying to think head coaches here.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I don't there been some like shouting matches, and the
only thing that's that is physical that I recall is cousins.
And Cousins initiated that, did he not?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I think so?
Speaker 4 (17:04):
Yeah, he pushed him and then and then he said, okay,
I'll push you back.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
You know you're back in fourth grade at recess. Yep,
you're right.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I don't remember Burnsey doing anything physical with the player
like that. Tice, Well, it wouldn't surprise me, But I don't.
Nothing comes to mind Bud. I'm certain wouldn't have, because
I think Bud had probably had some rule and he
was obviously a hardcore coach, very disciplined minded coach.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
But I don't do you.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I don't remember any stories that have been told over
the years in that regard.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
No, I don't Ditka ditka and Harbaugh right.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
He I mean he he shook his fist at him
after that infamous interception. I can still remember the games.
In fact, they just got replayed somewhere. The Vikings were
down twenty to nothing in the fourth quarter against the Bears.
I remember watching it there cruzing Bears have the ball
(17:59):
again and Harbaugh calls an audible at the line of scrimmage.
He expects the receiver on the left to stop to
catch the pass that he threw. Receiver kept going. Didn't
hear the audible. Todd Scott, the defensive back, read it.
Picked six game on. Vikings win that game twenty one
(18:20):
to twenty, and Dicka lost his mind. Yes he did,
but I don't know that. You know, I don't know
that he now. Again, cameras are more ubiquitous these days, right,
They're everywhere, so it's probably harder to get away with
stuff that back in the day there might not have
been any film for and probably there would have been
less outrage about correct.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yes, things have definitely changed, But.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
One of the sentiments I've heard that that I couldn't
disagree with more though, is well, how can you make
this more about what the coach did than what the
player did. I don't even think you have to divide
it up that way. You want to call it fifty
fifty he called fifty to fifty, but again, the irony
is all of the attention would have been on the
stupidity of what the running back did. If you do
(19:09):
not cross that line, you can't do that. I don't
even know that i'd say in twenty twenty five you
can't do I think it's ten years ago. You shouldn't
do it and can't do it, because I do think
it probably does cross the line with players, not all players.
Maybe some players say, yeah, I wish I'd have hit them,
But nevertheless, it's you end up you lose whatever moral
(19:31):
high ground you have to make the story about him
being the dufust doing something that costs your team a game.
By the way, I think they were playing I said
the Rams, was it the Titans? Instead they lost to
Tennessee hees Tennessee Titans. So we'll do the covenant clean
up there a bottom of the hour break. Maybe we'll
ask our guy, Sean Salisbury a lot to get to
with him.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
He is coming up next.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
We'll talk about maybe his worst sideline confrontation with a
coach or a teammate, or most tense. We'll get his
reaction to the vikings one on one trip to Europe,
and who knows what else, Shawnee, isn't it well, there's
(20:25):
a lot of ways to define grace under difficult circumstances.
I'm going to give you my latest definition. This is
a tweet from our next guest. This is from yesterday.
Sean Salisbury tweeted this out. It's been a hell of
a run the last eight years, Sports Talk seven ninety, Houston.
I fully understand the financial decisions the corporate has to make,
(20:46):
appreciate the great bosses at iHeart that I got to
work with and here in Houston who become friends too.
Very grateful for good coworkers and the talent you hear
daily on Sports Talk seven ninety lineup. I'm so blessed
of work with special teammates slash friends on my show
every morning.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
You know my love for you guys. I'll talk to
each of you individually.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Massive thanks to the phenomenal partners and sponsors who trusted
me with your teams and companies daily. Never take that responsibility.
Lately and from my soul, I want to thank you listeners, fans,
supporters and friends who became family. You brought great laughs
and passion to my show. I am filled with joy
and happiness and you are a huge reason for the
(21:28):
show's success. A marvelous effort in what had to be
Sean Salisbury. You know you weren't looking forward to that announcement.
I wouldn't think it had to hit you pretty hard,
but I just thought you handle that with such class.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Yeah, Dad, you know we're tough. Oh man, it's great.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
I of course, I mean, and it's more for me
than you know. Those moments I talk about, you know,
the relationships so they do become friends and family are
there every day. Hell, people are still in their beds
sleeping in. And your teammates and the hard work you
put into making a top show. And I'm proud of
the work we did. But every word of that sometimes
people think, oh, that's hyperbolic. He doesn't feel that I do.
(22:07):
I've seen rock bottom. I know what that looks like,
and I've seen it and it's okay. But I've also
seen tremendous success. And I'm honestly more worried about some
of my co workers that may not have another option
right now during the holiday season. And I've got, you know,
another great show going on, and there's been other opportunities
that have presented themselves in two days. But I sincerely
(22:30):
mean it. It was a great run. Hell And Radio.
These days it seems like that's a long time. You're
you're one of the You're one that's going to be
doing it for forty years, dude, because you're so good.
But I do respect when it comes to financial decisions
and cutbacks. I get it better me than somebody that
couldn't get through it. And I'm okay with it because
I know the good work. It didn't strip away my
(22:50):
skill set. It's just a temporary detour. Hell name the
show unpaved on my other show. It's it's kind of
the road I'm used to, so I understand the resilience,
and I am eternally grateful and looking at the support Dan,
it almost brought me to tears when I when I
look and see people's comments, which I usually don't pander
(23:10):
and never will and I don't need approval, but it's
nice to have it, and then nice to know you're
going to be missed. And I root the next show
on the kick Ass and the teammates. But it was
a great run and I'm actually excited for the next
challenge and i got some businesses, some stuff now can
I contend to, and I'm in no rush for the
next Morning Drive show or whenever it presents itself, if
(23:31):
it does. I mean, I'm richly blessed my brother, and
I'm always grateful to come on to you. I'll never
take this for granted. I never take this career for granted.
And to be able to do it thirty years and
you know the longevity and the great support you have,
I'm grateful. And my thoughts are out to the iHeart family,
to those who are wondering how they're going to pay
their bills through the fall, So God bless them.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Very well, said I have no doubt. Yeah, I have
no doubt you'll be fine. I'm sure there's already stuff percolating.
We've talked about this before, but I a lot of
times over the years when we talked during shows, I
still get the sense that you are you haven't lost
hunger for being back inside the game in a coaching sense.
(24:18):
Where are you on that Might this opened that door
a little bit more or make you be a little
bit more aggressive in that regard, or is that ship
sailed where you feel like, Okay, No, I'm very I'm
in a very different kind of role and I'm very
happy with covering this stuff, but not necessarily from the inside.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
Yeah, Dan, I think that's a phenomenal point by you.
I think about it often. I have never really chased it.
You know, when Denny when he came BESPN to work
when I left esp I'll never forget. And I share
this story because you know, I think people in Minnesota
can relate to this known what Denny did and what
he meant to the city and the good runs we had,
right and.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
I'll never forget. We were at the I think.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
My last year there, and we're walking out the field
and Denny looked at me and he said, said when
you're done playing, you're going to come coach with me.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
And I was in a Viking uniform and then I
ended up going.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
To San Diego for my last year, and then we
had stayed in touch, and I think it was just
part of because I was immersed into the study part
of it, and you know, when you're a guy that's
seeing great players in front of you and trying to help.
I think Denny was appreciative of, like I've told you before,
his drive the bus of just understand what we're trying
to get accomplished, even if you didn't execute it as
good as Moon or Culpeper or anybody else. And so
(25:30):
I did stay on top of that. And then when
Denny came to ESPN before he got the Arizona job,
and we talk and talk and talk, and he offered
me the quarterback coach job, and I flew to Arizona
and it was the eleventh hour and my name, my
name plate was on the door that they're in Arizona,
and we started talking was the Matt Lioner Draft.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
We actually started talking draft and.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
He said, I understand because I had young kids at
that time, and you know, I was thinking I was
on a rise, and I don't mean on a rise
through ESPN, you know, doing the stuff, because you and
I used to talk then when I started, if you
remember it, so and so I molded over. And I
do have regrets because I always felt maybe i'd go
back and do TV and radio. I should have taken
the gig and and and I didn't because I was immersed.
(26:12):
But you know, life's again about moments and things you
do and don't do. And I turned him down and
he said, let's walk down that tunnel one more time.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
And I turned him down.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
He was very gracious about it, and he said, we
will our pass across again and we went through it,
and I, you know, I went through that and I
missed out on that, but just to regret because I
still love the career of like the competition, and to
your point, I do miss it and I think about
it with the training.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
So the ship hasn't sailed.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
And then LSU had asked me d orgeron I was
training a kid, and Ed saw the way I'd trained him,
and he was there number one recruit a handfull of
years ago when he was at LSU, And it.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Was the spring before Burrow got there.
Speaker 5 (26:49):
And I remember ed I was there, and because I
was training the kid, they offered me a job to
come and be an analyst at the time being. And
this was Burrow transferring from Ohio State, so they were
kind in flux right now, right And so I said,
I originally went up there to talk about the guy
who was training the recruit, to talk how he'd fit in.
And I drove to Baton Rouge, who was just going
(27:10):
up there to visit with him in the offensive coordinator
guys I'd known. And then halfway through the meeting, he says,
you want to I'd like you to work here, like what.
And they had a staff and it was just to
like help the quarterbacks and be an analysts like you
see guys in between gigs. And I called up my
girl and I said, you know, this meeting's gonna take
a little longer.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
And so I, you know, went home.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
And then at that point in time, with all these
crazy nil rules and college football sports rules, if you
train somebody within a.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Two year period or so it's a recruit.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
It's almost like a nepotism thing, right Dan, where they
can't do any favors if you're training the guy we're recruiting,
We're not going to have you here. So I would
have had to give training the kid up. And I
was committed. I devoted a lot of time to this player,
and he had devoted a lot of time to me.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
And then they went through the you know the steps
you have to go to.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
The NCAA will approve it, and they would, they could,
They couldn't get it a.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Protocol, so it didn't happen.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
Well, Kantz, guess who comes in as their coordinator that
at the end of that end Joe Burrow.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
I mean Joe Brady.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
Joe Brady comes in from say the next year, Burrow
in his second year there, they have the greatest offense
in the history.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
So I'd say they got the right guy, Joe Brady.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Right.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
So, but that's another thing I said.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
I would have taken that and it wouldn't matter about
the money because I was close, and I've talked to
coaches along the way if it was the right job,
if Denny was still alive and off, and again I'd listen.
I've had a few coaches I'll leave him out who
have said if I get this job or that I'd
love you to come and that's great, but who knows.
So I started a passion for it. I love to teach,
I love the coach, and I love the competition. But
if I have to talk about it, fine, So I
(28:42):
don't know if I'm gonna if I'm going to go
after it hard.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
If a coaching convention comes up.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
And I want to show up, maybe, But for me
at this stage, jan it would have to be the
right gig of a coach that I know is all
in and we had the same philosophy. You know, coaches
you can think about Dan Campbell calls, I'm listening, Kevin
O'Donnell calls, or there's a handful that you say, hell yeah,
I'd still play for the guy if I had any
eligibility left. So while I love it, I'm not so
removed from it that because I stay immersed in it
(29:09):
and I study changes in the game. But whether it
comes or not, the only thing that I miss, you know,
the paycheck and all that I can like we can.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Earn money anyway.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
I missed the the chess match of preparing weekly and
the competition, and god rest any soul, I should have
walked down the tunnel with him one more time. But
I missed out on that, and it's a regret I'll
carry with me for a while, even though I was
in a great.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
Career at the time.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
A lot of decisions, man, you make them time.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Maybe it looks clearer now, but it probably wasn't so
as clear that.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
I've matured dan from a player, and you know, and
some of the things where you know you're brash and
you think you're just that and you get you know,
you get kicked in the teeth, you have success, and
it's it's listen, we all do it's And the truth,
I guess, cliche or quiz is how you deal with
it and how you come out of the other side.
And I think I've learned over the years to be
more to just gratitude for small wins, you know what
(29:58):
I mean. Absolutely, If the big one come along with it,
then I'm okay with it. But no matter what, man,
I'm never leaving this show until you tell me I'm
not welcome on anymore.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Thatn happen.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Well, I will say this, maybe you should look into eligibility.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
You might give it.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
How many I mean, we got quarterbacks, so I feel
like we've been in college ten years. Maybe they you
could petition and get an extra year or two.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Who the hell knows, well even that college NFL. Now,
I ain't gonna do it, Joe Is.
Speaker 5 (30:22):
I got about five throws in the Dan about five
throws or maybe more, as long as in that particular game.
They say, you are if you even go by and
think about hitting the quarterback or get within four feet,
you're done. So yeah, that ship said, but you're right.
We got guys asking for a seventh US had eight years.
It's to the point where they're gonna have grandkids and
the grandkids's gonna say, Grandpa, are you done playing? So
(30:46):
I guess you milk it as long as you can.
But I'm better Dan real quick. I remember when I
first started doing television, what I it was done with football,
and about three years or two years after it, even
two years, standing on the sideline of a game, you
don't getting ready to do Sunday countdown, and then the
game goes on.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
After and I literally are going to a college game. Yep.
I'd sit there and I thought, oh.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
My gosh, you studied how explosive and good the utalities?
I said, I know it's only two years removed, but
that's sure that who in the world's.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
Dumb enough to do this for a living? And you know,
your buddy to.
Speaker 5 (31:20):
Hitch you upside there say you, you idiot, You were
doing it just two years ago, And I said, yeah,
they'd look a lot different now, even though they didn't,
it sure felt like it.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
So a lot of respect for that and that was
then for sure.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Well, let's update.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Let's let's update the Vikings quarterback situation, because as you know,
they did find a way with that last drive. I'm
convinced that as bad as the Browns offense finished that game,
the Vikings probably could have had four more tries even
after their last one to score. It was like the
Browns were not I think gonna let the Vikings out
(31:53):
of that game, and they have a great drive at
the close, Wentz goes nine for nine. I thought, a
really good mix of play calls and and they end
up stealing you know, the victory. We now know they're
in the by So the question is the same as
a week ago, although we have a little bit more
information now, and you know, there's a lot of ways
(32:14):
to look at it. In terms of the Eagles game,
which is the one after the buye for the Vikings
and and one way is you keep going with Wentz
because he played well enough and your line you had
backups at every offensive line position virtually. The other way
is you invested in McCarthy. This is the guy you
said you you said he could be the guy now
(32:36):
and you might as well start the clock if he's healthy.
You feel any differently than you did a week ago
based on another game in which I thought Wentz wasn't great,
but he was clutch when he had to be right.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
And you look at the numbers on the accuracy not
throwing the ball the other team, they were pretty much.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
It's a great point.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yes, we always look at what did he throw? For
four hundred? He won? Most important, he was as good.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
I mean, he was phenomenal under duress and pressure when
the game was on the line, and he didn't thought
the other team, didn't put them in a mind and
made the throw he made to Addison to win the game. Good,
great catch, but that you couldn't have walked out there
and handed any better. I feel stronger about wins right
about him staying in now. I shouldn't have to qualify this,
(33:20):
but I will. You know, my feelings for McCarthy, But
why would you make the switch now? You're not going
to lose McCarthy. The kid knows about competition. You're also
not going to lose him. He's in his infancy, he's
still hurt. You are in a position where you say
he's not going anywhere. I'm not worried about him losing
his confidence or that, oh you gave it now, we
got a big competition. Why wouldn't I go with the
(33:41):
guy who keeps winning. Hell, the forty nine ers may
face that pretty quick here, take with mac Jones, even
though Purdy's big money. Then I just never understood why
we were so worried about the fragility. And I'm not
sure Kevin's worried about the fragility of j. J.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
McCarthy, But we want this quick fix. Why the rush now?
Speaker 5 (34:00):
They had to rush JJ in because they well, Daniel
Jones is starting and Donald starting and both playing at
a high level, and you didn't know what you were
going to get.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
And Wins has been a journeyman. He say we committed
this guy, We're gonna do it.
Speaker 5 (34:11):
Just because you start Wins right now doesn't mean two
years from now or even week seventeen.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
He's going to be the starter.
Speaker 5 (34:18):
McCarthy is your future, and for a while, for a minute,
he was your present. But as it sits now, you've
got a guy who's playing at a pretty high level.
Considering you heard we talked about it last week, Dan
about that feeling of passion for the game again, which
I think is showing in his performance with wins, and
he's making clutch he's not putting his team in a
(34:39):
buying So I'll ask one simple question to Vikings fans,
And like I said, it's not an.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
Indictment at all on macarthy.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
This is a compliment to the way that Kevin gets
guys ready to play, but also that a veteran came
in here, has taken accountability, put his mind to it,
and they're winning. If you're what's the why wouldn't you, Well,
I'm looking for reasons of why you wouldn't play with
If this continues, he goes and plays coming out of
the bye week, takes care of his business.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
You're winning.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
You're not gonna lose McCarthy, You're just not. He's gonna
be fine. And if all of a sudden, WinCE goes
to a street where he's not playing well. The rookie
gives him a chance to get fully healthy and watch
a little bit again and see what's going on. I've
just never understood, Oh my gosh, what happens if he's upset?
Speaker 3 (35:22):
And what if he is?
Speaker 5 (35:24):
Kevin knows how to handle that. It's called football, it's competition.
I take it out a hot hand, just to appease
where we drafted him or so the optics look good.
I think Kevin's smarter than that, and right now with
the way he's playing, I mean and in truth, JJ,
who was great in the fourth quarter of the one game,
has really played a small and a small amount of.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
Really solid football so far.
Speaker 5 (35:48):
Yeah, that doesn't mean he's not going to But I
would say that if you just said, if this was
a competition, we had no idea where they were drafted.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Or the past.
Speaker 5 (35:56):
Who's played better, Well, one's played longer this year. But
to me, what's the urgency to say, well, we got
to set him back down. I know who Carson Wentz is,
but he's right now we're starting to see a guy
who I think.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Needs time in wins. I think he needs these.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
I don't think he's one of those guys that sits
over there for a year and a half and it
comes off the bench. I think wins is one of
those guys, maybe even a little more fragile personality wise
in the past. Yes, about the confidence and the paddle
of the back. JJ's had so much success, I don't
think you can shake him. Carson's had his great stuff
and his down stuff, and it feels like he's starting
to get that.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
You know what. I feel pretty good about my game again.
Speaker 5 (36:32):
And I think that's important to a football team. I
right now, unless I see him fall off during the
bye week, which he's not and going into it, and
he'll have a bone to pick with that game you're
talking about, So we'll see who he is.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Does he wilt under that one in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
It's Philadelphia, as you said, right, Dan, correct, Yes, a
team that he started with where he started out as
a phenomenal player. So and some guy like Barkley gets
to play to night against his former team.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
The Giants.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
How there's you find out where that motivation of what
brings it to you. I just don't know what the
hurry is to throw JJ back in, especially if you
think you're a playoff team, which the Vikings do in
a super Bowl caliber team. What's the rush where it's
such a rush? Let it sit there and simmer. And
if all of a sudden Winz goes into the tank,
(37:19):
you got a guy. If he doesn't and plays well,
the guy's still going to be there and he'll continue
to learn. There is no rush at all. Gimme Wentz
right now, because he's playing well enough for you to win.
And what he did at nine and nine, how do
you take that out of the lineup right now? A
game when in truth, Dylan Gabriel played pretty well. Their
defense is outstanding in Cleveland, and it was kind of
(37:41):
up and down throughout. And I didn't really understand Kevin
Stefanski's approach late with Dylan Gabriel was baffling to me,
and I had a lot of respect for Kevin. But
Kevin O'Connell did a nice job of mastering what Winz
does well.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
And you can see you.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
Can't make that throw without playing with confidence, Dan, and
the throw to Addison and the protecting of the football
means something to me. Wentz is your starter, not forever
as we sit, and if McCarthy was healthy this week,
or next week, I'm starting Carson Wentz.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Well, these things, as we said before, have a tendency
to take care of themselves one way and another. Wentz
comes back to the pack, he gets hurt, and he
actually did hurt his left shoulder, but I don't think
it's going to be a thing that's going to hold
him back.
Speaker 5 (38:20):
And when he came back and played well, Dan shows
he's a little bit tougher in that passion.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
So it was a two weeks in a row. Two
weeks in a row.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
He's gotten battered and he's come back nicely both times.
Here's the kicker for me, and this bothers the McCarthy people,
who again kind of misread what I've been saying and
what you're saying. It's not a matter of rejecting him.
It might mean putting him off a little longer. And
I know in this town everybody's been waiting forever. We've
(38:48):
we've done the rental quarterbacks, we've done the aging vent.
We now we finally thought we had a guy, and
we have to wait longer. But here's the kicker. Let's
say Wentz starts against the Eagles and plays well in that,
that would be the first good opponent that you'd played
and beaten, and there then it gets escalated even more
to me, to a certain extent that it gets it's
(39:09):
even harder to take him out if the Vikings beat
the Eagles, and whence is one of the reasons, why
then I think it becomes even more tantalizing.
Speaker 5 (39:18):
Yeah, but what's that in your one hundred percent correct?
But what's the what's the negative about? I mean, Okay,
so he plays well against Philadelphia? Well, if you're a fan,
is Kevin's job in the organization's job to appease one
guy who's a really good teammate and a hell of
a player in JJ McCarty going to be a really
good and he's just getting started in the infancy of
(39:39):
his career.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
He's young, and he's going to be fantastic, I believe.
Speaker 5 (39:42):
But where's your obligation Is it to make sure his
feelings aren't hurt, that he comes back he's ready. You
can lose your job, at least initially to being injured.
We see it all the time. Doesn't mean you're not
getting it back. So is your obligation to winning games
and giving yourself the best chance no matter who you're
playing or is it to make sure well we drafted
the guy, he committed to him. We got to do
it now and make sure the fan base. I think
(40:04):
the fan base in Minnesota known their passion would like
to win. And it is not an indictment on JJ McCarthy.
And I mean this affectionally because we all, I think
have seen this. Remember back in the day, Dan, and
I can say, remember when you were in like the
freshman in high school and you were like, had this
crush on a girl, but she didn't in the summer,
went and got that head gear racist and you know
what I'm saying, You know the look the old school
(40:25):
looked that nobody wears. And I mean this affectionately and kindly.
And you looked at her and you said, you know what, man,
but I'll see you when you're a junior, right for
Snadie Hawkins or the probe. And then she comes back
the summer after a junior year, whichs got the head
gear off because you and all of a Suddens and
she's nice as could be. Be like, man, I'm sixteen
years old. I got to and she comes back in
the summer, You're like, who the world?
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Oh, yes, goodness.
Speaker 5 (40:46):
Gracious, macarthy's got the headgear on right now, right, he's
we know that the potential's there. You see the forest
through the trees were through the headgear and say, man,
I wonder what that's going to be like in a
year from now.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
But you have the seniors there and established and everybody.
Speaker 5 (41:00):
He's the homecoming queen all that, But you got the
one that's like, man, this one may be special. So
I know that's an odd comparison, but I was just
thinking about that earlier, thinking, you know, we all remember
that we're growing up, or even when you were that
the girl who liked the guy who's a little overweight
or so he had that maybe fat on and he
comes back after working out the summer and she's like,
I'm marrying him ten years from now, right, So I
(41:21):
just want fans to do you're in a to win.
And it is not by any stretch of the imagination
telling McCarthy can't play. Matter of fact, it's quite the opposite.
Hang on, big fellow, we're gonna be over. We're gonna
be fine with it right now. This is best for
our team. That game in Philadelphia will tell you a
lot Dan about where WinCE's mindset is as well.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
One other quarterback question not related to the Vikings. I
don't know that we've talked much the last year or two.
Maybe we have, but been a while since we've chatted
about a Baker Mayfield. And I'm constantly fascinated by him,
because I admit when he was in Cleveland, I didn't
get it with him.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Obviously, could see.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
He could make some he had voltage, he could make plays,
but then I see some just hair brained decision making
and picks and interceptions. So how has he become what
he seems to be at this point? And is that
an indication than in Cleveland they failed him or he
was a different quarterback, because the guy looks like he's
(42:21):
as good as anybody right now.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Explain his transition.
Speaker 5 (42:26):
So with you, and I'm dying on the hill of
Baker Mayfield right now, and I have been for a while.
And I went to the same thing with him Dan
first year like offensive rookie the year you know it
was pretty solid, Yeah, second year and third year got
him in the playoffs, remember the loss to Kansas City, right,
And then the fourth year kind of went down again,
blud start and banged up all that, he was erratic
(42:47):
and he's got that personality, you know, he you know,
remember when you used to watch Tom Arnold go on
talk shows, you know with the actor, he'd be moving
around one hundred miles an hour. And if that's Baker right,
just yeah, matter of fact, making you feel uncomfortable because
he's so frantic, all these elbows and kneecaps moving around.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
But he's a high IQ guy.
Speaker 5 (43:06):
And I and I know this is gonna sound odd,
but the Baker Mayfield I watched at Texas Tech then
transfer to Oklahoma play in the league, you know with
playing like the the not the fraternity league, but the
you know the when everybody goes in that that doesn't
play football, they intermural there, you go inter real league.
Speaker 3 (43:25):
And you know he loves football when.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
He has the walk on mentality, which he's been his
whole life until he was the first pick of the draft,
a walk on. He's always approached it as tough, hard.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
Nose getting after it.
Speaker 5 (43:38):
And I know people say, well that is remember what
all the commercials all that it almost became. Because I
go on every single week in Cleveland like I do
with you, and you saw development that didn't take a
step back and the commercials, and there was almost like
a sense of the loss of it felt like a loss.
Speaker 3 (43:53):
Of focus on what they were doing.
Speaker 5 (43:54):
And Cleveland, just looking at their history, has failed plenty
of players, and those fan base deserves better. They have well,
they'd love to have him back now and guaranteed million
dollars from Watson. But I'll tell you what I love
about him, like quarterback, just what we're talking about about macarthy,
just in a different way.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
He's been kicked in the teeth. He was damn near
Dan labeled a journeyman.
Speaker 5 (44:14):
Matter of fact, Carolina, you know the rams he didn't
wasn't having much success, some good, some bad, just like
he was in Cleveland. But something clicked where he got
back to saying, you know, I'm staying at all the thing.
There's a different focus. He is a great leader, has
always been a great leader, but especially and brash and tough,
and we always hear linebacker mentality. He's got that. And
(44:38):
he is so good late in games when even if
things haven't gone well. That's the sign of a really
good quarterback. It's easy when you're playing well and you
get the ball last saying well, I'm in a rhythm.
It's when things may not be going well, how do
you pick your team up and make guys ready and they.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
Just know you're going to succeed.
Speaker 5 (44:52):
Well, I've watched his development in Tampa and we thought
it was gonna be a long time before somebody come
in and do it, at least keep him afloat like
Brady did. And he's not there. But the last year
and a half, he and Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson
to put the best football on the planet and he
belongs in that team picture and he's winning, and there's
something to be said about this the way he's going.
(45:12):
He's putting up numbers, he's got comeback wins, and I
think it's he's redeveloped what made him great and the
first pick of the draft, this walk on mentality of
I'm not gonna be looked at as a star. I've
got to I'm gonna be looked at as one of
these dudes in this locker room, and I'm going to
go to I'm going to do it, pop in the
alley and fight anybody for him.
Speaker 3 (45:33):
And I think they're at the point they're doing the same.
Speaker 5 (45:35):
Thing we greatly misjudged the downfall of Baker Mayfield and
his inner toughness, because it would have been easy Dan
to play on four other teams and still say talk
it instead of walking.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
And I couldn't be more impressed. And I love watching
him play.
Speaker 5 (45:50):
Yeah, and I create wait for the forty nine ers
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play this week because it's
going to be a hell of a game. He is
not only the most improved player in this league the
last couple of years, but today as we sit, he's
the most valuable player SAMs Josh Allen, and he's in
the conversation without in the league right now.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
That's how good he's.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Been standing analysis is always appreciate the time, keep us
posted on the next big announcement, because I'm assuming there's
another big I'm assuming you're I'm assuming you're in negotiating
right now.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
You got like four or five deals. You just got
to figure out which one to take.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
And one of them is not to play quarterback in
the league. Did I promise you. I appreciate you great love,
and I can't thank you and guards enough.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
Appreciate you. Take care.
Speaker 2 (46:32):
Sean Salisbury Dateline greater Houston, Texas area GUARDSI the bratch
on Brian cafean text line has blown up like it
rarely has, and it all is related.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
It's just it.
Speaker 2 (46:48):
Well come back and I'll tell you that it confirms
one inescapable notion, immutable that we hear about and learn
over and over again, and so I guess, to a
certain extent we shouldn't be surprised.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
But it's a great reminder. We'll get to that when
we were
Basis. You're the Dufest Factor, Squared Leader fan Fan Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Is lens is out of a question and kfan dot com.
One minute and fifty four seconds past the hour three
o'clock Central daylight time, we welcome you back to the
Bumperta Buppet program. Very controversial combo platter program that runs
Monday through Friday, customarily three to six thirty. During the
(00:32):
football season. A lot of Thursdays were out at six,
but we're not this week because the Vikings are in
their bye week, so they are making us even today.
Go the distance, Guards, he tells me, we'll be wrapping
up just before six thirty this evening. My name is
Dan Verrero, formering Stine Retch newspaper of the Twin Cities Guards.
He produces the show, and we thank you for whatever
(00:53):
way in which you might try to participate in today's program.
A quick reminder if you like to participate via the
doctor Dan inbox bit, today's the days still time to
text or I should say email the producer of the
program and the man who must call through all of
your clever and snarky letters. Jg at k f A
(01:17):
N dot com. Jg at k f a N dot
com I'm assuming Thursday night football tonight on the fan.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Oh no, it's wild? Am I talking about?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (01:27):
You got there?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Wild Blues? How could I possibly? Maybe it's on the
NFL channel. Do we have an iHeart NFL channel the
way we have like a Wolves channel channel.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
I assume it's on Cafe and Plus tonight ninety six
point seven, and it was probably the Plus on the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Big ballgames, I mean the two teams that despise each other,
the always plucking New York Giants hosting the Super Bowl champion, right,
Philadelphia Eagles. Didn't they win the Super Bowl this last year?
Fortunately they did? Yeah, four and one versus one and four.
There's your Thursday night game. Oh goodie, it's football, it's
(02:06):
pro football. I get it, but doesn't really do all
that much for me. Russo Radio will file a live
report speaking of the Wild tonight on the fan.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
He will join from Saint Louis.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Meet me in Saint Louis or meet me No, what's
the bit meet me in Saint Louis Louis.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Is that from a song?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Or is that just a saying look up? Meet me
in Saint Louis. Comma Louis. That's not the ways to
leave your lover song? Right, No, Simon and Garfunkel, I
don't think so, and that is only Paul Simon, Garfunkel
and Simon and garfunkele by vap that point despised?
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Always?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Bad boy?
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Are you talking about Meet Me in Saint Louis in
nineteen forty four Christmas musical film?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Maybe that's what it is.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
But I wonder if that lyric is from that Meet
Me in Saint Louis, Louie get it.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Clever? Is it?
Speaker 4 (02:57):
I'm pretty sure Gerbschmid has called in as Lewis from
Saint Louis before.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
That's probably tru snuck By. You're probably right about that.
So Russo on the wild season, Oprah tonight? Have we
have we lost any other players to injury at the
morning skate?
Speaker 4 (03:10):
I don't think so. Brodean's not gonna play. He's not
going to play. I know he's day to day.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I know, it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
It's just it's I thought hockey was the tough guy sport.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I'm all confused.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I mean, is this our former load management or we
just why can't we keep people healthy?
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Our training camp is too tough. Must be what John hines.
We've lauded it the.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Less Deckel style of training camp too much junction boys.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, that's another term for it.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Meet Me in Saint Louis Louis is a popular song
from nineteen oh four.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Of course, what am I Saint Louis World's fair? Ah
oh yeah, highly acclaimed one of the best world's fairs ever.
Do you want to know why?
Speaker 4 (03:48):
No, yes, I do, because we celebrated the Louisiana purchase exposition.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
That was a bargain. By the way, that was a
good deal, right, unbelievable deal. That was a steal. What
was it wasn't a five million? What was the price
of the.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Fifteen a fifteen millik No, hold on, hold on the
Louisiana Louisiana Purchase.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I thought it was five mil back then.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Yeah, because hold on, because the exposition was like a
celebration of it one hundred years later. Yes, that costs
fifteen oh I see okay, yeah, but this actually says
in return for fifteen million dollars, the US acquired a
total the land that you got in the Louisiana purchase.
So fifteen million.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Bus what did we get we got more than Louisiana,
didn't we I thought we got more than what is
now the state of Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
We did.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
We got parts of Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, Louisiana,
and Mexico. According to Wikipedia, Minnesota was part of the
Louisiana purchase, a little bit of it or part of it. Okay,
what part do we know? But miidgie, No, it would
be well, actually further than you'd think. It goes all
the way up to central minnesot seriously, but the whole
(05:01):
south part of the state. If again, huh, I'm reading
this map correctly, which is a crap shoot. Yeah, but
it basically goes from Saint Louis you know, the Mississippi River, Yes,
of course, over to you know, part way through New Mexico, Colorado,
Wyoming in Montana. I assume there's another river that's the
border there that I'm too stupid to know, the Colorado River.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Maybe I wouldn't know. I'm not, Yeah, just winghing it.
But that's a hell of a purchase.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
For fifteen as that that was a bargain that was
changing everything. That's a steel we call that in the
in the in the vernacular today, that'd be uh, that
would be called a steep again.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Rudy Gobert for four first and a couple.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Of pick swaps. Wow, and Walker Kessler. Yeah, we still
could get Walker Kessler. Eventually, he's going to be available available.
We have too many centers now probably, Oh that's true.
We got the kid, the baby, Yeah, I had the baby.
That's it exactly. Are you big Canada Dry guy? Just
I thought i'd mix it up today and I brought
one of these little mini Canada Dry cans? Are you
(06:00):
a Canada Dry? Are you a ginger ale? Guysher?
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I'm like most people. It's only on airplanes.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
For me typically it's at all and I haven't had
a ginger ale and probably all that.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Tastes pretty good. I wish you. I prefer it with ice.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, clear ice, by the way, got to be clear ice,
not cloudy cubes and not shaved ice. I like clear
cubes with my Canada Dry because why you don't trust
the class I like the aesthetic. Yeah, I don't know
why the problem on airplanes is if you ask for
Canada Dry, a lot of times they think you just
(06:32):
mean a ginger ale and so you end up with
like schwepes ginger ale. I'm are you kidding me out
of your mind? I want a Canada dry ginger ale.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Not gonna work.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
In fact, we've talked about this before and then somebody
sent me like about twelve kinds of ginger ale.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
That's right. Anyway, where were we? Well?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I mentioned Russo, I mentioned the inbox. Sean Salisbury is
scared to join us at the bottom of this hour.
So I think we've got a lot of stuff covered.
I hope a little more time to get into some
stuff I've been saving and you know, sort of embargoing
for the last several days, the dufus factor squared.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
We have not talked about one of the bigger.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
League wide National Football League talkers this week, and it
has to do with, well, it's it is I think
has been one of the soap opera teams in the
National Football League for quite some time, the Arizona Cardinals.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
The Cardinals are two and three a rather improbable loss
last week in which a running back name is it
Imari de Mercado, Yeah, decides to drop the ball, let's
go of the football on his way to the end
zone before crossing the goal line and they have the
(07:57):
game in complete control. They would have been up to
twenty eight to six. Yeah, that's a tough one. At
that point, they ultimately lose the game to the who
they play other Rams twenty two to twenty one. So yeah,
a massive play dufus factor. There's no there's no excusing
it in any way, shape or form. I think it
(08:19):
had also happened to it in Apple Indian Apple's receiver
Mitchell the week before, so it almost seems to be spreading.
And anytime this happens, because it has happened from time
to time, it ends up becoming kind of a huge story.
What set this one off, though, took it to another level,
was that the Arizona Cardinals head coach, his name is
(08:40):
Jonathan Gannon, and on the sidelines video captured a confrontation
in which Gannon not surprisingly, was livid with what his
running back had done. What set this apart though, from
most sideline scenes of drama, is that he appeared to
(09:02):
kind of punch at him, right, was it to the midsection.
I've seen the tape a few times and it's a
real quick shot, so I you know, my guess is
gan thought, well, this isn't going to be like this
is a good I'm not gonna be Woody Hayes on
the sidelines when I when he remember when he well,
you're too young to know, but you said, I'm sure
(09:23):
the story. Uh punched an opposing player. I want to
say it was a Clemson players the end of his career.
It was terrible scene, awful scene. We've talked about it
often over the years with Glenn Mason, and in this case,
film captured or video captured exactly that what took place there.
And ultimately Gannon ends up apologizing, said he apologized to
(09:48):
the team and then he was fine. How much was
he fine? Do you have the number in front of him?
It was one hundred grand? Was it one hundred thousand dollars? Yeah,
I'm pretty sure I got you. What's interesting about this
one is in the in in the football world, a
debate has broken out about who you should really be
angrier with. I'm not gonna I refuse to sort of
(10:11):
play that game. I would just call it Dufus factor squared.
I think one stupid move begat another stupid move, and
there's no excusing Frankly, either one of them now has
the player? Has the running back apologized to the team?
Has he apologized for his dufus factor stupidity?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Do we know?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
In all?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Seriously we know?
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Gannon, he's in the position of authorities. He said, well
he has to. I would say the players should be
doing the exact same thing to his team. And the
debate is, look, in a real world office setting, of
course you can't have any kind of physical confrontation like
(10:55):
what took place there. But stop pretending that a college
football or college or pro football sideline is like a
real office. We have physical confrontations that often take place,
including who's the chiefs head coach?
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Andy Reid? Andy Reid? Andy Reid?
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Has he not used his belly or is it his
shoulder to bump his tight end? They've gotten into it
on the sideline, Yeah, he's the tight end has grabbed
the head coach? Did Andy Reid get fined for that?
For those bumps? Is the distinction? It looked like there
was a slugging or a half a slug or whatever
(11:37):
the case may be.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Is that the distinction here?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I guess I do you spend your your saturdays on sideline?
Speaker 1 (11:43):
So I don't want to get too far behind.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I want you after the break to speak to this
because again, I you know, we'll talk to Glenn Mason
about it. We probably should have this week, but we
maybe can even next week because my impression of Glenn
has been he thinks of himself as.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
An old school coach.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Yeah, but I also know remember hearing Glenn say you
cannot put your hands on your players.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You can't do it.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
And I think that was pretty much the Mason approach philosophically.
He found other ways to punish him, for sure, but
that's not it. So we'll get your view as a
guy who watches a lot of weird things happen on
the sidelines. We'll appine a little bit more on that
because I just can't. I cannot defend either one of them,
quite frankly. And then we will prepare for Salisbury at
(12:33):
the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
But first, Fan and two men and a junk truck
want to give you a shot to win Bonus Bucks
with our National cash contest. First keyword of the afternoon
his bank. Go to KFE and dot com and enter
the keyword bank.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Tom from Columbia Heights Rights dan Gannon spent so many
years under Sirianni thinks he can also act like Tony Soprano.
That being said, the idiot running back should kind himself
lucky that he still has a job. Don't celebrate jfter
you score. I throw the book at the running back.
I have no problem.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
You know again, I don't know what his contract was.
I don't know any of that. I'd cut him.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
To me, there are some acts athletically speaking from a
competitive standpoint in a team sport that are so egregious.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
They say we're done.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
It's good run, go find a job someplace else. We're
not messing with that. So believe me, I'm not defending
the running back at all. I just don't know that.
I just don't think that in twenty twenty five, the
person in the position of authority, you can't strike him
that way. Maybe you can, maybe bumping him is okay,
(13:48):
But I don't think you can do what you can
do now you again have grown up on sidelines, especially
now you see all kinds of stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
It's not like any other workplace. No, it just isn't.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
It's not.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
So what do you make of this? You can't anybody.
That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Now, does you need to be fined one hundred grand
I don't know, because I know there's a lot of
people that are saying, hey, let the guy coach his team. Yeah,
he wasn't trying to hurt him. He wasn't trying to,
you know, physically harm him. But I do think once
you you open yourself up, once you make it more physical.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
I agree that people are going to have reactions.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
And I think it was you take away from the
egregious act itself.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
It is the team right that find him and not
the NFL trial. So obviously ownership didn't like it. Whoever
made that call, so it crossed the line for them.
I haven't seen too many. There's only been this is
year fifteen on the sidelines. Oh good for me.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Not as much as you would think, or not as
many as you would think in terms of confrontations.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I'd say fewer than three times where I felt uncomfortable,
right like, Yeah, that's not many. It feels like it's
over the line. It might be more personal than just
hey you need to you missed your assignment.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Got again.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
That's college And we basically had two coaches killing Fleck.
They're they're both you know, they're not known for that anyway, right, So,
and in different assistants and everything, there's and even then
what I deem uncomfortable might not have been uncomfortable in
the football world. And that's you know, one hundred plus
games and a million practices, So it is pretty rare
(15:19):
to have it go to the level that it went to.
I've never seen anything like we just saw here where
it gets a little physical.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
How about Kirk cousins vicious assault on m Zimmer That
was a classic remember that one? It was of course,
that was that was extremely uncomfortable. I wish they could
have finished that one out. A lot about quite frankly,
how they felt about each other. I think I don't
even I don't. Do you ever think Zim was a
big Cousins guy. No, no, although on the other hand,
he wasn't a big He obviously was not a big.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Keenum kem guy either. The only quarterback you liked was
Teddy Bridge That's true. That's the only one that really
loble quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
How about this historical nugget, Well, it's a in a
Hollywood sense, and it's a good one. As Jonathan from
Bloomington rights, this is how Norman Dale ended up as
the coach at Hickory. Coach Dale says he can see
himself stopping his fist from hitting that player. Remember that's
how he was a college coach, and that's what left
(16:20):
him with no place to go but Hickory High School,
where the principal happened to be an old friend of
his who said, you know what I'm gonna give. I'm
gonna give old Norman Dale shot right backdrop worked was
completely fictitious, had nothing to do with the real story
of that team, but you needed that little extra hook.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
I guess you had to add little extra human melodrama.
Is that correct? And it added so much. We've had
some I'm trying to think head coaches here.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I don't there been some like shouting matches, and the
only thing that's that is physical that I recall is cousins.
And Cousins initiated that, did he not?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I think so?
Speaker 4 (17:04):
Yeah, he pushed him and then and then he said, okay,
I'll push you back.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
You know you're back in fourth grade at recess. Yep,
you're right.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I don't remember Burnsey doing anything physical with the player
like that. Tice, Well, it wouldn't surprise me, But I don't.
Nothing comes to mind Bud. I'm certain wouldn't have, because
I think Bud had probably had some rule and he
was obviously a hardcore coach, very disciplined minded coach.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
But I don't do you.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I don't remember any stories that have been told over
the years in that regard.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
No, I don't Ditka ditka and Harbaugh right.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
He I mean he he shook his fist at him
after that infamous interception. I can still remember the games.
In fact, they just got replayed somewhere. The Vikings were
down twenty to nothing in the fourth quarter against the Bears.
I remember watching it there cruzing Bears have the ball
(17:59):
again and Harbaugh calls an audible at the line of scrimmage.
He expects the receiver on the left to stop to
catch the pass that he threw. Receiver kept going. Didn't
hear the audible. Todd Scott, the defensive back, read it.
Picked six game on. Vikings win that game twenty one
(18:20):
to twenty, and Dicka lost his mind. Yes he did,
but I don't know that. You know, I don't know
that he now. Again, cameras are more ubiquitous these days, right,
They're everywhere, so it's probably harder to get away with
stuff that back in the day there might not have
been any film for and probably there would have been
less outrage about correct.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yes, things have definitely changed, But.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
One of the sentiments I've heard that that I couldn't
disagree with more though, is well, how can you make
this more about what the coach did than what the
player did. I don't even think you have to divide
it up that way. You want to call it fifty
fifty he called fifty to fifty, but again, the irony
is all of the attention would have been on the
stupidity of what the running back did. If you do
(19:09):
not cross that line, you can't do that. I don't
even know that i'd say in twenty twenty five you
can't do I think it's ten years ago. You shouldn't
do it and can't do it, because I do think
it probably does cross the line with players, not all players.
Maybe some players say, yeah, I wish I'd have hit them,
But nevertheless, it's you end up you lose whatever moral
(19:31):
high ground you have to make the story about him
being the dufust doing something that costs your team a game.
By the way, I think they were playing I said
the Rams, was it the Titans? Instead they lost to
Tennessee hees Tennessee Titans. So we'll do the covenant clean
up there a bottom of the hour break. Maybe we'll
ask our guy, Sean Salisbury a lot to get to
with him.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
He is coming up next.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
We'll talk about maybe his worst sideline confrontation with a
coach or a teammate, or most tense. We'll get his
reaction to the vikings one on one trip to Europe,
and who knows what else, Shawnee, isn't it well, there's
(20:25):
a lot of ways to define grace under difficult circumstances.
I'm going to give you my latest definition. This is
a tweet from our next guest. This is from yesterday.
Sean Salisbury tweeted this out. It's been a hell of
a run the last eight years, Sports Talk seven ninety, Houston.
I fully understand the financial decisions the corporate has to make,
(20:46):
appreciate the great bosses at iHeart that I got to
work with and here in Houston who become friends too.
Very grateful for good coworkers and the talent you hear
daily on Sports Talk seven ninety lineup. I'm so blessed
of work with special teammates slash friends on my show
every morning.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
You know my love for you guys. I'll talk to
each of you individually.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Massive thanks to the phenomenal partners and sponsors who trusted
me with your teams and companies daily. Never take that responsibility.
Lately and from my soul, I want to thank you listeners, fans,
supporters and friends who became family. You brought great laughs
and passion to my show. I am filled with joy
and happiness and you are a huge reason for the
(21:28):
show's success. A marvelous effort in what had to be
Sean Salisbury. You know you weren't looking forward to that announcement.
I wouldn't think it had to hit you pretty hard,
but I just thought you handle that with such class.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Yeah, Dad, you know we're tough. Oh man, it's great.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
I of course, I mean, and it's more for me
than you know. Those moments I talk about, you know,
the relationships so they do become friends and family are
there every day. Hell, people are still in their beds
sleeping in. And your teammates and the hard work you
put into making a top show. And I'm proud of
the work we did. But every word of that sometimes
people think, oh, that's hyperbolic. He doesn't feel that I do.
(22:07):
I've seen rock bottom. I know what that looks like,
and I've seen it and it's okay. But I've also
seen tremendous success. And I'm honestly more worried about some
of my co workers that may not have another option
right now during the holiday season. And I've got, you know,
another great show going on, and there's been other opportunities
that have presented themselves in two days. But I sincerely
(22:30):
mean it. It was a great run. Hell And Radio.
These days it seems like that's a long time. You're
you're one of the You're one that's going to be
doing it for forty years, dude, because you're so good.
But I do respect when it comes to financial decisions
and cutbacks. I get it better me than somebody that
couldn't get through it. And I'm okay with it because
I know the good work. It didn't strip away my
(22:50):
skill set. It's just a temporary detour. Hell name the
show unpaved on my other show. It's it's kind of
the road I'm used to, so I understand the resilience,
and I am eternally grateful and looking at the support Dan,
it almost brought me to tears when I when I
look and see people's comments, which I usually don't pander
(23:10):
and never will and I don't need approval, but it's
nice to have it, and then nice to know you're
going to be missed. And I root the next show
on the kick Ass and the teammates. But it was
a great run and I'm actually excited for the next
challenge and i got some businesses, some stuff now can
I contend to, and I'm in no rush for the
next Morning Drive show or whenever it presents itself, if
(23:31):
it does. I mean, I'm richly blessed my brother, and
I'm always grateful to come on to you. I'll never
take this for granted. I never take this career for granted.
And to be able to do it thirty years and
you know the longevity and the great support you have,
I'm grateful. And my thoughts are out to the iHeart family,
to those who are wondering how they're going to pay
their bills through the fall, So God bless them.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Very well, said I have no doubt. Yeah, I have
no doubt you'll be fine. I'm sure there's already stuff percolating.
We've talked about this before, but I a lot of
times over the years when we talked during shows, I
still get the sense that you are you haven't lost
hunger for being back inside the game in a coaching sense.
(24:18):
Where are you on that Might this opened that door
a little bit more or make you be a little
bit more aggressive in that regard, or is that ship
sailed where you feel like, Okay, No, I'm very I'm
in a very different kind of role and I'm very
happy with covering this stuff, but not necessarily from the inside.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
Yeah, Dan, I think that's a phenomenal point by you.
I think about it often. I have never really chased it.
You know, when Denny when he came BESPN to work
when I left esp I'll never forget. And I share
this story because you know, I think people in Minnesota
can relate to this known what Denny did and what
he meant to the city and the good runs we had,
right and.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
I'll never forget. We were at the I think.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
My last year there, and we're walking out the field
and Denny looked at me and he said, said when
you're done playing, you're going to come coach with me.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
And I was in a Viking uniform and then I
ended up going.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
To San Diego for my last year, and then we
had stayed in touch, and I think it was just
part of because I was immersed into the study part
of it, and you know, when you're a guy that's
seeing great players in front of you and trying to help.
I think Denny was appreciative of, like I've told you before,
his drive the bus of just understand what we're trying
to get accomplished, even if you didn't execute it as
good as Moon or Culpeper or anybody else. And so
(25:30):
I did stay on top of that. And then when
Denny came to ESPN before he got the Arizona job,
and we talk and talk and talk, and he offered
me the quarterback coach job, and I flew to Arizona
and it was the eleventh hour and my name, my
name plate was on the door that they're in Arizona,
and we started talking was the Matt Lioner Draft.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
We actually started talking draft and.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
He said, I understand because I had young kids at
that time, and you know, I was thinking I was
on a rise, and I don't mean on a rise
through ESPN, you know, doing the stuff, because you and
I used to talk then when I started, if you
remember it, so and so I molded over. And I
do have regrets because I always felt maybe i'd go
back and do TV and radio. I should have taken
the gig and and and I didn't because I was immersed.
(26:12):
But you know, life's again about moments and things you
do and don't do. And I turned him down and
he said, let's walk down that tunnel one more time.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
And I turned him down.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
He was very gracious about it, and he said, we
will our pass across again and we went through it,
and I, you know, I went through that and I
missed out on that, but just to regret because I
still love the career of like the competition, and to
your point, I do miss it and I think about
it with the training.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
So the ship hasn't sailed.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
And then LSU had asked me d orgeron I was
training a kid, and Ed saw the way I'd trained him,
and he was there number one recruit a handfull of
years ago when he was at LSU, And it.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Was the spring before Burrow got there.
Speaker 5 (26:49):
And I remember ed I was there, and because I
was training the kid, they offered me a job to
come and be an analyst at the time being. And
this was Burrow transferring from Ohio State, so they were
kind in flux right now, right And so I said,
I originally went up there to talk about the guy
who was training the recruit, to talk how he'd fit in.
And I drove to Baton Rouge, who was just going
(27:10):
up there to visit with him in the offensive coordinator
guys I'd known. And then halfway through the meeting, he says,
you want to I'd like you to work here, like what.
And they had a staff and it was just to
like help the quarterbacks and be an analysts like you
see guys in between gigs. And I called up my
girl and I said, you know, this meeting's gonna take
a little longer.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
And so I, you know, went home.
Speaker 5 (27:31):
And then at that point in time, with all these
crazy nil rules and college football sports rules, if you
train somebody within a.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Two year period or so it's a recruit.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
It's almost like a nepotism thing, right Dan, where they
can't do any favors if you're training the guy we're recruiting,
We're not going to have you here. So I would
have had to give training the kid up. And I
was committed. I devoted a lot of time to this player,
and he had devoted a lot of time to me.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
And then they went through the you know the steps
you have to go to.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
The NCAA will approve it, and they would, they could,
They couldn't get it a.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Protocol, so it didn't happen.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
Well, Kantz, guess who comes in as their coordinator that
at the end of that end Joe Burrow.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
I mean Joe Brady.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
Joe Brady comes in from say the next year, Burrow
in his second year there, they have the greatest offense
in the history.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
So I'd say they got the right guy, Joe Brady.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Right.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
So, but that's another thing I said.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
I would have taken that and it wouldn't matter about
the money because I was close, and I've talked to
coaches along the way if it was the right job,
if Denny was still alive and off, and again I'd listen.
I've had a few coaches I'll leave him out who
have said if I get this job or that I'd
love you to come and that's great, but who knows.
So I started a passion for it. I love to teach,
I love the coach, and I love the competition. But
if I have to talk about it, fine, So I
(28:42):
don't know if I'm gonna if I'm going to go
after it hard.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
If a coaching convention comes up.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
And I want to show up, maybe, But for me
at this stage, jan it would have to be the
right gig of a coach that I know is all
in and we had the same philosophy. You know, coaches
you can think about Dan Campbell calls, I'm listening, Kevin
O'Donnell calls, or there's a handful that you say, hell yeah,
I'd still play for the guy if I had any
eligibility left. So while I love it, I'm not so
removed from it that because I stay immersed in it
(29:09):
and I study changes in the game. But whether it
comes or not, the only thing that I miss, you know,
the paycheck and all that I can like we can.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Earn money anyway.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
I missed the the chess match of preparing weekly and
the competition, and god rest any soul, I should have
walked down the tunnel with him one more time. But
I missed out on that, and it's a regret I'll
carry with me for a while, even though I was
in a great.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
Career at the time.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
A lot of decisions, man, you make them time.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Maybe it looks clearer now, but it probably wasn't so
as clear that.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
I've matured dan from a player, and you know, and
some of the things where you know you're brash and
you think you're just that and you get you know,
you get kicked in the teeth, you have success, and
it's it's listen, we all do it's And the truth,
I guess, cliche or quiz is how you deal with
it and how you come out of the other side.
And I think I've learned over the years to be
more to just gratitude for small wins, you know what
(29:58):
I mean. Absolutely, If the big one come along with it,
then I'm okay with it. But no matter what, man,
I'm never leaving this show until you tell me I'm
not welcome on anymore.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Thatn happen.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Well, I will say this, maybe you should look into eligibility.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
You might give it.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
How many I mean, we got quarterbacks, so I feel
like we've been in college ten years. Maybe they you
could petition and get an extra year or two.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Who the hell knows, well even that college NFL. Now,
I ain't gonna do it, Joe Is.
Speaker 5 (30:22):
I got about five throws in the Dan about five
throws or maybe more, as long as in that particular game.
They say, you are if you even go by and
think about hitting the quarterback or get within four feet,
you're done. So yeah, that ship said, but you're right.
We got guys asking for a seventh US had eight years.
It's to the point where they're gonna have grandkids and
the grandkids's gonna say, Grandpa, are you done playing? So
(30:46):
I guess you milk it as long as you can.
But I'm better Dan real quick. I remember when I
first started doing television, what I it was done with football,
and about three years or two years after it, even
two years, standing on the sideline of a game, you
don't getting ready to do Sunday countdown, and then the
game goes on.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
After and I literally are going to a college game. Yep.
I'd sit there and I thought, oh.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
My gosh, you studied how explosive and good the utalities?
I said, I know it's only two years removed, but
that's sure that who in the world's.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
Dumb enough to do this for a living? And you know,
your buddy to.
Speaker 5 (31:20):
Hitch you upside there say you, you idiot, You were
doing it just two years ago, And I said, yeah,
they'd look a lot different now, even though they didn't,
it sure felt like it.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
So a lot of respect for that and that was
then for sure.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Well, let's update.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Let's let's update the Vikings quarterback situation, because as you know,
they did find a way with that last drive. I'm
convinced that as bad as the Browns offense finished that game,
the Vikings probably could have had four more tries even
after their last one to score. It was like the
Browns were not I think gonna let the Vikings out
(31:53):
of that game, and they have a great drive at
the close, Wentz goes nine for nine. I thought, a
really good mix of play calls and and they end
up stealing you know, the victory. We now know they're
in the by So the question is the same as
a week ago, although we have a little bit more
information now, and you know, there's a lot of ways
(32:14):
to look at it. In terms of the Eagles game,
which is the one after the buye for the Vikings
and and one way is you keep going with Wentz
because he played well enough and your line you had
backups at every offensive line position virtually. The other way
is you invested in McCarthy. This is the guy you
said you you said he could be the guy now
(32:36):
and you might as well start the clock if he's healthy.
You feel any differently than you did a week ago
based on another game in which I thought Wentz wasn't great,
but he was clutch when he had to be right.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
And you look at the numbers on the accuracy not
throwing the ball the other team, they were pretty much.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
It's a great point.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yes, we always look at what did he throw? For
four hundred? He won? Most important, he was as good.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
I mean, he was phenomenal under duress and pressure when
the game was on the line, and he didn't thought
the other team, didn't put them in a mind and
made the throw he made to Addison to win the game. Good,
great catch, but that you couldn't have walked out there
and handed any better. I feel stronger about wins right
about him staying in now. I shouldn't have to qualify this,
(33:20):
but I will. You know, my feelings for McCarthy, But
why would you make the switch now? You're not going
to lose McCarthy. The kid knows about competition. You're also
not going to lose him. He's in his infancy, he's
still hurt. You are in a position where you say
he's not going anywhere. I'm not worried about him losing
his confidence or that, oh you gave it now, we
got a big competition. Why wouldn't I go with the
(33:41):
guy who keeps winning. Hell, the forty nine ers may
face that pretty quick here, take with mac Jones, even
though Purdy's big money. Then I just never understood why
we were so worried about the fragility. And I'm not
sure Kevin's worried about the fragility of j. J.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
McCarthy, But we want this quick fix. Why the rush now?
Speaker 5 (34:00):
They had to rush JJ in because they well, Daniel
Jones is starting and Donald starting and both playing at
a high level, and you didn't know what you were
going to get.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
And Wins has been a journeyman. He say we committed
this guy, We're gonna do it.
Speaker 5 (34:11):
Just because you start Wins right now doesn't mean two
years from now or even week seventeen.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
He's going to be the starter.
Speaker 5 (34:18):
McCarthy is your future, and for a while, for a minute,
he was your present. But as it sits now, you've
got a guy who's playing at a pretty high level.
Considering you heard we talked about it last week, Dan
about that feeling of passion for the game again, which
I think is showing in his performance with wins, and
he's making clutch he's not putting his team in a
(34:39):
buying So I'll ask one simple question to Vikings fans,
And like I said, it's not an.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
Indictment at all on macarthy.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
This is a compliment to the way that Kevin gets
guys ready to play, but also that a veteran came
in here, has taken accountability, put his mind to it,
and they're winning. If you're what's the why wouldn't you, Well,
I'm looking for reasons of why you wouldn't play with
If this continues, he goes and plays coming out of
the bye week, takes care of his business.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
You're winning.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
You're not gonna lose McCarthy, You're just not. He's gonna
be fine. And if all of a sudden, WinCE goes
to a street where he's not playing well. The rookie
gives him a chance to get fully healthy and watch
a little bit again and see what's going on. I've
just never understood, Oh my gosh, what happens if he's upset?
Speaker 3 (35:22):
And what if he is?
Speaker 5 (35:24):
Kevin knows how to handle that. It's called football, it's competition.
I take it out a hot hand, just to appease
where we drafted him or so the optics look good.
I think Kevin's smarter than that, and right now with
the way he's playing, I mean and in truth, JJ,
who was great in the fourth quarter of the one game,
has really played a small and a small amount of.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
Really solid football so far.
Speaker 5 (35:48):
Yeah, that doesn't mean he's not going to But I
would say that if you just said, if this was
a competition, we had no idea where they were drafted.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Or the past.
Speaker 5 (35:56):
Who's played better, Well, one's played longer this year. But
to me, what's the urgency to say, well, we got
to set him back down. I know who Carson Wentz is,
but he's right now we're starting to see a guy
who I think.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Needs time in wins. I think he needs these.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
I don't think he's one of those guys that sits
over there for a year and a half and it
comes off the bench. I think wins is one of
those guys, maybe even a little more fragile personality wise
in the past. Yes, about the confidence and the paddle
of the back. JJ's had so much success, I don't
think you can shake him. Carson's had his great stuff
and his down stuff, and it feels like he's starting
to get that.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
You know what. I feel pretty good about my game again.
Speaker 5 (36:32):
And I think that's important to a football team. I
right now, unless I see him fall off during the
bye week, which he's not and going into it, and
he'll have a bone to pick with that game you're
talking about, So we'll see who he is.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Does he wilt under that one in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
It's Philadelphia, as you said, right, Dan, correct, Yes, a
team that he started with where he started out as
a phenomenal player. So and some guy like Barkley gets
to play to night against his former team.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
The Giants.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
How there's you find out where that motivation of what
brings it to you. I just don't know what the
hurry is to throw JJ back in, especially if you
think you're a playoff team, which the Vikings do in
a super Bowl caliber team. What's the rush where it's
such a rush? Let it sit there and simmer. And
if all of a sudden Winz goes into the tank,
(37:19):
you got a guy. If he doesn't and plays well,
the guy's still going to be there and he'll continue
to learn. There is no rush at all. Gimme Wentz
right now, because he's playing well enough for you to win.
And what he did at nine and nine, how do
you take that out of the lineup right now? A
game when in truth, Dylan Gabriel played pretty well. Their
defense is outstanding in Cleveland, and it was kind of
(37:41):
up and down throughout. And I didn't really understand Kevin
Stefanski's approach late with Dylan Gabriel was baffling to me,
and I had a lot of respect for Kevin. But
Kevin O'Connell did a nice job of mastering what Winz
does well.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
And you can see you.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
Can't make that throw without playing with confidence, Dan, and
the throw to Addison and the protecting of the football
means something to me. Wentz is your starter, not forever
as we sit, and if McCarthy was healthy this week,
or next week, I'm starting Carson Wentz.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Well, these things, as we said before, have a tendency
to take care of themselves one way and another. Wentz
comes back to the pack, he gets hurt, and he
actually did hurt his left shoulder, but I don't think
it's going to be a thing that's going to hold
him back.
Speaker 5 (38:20):
And when he came back and played well, Dan shows
he's a little bit tougher in that passion.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
So it was a two weeks in a row. Two
weeks in a row.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
He's gotten battered and he's come back nicely both times.
Here's the kicker for me, and this bothers the McCarthy people,
who again kind of misread what I've been saying and
what you're saying. It's not a matter of rejecting him.
It might mean putting him off a little longer. And
I know in this town everybody's been waiting forever. We've
(38:48):
we've done the rental quarterbacks, we've done the aging vent.
We now we finally thought we had a guy, and
we have to wait longer. But here's the kicker. Let's
say Wentz starts against the Eagles and plays well in that,
that would be the first good opponent that you'd played
and beaten, and there then it gets escalated even more
to me, to a certain extent that it gets it's
(39:09):
even harder to take him out if the Vikings beat
the Eagles, and whence is one of the reasons, why
then I think it becomes even more tantalizing.
Speaker 5 (39:18):
Yeah, but what's that in your one hundred percent correct?
But what's the what's the negative about? I mean, Okay,
so he plays well against Philadelphia? Well, if you're a fan,
is Kevin's job in the organization's job to appease one
guy who's a really good teammate and a hell of
a player in JJ McCarty going to be a really
good and he's just getting started in the infancy of
(39:39):
his career.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
He's young, and he's going to be fantastic, I believe.
Speaker 5 (39:42):
But where's your obligation Is it to make sure his
feelings aren't hurt, that he comes back he's ready. You
can lose your job, at least initially to being injured.
We see it all the time. Doesn't mean you're not
getting it back. So is your obligation to winning games
and giving yourself the best chance no matter who you're
playing or is it to make sure well we drafted
the guy, he committed to him. We got to do
it now and make sure the fan base. I think
(40:04):
the fan base in Minnesota known their passion would like
to win. And it is not an indictment on JJ McCarthy.
And I mean this affectionally because we all, I think
have seen this. Remember back in the day, Dan, and
I can say, remember when you were in like the
freshman in high school and you were like, had this
crush on a girl, but she didn't in the summer,
went and got that head gear racist and you know
what I'm saying, You know the look the old school
(40:25):
looked that nobody wears. And I mean this affectionately and kindly.
And you looked at her and you said, you know what, man,
but I'll see you when you're a junior, right for
Snadie Hawkins or the probe. And then she comes back
the summer after a junior year, whichs got the head
gear off because you and all of a Suddens and
she's nice as could be. Be like, man, I'm sixteen
years old. I got to and she comes back in
the summer, You're like, who the world?
Speaker 3 (40:45):
Oh, yes, goodness.
Speaker 5 (40:46):
Gracious, macarthy's got the headgear on right now, right, he's
we know that the potential's there. You see the forest
through the trees were through the headgear and say, man,
I wonder what that's going to be like in a
year from now.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
But you have the seniors there and established and everybody.
Speaker 5 (41:00):
He's the homecoming queen all that, But you got the
one that's like, man, this one may be special. So
I know that's an odd comparison, but I was just
thinking about that earlier, thinking, you know, we all remember
that we're growing up, or even when you were that
the girl who liked the guy who's a little overweight
or so he had that maybe fat on and he
comes back after working out the summer and she's like,
I'm marrying him ten years from now, right, So I
(41:21):
just want fans to do you're in a to win.
And it is not by any stretch of the imagination
telling McCarthy can't play. Matter of fact, it's quite the opposite.
Hang on, big fellow, we're gonna be over. We're gonna
be fine with it right now. This is best for
our team. That game in Philadelphia will tell you a
lot Dan about where WinCE's mindset is as well.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
One other quarterback question not related to the Vikings. I
don't know that we've talked much the last year or two.
Maybe we have, but been a while since we've chatted
about a Baker Mayfield. And I'm constantly fascinated by him,
because I admit when he was in Cleveland, I didn't
get it with him.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Obviously, could see.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
He could make some he had voltage, he could make plays,
but then I see some just hair brained decision making
and picks and interceptions. So how has he become what
he seems to be at this point? And is that
an indication than in Cleveland they failed him or he
was a different quarterback, because the guy looks like he's
(42:21):
as good as anybody right now.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Explain his transition.
Speaker 5 (42:26):
So with you, and I'm dying on the hill of
Baker Mayfield right now, and I have been for a while.
And I went to the same thing with him Dan
first year like offensive rookie the year you know it
was pretty solid, Yeah, second year and third year got
him in the playoffs, remember the loss to Kansas City, right,
And then the fourth year kind of went down again,
blud start and banged up all that, he was erratic
(42:47):
and he's got that personality, you know, he you know,
remember when you used to watch Tom Arnold go on
talk shows, you know with the actor, he'd be moving
around one hundred miles an hour. And if that's Baker right,
just yeah, matter of fact, making you feel uncomfortable because
he's so frantic, all these elbows and kneecaps moving around.
Speaker 3 (43:04):
But he's a high IQ guy.
Speaker 5 (43:06):
And I and I know this is gonna sound odd,
but the Baker Mayfield I watched at Texas Tech then
transfer to Oklahoma play in the league, you know with
playing like the the not the fraternity league, but the
you know the when everybody goes in that that doesn't
play football, they intermural there, you go inter real league.
Speaker 3 (43:25):
And you know he loves football when.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
He has the walk on mentality, which he's been his
whole life until he was the first pick of the draft,
a walk on. He's always approached it as tough, hard.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
Nose getting after it.
Speaker 5 (43:38):
And I know people say, well that is remember what
all the commercials all that it almost became. Because I
go on every single week in Cleveland like I do
with you, and you saw development that didn't take a
step back and the commercials, and there was almost like
a sense of the loss of it felt like a loss.
Speaker 3 (43:53):
Of focus on what they were doing.
Speaker 5 (43:54):
And Cleveland, just looking at their history, has failed plenty
of players, and those fan base deserves better. They have well,
they'd love to have him back now and guaranteed million
dollars from Watson. But I'll tell you what I love
about him, like quarterback, just what we're talking about about macarthy,
just in a different way.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
He's been kicked in the teeth. He was damn near
Dan labeled a journeyman.
Speaker 5 (44:14):
Matter of fact, Carolina, you know the rams he didn't
wasn't having much success, some good, some bad, just like
he was in Cleveland. But something clicked where he got
back to saying, you know, I'm staying at all the thing.
There's a different focus. He is a great leader, has
always been a great leader, but especially and brash and tough,
and we always hear linebacker mentality. He's got that. And
(44:38):
he is so good late in games when even if
things haven't gone well. That's the sign of a really
good quarterback. It's easy when you're playing well and you
get the ball last saying well, I'm in a rhythm.
It's when things may not be going well, how do
you pick your team up and make guys ready and they.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
Just know you're going to succeed.
Speaker 5 (44:52):
Well, I've watched his development in Tampa and we thought
it was gonna be a long time before somebody come
in and do it, at least keep him afloat like
Brady did. And he's not there. But the last year
and a half, he and Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson
to put the best football on the planet and he
belongs in that team picture and he's winning, and there's
something to be said about this the way he's going.
(45:12):
He's putting up numbers, he's got comeback wins, and I
think it's he's redeveloped what made him great and the
first pick of the draft, this walk on mentality of
I'm not gonna be looked at as a star. I've
got to I'm gonna be looked at as one of
these dudes in this locker room, and I'm going to
go to I'm going to do it, pop in the
alley and fight anybody for him.
Speaker 3 (45:33):
And I think they're at the point they're doing the same.
Speaker 5 (45:35):
Thing we greatly misjudged the downfall of Baker Mayfield and
his inner toughness, because it would have been easy Dan
to play on four other teams and still say talk
it instead of walking.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
And I couldn't be more impressed. And I love watching
him play.
Speaker 5 (45:50):
Yeah, and I create wait for the forty nine ers
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play this week because it's
going to be a hell of a game. He is
not only the most improved player in this league the
last couple of years, but today as we sit, he's
the most valuable player SAMs Josh Allen, and he's in
the conversation without in the league right now.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
That's how good he's.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Been standing analysis is always appreciate the time, keep us
posted on the next big announcement, because I'm assuming there's
another big I'm assuming you're I'm assuming you're in negotiating
right now.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
You got like four or five deals. You just got
to figure out which one to take.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
And one of them is not to play quarterback in
the league. Did I promise you. I appreciate you great love,
and I can't thank you and guards enough.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
Appreciate you. Take care.
Speaker 2 (46:32):
Sean Salisbury Dateline greater Houston, Texas area GUARDSI the bratch
on Brian cafean text line has blown up like it
rarely has, and it all is related.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
It's just it.
Speaker 2 (46:48):
Well come back and I'll tell you that it confirms
one inescapable notion, immutable that we hear about and learn
over and over again, and so I guess, to a
certain extent we shouldn't be surprised.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
But it's a great reminder. We'll get to that when
we were
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