October 27, 2025 • 46 mins
Dan Barreiro opens the show telling the audience not to shoot the messenger when it comes to the horrible Minnesota sports weekend before Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen makes his weekly appearance.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Excuse me, this is your don't take it out on
the Messenger.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Leader fan fan Radio Network.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
What do you mean?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And k f an dot com.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
One minute and fifty five seconds past three o'clock Central
daylight time, we welcome you back to a Monday edition
of the Bumper to Bumper program on a fairly sunny,
CRISP Monday afternoon here in the twin cities of Minneapolis
and Saint Paul Guards.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
He produces the show.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
He is back from a very successful trip to Iowa City.
I am the host of the program, Sultan a snark.
My name is Dan Barrero. We will be with you
six thirty tonight, going all the way.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I think we're pretty much full bore the whole week.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So the Thursday reality is setting in, is what you're saying.
After last week where we had a lot of short shows,
that is over for the least immediate future. How did
your long for today's bumpy rye? The branch on Brian
kfan text line is open at six four, six, eight
six if you'd like to participate in the festivities today.
(01:10):
Adam Thielen, we think at three thirty. Is that tentative
or is that.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Too much to say, I'd say fifty between, I'd say
it's seventy five percent. We're good.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Okay, it was told we should be good. We confirm
as soon as we can. Has not been confirmed, but
we should be good.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
All right, So decent shot at the Vikings wide receiver
at three thirty today. We also expect Ben Lieber to
return at four forty seven and Johnny five thirty. You
got it, Johnny Athletic at five thirty this evening.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
We spent a lot of time. This will shock you.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I was very much in the you know, don't shoot
the messenger mode yesterday people. Some people were very well,
it's interesting. Some people were very unhappy with the approach
I took on the show. Some people thought I needed
to be even tougher than I was. You can never
you know, you're never gonna win everybody over. I don't
(02:05):
want to repeat yesterday's program, although we could broaden it
out on the basis of what took place yesterday, in
which well, you're Missisoo Timberwolves. I would call it for
me a moral loss, even though technically in the standings
it's a victory. Indiana Pacers were missing eleven players and
(02:28):
they still scared the crap out of us as we
approach Halloween. We won, we did, and we also you know,
lost Anthony Edwards, but it was it almost felt like
we're going to find a way to lose this game.
And regarding that vow that we're going to re establish
(02:49):
our defensive dominance, let me know when that kicks INSS
early And I know it's early in the season too.
That's a long way from here to there. But all
we can go on is what we can go on
right now. And I said this yesterday that everybody's had
their shot at this by now, I just don't think.
(03:09):
I mean, it is what it is. So you can
get mad at me, you can get mad at other people.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But I.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Said this to you before, and I mean it. When
I was little Danny Barrero, a huge sports roube Cubs, Bearse,
the beginning of the Bulls, and definitely the Blackhawks, I
did not want to be lied to. I did not
(03:37):
want to be comforted if my team was struggling, if
there were some things going on that were troubling to
me as a serious fan who watched every damn game.
I didn't want pabulum. I didn't want people going everything's good,
nothing's fine.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I won't.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I was in the mote of I want to know,
what are the insiders thinks happening here?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
How can it get better? Where can it get better?
So I'll stated at the top of this show.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
This way, because we've all kind of laid out just
how pathetic this weekend has been on a number of fronts.
It's I mean, it really has. I you know, Dan
Minnesota is the unofficial sports historian of the Bumper to
Bumper Show, and he may have done analytics on this before,
because it's hard how do you quantify, you know, compare
(04:26):
weekends of badness because we've had some disastrous weekends before
over the decades I've been in this town. But I
got to think, you know, I don't want and I
don't want to go too far down the recency bias mode,
but I got to think that at the very least,
this past weekend is top five. It's got to be
top five of all time. And I think here's part
(04:46):
of the reason. I can look back on the Jim
Wacker era, for example, and you could say, well, there
are a bunch of games during that era. Then it
was just a matter of what were the other teams
doing on that particular weekend that the Gophers were getting
killed by seventy.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
What's different now, though, is these Gophers are not Jim
Wacker's Gophers. They're not supposed to be. They're supposed to
be in a very very different mode, and seemed to
be as recently as the week before against the University
of Nebraska.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So some of this is.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I think we want a grade on a little tougher
curve where we don't make the allowances that back then
we might have for the Gophers, because then they were
just tapless.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
They were they were.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
The ongoing joke to such a degree that people stopped
joking about them, really because it was almost felt like
it was cruel and it almost felt like.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
It was piling on.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
But we and we can get into some of the
particulars here. The stat that got my attention from your
game that we mentioned yesterday, which you may have also
mentioned on Gopher Football Sunday, I don't know, was that
through four possessions, the Gophers had one net yard while
Iowa was already building a thirty one to nothing lead.
(05:57):
That's hard to do, that's very hard to do. But
pretty much every team Minnesota Wild. We've given up a
league high thirty nine goals. Actually, let me back up.
I think that's the second highest. We're at minus eleven
in goal differential. That's the third worst, right Vikings, Well,
(06:20):
we're twenty second, we're nineteenth in scoring defense, we're twenty
second in turnover differential, and we've beaten the following quarterbacks
this year, Caleb Williams, Dylan Gabriel and Jake Browning, who
respectively ranked eighteen, thirty one and thirty two in QBR rankings.
In other words, we haven't beaten anybody to this point. Really,
(06:44):
your guy Jalen Hurts and your guy Justin Herbert completed
seventy seven percent of their passes for six touchdowns and
one I in t the last two weeks and five
hundred and fifty three yards. Now, you'll notice those quarterbacks
are ranked a little higher than the three I just
named that we beat. Sooner or later, you got at
(07:04):
least play better against legitimate quarterbacks, do you not. I
mean it has to happen from time to time. I
would think.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Going to go for men's hockey, what's the number or two?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (07:14):
Two?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Five and one? After the weekend.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I think we're two five and one after getting swept
as well, So we can come up with a million
of these numbers that seem to quantify just how bad
historically bad this weekend was. Here's the question I'd like
to maybe base this entire show around a bit or
build it around. We know how bad it was, we
(07:39):
know the teams that are involved. The question is which
of these teams worry you the most? Which of these
teams that had such a cataclysmically bad weekend or going
back to Thursday night in the case of the Viking,
so it was a long weekend, which of these say, I.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Don't know, man, I'm not sure. I'm not saying.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
It's gonna stay this bad, but I'm I'm queasy about
where this thing is going. That's the question I have,
via the bratch On Bryant inbox KFN text line, is
which of these teams do you think they'll recover?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And which of these teams you say, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
They got problems, They got significant problems. So take that
under advisement early, give me some ideas and some suggestions.
Guardian and I can talk about that as as well.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
You know who I was thinking about this weekend.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Who was at as I was on the sideline at
Kinnick Stadium, God bless you.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
And this had to have been what time did the
game start? Two thirty?
Speaker 1 (08:48):
It did, right, I think to forty Yeah, so they
milked it a little bit, yeah, I think. Yeah, so
this would have been about three to twelve. Okay, so
about forty yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Pretty early on I was thinking about all the rude
that had joined the Power Trip for their most recent
Vegas trip, Vegas Your Way this time, and had gone
to the various watch parties because it was billed as
come see us in Vegas. We're going to do a
couple of different watch parties at Tom's Watch Bar on
the Strip in Vegas. It'll be a great time. Come
watch us Vikings and Chargers. We'll be back there for
(09:18):
Gophers Iowa. We've got a watch party weekend. I'm sitting
there him going those poor watch parties. Yeah, because I
had a watch party two for the Vikings game. Oh
that's right, And how'd that go? I can confirm about
halftime because you were off Friday, so we haven't talked. Yes,
then I can confirm most people were gone by halftime.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
They the watch par were they Were they angry or
are they just moros? Moros? I think it's the word.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Yeah, And that's how I was it Knick Stadium thirty
minutes in. It's like we still got two and a
half hours of this thing and it's over. It's up,
or just like that. Maybe that's what.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
We're looking for.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
I'm the moros meter. Who who are you most morose about?
Because of a nagging concern? Obviously it's got get a
little better for most, if not all, of these teams,
But how concerned are you that in some cases like, no, man,
these are fundamental this is what we are this year,
This might be this might be kind of the kind
(10:13):
of season that we're gonna be dealing with.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
I'm curious to get opinions there. I already got.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Somebody reminded me Pacers beat the Wolves last year with
their backups.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yes, so what yah?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
It almost as if he's saying, well, we got to
make the allowance that that could happen again. Doesn't mean
you're obligated to make it happen again. Now they did
again win the game. The Wolves won the game. I
watched the end of it, but honest to God, the
pressure that was put on the people handling the ball
was scary.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
It was absolutely scary.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
And there are a couple of misshots by the Pacers
that could have changed everything.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
The game was there to be won. Unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
I know we're all supposed to how about the lighting,
And we'll get to the lighting later. The lighting that's
changing everything. But I mentioned yesterday the beauty of having
those kind of life is maybe you can just turn
them off and nobody has to see how bad your
defense is. Because the defense against the Lakers was putrid. Yeah,
And the funny thing about that I kidded early like
a lot of people, because the Wolves offense was it
(11:14):
was like they were it was five against three, right,
and so the bit was not quite as much pressure
as the Viking as the Wolves faced against Portland. What
we left out was the Lakers also figured out whoever
we played last game, we ain't gonna face the same
pressure either. And look what they just riddled that team
that there was no defensive pressure that I saw in
(11:34):
that game. Did it feel anything like when we faced
the Lakers in the playoffs where we were smothering them.
No last year, and no, did not no doverman defense
at all more like Chihuahua defense is what we've been
playing so far.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
The fan and two men and a junk truck want
to give you a shot to win. Bonus Bucks was
our national cast contest, and the first keyword of the
week is deposit. You can go to cafe in dot
com and enter the keyword deposit.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
I know we have math checkers out there.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Here's my unofficial totals before we get to some texts.
The combined record of the three teams that the Vikings
have beaten this year is nine to fourteen.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Nothing to write home about. I mentioned who the quarterbacks are.
We've beaten.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Combined record of the team the Gophers have beaten. The
combined record of the teams Gophers have beaten I have
at sixteen and twenty three. Also not all that distinguished
and impressive. But I'll let someone else do the math.
Let me get to some texts. John the mail carrier,
give Gopher hockey a break, at least just a little one.
(12:41):
I know that's hard, but they did lose eleven players
from last year graduation draft, whatever, top five scorers. I
think not sure about rest of teams. I need an
old priest and a young priest. The power of Christ
compels you. The whole state needs an exorcism. Orts exorcism
right now, Richie from Lake Elmo, wolves will recover wild
(13:05):
are a grave concern?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Did I see it? Is this accurate? Caprice Off has
not scored an even strength goal yet. That sounds right.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
I read an extensive Russo or Joe Smith's story a
couple of them today, thought, and our penalty kill is
awful again? Yeah, after our play started?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Great?
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Yeah, that's yeah. This was the year the while would
be free from the cap problems and be competitive. They
signed Capriso out of the big contract and lost to
San Jose.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Oh they got a point.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
In evaluating the morose meter, you have to consider the opponents.
I think Iowa is better than we all thought. I
think that's possible. I don't know how you feel about it.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
It's possible. But that's still. That was such a meltdown
in twenty minutes that we'll never know.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
No.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Vikings just look like a bad team. This is Paul
from Corona, California. Corona, California. Do you know where Corona is?
I think I think it's by La is it?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah? Corona?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
I mean relatively California. The Vikings, hands down, worry me.
The most Gophers are who they are. They're gonna win
a couple more games, go to a Bowl the Wild,
they'll chew things up, go to the playoffs, be out
in the first round. I think the Wolves, you need
to mention them. They'll probably do pretty well in the playoffs.
With the Vikings, I think they're a mess. I think
(14:24):
they're done. I think Quazy is to.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Blame WELLKNA between Riverside and Anaheim. Okay, so a little
east of Anaheim, gotcha. I alluded to this yesterday and
Ben Guestling wrote about it. He kind of had hinted
Friday that he was going to what's the comeback been
all along to?
Speaker 1 (14:48):
You didn't sign Aaron, you didn't find a way to
keep Darnold, even if it was expensive. You didn't find
a way to keep Daniel Jones. The comeback has been
But then we wouldn't have all that money to spend
on free agency. The box come back to that was
laid out in that piece and part of what we've
talked about on Sunday. Most of those free agents are
(15:09):
not performing thus far at anywhere near the level expected.
Right the two defensive linemen that one of them don't
even play. Basically, your center is out for we don't
know how long, and who's.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
The guard we got?
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Rise is if you care about you know, Pro Football
Focus rankings, and some are Mike Zimmer doesn't.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Not all that exemplary there either.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
So that's the problem is you needed the whole offseason
was about fixing the two lines right or improving the defense,
because the defensive line wasn't viewed as awful, but it was, hey,
we can enhance it, make it.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
Better interior pressure, and they traded a guy because they
thought it was so that's that's also true. They just
extended Harrison Phillips.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
They've gotten nowhere near the mileage out of those individuals
that they expected. And well, like I said in the
in the case of the offensive line, it's been a
mess in part. Now, some of this is darrisol related, obviously,
and some of this is right tackle related that has
had to do with the free agency signings. But Kelly
(16:16):
gets Ryan Kelly gets the two year deal and Fry's
got a five year deal worth eighty eight million bucks.
Let's remember that too, and we ain't getting the return
in Kelly's case, he can't play right now, and in
Fry's case, it hasn't been all that impressive.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Right. Meanwhile, we go out.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
And we get Jonathan Allen, right, yep, three years, fifty
one million dollars, and then we signed Javon Hargrave for
thirty million dollars over two years. This was again let's
remember that, you know, both these players were released. Now,
some of that had to do with the money they
were owed there, but that also might have been a
(17:02):
warning flag that there is a risk to investing in
players who are a little longer in the tooth right,
whether it's performance or it's due to injury, either of
those things apply, and so that's what's making it harder here.
If we were getting great mileage from all those free agents,
then it would be the easy comeback to the decision
(17:22):
you made at the quarterback position, right, go aheah, But
we wouldn't have any right. Any of those guys who've
shored up are added pressure to our defensive front, and
that has finally they finally stabilized our offensive line. And
you know what, now we may not be the Hogs
of twenty twenty five, but we can play physical we
(17:43):
can just control the ball at the end of the
game and run nine straight times. We can do all
those things, and we could protect the quarterback too, because
we're not getting any of that.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
And if you are building a team and spending around
a team or spending on a team around a rookie
quarterback who's in expense, that rookie quarterback who's inexpensive has
to play, right, that's another other.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Part of it.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
It's another part of it, yes, because you could even
broaden it out. I don't know if we mentioned the
Daniel Jones part of it, because we mentioned Darnld and
we obviously you know, even going back to Cousins and
you know, Aaron Rodgers. Part of the reason why Daniel
Jones didn't come here is because it's harder to find
a guy to come back up if that backup actually
(18:25):
wants to play, if you are about to invest in
a young, inexpensive quarterback, because that guy's going to go, well,
I'm not going to get a fair shake here. So
even though you might be paying me as much money
or maybe even more money, I'm gonna go where I
think I can go play. And that's why Daniel Jones
is in here and JJ McCarthy has barely played still
Now again it's maybe it's just bad luck, yes, right,
(18:46):
but it's still reality.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Reality.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
He's not been available for what do we We've played?
How many games this year? We're three and four? Yeah,
so seven this year, seventeen last year twenty four regular
season games. He's been available for two. Right, Again, that
might not be anybody's fault, but it's a fact which
which there's a domino effect to that because it makes
it forces you to make a lot of different decisions,
or at least consider some of those decisions as well.
(19:08):
All Right, let's say someone on schedule in case we
do get a phone call of we may get Adam
Thielen today. If not, plenty of good fodder via the
text line, a lot of more, a lot more material
to cover. I didn't even mention Anthony Edwards. Looks like
he's gonna be out there saying two weeks that's what
they think. Johnny will give us more detail on that,
I'm sure at at five thirty, and it looks like
(19:28):
we're gonna see get get ready. How much do you
know about Bones Highland? A lot more now to get
to know Bones Highland?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
A little bit. We'll see how that goes back in
just a minute here in the fairs.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Ben Leeber will join in a little more than an hour,
and John Krasinski Johnny Athletic, will join at five thirty.
Adam Thielen kind enough to join us now via the
Connectico Water Systems hotline. Adam, thank you for the time.
As always, I hope you are doing well. Uh, let
me get philosophical with you today a little bit, because
(20:09):
you've been playing How long have you been playing competitive football?
Speaker 2 (20:13):
How far back do you go? Are you like five
six seven? How old?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (20:18):
My goodness, I mean I started playing tackle football in
seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Seventh grade, But I mean I've been.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Playing playing football since I was, yeah, four or five
years old in the backyard.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
So here's my question.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
You're you play long enough, you're gonna win, You're gonna lose, right,
it's the nature of the beast. I'm wondering if the
longer you're in, the the older you get, is it
any easier to lose or do you despise losing as
much as.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
You ever did?
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (20:47):
I think I think we're just like trained and I
guess I think you're just so used to this like
one in oh mentality, right, like this one game season
every week. It's just like you get so invested in
that one game that it never gets easy losing because
you feel like you feel like the world is falling
(21:08):
down on.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You, you know, because it's like because.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Again, like it's such a great mentality to have this
one in no mentality. But again, on the other side
of that is when you don't get that one to
o and you lose, you feel like it was it
was all or nothing almost, So it definitely doesn't get easier.
I think you just have stuff to lean on, right, right,
you kind of are able to lean on the big
picture of like, hey, we're three and four and we're
(21:33):
not that far off in the first place, you know,
like it's it's not like anyone is seven and oh eight, no,
in our division. So yeah, you just you just learned
that there is a big picture to it. We're not
where we want to be, but we're also not that
far off from where we want to be. So you
just you learn to look at the big picture rather
than just that that one game season.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
What is the you know that there's I was listening to.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Postgame the Bears lost yesterday to Baltimore, and I happen
to listen to some of the press conference of Ben Johnson,
the Bears coach, and they were talking about in that
case there had they had a lot of penalties again,
and he said, look, we've been on this constantly, the coaches,
We've tried everything we can to get across how the
significance of discipline, et cetera, and now it's kind of
(22:23):
up to the leaders. He was very challenging of his
personnel in this case, saying, I need my team leaders
to sort of step up. I'm wondering if that also
applies again. You know, you're not zero and seven, you're
three and four. But the last two weeks clearly have
not gone the way you wanted them to go.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
So is this a team or on the best teams, does.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
There have to be some internal discussion and policing that
really has nothing to do with the coaches, just from
within the locker room itself.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
Yeah, I think I think the best teams I've been on,
in the best individuals I've been around, are are so
hard on themselves else that there isn't really a need
to like have a butt chewing or motivational speeches. I
think everyone knows before they even walk in that building
to kind of review the tape of like, all right,
like I didn't play my best game individually, or we
(23:15):
didn't play great as a position group, or we didn't
play great as an offense. Right, Like there's already that
feeling when you come in there. Those are the best players,
the best teams I've been around, just already know that
that wasn't acceptable, that wasn't good enough, And I got
to find a way individually to work on the things
that that I'm not doing good enough to help the
(23:37):
team win.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
And so, yes, is there is there accountability from within?
For sure?
Speaker 5 (23:44):
Yes, But also it's it's kind of that individual mindset
of like, all right, I didn't play good enough. What
do I need to do in a preparation standpoint to
get better and to make sure that I'm performing on Sundays?
And it's not all about performance, it's about the process.
But Okay, what do I need to do in that
process to make sure that I'm fully prepared and can
(24:05):
feel confident going on and playing on Sundays?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
What you've been around again for a while, right, so
what do you see and I know it's not your
job to coach, but you're you're You've got a good mind,
and you've been around the game a long time. You
know what a good offense looks like. So what do
you see right now? What do you think the struggles
that you guys have had most recently to try to
put together something consistent offensively?
Speaker 2 (24:26):
What what do you see? What do you think needs
to get better?
Speaker 5 (24:30):
Well, you know, I don't want to get to coach speaking,
but it's like you look at our plays, like our
total number of offensive plays, and I think from pretty
much the entire season, they've been very.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Low as far as total number.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
Of snaps in the game, And I think that just
tells you that that we're not staying on the field
giving us opportunities to make big plays.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Right. We have a lot of weapons, a lot of
guys that.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
Can make plays in the run in the past game,
but we're not we're not giving ourselves enough opportunities to
do that by staying on the field. What does that
come down to, Probably consistency on first and second down,
getting positive plays, Probably not converting on third downs enough.
I don't know what those stats look like for our
team right now, but usually you can draw back to
(25:16):
those two areas and you can tell if a team
is if an offense is having success or not by
looking at those two areas, like you know, being efficient
on first and second down and converting on third down.
So yeah, I think that's something that needs to be
a point of emphasis, which obviously we have an offensive
minded head coach, which I'm sure he's diving and digging
into those areas and finding how we can be better.
(25:40):
But yeah, it's it's definitely something that we need to
be consistent because I think there's times that we've made
some of those plays and and done some really good
things to set us set ourselves up to score and
to move the ball and to stay on the field
keep our defense off the field. But we need to
be more consistent that in that approach.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
And I'm feeling kind enough to join us via the
connect Water Systems hotline. Lots more to get to before
you wrap things up with him.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
You know, the it.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Appears there's nothing official yet, but the head coach, your
head coach is certainly making it sound like there's a
good chance that JJ McCarthy is going to be healthy
enough to go when you guys play Detroit next, I
think on the road this coming Sunday. So let's just
say for the sake of this discussion, that's the way
it goes here. We had the stretch with Carson Wentz,
(26:30):
who's pretty battered. Is I don't have to tell you,
And so the decision is probably you could well be
going back to JJ if it is. What's your best
advice to him? Again, you're a receiver, he's a quarterback.
But what do you think is he's trying to just
sort of get settled and re established. He's played two
games thus far, right, two games and two seasons because
(26:50):
he couldn't play last year because of injury. What are
the most important ways you think he can just go
about trying to get started or restarted at the position.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
Yeah, I think I think just that that taking advantage
of every single day. You know, even as a veteran
player who's been in the league for thirteen years, it's
like I always tend to go back to that, like, Okay,
I need to do more throughout the week so that
on Sundays it just becomes natural or easy, or or
even just that unless you're unless you're gives you the
(27:23):
ability to play freer because you know that you put
everything into it during the week.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
And what does that mean.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
To break it down, it means that, hey, if you
don't feel comfortable with a certain play or or a
certain route, or you don't know exactly how Justin or
or Jordan is gonna run a particular road, go pull
them to the side, Go get those reps on the
side and and figure out a way to feel confident
or know exactly what they're going to do or they're thinking.
(27:50):
And so I think it's those things that taken real
advantage of those reps and taking advantage of the weekly
preparation and then just letting it fly on Sunday, because
at the end of the day, you put all that
work and all that time and all that effort into
knowing the game plan and knowing the defense. Now just
go let it fly and you can live with those results.
(28:11):
You know, it doesn't make those results easy if they're
not positive, but you can live with them because you
knew that you gave everything you had into that.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
So that's you.
Speaker 5 (28:18):
My advice to anyone, including myself, sometimes you got to
talk to yourself like, hey, like am I doing enough
throughout the week to make sure that I'm prepared and
ready to go on Sunday and feel really confident about
about what I can do and how I can help
the team.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
The tough part, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Again, you look at around the league at young quarterbacks
in McCarthy's position, and generally speaking, they need time. You know,
every once in a while, somebody will walk in and
be unbelievable from the beginning, right. We've seen that happen occasionally,
but more times than not, ones who end up being
really good they need to go through some ups and
(28:53):
downs and some struggles. That the kid at New England
is a good reminder of this to me. Last year
there were people ready to give up on Drake May.
Team wasn't as good and he was struggling. This year,
he's off to a terrific start, which indicates you got
to let a young quarterback make mistakes. That to me
is the tough part for JJ because you guys all
(29:14):
want to win, right and this team was built in
a lot of ways free agency, to build on what
you did last what the team did last year with
the fourteen and three record, So it's it's it does
to me add a little bit of pressure to him
in that it's like, well, you may make some mistakes,
but try to keep him to a minimum, man, because
we're trying to get back in this race and we
(29:35):
want to be a factor this season. A bit unfair
maybe to a young quarterback, but kind of the way
it is correct.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
Yeah, you know, I think I think they really were
very intentional with the way that they built this team
to be a team around him, built around him. Give him,
give him a great offensive line, give him great weapons,
give him a great defense. And so I think at
the end of the day, it's it's not that he
should feel the more feel any more pressure. It should
(30:03):
almost be opposite. It should almost be like everyone else
around him should feel more pressure to do your job
and to be the person that they brought you here
or drafted you or signed you to be right, because
at the end of the day, we need to be
better around him to take some of that pressure off him.
That's what good teams do. They they find a way
to be the best players, find a way to be
(30:26):
the best players, and you know, to be able to
take some pressure off some of the younger guys or
guys with less experience.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
But at the end of the day.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Everyone needs those experiences or needs that experience, They need
those opportunities, uh to be able to understand where they
need to get better at where they need to focus on.
And I think he really felt that and took advantage
of that those first couple of weeks and was able
to obviously.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Use this last.
Speaker 5 (30:54):
Few weeks of being on the sideline to to really
focus on, Okay, what what do I need to get
better at?
Speaker 3 (30:59):
What do I need to focus on?
Speaker 5 (31:00):
And you've seen that, I mean, his ability just to
focus on those things has been really impressive, and you
can tell that he's just been trying to get better
and better and better every week and taking advantage of
the time that he's been, you know, a little injured
and not been able to play to really just focus
on how can I get better and work on those
things while I have some time. Usually don't get that.
(31:23):
Usually it's you're in the fire week in, week out,
and you're kind of learning.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Through the fire.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
But he's had an opportunity to take advantage of just
some time to be able.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
To focus on the little things.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
If the change is made and this, you know, again,
who knows how the season plays out, Maybe Carson plays
again for some reason.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
But I'm wondering.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
You know, he's had this stretch where you guys turned
to him as the backup, a guy who was brought
in very late, right right before the start of the season.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
You knew him, I think a little bit. We talked
about this, But what did you have you.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Learned anything about Carson Wentz being a teammate of his
now and around him as much as you have him
in a starter's role that maybe you didn't know or
appreciate before you spend this spent this much time around him.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Yeah, I mean everyone can appreciate, you know, his his toughness,
his attitude, his mindset, especially through the last few weeks.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
There's some tough circumstances.
Speaker 5 (32:18):
So yeah, I think you can appreciate that a guy
who just plays gives everything they have on the line
when you know they.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Could have tapped out and whatever.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
Uh, you know, maybe say that I can't, I'm not
I'm not not healthy enough.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
To play or whatever.
Speaker 5 (32:33):
You know, it's easy to tap out in those situations.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
But he didn't.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
You know, he thought through it. He battled, He showed
that that you know, it's he's got the heart he's
got the attitude to be able to help this team
and do what it takes even though he's not maybe
necessary a feeling at his best. So you can always
appreciate that as a player when guys kind of fight
through tough times and give everything they got and play
it at a really high level at time. So just
definitely appreciation for his toughness and his mentality. And I
(32:59):
think it was something great to for any young guy
to learn from just that that that's what it takes.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
In this league. You know, you look at some.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
Of the top players in this league, top quarterback through
some some injuries, they're tough. They find a way to
even though they're not feeling their best. But to be
at the great example for some of the young guys
to learn from.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Last item going back really to the beginning here, So
when how are you when it comes to losing a game?
How are you around the family? Is it are you
one of those players who has to sort of like
everybody understands, you're going to isolate yourself. Is it the
exact opposite, You're not allowed to isolate yourself that you
don't even want to.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
What's Adam?
Speaker 1 (33:43):
How does Adam feeling handle losing around his family.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
Well, thankfully I got a great wife who holds me accountable.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
So I don't think you can.
Speaker 5 (33:52):
Allow me to isolate myself. I think she'd check my button,
make sure that I spent be a good dad, right, So,
uh yeah, you know, obviously, first couple of hours after
the game, you're pretty frustrated. You know, you're you're kind.
Speaker 3 (34:08):
Of sulking a little bit.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
And then and then you realize quickly that life is
bigger than just football.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
As much as we put into this.
Speaker 5 (34:16):
Game and love this game and and have you know,
spend a lot of our lives playing this game. Uh,
at the end of the day, I'm not on this
earth to be a football player. I'm on this earth
for much greater things than that, you know, to be
a great dad, to be a great husband, Uh, to
be a great follower Christ. So just really kind of,
you know, focus on that for a couple of days,
(34:37):
obviously having the weekend off, and just to be able
to really focus on that and then come back refresh,
re energize when you when you are in that building
to give everything you got. It was great to be
able to be back on the grass today it's never
easy losing a game or a couple of games in
a row, and sometimes it just takes you just to
be able to get back on the grass to kind
of get.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Some of those bots out of your head. Uh.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
And that was kind of I approach this weekend and
definitely again just be back out there and refocus on
a new a new opponent.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Are you a guy who watches a lot of other games,
like when you watch Sunday night, you know the game
last night? You are you constantly watching? Or you a
guy don't need to watch all that much since you play?
Speaker 5 (35:17):
Oh no, I love I love watching football. In fact,
I think a lot of times when you start to
watch more football, you start to feel a little bit
better about, you know, some of the losses because you
start to realize that it's not easy.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
You know.
Speaker 5 (35:31):
You see these teams that you think are unbeatable, they
get beat and the teams that you think can't win,
they win. And so you just start to realize that
it's a one Every week is a new week, Every
week is a one game season.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
And when you the.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
More football you watch, you start to realize, like, this
is a very competitive league and it doesn't matter if
you're zero to seven or if you're seven to oh,
like it's it's it's hard to win games in this
league and anyone can win on any given Sunday. So
that's what makes this game so great and so frustrating
at the same time, because you feel like on paper
(36:05):
sometimes that that you're the better team, but it doesn't matter.
You got to go out there and prove it, and
you got to find.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
A way to win no matter what. And there's no
easy wins in this league.
Speaker 5 (36:13):
When you do, you take advantage of them and you
and you refocus. But but yeah, I think that's why
we play this game. That's why we love it so much,
and that's why fans are so invested and and why
we get uh paid paid a good good amount of
money to play this game because people love it and
it's it's a great game. So uh yeah, I enjoy
watching watching football when I when I have the opportunities too,
(36:34):
and you gotta.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
And you got to prove it this week against another
good team. That's the other thing, right, It's not like
you walking back in Well, I know you guys don't
think in terms of gimmis, but obviously the Lions are legit,
you know that as as as good as anybody you're
playing them. There, So nothing easy about the challenge this week.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
No, definitely not.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
And and I think you know, going into this little
stretch we got we knew this is a this is
a big stretch coming up some really good football teams,
obviously starting on against Detroit, who's one of the best
teams in the league, if not the best team in
the league. So great challenge for us. Great defense that
have just guys that are physical, fast, great just football players.
(37:15):
I think when you look at tape sometimes you either say, Okay,
this guy's or this this defense is really physical.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Or this this team.
Speaker 5 (37:23):
Flies around and they play really well together, or or man,
they got guys in the back end that can cover.
I think when you look at Detroit, it's like all
the above, Like they do everything really well. They play
really physical, they they're fast, they fly around, they play
really well together. So yeah, there's no there's no weaknesses
in that defense or really in that team. So which
is a great challenge for us. You know, if you
(37:45):
got to be at your best and you got to
play your best to win this week, and that's a
great challenge for us. And we'll see what kind of
resolved and what kind of grit this team has. And
that's exciting to see.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Good luck on the Sunday. Good conversation. As always, we
appreciate the time. Adam will talk next week. All right,
thanks Doc, Adam Feeling Vikings wide receiver kind enough to
join us. Don't forget Johnny Athletic. We'll join at five
point thirty. He'll give us the latest steam on the
Anthony Edwards injury, the Wolves starts this season.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
The lighting lighting, don't forget about the trees. Trees are
back area. That's big. That's that's actually interesting more than
the lighting, as it turns out.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
Should I feel bad that you mentioned this has not
been the best weekend in Minnesota sports history. That as
we were driving to the game yesterday, the family and
I went to the game last night.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Oh good for us.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
I thought it wouldn't it be something if like Edward's
got hurt tonight boom?
Speaker 2 (38:42):
And there it was four.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
Minutes in hits a three nice little put back and
then Bones Highland is in and I'm standing against Bones Island.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Nothing.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
I just wasn't expected to see him before the first
media is that his real name, by the way, or
a nickname. I don't know what we're gonna nickname. We're
gonna learn it. But it is amazing nicknames in the league.
I know it is amazing. And this is gonna sound
you know, no kidding. But ant never misses games like
he's old school that way. He doesn't do load management.
(39:12):
It's amazing the energy that that building pulls from him,
no question, just with how he plays. And when he's
not there, you're like, huh, this is a different team
is on Anthony Edwards because we never have to see it.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
He's always out there. But anyway, and now your guy
doesn't doing him have a busted nose?
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yeah, I saw that. So it's the Bones Highland show,
Bones Hiland show for a while.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Conley in and out the Vincenzo I, I like, I'm
sticking with my position. I don't like him handling the
ball that much. Sorry, what I've seen has not been helpful. Now,
I one would assume he has to become more of
a score right because with Edward's out right, you need
somebody to sort of well, you're not going to beat Edwards,
(39:55):
but he's trying to emulate some of that or take
some of the offensive press.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
Sure, off, we'll have to see on.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
That.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
And it's Denver tonight, right it is? Yes, did you.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
See the the Joker double double number?
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Did I see that?
Speaker 1 (40:15):
Over the course of his regular season, his career regular
season games, Joker has one hundred and sixty six triple doubles.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
That's possible. But can I stop you?
Speaker 4 (40:27):
Yeah, Mikeen's quarterback Carson Wentz will undergo surgery on his
left shoulder and miss the rest of the five season,
sources tell the Insiders Tom Pelsero Wentz got it out
as long as he could, but he was in severe
pain Thursday night in La.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
Now we'll get the shoulder fixed.
Speaker 4 (40:46):
So it's got to be jj McCarthy Sunday or it's
Brownstone's time.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Well, unless we pick up another veteran.
Speaker 4 (40:57):
Well let's do that again, as opposed to just giving
it to the guy who could change everything, Max Brosmer, Guys,
let's just grab another guy. Is Sam Holli is still available.
I'm sure he's in the league. No I know, but anyway,
he did look like he was in a lot of pain. Yeah,
So I mean go ahead and keep playing and then
(41:17):
hurt it.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
So badly.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
You're going to need surgery. I said Friday that I
did absolutely think it was cruel to continue to play him.
And I I wasn't saying, like you are that you
bring Brosemer in, they're gonna come back from three touchdowns down.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
All I was.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Saying is, you bring him in, and here's what you
say to the kid. Hand off some safe passes.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
If you see something interesting, go ahead. It's all right.
But we're not asking you.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
You know that that that that that isn't even a
fair position to put any quarterback in. But I actually
thought there was a lack of humanity shown by head coach,
who's own for his humanity. I know that's the part
for me. It wasn't for me. He's playing so badly
that you have to play somebody else. My thought was
(42:10):
the game's over, this game's done. You're not gonna win
the game. Just get out of dodge. And you know,
I was left with the conclusion that they must not.
They must have thought he was milking his the pain,
because he was. Every time he went down. It was terrible.
Windsying was awful, right, it's terrible, So how do you
(42:31):
not pull him?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
To this day?
Speaker 1 (42:32):
I don't think that's been explained in a way that
makes any sense to me.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
So and you know me, I am a big Kirk
Herbstreet guy.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
Yes, when he went on his soapbox about I don't
know if you heard this or talked about it. I mean,
Wentz just crying on the bench right they cut to him.
He's got his head, he's looking to the sky, there's
tears in his eyes, and Herbstreet is basically going Jimmy Dugan,
there's no crying in baseball on him and saying you
got him tough for your guys. And I wanted to go, Kirk,
(43:03):
are you watching the game? He's getting killed every single play.
Something is going on with him. No one is questioning
his toughness or.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Ability to lead. But you heard what the.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Coach after the game said, like, well he wasn't going
to get any further. Somebody said, was it the head coach?
May have been because I think he was asked, why
do you keep him in? Well, you know it's not
it's it's it's all about managing the pain. And I'm thinking, well,
whatever it was, you have a the idea that well,
he's not going to pull himself. He's not he's one
(43:37):
of those players who isn't going to do that. Of course,
you're the head coach, right, so you you have a
right to say at some point now you want him
to do it because you think Brosmer is going to
come in and go twelve for.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Twelve, which maybe he will at some point. He might.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
We'll never find out. For me, it was just it
was just humanity. It was mercy, I know it, like you,
just this game's over. You're not going to win even
the interception he threw. They're already down twenty one at
that but the game is over, so just be safe.
Throw some short stuff which in the short amount of
time broke from his That's what he did.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
He just threw some short stuff. Stay out of trouble.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Don't get your head knocked off, because we don't need
to lose another quarterback or another bad shoulder to another
bad shoulder. So yeah, it's that is interesting. So now,
not that there was any real question any longer, because
it was very clear that you know, the train was
leaving the station with AJ.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
Here's my question, and this might perk you up.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
I'll believe JJ McCarthy is healthy enough to play when
I see him in a game for.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
More than five plays in a row. I'm serious. I mean,
he says, well, there's this extra time.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
We're not that many days removed from being told it's
still not there. So again we're assuming because he has
to be the guy. Now allegedly you're back to this
is the guy we built this whole thing around. You
just heard Adam feel and say that you know he's
going to be fine physically, But I don't think there's
any guarantee on that at all. So you your Brosemer
(45:09):
Brownstone dream might well still become a reality.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
Who's to say?
Speaker 3 (45:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (45:13):
And I know we have to break on Thursday. For
the last month, I've been in Brosemur Brownstone's because I'm
a Brosmer Brownstone's owner.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
But on Thursday it wasn't because of that.
Speaker 4 (45:24):
It was because I'm watching Carson and going Every single
time he's hitting the turf or hitting the deck or
going back, he's chucking his helmet. Yes, because he's in
so much pain. Well do you think they just did
what are we doing? Thought he was being a diva?
Speaker 1 (45:37):
What other explanation is there that you didn't pull them
in all?
Speaker 4 (45:40):
Seriously, I mean the only thing I always hear that
the medical staff of all these teams make decisions, and
it's not so. Is it that the medical staff said
he's fine and if he wants to go back out there,
he ken.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
You're the head coach, you can make any decisions, so
you're right.
Speaker 4 (45:53):
But I'm saying, is that the information that they're getting right,
or should the medical staff have said this is untenable?
We need to hit this guy down. That's I mean,
everybody looks. It looks horrible. On Thursday night coming up
to me with Graze. Could we go get Flacco? Did
you see him kind of try to scramble a little
bit last night and move his feet or yesterday I
did watch a little bit of that.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe we could. I don't know.
We should pause because we got to stay ahead for Lever. Yeah,
we're very late. It's not my fault. It's breaking news.
We had to address it. We did
Excuse me, this is your don't take it out on
the Messenger.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Leader fan fan Radio Network.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
What do you mean?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And k f an dot com.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
One minute and fifty five seconds past three o'clock Central
daylight time, we welcome you back to a Monday edition
of the Bumper to Bumper program on a fairly sunny,
CRISP Monday afternoon here in the twin cities of Minneapolis
and Saint Paul Guards.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
He produces the show.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
He is back from a very successful trip to Iowa City.
I am the host of the program, Sultan a snark.
My name is Dan Barrero. We will be with you
six thirty tonight, going all the way.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I think we're pretty much full bore the whole week.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So the Thursday reality is setting in, is what you're saying.
After last week where we had a lot of short shows,
that is over for the least immediate future. How did
your long for today's bumpy rye? The branch on Brian
kfan text line is open at six four, six, eight
six if you'd like to participate in the festivities today.
(01:10):
Adam Thielen, we think at three thirty. Is that tentative
or is that.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Too much to say, I'd say fifty between, I'd say
it's seventy five percent. We're good.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Okay, it was told we should be good. We confirm
as soon as we can. Has not been confirmed, but
we should be good.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
All right, So decent shot at the Vikings wide receiver
at three thirty today. We also expect Ben Lieber to
return at four forty seven and Johnny five thirty. You
got it, Johnny Athletic at five thirty this evening.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
We spent a lot of time. This will shock you.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I was very much in the you know, don't shoot
the messenger mode yesterday people. Some people were very well,
it's interesting. Some people were very unhappy with the approach
I took on the show. Some people thought I needed
to be even tougher than I was. You can never
you know, you're never gonna win everybody over. I don't
(02:05):
want to repeat yesterday's program, although we could broaden it
out on the basis of what took place yesterday, in
which well, you're Missisoo Timberwolves. I would call it for
me a moral loss, even though technically in the standings
it's a victory. Indiana Pacers were missing eleven players and
(02:28):
they still scared the crap out of us as we
approach Halloween. We won, we did, and we also you know,
lost Anthony Edwards, but it was it almost felt like
we're going to find a way to lose this game.
And regarding that vow that we're going to re establish
(02:49):
our defensive dominance, let me know when that kicks INSS
early And I know it's early in the season too.
That's a long way from here to there. But all
we can go on is what we can go on
right now. And I said this yesterday that everybody's had
their shot at this by now, I just don't think.
(03:09):
I mean, it is what it is. So you can
get mad at me, you can get mad at other people.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But I.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Said this to you before, and I mean it. When
I was little Danny Barrero, a huge sports roube Cubs, Bearse,
the beginning of the Bulls, and definitely the Blackhawks, I
did not want to be lied to. I did not
(03:37):
want to be comforted if my team was struggling, if
there were some things going on that were troubling to
me as a serious fan who watched every damn game.
I didn't want pabulum. I didn't want people going everything's good,
nothing's fine.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I won't.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I was in the mote of I want to know,
what are the insiders thinks happening here?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
How can it get better? Where can it get better?
So I'll stated at the top of this show.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
This way, because we've all kind of laid out just
how pathetic this weekend has been on a number of fronts.
It's I mean, it really has. I you know, Dan
Minnesota is the unofficial sports historian of the Bumper to
Bumper Show, and he may have done analytics on this before,
because it's hard how do you quantify, you know, compare
(04:26):
weekends of badness because we've had some disastrous weekends before
over the decades I've been in this town. But I
got to think, you know, I don't want and I
don't want to go too far down the recency bias mode,
but I got to think that at the very least,
this past weekend is top five. It's got to be
top five of all time. And I think here's part
(04:46):
of the reason. I can look back on the Jim
Wacker era, for example, and you could say, well, there
are a bunch of games during that era. Then it
was just a matter of what were the other teams
doing on that particular weekend that the Gophers were getting
killed by seventy.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
What's different now, though, is these Gophers are not Jim
Wacker's Gophers. They're not supposed to be. They're supposed to
be in a very very different mode, and seemed to
be as recently as the week before against the University
of Nebraska.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So some of this is.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I think we want a grade on a little tougher
curve where we don't make the allowances that back then
we might have for the Gophers, because then they were
just tapless.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
They were they were.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
The ongoing joke to such a degree that people stopped
joking about them, really because it was almost felt like
it was cruel and it almost felt like.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
It was piling on.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
But we and we can get into some of the
particulars here. The stat that got my attention from your
game that we mentioned yesterday, which you may have also
mentioned on Gopher Football Sunday, I don't know, was that
through four possessions, the Gophers had one net yard while
Iowa was already building a thirty one to nothing lead.
(05:57):
That's hard to do, that's very hard to do. But
pretty much every team Minnesota Wild. We've given up a
league high thirty nine goals. Actually, let me back up.
I think that's the second highest. We're at minus eleven
in goal differential. That's the third worst, right Vikings, Well,
(06:20):
we're twenty second, we're nineteenth in scoring defense, we're twenty
second in turnover differential, and we've beaten the following quarterbacks
this year, Caleb Williams, Dylan Gabriel and Jake Browning, who
respectively ranked eighteen, thirty one and thirty two in QBR rankings.
In other words, we haven't beaten anybody to this point. Really,
(06:44):
your guy Jalen Hurts and your guy Justin Herbert completed
seventy seven percent of their passes for six touchdowns and
one I in t the last two weeks and five
hundred and fifty three yards. Now, you'll notice those quarterbacks
are ranked a little higher than the three I just
named that we beat. Sooner or later, you got at
(07:04):
least play better against legitimate quarterbacks, do you not. I
mean it has to happen from time to time. I
would think.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Going to go for men's hockey, what's the number or two?
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (07:14):
Two?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Five and one? After the weekend.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I think we're two five and one after getting swept
as well, So we can come up with a million
of these numbers that seem to quantify just how bad
historically bad this weekend was. Here's the question I'd like
to maybe base this entire show around a bit or
build it around. We know how bad it was, we
(07:39):
know the teams that are involved. The question is which
of these teams worry you the most? Which of these
teams that had such a cataclysmically bad weekend or going
back to Thursday night in the case of the Viking,
so it was a long weekend, which of these say, I.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Don't know, man, I'm not sure. I'm not saying.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
It's gonna stay this bad, but I'm I'm queasy about
where this thing is going. That's the question I have,
via the bratch On Bryant inbox KFN text line, is
which of these teams do you think they'll recover?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And which of these teams you say, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
They got problems, They got significant problems. So take that
under advisement early, give me some ideas and some suggestions.
Guardian and I can talk about that as as well.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
You know who I was thinking about this weekend.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Who was at as I was on the sideline at
Kinnick Stadium, God bless you.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
And this had to have been what time did the
game start? Two thirty?
Speaker 1 (08:48):
It did, right, I think to forty Yeah, so they
milked it a little bit, yeah, I think. Yeah, so
this would have been about three to twelve. Okay, so
about forty yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Pretty early on I was thinking about all the rude
that had joined the Power Trip for their most recent
Vegas trip, Vegas Your Way this time, and had gone
to the various watch parties because it was billed as
come see us in Vegas. We're going to do a
couple of different watch parties at Tom's Watch Bar on
the Strip in Vegas. It'll be a great time. Come
watch us Vikings and Chargers. We'll be back there for
(09:18):
Gophers Iowa. We've got a watch party weekend. I'm sitting
there him going those poor watch parties. Yeah, because I
had a watch party two for the Vikings game. Oh
that's right, And how'd that go? I can confirm about
halftime because you were off Friday, so we haven't talked. Yes,
then I can confirm most people were gone by halftime.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
They the watch par were they Were they angry or
are they just moros? Moros? I think it's the word.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Yeah, And that's how I was it Knick Stadium thirty
minutes in. It's like we still got two and a
half hours of this thing and it's over. It's up,
or just like that. Maybe that's what.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
We're looking for.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
I'm the moros meter. Who who are you most morose about?
Because of a nagging concern? Obviously it's got get a
little better for most, if not all, of these teams,
But how concerned are you that in some cases like, no, man,
these are fundamental this is what we are this year,
This might be this might be kind of the kind
(10:13):
of season that we're gonna be dealing with.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
I'm curious to get opinions there. I already got.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Somebody reminded me Pacers beat the Wolves last year with
their backups.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yes, so what yah?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
It almost as if he's saying, well, we got to
make the allowance that that could happen again. Doesn't mean
you're obligated to make it happen again. Now they did
again win the game. The Wolves won the game. I
watched the end of it, but honest to God, the
pressure that was put on the people handling the ball
was scary.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
It was absolutely scary.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
And there are a couple of misshots by the Pacers
that could have changed everything.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
The game was there to be won. Unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
I know we're all supposed to how about the lighting,
And we'll get to the lighting later. The lighting that's
changing everything. But I mentioned yesterday the beauty of having
those kind of life is maybe you can just turn
them off and nobody has to see how bad your
defense is. Because the defense against the Lakers was putrid. Yeah,
And the funny thing about that I kidded early like
a lot of people, because the Wolves offense was it
(11:14):
was like they were it was five against three, right,
and so the bit was not quite as much pressure
as the Viking as the Wolves faced against Portland. What
we left out was the Lakers also figured out whoever
we played last game, we ain't gonna face the same
pressure either. And look what they just riddled that team
that there was no defensive pressure that I saw in
(11:34):
that game. Did it feel anything like when we faced
the Lakers in the playoffs where we were smothering them.
No last year, and no, did not no doverman defense
at all more like Chihuahua defense is what we've been
playing so far.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
The fan and two men and a junk truck want
to give you a shot to win. Bonus Bucks was
our national cast contest, and the first keyword of the
week is deposit. You can go to cafe in dot
com and enter the keyword deposit.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
I know we have math checkers out there.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Here's my unofficial totals before we get to some texts.
The combined record of the three teams that the Vikings
have beaten this year is nine to fourteen.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Nothing to write home about. I mentioned who the quarterbacks are.
We've beaten.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Combined record of the team the Gophers have beaten. The
combined record of the teams Gophers have beaten I have
at sixteen and twenty three. Also not all that distinguished
and impressive. But I'll let someone else do the math.
Let me get to some texts. John the mail carrier,
give Gopher hockey a break, at least just a little one.
(12:41):
I know that's hard, but they did lose eleven players
from last year graduation draft, whatever, top five scorers. I
think not sure about rest of teams. I need an
old priest and a young priest. The power of Christ
compels you. The whole state needs an exorcism. Orts exorcism
right now, Richie from Lake Elmo, wolves will recover wild
(13:05):
are a grave concern?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Did I see it? Is this accurate? Caprice Off has
not scored an even strength goal yet. That sounds right.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
I read an extensive Russo or Joe Smith's story a
couple of them today, thought, and our penalty kill is
awful again? Yeah, after our play started?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Great?
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Yeah, that's yeah. This was the year the while would
be free from the cap problems and be competitive. They
signed Capriso out of the big contract and lost to
San Jose.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Oh they got a point.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
In evaluating the morose meter, you have to consider the opponents.
I think Iowa is better than we all thought. I
think that's possible. I don't know how you feel about it.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
It's possible. But that's still. That was such a meltdown
in twenty minutes that we'll never know.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
No.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Vikings just look like a bad team. This is Paul
from Corona, California. Corona, California. Do you know where Corona is?
I think I think it's by La is it?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah? Corona?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
I mean relatively California. The Vikings, hands down, worry me.
The most Gophers are who they are. They're gonna win
a couple more games, go to a Bowl the Wild,
they'll chew things up, go to the playoffs, be out
in the first round. I think the Wolves, you need
to mention them. They'll probably do pretty well in the playoffs.
With the Vikings, I think they're a mess. I think
(14:24):
they're done. I think Quazy is to.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Blame WELLKNA between Riverside and Anaheim. Okay, so a little
east of Anaheim, gotcha. I alluded to this yesterday and
Ben Guestling wrote about it. He kind of had hinted
Friday that he was going to what's the comeback been
all along to?
Speaker 1 (14:48):
You didn't sign Aaron, you didn't find a way to
keep Darnold, even if it was expensive. You didn't find
a way to keep Daniel Jones. The comeback has been
But then we wouldn't have all that money to spend
on free agency. The box come back to that was
laid out in that piece and part of what we've
talked about on Sunday. Most of those free agents are
(15:09):
not performing thus far at anywhere near the level expected.
Right the two defensive linemen that one of them don't
even play. Basically, your center is out for we don't
know how long, and who's.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
The guard we got?
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Rise is if you care about you know, Pro Football
Focus rankings, and some are Mike Zimmer doesn't.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Not all that exemplary there either.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
So that's the problem is you needed the whole offseason
was about fixing the two lines right or improving the defense,
because the defensive line wasn't viewed as awful, but it was, hey,
we can enhance it, make it.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
Better interior pressure, and they traded a guy because they
thought it was so that's that's also true. They just
extended Harrison Phillips.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
They've gotten nowhere near the mileage out of those individuals
that they expected. And well, like I said in the
in the case of the offensive line, it's been a
mess in part. Now, some of this is darrisol related, obviously,
and some of this is right tackle related that has
had to do with the free agency signings. But Kelly
(16:16):
gets Ryan Kelly gets the two year deal and Fry's
got a five year deal worth eighty eight million bucks.
Let's remember that too, and we ain't getting the return
in Kelly's case, he can't play right now, and in
Fry's case, it hasn't been all that impressive.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Right. Meanwhile, we go out.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
And we get Jonathan Allen, right, yep, three years, fifty
one million dollars, and then we signed Javon Hargrave for
thirty million dollars over two years. This was again let's
remember that, you know, both these players were released. Now,
some of that had to do with the money they
were owed there, but that also might have been a
(17:02):
warning flag that there is a risk to investing in
players who are a little longer in the tooth right,
whether it's performance or it's due to injury, either of
those things apply, and so that's what's making it harder here.
If we were getting great mileage from all those free agents,
then it would be the easy comeback to the decision
(17:22):
you made at the quarterback position, right, go aheah, But
we wouldn't have any right. Any of those guys who've
shored up are added pressure to our defensive front, and
that has finally they finally stabilized our offensive line. And
you know what, now we may not be the Hogs
of twenty twenty five, but we can play physical we
(17:43):
can just control the ball at the end of the
game and run nine straight times. We can do all
those things, and we could protect the quarterback too, because
we're not getting any of that.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
And if you are building a team and spending around
a team or spending on a team around a rookie
quarterback who's in expense, that rookie quarterback who's inexpensive has
to play, right, that's another other.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Part of it.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
It's another part of it, yes, because you could even
broaden it out. I don't know if we mentioned the
Daniel Jones part of it, because we mentioned Darnld and
we obviously you know, even going back to Cousins and
you know, Aaron Rodgers. Part of the reason why Daniel
Jones didn't come here is because it's harder to find
a guy to come back up if that backup actually
(18:25):
wants to play, if you are about to invest in
a young, inexpensive quarterback, because that guy's going to go, well,
I'm not going to get a fair shake here. So
even though you might be paying me as much money
or maybe even more money, I'm gonna go where I
think I can go play. And that's why Daniel Jones
is in here and JJ McCarthy has barely played still
Now again it's maybe it's just bad luck, yes, right,
(18:46):
but it's still reality.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Reality.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
He's not been available for what do we We've played?
How many games this year? We're three and four? Yeah,
so seven this year, seventeen last year twenty four regular
season games. He's been available for two. Right, Again, that
might not be anybody's fault, but it's a fact which
which there's a domino effect to that because it makes
it forces you to make a lot of different decisions,
or at least consider some of those decisions as well.
(19:08):
All Right, let's say someone on schedule in case we
do get a phone call of we may get Adam
Thielen today. If not, plenty of good fodder via the
text line, a lot of more, a lot more material
to cover. I didn't even mention Anthony Edwards. Looks like
he's gonna be out there saying two weeks that's what
they think. Johnny will give us more detail on that,
I'm sure at at five thirty, and it looks like
(19:28):
we're gonna see get get ready. How much do you
know about Bones Highland? A lot more now to get
to know Bones Highland?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
A little bit. We'll see how that goes back in
just a minute here in the fairs.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Ben Leeber will join in a little more than an hour,
and John Krasinski Johnny Athletic, will join at five thirty.
Adam Thielen kind enough to join us now via the
Connectico Water Systems hotline. Adam, thank you for the time.
As always, I hope you are doing well. Uh, let
me get philosophical with you today a little bit, because
(20:09):
you've been playing How long have you been playing competitive football?
Speaker 2 (20:13):
How far back do you go? Are you like five
six seven? How old?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (20:18):
My goodness, I mean I started playing tackle football in
seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Seventh grade, But I mean I've been.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Playing playing football since I was, yeah, four or five
years old in the backyard.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
So here's my question.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
You're you play long enough, you're gonna win, You're gonna lose, right,
it's the nature of the beast. I'm wondering if the
longer you're in, the the older you get, is it
any easier to lose or do you despise losing as
much as.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
You ever did?
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (20:47):
I think I think we're just like trained and I
guess I think you're just so used to this like
one in oh mentality, right, like this one game season
every week. It's just like you get so invested in
that one game that it never gets easy losing because
you feel like you feel like the world is falling
(21:08):
down on.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You, you know, because it's like because.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Again, like it's such a great mentality to have this
one in no mentality. But again, on the other side
of that is when you don't get that one to
o and you lose, you feel like it was it
was all or nothing almost, So it definitely doesn't get easier.
I think you just have stuff to lean on, right, right,
you kind of are able to lean on the big
picture of like, hey, we're three and four and we're
(21:33):
not that far off in the first place, you know,
like it's it's not like anyone is seven and oh eight, no,
in our division. So yeah, you just you just learned
that there is a big picture to it. We're not
where we want to be, but we're also not that
far off from where we want to be. So you
just you learn to look at the big picture rather
than just that that one game season.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
What is the you know that there's I was listening to.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Postgame the Bears lost yesterday to Baltimore, and I happen
to listen to some of the press conference of Ben Johnson,
the Bears coach, and they were talking about in that
case there had they had a lot of penalties again,
and he said, look, we've been on this constantly, the coaches,
We've tried everything we can to get across how the
significance of discipline, et cetera, and now it's kind of
(22:23):
up to the leaders. He was very challenging of his
personnel in this case, saying, I need my team leaders
to sort of step up. I'm wondering if that also
applies again. You know, you're not zero and seven, you're
three and four. But the last two weeks clearly have
not gone the way you wanted them to go.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
So is this a team or on the best teams, does.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
There have to be some internal discussion and policing that
really has nothing to do with the coaches, just from
within the locker room itself.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
Yeah, I think I think the best teams I've been on,
in the best individuals I've been around, are are so
hard on themselves else that there isn't really a need
to like have a butt chewing or motivational speeches. I
think everyone knows before they even walk in that building
to kind of review the tape of like, all right,
like I didn't play my best game individually, or we
(23:15):
didn't play great as a position group, or we didn't
play great as an offense. Right, Like there's already that
feeling when you come in there. Those are the best players,
the best teams I've been around, just already know that
that wasn't acceptable, that wasn't good enough, And I got
to find a way individually to work on the things
that that I'm not doing good enough to help the
(23:37):
team win.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
And so, yes, is there is there accountability from within?
For sure?
Speaker 5 (23:44):
Yes, But also it's it's kind of that individual mindset
of like, all right, I didn't play good enough. What
do I need to do in a preparation standpoint to
get better and to make sure that I'm performing on Sundays?
And it's not all about performance, it's about the process.
But Okay, what do I need to do in that
process to make sure that I'm fully prepared and can
(24:05):
feel confident going on and playing on Sundays?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
What you've been around again for a while, right, so
what do you see and I know it's not your
job to coach, but you're you're You've got a good mind,
and you've been around the game a long time. You
know what a good offense looks like. So what do
you see right now? What do you think the struggles
that you guys have had most recently to try to
put together something consistent offensively?
Speaker 2 (24:26):
What what do you see? What do you think needs
to get better?
Speaker 5 (24:30):
Well, you know, I don't want to get to coach speaking,
but it's like you look at our plays, like our
total number of offensive plays, and I think from pretty
much the entire season, they've been very.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Low as far as total number.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
Of snaps in the game, And I think that just
tells you that that we're not staying on the field
giving us opportunities to make big plays.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Right. We have a lot of weapons, a lot of
guys that.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
Can make plays in the run in the past game,
but we're not we're not giving ourselves enough opportunities to
do that by staying on the field. What does that
come down to, Probably consistency on first and second down,
getting positive plays, Probably not converting on third downs enough.
I don't know what those stats look like for our
team right now, but usually you can draw back to
(25:16):
those two areas and you can tell if a team
is if an offense is having success or not by
looking at those two areas, like you know, being efficient
on first and second down and converting on third down.
So yeah, I think that's something that needs to be
a point of emphasis, which obviously we have an offensive
minded head coach, which I'm sure he's diving and digging
into those areas and finding how we can be better.
(25:40):
But yeah, it's it's definitely something that we need to
be consistent because I think there's times that we've made
some of those plays and and done some really good
things to set us set ourselves up to score and
to move the ball and to stay on the field
keep our defense off the field. But we need to
be more consistent that in that approach.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
And I'm feeling kind enough to join us via the
connect Water Systems hotline. Lots more to get to before
you wrap things up with him.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
You know, the it.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Appears there's nothing official yet, but the head coach, your
head coach is certainly making it sound like there's a
good chance that JJ McCarthy is going to be healthy
enough to go when you guys play Detroit next, I
think on the road this coming Sunday. So let's just
say for the sake of this discussion, that's the way
it goes here. We had the stretch with Carson Wentz,
(26:30):
who's pretty battered. Is I don't have to tell you,
And so the decision is probably you could well be
going back to JJ if it is. What's your best
advice to him? Again, you're a receiver, he's a quarterback.
But what do you think is he's trying to just
sort of get settled and re established. He's played two
games thus far, right, two games and two seasons because
(26:50):
he couldn't play last year because of injury. What are
the most important ways you think he can just go
about trying to get started or restarted at the position.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
Yeah, I think I think just that that taking advantage
of every single day. You know, even as a veteran
player who's been in the league for thirteen years, it's
like I always tend to go back to that, like, Okay,
I need to do more throughout the week so that
on Sundays it just becomes natural or easy, or or
even just that unless you're unless you're gives you the
(27:23):
ability to play freer because you know that you put
everything into it during the week.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
And what does that mean.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
To break it down, it means that, hey, if you
don't feel comfortable with a certain play or or a
certain route, or you don't know exactly how Justin or
or Jordan is gonna run a particular road, go pull
them to the side, Go get those reps on the
side and and figure out a way to feel confident
or know exactly what they're going to do or they're thinking.
(27:50):
And so I think it's those things that taken real
advantage of those reps and taking advantage of the weekly
preparation and then just letting it fly on Sunday, because
at the end of the day, you put all that
work and all that time and all that effort into
knowing the game plan and knowing the defense. Now just
go let it fly and you can live with those results.
(28:11):
You know, it doesn't make those results easy if they're
not positive, but you can live with them because you
knew that you gave everything you had into that.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
So that's you.
Speaker 5 (28:18):
My advice to anyone, including myself, sometimes you got to
talk to yourself like, hey, like am I doing enough
throughout the week to make sure that I'm prepared and
ready to go on Sunday and feel really confident about
about what I can do and how I can help
the team.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
The tough part, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Again, you look at around the league at young quarterbacks
in McCarthy's position, and generally speaking, they need time. You know,
every once in a while, somebody will walk in and
be unbelievable from the beginning, right. We've seen that happen occasionally,
but more times than not, ones who end up being
really good they need to go through some ups and
(28:53):
downs and some struggles. That the kid at New England
is a good reminder of this to me. Last year
there were people ready to give up on Drake May.
Team wasn't as good and he was struggling. This year,
he's off to a terrific start, which indicates you got
to let a young quarterback make mistakes. That to me
is the tough part for JJ because you guys all
(29:14):
want to win, right and this team was built in
a lot of ways free agency, to build on what
you did last what the team did last year with
the fourteen and three record, So it's it's it does
to me add a little bit of pressure to him
in that it's like, well, you may make some mistakes,
but try to keep him to a minimum, man, because
we're trying to get back in this race and we
(29:35):
want to be a factor this season. A bit unfair
maybe to a young quarterback, but kind of the way
it is correct.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
Yeah, you know, I think I think they really were
very intentional with the way that they built this team
to be a team around him, built around him. Give him,
give him a great offensive line, give him great weapons,
give him a great defense. And so I think at
the end of the day, it's it's not that he
should feel the more feel any more pressure. It should
(30:03):
almost be opposite. It should almost be like everyone else
around him should feel more pressure to do your job
and to be the person that they brought you here
or drafted you or signed you to be right, because
at the end of the day, we need to be
better around him to take some of that pressure off him.
That's what good teams do. They they find a way
to be the best players, find a way to be
(30:26):
the best players, and you know, to be able to
take some pressure off some of the younger guys or
guys with less experience.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
But at the end of the day.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Everyone needs those experiences or needs that experience, They need
those opportunities, uh to be able to understand where they
need to get better at where they need to focus on.
And I think he really felt that and took advantage
of that those first couple of weeks and was able
to obviously.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Use this last.
Speaker 5 (30:54):
Few weeks of being on the sideline to to really
focus on, Okay, what what do I need to get
better at?
Speaker 3 (30:59):
What do I need to focus on?
Speaker 5 (31:00):
And you've seen that, I mean, his ability just to
focus on those things has been really impressive, and you
can tell that he's just been trying to get better
and better and better every week and taking advantage of
the time that he's been, you know, a little injured
and not been able to play to really just focus
on how can I get better and work on those
things while I have some time. Usually don't get that.
(31:23):
Usually it's you're in the fire week in, week out,
and you're kind of learning.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Through the fire.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
But he's had an opportunity to take advantage of just
some time to be able.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
To focus on the little things.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
If the change is made and this, you know, again,
who knows how the season plays out, Maybe Carson plays
again for some reason.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
But I'm wondering.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
You know, he's had this stretch where you guys turned
to him as the backup, a guy who was brought
in very late, right right before the start of the season.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
You knew him, I think a little bit. We talked
about this, But what did you have you.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Learned anything about Carson Wentz being a teammate of his
now and around him as much as you have him
in a starter's role that maybe you didn't know or
appreciate before you spend this spent this much time around him.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Yeah, I mean everyone can appreciate, you know, his his toughness,
his attitude, his mindset, especially through the last few weeks.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
There's some tough circumstances.
Speaker 5 (32:18):
So yeah, I think you can appreciate that a guy
who just plays gives everything they have on the line
when you know they.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Could have tapped out and whatever.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
Uh, you know, maybe say that I can't, I'm not
I'm not not healthy enough.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
To play or whatever.
Speaker 5 (32:33):
You know, it's easy to tap out in those situations.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
But he didn't.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
You know, he thought through it. He battled, He showed
that that you know, it's he's got the heart he's
got the attitude to be able to help this team
and do what it takes even though he's not maybe
necessary a feeling at his best. So you can always
appreciate that as a player when guys kind of fight
through tough times and give everything they got and play
it at a really high level at time. So just
definitely appreciation for his toughness and his mentality. And I
(32:59):
think it was something great to for any young guy
to learn from just that that that's what it takes.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
In this league. You know, you look at some.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
Of the top players in this league, top quarterback through
some some injuries, they're tough. They find a way to
even though they're not feeling their best. But to be
at the great example for some of the young guys
to learn from.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Last item going back really to the beginning here, So
when how are you when it comes to losing a game?
How are you around the family? Is it are you
one of those players who has to sort of like
everybody understands, you're going to isolate yourself. Is it the
exact opposite, You're not allowed to isolate yourself that you
don't even want to.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
What's Adam?
Speaker 1 (33:43):
How does Adam feeling handle losing around his family.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
Well, thankfully I got a great wife who holds me accountable.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
So I don't think you can.
Speaker 5 (33:52):
Allow me to isolate myself. I think she'd check my button,
make sure that I spent be a good dad, right, So,
uh yeah, you know, obviously, first couple of hours after
the game, you're pretty frustrated. You know, you're you're kind.
Speaker 3 (34:08):
Of sulking a little bit.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
And then and then you realize quickly that life is
bigger than just football.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
As much as we put into this.
Speaker 5 (34:16):
Game and love this game and and have you know,
spend a lot of our lives playing this game. Uh,
at the end of the day, I'm not on this
earth to be a football player. I'm on this earth
for much greater things than that, you know, to be
a great dad, to be a great husband, Uh, to
be a great follower Christ. So just really kind of,
you know, focus on that for a couple of days,
(34:37):
obviously having the weekend off, and just to be able
to really focus on that and then come back refresh,
re energize when you when you are in that building
to give everything you got. It was great to be
able to be back on the grass today it's never
easy losing a game or a couple of games in
a row, and sometimes it just takes you just to
be able to get back on the grass to kind
of get.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Some of those bots out of your head. Uh.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
And that was kind of I approach this weekend and
definitely again just be back out there and refocus on
a new a new opponent.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Are you a guy who watches a lot of other games,
like when you watch Sunday night, you know the game
last night? You are you constantly watching? Or you a
guy don't need to watch all that much since you play?
Speaker 5 (35:17):
Oh no, I love I love watching football. In fact,
I think a lot of times when you start to
watch more football, you start to feel a little bit
better about, you know, some of the losses because you
start to realize that it's not easy.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
You know.
Speaker 5 (35:31):
You see these teams that you think are unbeatable, they
get beat and the teams that you think can't win,
they win. And so you just start to realize that
it's a one Every week is a new week, Every
week is a one game season.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
And when you the.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
More football you watch, you start to realize, like, this
is a very competitive league and it doesn't matter if
you're zero to seven or if you're seven to oh,
like it's it's it's hard to win games in this
league and anyone can win on any given Sunday. So
that's what makes this game so great and so frustrating
at the same time, because you feel like on paper
(36:05):
sometimes that that you're the better team, but it doesn't matter.
You got to go out there and prove it, and
you got to find.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
A way to win no matter what. And there's no
easy wins in this league.
Speaker 5 (36:13):
When you do, you take advantage of them and you
and you refocus. But but yeah, I think that's why
we play this game. That's why we love it so much,
and that's why fans are so invested and and why
we get uh paid paid a good good amount of
money to play this game because people love it and
it's it's a great game. So uh yeah, I enjoy
watching watching football when I when I have the opportunities too,
(36:34):
and you gotta.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
And you got to prove it this week against another
good team. That's the other thing, right, It's not like
you walking back in Well, I know you guys don't
think in terms of gimmis, but obviously the Lions are legit,
you know that as as as good as anybody you're
playing them. There, So nothing easy about the challenge this week.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
No, definitely not.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
And and I think you know, going into this little
stretch we got we knew this is a this is
a big stretch coming up some really good football teams,
obviously starting on against Detroit, who's one of the best
teams in the league, if not the best team in
the league. So great challenge for us. Great defense that
have just guys that are physical, fast, great just football players.
(37:15):
I think when you look at tape sometimes you either say, Okay,
this guy's or this this defense is really physical.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Or this this team.
Speaker 5 (37:23):
Flies around and they play really well together, or or man,
they got guys in the back end that can cover.
I think when you look at Detroit, it's like all
the above, Like they do everything really well. They play
really physical, they they're fast, they fly around, they play
really well together. So yeah, there's no there's no weaknesses
in that defense or really in that team. So which
is a great challenge for us. You know, if you
(37:45):
got to be at your best and you got to
play your best to win this week, and that's a
great challenge for us. And we'll see what kind of
resolved and what kind of grit this team has. And
that's exciting to see.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Good luck on the Sunday. Good conversation. As always, we
appreciate the time. Adam will talk next week. All right,
thanks Doc, Adam Feeling Vikings wide receiver kind enough to
join us. Don't forget Johnny Athletic. We'll join at five
point thirty. He'll give us the latest steam on the
Anthony Edwards injury, the Wolves starts this season.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
The lighting lighting, don't forget about the trees. Trees are
back area. That's big. That's that's actually interesting more than
the lighting, as it turns out.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
Should I feel bad that you mentioned this has not
been the best weekend in Minnesota sports history. That as
we were driving to the game yesterday, the family and
I went to the game last night.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Oh good for us.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
I thought it wouldn't it be something if like Edward's
got hurt tonight boom?
Speaker 2 (38:42):
And there it was four.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
Minutes in hits a three nice little put back and
then Bones Highland is in and I'm standing against Bones Island.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Nothing.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
I just wasn't expected to see him before the first
media is that his real name, by the way, or
a nickname. I don't know what we're gonna nickname. We're
gonna learn it. But it is amazing nicknames in the league.
I know it is amazing. And this is gonna sound
you know, no kidding. But ant never misses games like
he's old school that way. He doesn't do load management.
(39:12):
It's amazing the energy that that building pulls from him,
no question, just with how he plays. And when he's
not there, you're like, huh, this is a different team
is on Anthony Edwards because we never have to see it.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
He's always out there. But anyway, and now your guy
doesn't doing him have a busted nose?
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yeah, I saw that. So it's the Bones Highland show,
Bones Hiland show for a while.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Conley in and out the Vincenzo I, I like, I'm
sticking with my position. I don't like him handling the
ball that much. Sorry, what I've seen has not been helpful. Now,
I one would assume he has to become more of
a score right because with Edward's out right, you need
somebody to sort of well, you're not going to beat Edwards,
(39:55):
but he's trying to emulate some of that or take
some of the offensive press.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
Sure, off, we'll have to see on.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
That.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
And it's Denver tonight, right it is? Yes, did you.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
See the the Joker double double number?
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Did I see that?
Speaker 1 (40:15):
Over the course of his regular season, his career regular
season games, Joker has one hundred and sixty six triple doubles.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
That's possible. But can I stop you?
Speaker 4 (40:27):
Yeah, Mikeen's quarterback Carson Wentz will undergo surgery on his
left shoulder and miss the rest of the five season,
sources tell the Insiders Tom Pelsero Wentz got it out
as long as he could, but he was in severe
pain Thursday night in La.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
Now we'll get the shoulder fixed.
Speaker 4 (40:46):
So it's got to be jj McCarthy Sunday or it's
Brownstone's time.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Well, unless we pick up another veteran.
Speaker 4 (40:57):
Well let's do that again, as opposed to just giving
it to the guy who could change everything, Max Brosmer, Guys,
let's just grab another guy. Is Sam Holli is still available.
I'm sure he's in the league. No I know, but anyway,
he did look like he was in a lot of pain. Yeah,
So I mean go ahead and keep playing and then
(41:17):
hurt it.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
So badly.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
You're going to need surgery. I said Friday that I
did absolutely think it was cruel to continue to play him.
And I I wasn't saying, like you are that you
bring Brosemer in, they're gonna come back from three touchdowns down.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
All I was.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Saying is, you bring him in, and here's what you
say to the kid. Hand off some safe passes.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
If you see something interesting, go ahead. It's all right.
But we're not asking you.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
You know that that that that that isn't even a
fair position to put any quarterback in. But I actually
thought there was a lack of humanity shown by head coach,
who's own for his humanity. I know that's the part
for me. It wasn't for me. He's playing so badly
that you have to play somebody else. My thought was
(42:10):
the game's over, this game's done. You're not gonna win
the game. Just get out of dodge. And you know,
I was left with the conclusion that they must not.
They must have thought he was milking his the pain,
because he was. Every time he went down. It was terrible.
Windsying was awful, right, it's terrible, So how do you
(42:31):
not pull him?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
To this day?
Speaker 1 (42:32):
I don't think that's been explained in a way that
makes any sense to me.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
So and you know me, I am a big Kirk
Herbstreet guy.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
Yes, when he went on his soapbox about I don't
know if you heard this or talked about it. I mean,
Wentz just crying on the bench right they cut to him.
He's got his head, he's looking to the sky, there's
tears in his eyes, and Herbstreet is basically going Jimmy Dugan,
there's no crying in baseball on him and saying you
got him tough for your guys. And I wanted to go, Kirk,
(43:03):
are you watching the game? He's getting killed every single play.
Something is going on with him. No one is questioning
his toughness or.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Ability to lead. But you heard what the.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Coach after the game said, like, well he wasn't going
to get any further. Somebody said, was it the head coach?
May have been because I think he was asked, why
do you keep him in? Well, you know it's not
it's it's it's all about managing the pain. And I'm thinking, well,
whatever it was, you have a the idea that well,
he's not going to pull himself. He's not he's one
(43:37):
of those players who isn't going to do that. Of course,
you're the head coach, right, so you you have a
right to say at some point now you want him
to do it because you think Brosmer is going to
come in and go twelve for.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Twelve, which maybe he will at some point. He might.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
We'll never find out. For me, it was just it
was just humanity. It was mercy, I know it, like you,
just this game's over. You're not going to win even
the interception he threw. They're already down twenty one at
that but the game is over, so just be safe.
Throw some short stuff which in the short amount of
time broke from his That's what he did.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
He just threw some short stuff. Stay out of trouble.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Don't get your head knocked off, because we don't need
to lose another quarterback or another bad shoulder to another
bad shoulder. So yeah, it's that is interesting. So now,
not that there was any real question any longer, because
it was very clear that you know, the train was
leaving the station with AJ.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
Here's my question, and this might perk you up.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
I'll believe JJ McCarthy is healthy enough to play when
I see him in a game for.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
More than five plays in a row. I'm serious. I mean,
he says, well, there's this extra time.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
We're not that many days removed from being told it's
still not there. So again we're assuming because he has
to be the guy. Now allegedly you're back to this
is the guy we built this whole thing around. You
just heard Adam feel and say that you know he's
going to be fine physically, But I don't think there's
any guarantee on that at all. So you your Brosemer
(45:09):
Brownstone dream might well still become a reality.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
Who's to say?
Speaker 3 (45:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (45:13):
And I know we have to break on Thursday. For
the last month, I've been in Brosemur Brownstone's because I'm
a Brosmer Brownstone's owner.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
But on Thursday it wasn't because of that.
Speaker 4 (45:24):
It was because I'm watching Carson and going Every single
time he's hitting the turf or hitting the deck or
going back, he's chucking his helmet. Yes, because he's in
so much pain. Well do you think they just did
what are we doing? Thought he was being a diva?
Speaker 1 (45:37):
What other explanation is there that you didn't pull them
in all?
Speaker 4 (45:40):
Seriously, I mean the only thing I always hear that
the medical staff of all these teams make decisions, and
it's not so. Is it that the medical staff said
he's fine and if he wants to go back out there,
he ken.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
You're the head coach, you can make any decisions, so
you're right.
Speaker 4 (45:53):
But I'm saying, is that the information that they're getting right,
or should the medical staff have said this is untenable?
We need to hit this guy down. That's I mean,
everybody looks. It looks horrible. On Thursday night coming up
to me with Graze. Could we go get Flacco? Did
you see him kind of try to scramble a little
bit last night and move his feet or yesterday I
did watch a little bit of that.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe we could. I don't know.
We should pause because we got to stay ahead for Lever. Yeah,
we're very late. It's not my fault. It's breaking news.
We had to address it. We did
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