November 17, 2025 • 47 mins
Jonny Athletic was at the Vikings game yesterday and gives his thoughts on the loss, some Gopher thoughts and an evaluation of the Wolves season so far before Ben Leber makes his weekly appearance to react to the Vikings game as well.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And it's starting Johnny headache about that right.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Now, let's start with the obvious with Johnny Athletic, brought
to you by RBC Wealth Management. Do you want to
start the segment with the apology or do you want
to save it for the end?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Well, I feel like people always delight in whatever downfall
I have and whatever I've put in my mouth, So
why don't we let them wait for a little bit,
let them that and then yeah, I'll.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Embargo it for a little bit. That's so, that's okay, Yeah, great, because.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
People stick around through the segment and like, let me
have beg on my face for whatever reason, I should
have beg on my face right now, which I have
no idea.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
If if well, you we'll get to it. Believe me,
because I found it, I located it. Okay, if you
were counseling Koca, would you have suggested that.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Via text?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
You know, however, you could commute maybe if you've a headset,
you go, Koc. I'm as big as JJ McCarthy fan
as you are. I'm not done with him. I'm not
giving up on him. I love him, but put him
out of his misery. Put put It doesn't matter whether
it's Brosmer or it's past or not. Just sit him,
sit him for the rest of this game. Just let
(01:47):
him sit there for a while, because this is just
not very workable right now. What would your your best
counsel have been to to Koc?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, Dan, I'm actually after the game was over, I
actually kind of reached to the other side of the
equation in that and said, Koc, this is your guy.
This is the guy that you have to figure out
if he is viable long term, if he is not
viable long term, There's nobody better in the league to
(02:18):
make that decision than you. And so let's dispense with
the idea that you are competing for playoffs, that you
are competing for, you know, trying to really division titles,
those types of things, and let's just now try to
construct everything around who JJ is and figuring out who
(02:41):
JJ is as a quarterback, as a person, and if
this is doable. And so there were times then in
the third quarter on Sunday where I was like, may man,
maybe it is brosmor time, Maybe it is just time
to really just you know, let let this kid clear
his head, him down and figure things out. But now
(03:02):
I think you're just too far into it now, and
it is clear that the rest of the team is
not quite up to the task of being perfect around JJ,
as people really thought that it was going to be
at the start of the season, And so now the
priority shift to all in on JJ, figuring that out.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Let's worry about how the wins come, you know later.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I actually think that's probably the better way to go.
I think the question is going to be if I mean,
you saw how wild he was. This was not I
don't even think by normal customary young quarterback standards, where
all of them have difficulty processing and occasionally have a
little bit of wildness. This was in another dimension, to
(03:48):
the point where even Tom Brady, a big Michigan man,
I might add, you could tell, was a bit unsettled
by what he was seeing. So is there a chance
that the mistake we now maybe accept that the mistake
was not that not committing to him long term, but
(04:09):
thinking that there was any real chance to thread this
needle of doing both having our cake and eating it too,
letting him figure it out and make these kinds of
mistakes and living through it and still pretending that we
were going to be able to make ourselves viable as
a playoff team.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah, I guess here's how I would answer that, Dan,
is that I think that two things are true here,
and one is is that jj does not appear like
at this point in his career. And whether he gets
there or not, we don't know yet, but he does
not appear right now ready to be the kind of
(04:48):
player that can go out and really win you games
and be consistent for four quarters and like and surprise
people with being ahead of the curve from a developmental standpoint,
And so that part is true. But also I think
at the start of the season there was the theory
(05:10):
put forward and the belief was that, hey, he has
Kevin O'Connell as offensive coordinator. He has Justin Jefferson and
Jordan Addison and Hockinson and Aaron Jones. They've beached up
the offensive line. There are so many things around him
that make it so he doesn't have to be like
Jaden Daniels was last year, or maybe like Drake may
(05:33):
Is this year and in year two of really coming
on and being an additive playmaker, that they can kind
of figure it out around him and be good enough
around him to let him learn on the job, and
now we're seeing they're not good enough around him either. Yeah,
Jordan Adison dropping passes, Adams Field dropping passes, TJ. Hockinson
dropping passes. You have you know, weaky offensive line play
(05:56):
week's week. Last week it was good, but a.
Speaker 5 (05:59):
Lot of times you have of that.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Kevin O'Connell is still trying to figure out the play
calling with the running game and and that sort of thing.
And so I think that JJ is not as good
as anyone hoped he would be.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
But I don't think the rest of the team around him.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Has been good as good as anyone hoped it would
be either. So they're kind of failing on multiple fronts here.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, although I mean he had good protection much of
the time yesterday.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
Yeah, that left me goes good.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Yeah, And I want to be clear Dan, first, I
want to be clear, like, yeah, I am of the
mind of that JJ needs time and you want to
see it.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
But he's been bad, Like there's no question about that.
He has been He has been bad.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
And when you look at kind of the lists that
he is on from a completion percentage standpoint through five games,
from a interception standpoint, the guys around him are not
the Peyton Mannings, who had a rough first year. It's like,
you know, it's it's really it's really poor quarterbacks, and
so the trend lines are not good for JJ McCarthy,
(07:01):
but also the Vikings could have helped them a little
bit more. If Addison would have caught that pass in
the first quarter, it's probably a touchdown, maybe they win
the game, Like you know, so they have to be
perfect around them, and they just haven't been. But JJ
McCarthy has not been good by any stretch of the imagination,
except for like a few late game drives in Chicago
and then last week.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Is the dream pretty much gone at this point or
do you still hold out some hope that they could somehow,
given the way teams can dramatically shift week to week
through stretches, that they can hang into this thing, or
do you think it pretty much ended at home yesterday.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
I mean, it's it's hard for me to completely give
up on a team that went into Detroit and played
as well as they did and won like they did.
That's hard for me to just say for sure it
is over. I mean, there's always a chance that things
can turn around. But it's the way that McCarthy is
playing with some of the other mistakes.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
Last week it was penalties, this week it.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Was dropped passes, with some of the other things that
are happening around him, but primarily with JJ not showing
signs of really clicking in, it's hard for me to
look at this and say that there is a turnaround coming.
So I am of the mind as I walked out
of the stadium last night that, you know, kind of
as I was saying at the start, but you really
(08:27):
doubling down on it, is that I think that right
now you shift your focus from hey, let's do whatever
we can to win games and to get back into
playoff contention and make this thing real, and instead let's
do everything we possibly have to do to put McCarthy
(08:48):
in enough positions so that by the end of the
year you do have a good feel of, hey, he's
progressed enough to keep going with this, or you know,
we're better suited looking at what other options are in
the quarterback market.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
What did you think of the defense yesterday?
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I thought it was fine.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
You know, I hated the third and long in the
fourth quarter that they just couldn't get off the field.
It seems like they have you know, a real problem
in big spots when it is third and long with
giving up hunk plays and yardage and not being able
to get off the field late in games. It's happened
multiple times this year. I sure wish they could create
(09:29):
a turnover like once in a blue moon. Like that is,
you know, every week they're losing the turnover battle. And
it's not like McCarthy's throwing five picks. He threw two
this week, and that's not great, but like your defense
should be able to come up with a couple of
plays to shift the field back the other way, and
they just aren't able to. But other than that, they
(09:50):
played really solid against the Bears team that was putting
up a lot of points that was looked like they
were figuring things out offensively, and and they kept the
Viking in the game.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
They kept that score nice and low. And you should
you be.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Able to win a home game give you know, with
the defense play and the way that they did and
keep giving up the points.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
That they did.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
So all in all, I was fine with it. I
just wish there could be a few more big plays
that this defense could create to to shift the momentum
and to put their offense in advantageous positions. You look
what happened, you know, when Miles Price had the kick
return and then they scored two plays later. Like you
need with a young quarterback. You need your special teams
(10:30):
and your defense.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
To make splash plays.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
And right now, the Vikings defense isn't making nearly enough
splash plays to help you win games.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You you know, takeaways can be they often have an
element of luck, but it's reached kind of the point
of absurdity for this team. I think the Vikings for
the season have nine takeaways, and five of them came
in one game against Cincinnati. So if I'm doing my
math right, that's four takeaways in your other nine games.
(11:01):
That's that That can't that tells where you're not around
the ball enough or that can't just be luck. That's
an extraordinarily low number that obviously, if this team is
can have any chance to feed and steal some games,
the rest of the way is going to have to change.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
Yeah, they're not you know, they're getting around the.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Quarterback, but not consistently enough to speed up passes and
make them throw things before they're ready. And then when
they are around the quarterback, Caleb Williams is spinning out
of it and and and and saving the play, so
they're not getting them on the ground. But then they're
also the back end. Just there's no playmakers back there, Dan,
like you know, cam By them was they playmaker like you?
(11:43):
And yet like you said, there might have been some
luck involved in some of those and and buying them
might have had some other faults, but they really miss
a BALLHOWK Harrison Smith is not that.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
At this stage of his career.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
THEO Jackson has not shown the ability to do that on.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
A consistent basis. You know, Murphy and you know, and Rogers.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Rogers had the one great game against Cincinnati and has
been just you know, you know, unimpressive sense and so.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
None of their guys I.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Think Grenard and Ben Ginkle are capable of doing it.
Gernard obviously didn't play against the Bears. But other than that,
there just are not any big time, you know, highlight
real playmakers out there. They're just steady guys. And in
this league you have to find ways to make big
(12:32):
plays and to shift the energy back on your side,
and they have not been able to do that.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Let me ask you a college football question. You don't.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
I don't think you cover a lot of Gofer stuff,
but you pay attention to what's going on. They go
on the road again Friday night and get what they
were really never in the ball game. I think the
final was forty two to thirteen.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
They have lost four road games, starting with the Cal
game that they also lost by double digits.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
It wasn't a route like the other three were. But
I guess I'm trying to you know, we get into
this game of we'll be able to he wins eight
games eight games. There's a lot of games and and
I'm here to tell you that I don't think this
is quite like pro football where you say wins or
wins or wins. I do think part of how you
measure in college football is who you're beating or and
(13:24):
even who you are competing against.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
And I got into this on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
My biggest gripe isn't that they can't go to the
on the road and beat Ohio State, or go on
the road and and and and beat Iowa, for example,
or beat Oregon. Although it shouldn't be the end, it
shouldn't be that difficult to beat Iowa. It's that you
got to join the battle, and if you want me
to call it a successful season, even if you're sitting
(13:49):
there with eight wins, if they turn around and win
the next two, which then they're both quite winnable. Sorry,
I can't do that with a straight face. I can
and I can't listen to PJ tell me that this
is a really good football team. That doesn't define a
really good football team. So where are you at? If
I take your temperature on the Golden golfers right now
and this season, where are you?
Speaker 6 (14:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
I would say, I think I'm kind of in line
with where you're at in terms of I First of all,
I do think PJ. Fleck is a good coach, and
I think he's the right coach for this program in
this market and in trying to like bring, you know,
any some kind of attention and energy to it and
go out and recruit and do the things that he
(14:31):
is doing. So in all of those kind of areas,
I give PJ. Fleck high marks. But I do think
it has been disappointing. I would say, is the word
that I would use, that they have not been more
competitive in some of these games. I did not expect
them to go to Oregon on a Friday night and
(14:52):
win that game. But you do want to see some
progress as the season goes along, and you want to
see you know, some sort of uh yeah, competitive spirits,
some juice that's that's around the program that you build on.
You have a young quarterback who I really like, and
I think that it is presumable that over the next
couple of years, provided he stays here, that that that
(15:15):
things can start looking up more and more. But yeah,
I mean getting kind of man handled the way that
they have in some of these games is should it
should There's the bar should be higher than that in
terms of week to week competitiveness. And I do think
it's just a it's an okay team. I don't think
you can call them a good team. Maybe they will
(15:37):
be good in the next couple of years as Lindsay
gets gets older and more mature, but like, but yeah,
it is disappointing to me that you know, they just
go in and get routed by by a team like
Oregon and that they you know that that they're not
in more of these games and kind of given.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
Fans something to be a little more excited about.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
The early NBA season has featured obviously a great deal
of success for the defending champions against not I think
the greatest schedule, but because of the way they've dominated.
In fact, I think their point, their margin of victory
so far is historic with a couple of the great
all time teams, they're still being saluted.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
The Denver Nuggets came.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
To town Saturday, representing a chance for the Wolves to
I think, beat a team with the winning record for
the first time, which ultimately they were not able to do.
So give me before we talk a little bit about
the Wolf situation, give me your read on whether there's
concern in Wolves Land that a team they've kind of
(16:42):
done pretty well against even in the postseason, Denver is
now more of a threat and now maybe a cut
above potentially what the Wolves have fashioned, you know, have
turned themselves into the last couple of playoffs playoff runs.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
How do we evaluate.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
Yeah, I think that you know, the Wolves are.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Still confident in the matchup and that eventually if they
got into a series that they would feel like they
could win. But certainly like the feeling of dominance, the
feeling like they had a mental edge over the Nuggets
is long gone. The Nuggets have vastly improved their bench.
(17:24):
Which was the big thing, you know in that playoff
series two years ago, was that the Wolves in Game
seven just walked down Yokich and Murray and Gordon because
they were just.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Run out of gas.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
That in that second half of Game seven, they had
no energy left because they all had to play forty
five minutes a night to try and be competitive in
that series. And so when you add Tim Hardaway Junior,
when you add valanchounis, when you add Cam Johnson, Bruce
Brown back, like, they're just deeper than they've been in
a while.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
And that should allow.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
The Nuggets to be fret usure going into the playoffs
this year. And then the other part that is different
now from the Nuggets that they have faced the last
couple of years is that Jamal Murray's kind of back
to its real difference making ways and Aaron Gordon suddenly
can't miss from three point range. And those are you know,
two things, two elements. The Wolves just tormented Murray in
(18:20):
their matchups, and then Gordon they would just say, off
of and dare to shoot threes, so they could kind
of more give more attention to Jokic and and he
couldn't make them pay. Well, now he's he's just shooting
an incredible clip and looks like that strategy may not work,
and so they are very formidable. I think Dan that
it's okay, see number one, it's Denver a clear number two,
(18:42):
and you throw into another tier with Houston Lakers. Maybe
Minnesota might be in there eventually if they start playing
better against against good teams with Denver.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Is absolutely legit.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And this does look like a different animal than the
team the Wolves had so much successful.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
So we what do we?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I guess in terms of some of this again has
to do with schedule, but is there any mild concern
how this is broken down so far for this team.
You know, they've they've they've gotten better and a little
bit more dominant against teams are supposed to take care of,
which is a previous complaint that we've had about the
Wolves even when they've been good, and to that that's positive,
(19:24):
I would think, But we got to start, you know,
not just competing but playing against uh, you know, winning teams.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
Correct, Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
And part of this is like it's still too early
in the season. I really think Dan to like drop
major conclusions because some of those games that they've lost
against good teams, like either Ant didn't play in them,
or like in the next game, you had just come
back from injury, and certainly it was not himself, you know,
even the Nuggets game on Saturday, like Ant went oz
(19:53):
for eight from three, Like how often is that going
to happen?
Speaker 5 (19:56):
And and so.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
There's a little bit of like variance that you that
you of want to guard against. But it's been five
games now where they have played teams with winning records
and they've lost every one of them. Sooner or later,
they've got to start winning games against good teams.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
They are very fortunate.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Right now that they're in an incredibly soft part of
their schedule, and to their credit, they are doing something
they hadn't done in the past, which has beat the
bad teams. There no against teams with the five hundred
record or worse. But if you really want to start
believing that this is a team that can not only
get into the playoffs again, but like then do more
(20:36):
damage in the playoffs, and they have talked about making
that final step, they are going to have to start
playing better against the really good teams. The Denvers, the
New York's the you know, OKAC comes up next week,
so there's gonna be some tests coming up to.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
See how far they've come.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
But so far they have not met those moments. And
and you know, the more of them they get them,
there's gonna be more questions. Yeah, and it's clear that
they have they have a lot to answer for it.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
And as you know, Denver was also down two starters.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
So you know, the Wolves can say, well, Anthony didn't
shoot as well as he usually did. But you know,
there's you can you can you can talk yourself out
of anything on that basis. I mean, Denver played a
much better fourth quarter I thought than across the board.
Then the Wolves at a point where the game was
quite winnable, or seemed to be winnable because it was
very competitive up until up until that point. Lastly, the apology.
(21:28):
Do you want to get it in now? Do I
need to prompt you or do you want to just
volunteer it? I think it'd be more powerful and effective
if you volunteer it.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
But it's up to you.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
It's I'll bring it up if you want. It's entirely
how you want to handle it. Donny Wow, he took offense.
Maybe he didn't want to apologize. Well, you know it
was gonna be better about that the hockey community. Why
don't I call him back because he's gonna want to
speak on.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
This, Well, yeah he should.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
All all of a sudden, all we do is either
win or tie get a point, and all we do
is guard the team that was giving was routinely giving
up four, five and six goals a game earlier in
the season, is giving up zero, one or two on
(22:22):
pretty much a regular basis. So I wanted to give
him a chance to acknowledge that because he tends to be.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
Let's just put this way.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
When the Wilder struggling, he's notable, he notices, and he
talks about it.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
I did you were you? Did you hang up because
you did not want to face the music?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Johnny started there for a second. I was like a
Charlie Brown parent, and that was interesting to me. So
I couldn't really hear it. But I hear you loud
and clear now, and so please, well, like, let's.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Square, I'm just saying that you were not hesitant early
in this season when the wild were routinely giving up four, five, six,
seven goals. To mock the team's defense, and the start
of the generally speaking, the start that the team had.
Now they're routinely giving up zero one and two. They're
(23:18):
almost Lamaire like defensively right now, and they're winning more games.
They won an OT again last night, and I'm not
hearing a peep from you now.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Isn't that funny?
Speaker 3 (23:30):
It's hilarious because I will tell you this, Dan, literally,
you are the only person that ever.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Asked me my Hotey opinion.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
So so it's just funny how that happens. Is the
only reason I haven't been able to give them of
latest because we haven't talked about it.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Nobody else wants to hear me on that.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
But I believe, I will say, we can run the
tape back. But I do believe the last time that
you tried to draw me in didn't work to the battle.
I think I said that the Wild have this weird
thing where every year they play terribly for a little while,
and then they go on a streak where they never
lose for like thirty games, and they get right back
(24:11):
into it and get everyone excited, and then you know,
maybe they lose in the first round.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
Again. We'll see what happens.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
But but This is very much like a hockey season
where they I don't know, you look at them and
they're just like, what in the heck is going on?
This is a disaster, and then all of a sudden
everything falls into place. Puck lucked you a defensive intensity,
all that stuff, and so happy for him. It's really
nice to kind of take a little bit of the
pressure off. But let's let's see what happens in April
(24:39):
and May.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Okay, all right, I mean it's up to you.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
I just thought, maybe, you know, it shows a little
bit of grace there, a little bit a little bit
of humility, but probably too much to askiving.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Is next week? Maybe maybe a Monday of next week.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
A little bit that might be the answer. Thanks John,
that might be it. Well chat, we'll chat next week, all.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Right, Thanks Dan.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
That's Johnny Athletic. I forgot to mention to him. This
might be a bit disappointing to hardcore basketball purists. I
think the Wolves have a game coming up fairly soon
later this month with the Spurs, and now the word
is calf injury. He's sidelined for several weeks and they're
(25:21):
becoming very anal around the league about calf injuries because
of this belief that it's a precursor to the possibility
of blowing out your achilles.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I mean you could say, well, it's easier to beat
the Spurs without him, but I mean you want to
see the best, don't you. And Wenby has done just
some freaky stuff this year. Yes, there's no question about it.
He's on a highlight reel every night on hundred percent.
All right, what's the plan. Bottom of the hour, We'll
try to get to a Vikings talking point, We'll prepare
for Ben Lieber and then we've got Chris Carter at
five o'clock.
Speaker 6 (25:50):
Uncle, don't get them.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
You don't show up what you can do.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Hockey community is not afraid to slash tires. That seems
a bit excessive. Oh, they shouldn't do that, doesn't it. Yes,
that's I don't want to encourage that.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
No, we do not.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I don't think he meant it. I think he was
just it's it's kind of the bit. Apparently I'm the
only one that ever had Well, it's because you know this,
Johnny's very sly about throwing in the hockey community. Jab
he did in that last the last answer, I mean,
(27:21):
come on, it's it's right there for everybody, isn't it.
I mean, I just I'm just saying he can't. I
don't think he can conveniently leave that out at this point.
All right, let's do this in this segment. Let's get
to well, let's just let's go to the very end
of the ball game. Let's do the what we like
(27:42):
to call the ecstasy and the agony.
Speaker 8 (27:46):
First intent from the Bear's fifteen Addison in motion to
the last takes the snap. Now, four men rush McCarthy
to the end zone.
Speaker 9 (27:57):
Job listen, just in the nick of time, and we're
tied at sixteen. B JJ McCarthy, well done.
Speaker 10 (28:10):
You gotta give a ton of credit to the offensive line.
The Bears one with a four man rush, and McCarthy
had all the time in the world to allow Addison
on as a second really through the zone to get
to the end zone. And it was a beautiful back
shoulder throw and Jordan Aison comes up with the biggest
catchup the day.
Speaker 8 (28:30):
Reikert snap spot the Rykert.
Speaker 9 (28:34):
Guess how about this seventeen sixteen Minnesota coming from the
depths of nowhere.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
They've gone from the.
Speaker 8 (28:46):
Outthouse to the penthouse.
Speaker 9 (28:48):
We have fifty seconds to go in the game.
Speaker 6 (28:51):
And just like.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
Week one, when the Vikings trailed seventeen to six into
the fourth quarter, they trailed sixteen to three, these Bears
into the fourth quarter and now they lead seventeen sixteen.
The Bears have three timeouts. Almost cool Shrepper kicking into
the east side of the US Bank Stadium. Boom, a
(29:13):
shorter kick by design DuVernay from his own three hits right, five, ten,
fifteen to twenty.
Speaker 9 (29:19):
It's a nice block from Blackwell, Eric Gilson trying to
run him down with Bill Record and just Blackwell make
that Devin DuVernay out of bounds, deepened Vikings territory. Devin
DuVernay with a cold blooded return of fifty seven yards
and with forty two seconds to go in the game,
(29:41):
Minnesota leads seventeen sixteen and the Bears have the ball
at the Vikings thirty nine yard line.
Speaker 10 (29:48):
A wall you talk about disappointing. Dubernat was able to
catch his football on a near side and in bend
it all the way to the opposite side on the field.
What a block by Blackwell and Tyler Baddy just wasn't
able to get stay in your lanes. Huge, huge, huge
mistake by the special team. Now the Bears started their
own four yard line.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
You can't give an inch right here, now, you can't.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
H Oh.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
He didn't even include the game winning field goal. I
thought that was going to be the the No, he's
going to be part of the agony. No, just the
ecstasy and the agony. Yeah, well, I mean it's set
up by that that play. But and as I said,
I thought, I thought the Bears were being way too
presumptuous about their field goal kicker, who has a good
(30:35):
he's accurate, but doesn't have like compared to a lot
of these these these new fangled kickers, he does not
have a cannon for for a leg. I don't think
like Will the Thrill like Will Yeah, like several even
our guy. Yeah, well that's what you mean, Will the Thrill.
That's there's several Will of thrills. I forgot that. That's
one of our nicknames for him. So I mean I'm
(30:55):
trying to fit. I mean that made it crueler, right
if the if the Vikings had just I'm at last drive,
you know, turn it over on downs rather than scoring
in an odd sort of way, wouldn't it have been
less painful. I'm not saying it wouldn't have hurt. I
think it became crueler. It's the old game of god.
It's not we're done, we're not very good, and they go, well,
(31:16):
let's take the victory.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
What the hell? And looks good?
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Good?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
So now it's all I think it. Actually it's it's
where the football gods really can be cruel. Where they
going all, how about a kickoff return that puts them
in basically what they need? Like three runs to get
in the field goal ran, Yes, and really it wasn't
until the third one that they got what they really need.
That's true, Like that was a big sneaky So one
of the runs they lost yard, yes, yes, this was
(31:41):
the second down run. One of the two might have
been both we bowed up and then we didn't, and
then they ended up. I thought there they ended up.
I think it was fourth and one because I thought, well,
you better try to get another first down, you better
try to get more and I know you're not gonna
throw there, but I wasn't convinced that the kicker was
going to make it. But he did, and the Bears
are in first place. In the division.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
It's it's.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
It's mind boggling. And I mentioned earlier the fascinating contrast.
Somebody in fact wrote about this, but I don't know
that they used this particular quote that I noticed on
the Bears. I went back and forth between the Vikings
postgame here on the on the fan on iHeart, and
the Bears post game to get reaction.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
And the most.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Illuminating moment for me regarding Ben Johnson and the Bears
after that game was somebody said, how would you evaluate
your quarterbacks play today?
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Here's this was his answer. I'm not sure. We're gonna
have to look at the film and I'm thinking, whoa.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
After you win? And by the way, he wasn't great.
But my point is Ben Johnson his approach. Now again,
this is year two for Kala, but year one with
him has been a lot more challenging in public where
he has not it's not been a better roses where
(33:13):
he's just constantly offering a praise or you know, he
had some good throws and he had some throws we
I'm sure he'd like to take back and we're a
work in progress. It was got to look at the tape.
I can't say they won the game, and we'll see. Now,
maybe the longer that you know Koc works with JJ,
(33:33):
he'll reach a point where he'll feel comfortable being a
little bit more blunt in public, or maybe even think
there's an advantage to being a little bit more blunt
in public.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
I'm not sure because and I got to tell you
one other thing. I get it on the drops.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Okay, there are a few drops, but I'm not putting
those drops close to the same level of McCarthy's wildness.
In fact, I would argue that on at least two
of those throws they were catchable, but they were not
great throws. And in this effort to I guess, make
(34:09):
sure we remember that's not just about him, and boy
he didn't get helped out there. We lose our minds
and this stuff. Bears had several drops too, and I
didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything about that from
the bear's head coach. He was about, as I said,
as board with and as disinterested in giving his own
quarterback any praise at all. So I found it an
(34:32):
interesting approach. And maybe it has something to do with
Kable's personality. Maybe he just maybe I'm reading too much
into it. But generally after a victory, right, even if
there was a victory not born of great offense. It's
not like they finished the game with a great offensive flourish.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
But that's not the time where the coach.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Usually the coach goes to the tape where he's mad
they lost the game, right you go, I got a look,
I'm not sure. I'm not in the mood to get
very specific. And by the way, Camp Williams is coming
off two great finishing finishes where he came back and
won the game. So maybe a little bit more tough
love in Chicago, And it ain't nothing tough about the
love here right now. Right now, it's all excuses and
(35:16):
fundamentals and we're hanging in and he's doing everything he can.
The only guy, you know, the quarterback whisper who was
tougher on him on the broadcast was Tom Brady. Brady
basically said, look, I get it what all other you
guys are saying about this is but I you're you're
you're a professional player.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
This is your second year.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Even if you didn't play all that much last year,
you come you come from a very good program. Yeah,
there's there's gonna be a lot expected of you from
the beginning. It can't just be well, I'm going to
need extra time to figure this whole thing out.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
We'll see how it goes.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Let's break come back to Nacho's view on what took place,
whether he agreed with me that I had no problem
with kicking the ball, not kicking the ball through the
through the end zone, which I know a lot of
people now do. Funny after the fact, we'll get into that.
We'll get his Hotsplash Player of the game, a quickie
version of liber because we've got Chris Carter coming up
(36:15):
at five as well. All right, quick hit a little
(36:35):
a little shorter than usual with Nacho, because we've got
Chris Carter at the top of the hour. Guards you
reminded me that he was at the game yesterday. Nacho
whether us via the Conneticot Water Systems hotline, and of
course his appearance as usual brought to you by Sierra
Nevada Brewing Company. Perhaps we get started with your Hopsplash
Player of the Game, and then we can get into
(36:57):
a couple other areas quickly. But let's sort of change
the the usual routine.
Speaker 8 (37:01):
We have here.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
Who are you nominating or sighting this week.
Speaker 7 (37:07):
Well, first of all, good to be with you and
tell Chris Carter said, pullo the stud and let's see
the Hopsplash. Player of the game is not just the
guy that I interviewed after the game. I'm not just
picking him just because it's convenient. I actually when I
watched back the film, I noticed what he was doing
during the game, and I'm like, okay, I just need
to like confirm that he actually played solidly, not just
(37:29):
for a couple of plays with throughout, but all right,
guard Will fries Is he's a special player, man, Like
he has been out there just grinding, quietly grinding, and
I thought he played a really solid game. And you
watch the things that they ask him to do, not
just blocking the guys in front or Comba blocking and
getting to the second level. I mean, of all the
(37:51):
guys that poll on our offensive line, he probably pulls
the most, so they're using him in that capacity as well.
So it kind of just shows his athleticism, you know,
his toughness when he's blocking people, and if you watch
the way he finishes, like he just brings an attitude
every single stamp. So I really appreciate what he's doing,
(38:12):
So he's my hotsplash player of the game outstanding.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
One of the debate points that, then, this is what
makes the game of professional football the most popular by far,
is is everybody can offer up an opinion on a
play call, or on a decision, or whatever the case
may be. And the big one after yesterday was the
decision to not try to kick out of.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
The end zone once the Vikings got that late lead.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Again, I think some of that is because of what
ended up happening, But I'm curious to get your view,
and I don't know if you've spoken about this yet,
but I had no problem kicking to the two.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
I actually, I know he's a great return guy.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
But given that the but the Bears only needed three
and I think three time outs left, I don't want
to concede the thirty five yard line in a situation
where a three points means I lose the game. I
think it was the right call. I obviously it ended
up being a worst case scenario. Where were you on
whether they should have just kicked it and accepted the
(39:21):
idea that the Bear started the thirty.
Speaker 7 (39:22):
Five I'm with you on that one. I actually I
thought about it for a brief moment, But I'm like,
we got a pretty good kick cover team, and I
don't know, like, don't you want to make them earn it,
like earn every yard, you know, like we're going to
put our best guys against your best special teams guys
and let's see who ends. Now, it did blow up
(39:43):
in our face, we know that. But you know, when
the balls kicked, I thought that was the right decision
and the right call. And you know, if we you know,
played out and we pinned them back on let's just
say the twenty yard line, the old touchback spot. You know,
it's fifteen more yards that exactly. No, you know, like
that could have been the difference in the game. So
(40:04):
I like the idea just to kick it off and
let him return it.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Yeah, I didn't have a problem with it.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
So a lot of people, and I think you may
have talked some about this, they're noting the way McCarthy
finished on that last drive, and they're going with, you know,
maybe we go more no huddle, maybe when there's less
that in that situation, there's less to think about and
he can just sort of fling the ball.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
Is that over simplifying things? Is there something to it.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
Is anything that the Vikings and koc Can can learn
to try to incorporate that might give him a better
chance to settle down in other parts of the game.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
Or is it just apples and oranges?
Speaker 7 (40:41):
You know, I wish it were that simple. I definitely
think in those two man interurills, you're doing you know,
you're doing less check with mees at the line right.
You know, you are just kind of calling the play
and whatever happens happens, and you know the center's going
to make their call and they're going to get right.
But a lot of times you don't have time to
really diagnose like, oh is this guy tipping a blitz
(41:03):
or are they tipping a coverage? You just have to
play it out. So I do think, you know, you
can maybe take a little bit of that simplification, but
it's not. It's just not that easy. And the thing
is the other part of it is in two minute drill,
you're doing less play action to the defense. You're not
trying to fool them. It's like, Okay, we're just playing
(41:25):
seven on seven out here, and and I don't think
that that's sustainable. I mean, we've seen this a lot
of times with different quarterbacks in different situations where like, wait, well,
what can't we just play because it doesn't work like that,
you know, it just it just doesn't. It's gonna catch
up to you gotta find more balance. And we talk
about it all the time. I mean even leading up
to this game, Mike mink we run the football a
little bit more and we got more of a commitment
(41:46):
to the run, and we saw that the offense I think,
functions better like that. You get more more pass protection
in those situations if you're just throwing the ball willy
nilly fifty five times a game and seven on seven,
you're gonna get beat and you're gonna get picked off,
and you're gonna get at a whole bunch.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
So the he's not the first young quarterback to be erratic,
but even by erratic standards, I mean, the wildness high
I think is kind of symbolized by the on the
on the JJ play was pretty alarming, I think, and
and you know, pretty unusual even by young quarterback standards.
Do you have any theories on what happens?
Speaker 6 (42:22):
Is it?
Speaker 10 (42:22):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (42:23):
You know you want to say, well, sometimes he gets
sped up.
Speaker 4 (42:26):
I don't know. Is it? Is it mechanics? Is it?
Speaker 2 (42:30):
You know, the basic stuff that that the head coach
keeps talking about. Is it in his head where no
matter what he says publicly about how I'm fine, I
take responsibility, but I'm in and I'm he's you know,
he's he's he's shaking hands on the sideline. We'll get
him next time. And he sounds like he's not let
anything get to him. If there's a chance that some
of this stuff is getting to.
Speaker 7 (42:50):
Him, you know, it might. I mean, I wish I
had more insight on what really goes into throwing mechanics.
My my, just like very novice guess is that he's
just not transferring his weight, you know, more forward, you know,
like you're seeing you know, the like the the ball
that he sailed early in the game, Justin's making an
(43:12):
outcut towards their sideline and he know he just airmailed
it right, and there wasn't there wasn't people, and there
weren't players in front of him. The pocket wasn't collapsing
in those clean situations. It's like, well, what really happened there?
And it just seems like he's not he's not transferring
all of that weight from his back foot to his
front foot. It looks like he is, but there must
(43:33):
be something mechanically going on where the release point is
coming up, you know, you know, behind the midpoint or something.
I don't know, that's my best guess because when you
see he had another play similar to uh to Justin Jefferson,
but it was more of an indcut and it was
early in the game. It might have been the second
drive of the game where he stepped up in the
(43:55):
pocket and where he was literally moving forward like his
body weight is and he delivers a dart right on
his numbers, and it's like, well, that's the exaggeratory look
of the weight transfer going forward because he's actually moving forward.
But when he's in a static position, he's setting his
feet and he's you know, he's turning his hips. But
(44:15):
is he really turning his hips and transferring the weight
from the back foot to the front foot. I don't
know if that's not even it, that's not it. But
I look at those two different plays and I'm like, well,
the difference is the weight's going forward on the one
where he's escaping and climbing the pocket, and that's why
it looks so good, and those static throws get a
little erratic because he's not transferring that weight.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
Last question for you today, and I appreciate your indulgence
since we have a crystal earlier than I originally anticipated.
Are you of the mind? I think you've been all
along the guy. One of the guys just said you
just got to play him. I mean, this is it,
this is your few, this is the guy you decided
you got to find out about him, You got to
let him play through stuff. Is there any hesitation in that,
(44:58):
the danger of if he can continues to have these
sorts of highs and lows and quarterback rankings.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
Where you go, Man, I don't want to mess with it.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
I don't want to like get traumatized mentally here that
it might be better to have him sit for a while,
or do you say nope, full speed ahead, training wheels
have to stay off. Chances are the season is pretty
close to, you know, being done in terms of a
playoff race if they lose the next week or two,
and you just got to keep throwing them out there
and get give him every minute you can.
Speaker 7 (45:28):
Yeah, this is a tough love situation for me, and unfortunately, Yeah,
the offense is gonna at times suffer from it. You know,
your star player is going to be frustrated at times.
But I'm my guess is they all understand it. This
is just what it looks like to kind of go
through these rough patches. So my advice is you'll you'll
ride with him all the way through the season. If
(45:49):
that means that you are non competitive in some games,
does that mean that the defense is going to be
set up on a short field because the turnovers and interceptions. Yes,
because when he goes back and he watches the film
and they get to learn his personality and what he
does really well and what he can handle when they
go in the offseason, that's all such valuable information to
(46:10):
know to chew on, to dissect, and to motivate. And
that's what you want of a young player like Okay,
I have these four or five things that I have
to work on this offseason, and that's when you make
the biggest strides. So he's going to make it. Every player,
whether you're a bust of a first round pick or not,
you make the biggest strides from year one to year two.
(46:32):
And I already like so much of what I see
that I'm already excited to see what he can look
like in the Tony twenty sixth version.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
Thanks for the time as always, well chat next week.
Speaker 7 (46:40):
Thanks Ben, all right, sounds good.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
See Nacho Lieber Ben Leever helping us out. And we're
cutting it a little short because Chris Carter is scheduled
to join us next If you have questions for him,
hit the branch on Brian Cafe in text line six
four six eighty six. He was in attendance as guards,
he reminds me, very prominently in attendance yes day the game.
We'll get his reaction and you know, as always with Chris,
(47:04):
get into a couple of other issues as well.
Speaker 4 (47:06):
Stay tuned.
And it's starting Johnny headache about that right.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Now, let's start with the obvious with Johnny Athletic, brought
to you by RBC Wealth Management. Do you want to
start the segment with the apology or do you want
to save it for the end?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Well, I feel like people always delight in whatever downfall
I have and whatever I've put in my mouth, So
why don't we let them wait for a little bit,
let them that and then yeah, I'll.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Embargo it for a little bit. That's so, that's okay, Yeah, great, because.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
People stick around through the segment and like, let me
have beg on my face for whatever reason, I should
have beg on my face right now, which I have
no idea.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
If if well, you we'll get to it. Believe me,
because I found it, I located it. Okay, if you
were counseling Koca, would you have suggested that.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Via text?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
You know, however, you could commute maybe if you've a headset,
you go, Koc. I'm as big as JJ McCarthy fan
as you are. I'm not done with him. I'm not
giving up on him. I love him, but put him
out of his misery. Put put It doesn't matter whether
it's Brosmer or it's past or not. Just sit him,
sit him for the rest of this game. Just let
(01:47):
him sit there for a while, because this is just
not very workable right now. What would your your best
counsel have been to to Koc?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, Dan, I'm actually after the game was over, I
actually kind of reached to the other side of the
equation in that and said, Koc, this is your guy.
This is the guy that you have to figure out
if he is viable long term, if he is not
viable long term, There's nobody better in the league to
(02:18):
make that decision than you. And so let's dispense with
the idea that you are competing for playoffs, that you
are competing for, you know, trying to really division titles,
those types of things, and let's just now try to
construct everything around who JJ is and figuring out who
(02:41):
JJ is as a quarterback, as a person, and if
this is doable. And so there were times then in
the third quarter on Sunday where I was like, may man,
maybe it is brosmor time, Maybe it is just time
to really just you know, let let this kid clear
his head, him down and figure things out. But now
(03:02):
I think you're just too far into it now, and
it is clear that the rest of the team is
not quite up to the task of being perfect around JJ,
as people really thought that it was going to be
at the start of the season, And so now the
priority shift to all in on JJ, figuring that out.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Let's worry about how the wins come, you know later.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I actually think that's probably the better way to go.
I think the question is going to be if I mean,
you saw how wild he was. This was not I
don't even think by normal customary young quarterback standards, where
all of them have difficulty processing and occasionally have a
little bit of wildness. This was in another dimension, to
(03:48):
the point where even Tom Brady, a big Michigan man,
I might add, you could tell, was a bit unsettled
by what he was seeing. So is there a chance
that the mistake we now maybe accept that the mistake
was not that not committing to him long term, but
(04:09):
thinking that there was any real chance to thread this
needle of doing both having our cake and eating it too,
letting him figure it out and make these kinds of
mistakes and living through it and still pretending that we
were going to be able to make ourselves viable as
a playoff team.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah, I guess here's how I would answer that, Dan,
is that I think that two things are true here,
and one is is that jj does not appear like
at this point in his career. And whether he gets
there or not, we don't know yet, but he does
not appear right now ready to be the kind of
(04:48):
player that can go out and really win you games
and be consistent for four quarters and like and surprise
people with being ahead of the curve from a developmental standpoint,
And so that part is true. But also I think
at the start of the season there was the theory
(05:10):
put forward and the belief was that, hey, he has
Kevin O'Connell as offensive coordinator. He has Justin Jefferson and
Jordan Addison and Hockinson and Aaron Jones. They've beached up
the offensive line. There are so many things around him
that make it so he doesn't have to be like
Jaden Daniels was last year, or maybe like Drake may
(05:33):
Is this year and in year two of really coming
on and being an additive playmaker, that they can kind
of figure it out around him and be good enough
around him to let him learn on the job, and
now we're seeing they're not good enough around him either. Yeah,
Jordan Adison dropping passes, Adams Field dropping passes, TJ. Hockinson
dropping passes. You have you know, weaky offensive line play
(05:56):
week's week. Last week it was good, but a.
Speaker 5 (05:59):
Lot of times you have of that.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Kevin O'Connell is still trying to figure out the play
calling with the running game and and that sort of thing.
And so I think that JJ is not as good
as anyone hoped he would be.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
But I don't think the rest of the team around him.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Has been good as good as anyone hoped it would
be either. So they're kind of failing on multiple fronts here.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, although I mean he had good protection much of
the time yesterday.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
Yeah, that left me goes good.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Yeah, And I want to be clear Dan, first, I
want to be clear, like, yeah, I am of the
mind of that JJ needs time and you want to
see it.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
But he's been bad, Like there's no question about that.
He has been He has been bad.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
And when you look at kind of the lists that
he is on from a completion percentage standpoint through five games,
from a interception standpoint, the guys around him are not
the Peyton Mannings, who had a rough first year. It's like,
you know, it's it's really it's really poor quarterbacks, and
so the trend lines are not good for JJ McCarthy,
(07:01):
but also the Vikings could have helped them a little
bit more. If Addison would have caught that pass in
the first quarter, it's probably a touchdown, maybe they win
the game, Like you know, so they have to be
perfect around them, and they just haven't been. But JJ
McCarthy has not been good by any stretch of the imagination,
except for like a few late game drives in Chicago
and then last week.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Is the dream pretty much gone at this point or
do you still hold out some hope that they could somehow,
given the way teams can dramatically shift week to week
through stretches, that they can hang into this thing, or
do you think it pretty much ended at home yesterday.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
I mean, it's it's hard for me to completely give
up on a team that went into Detroit and played
as well as they did and won like they did.
That's hard for me to just say for sure it
is over. I mean, there's always a chance that things
can turn around. But it's the way that McCarthy is
playing with some of the other mistakes.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
Last week it was penalties, this week it.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Was dropped passes, with some of the other things that
are happening around him, but primarily with JJ not showing
signs of really clicking in, it's hard for me to
look at this and say that there is a turnaround coming.
So I am of the mind as I walked out
of the stadium last night that, you know, kind of
as I was saying at the start, but you really
(08:27):
doubling down on it, is that I think that right
now you shift your focus from hey, let's do whatever
we can to win games and to get back into
playoff contention and make this thing real, and instead let's
do everything we possibly have to do to put McCarthy
(08:48):
in enough positions so that by the end of the
year you do have a good feel of, hey, he's
progressed enough to keep going with this, or you know,
we're better suited looking at what other options are in
the quarterback market.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
What did you think of the defense yesterday?
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I thought it was fine.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
You know, I hated the third and long in the
fourth quarter that they just couldn't get off the field.
It seems like they have you know, a real problem
in big spots when it is third and long with
giving up hunk plays and yardage and not being able
to get off the field late in games. It's happened
multiple times this year. I sure wish they could create
(09:29):
a turnover like once in a blue moon. Like that is,
you know, every week they're losing the turnover battle. And
it's not like McCarthy's throwing five picks. He threw two
this week, and that's not great, but like your defense
should be able to come up with a couple of
plays to shift the field back the other way, and
they just aren't able to. But other than that, they
(09:50):
played really solid against the Bears team that was putting
up a lot of points that was looked like they
were figuring things out offensively, and and they kept the
Viking in the game.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
They kept that score nice and low. And you should
you be.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Able to win a home game give you know, with
the defense play and the way that they did and
keep giving up the points.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
That they did.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
So all in all, I was fine with it. I
just wish there could be a few more big plays
that this defense could create to to shift the momentum
and to put their offense in advantageous positions. You look
what happened, you know, when Miles Price had the kick
return and then they scored two plays later. Like you
need with a young quarterback. You need your special teams
(10:30):
and your defense.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
To make splash plays.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
And right now, the Vikings defense isn't making nearly enough
splash plays to help you win games.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You you know, takeaways can be they often have an
element of luck, but it's reached kind of the point
of absurdity for this team. I think the Vikings for
the season have nine takeaways, and five of them came
in one game against Cincinnati. So if I'm doing my
math right, that's four takeaways in your other nine games.
(11:01):
That's that That can't that tells where you're not around
the ball enough or that can't just be luck. That's
an extraordinarily low number that obviously, if this team is
can have any chance to feed and steal some games,
the rest of the way is going to have to change.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
Yeah, they're not you know, they're getting around the.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Quarterback, but not consistently enough to speed up passes and
make them throw things before they're ready. And then when
they are around the quarterback, Caleb Williams is spinning out
of it and and and and saving the play, so
they're not getting them on the ground. But then they're
also the back end. Just there's no playmakers back there, Dan,
like you know, cam By them was they playmaker like you?
(11:43):
And yet like you said, there might have been some
luck involved in some of those and and buying them
might have had some other faults, but they really miss
a BALLHOWK Harrison Smith is not that.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
At this stage of his career.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
THEO Jackson has not shown the ability to do that on.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
A consistent basis. You know, Murphy and you know, and Rogers.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Rogers had the one great game against Cincinnati and has
been just you know, you know, unimpressive sense and so.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
None of their guys I.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Think Grenard and Ben Ginkle are capable of doing it.
Gernard obviously didn't play against the Bears. But other than that,
there just are not any big time, you know, highlight
real playmakers out there. They're just steady guys. And in
this league you have to find ways to make big
(12:32):
plays and to shift the energy back on your side,
and they have not been able to do that.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Let me ask you a college football question. You don't.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
I don't think you cover a lot of Gofer stuff,
but you pay attention to what's going on. They go
on the road again Friday night and get what they
were really never in the ball game. I think the
final was forty two to thirteen.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
They have lost four road games, starting with the Cal
game that they also lost by double digits.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
It wasn't a route like the other three were. But
I guess I'm trying to you know, we get into
this game of we'll be able to he wins eight
games eight games. There's a lot of games and and
I'm here to tell you that I don't think this
is quite like pro football where you say wins or
wins or wins. I do think part of how you
measure in college football is who you're beating or and
(13:24):
even who you are competing against.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
And I got into this on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
My biggest gripe isn't that they can't go to the
on the road and beat Ohio State, or go on
the road and and and and beat Iowa, for example,
or beat Oregon. Although it shouldn't be the end, it
shouldn't be that difficult to beat Iowa. It's that you
got to join the battle, and if you want me
to call it a successful season, even if you're sitting
(13:49):
there with eight wins, if they turn around and win
the next two, which then they're both quite winnable. Sorry,
I can't do that with a straight face. I can
and I can't listen to PJ tell me that this
is a really good football team. That doesn't define a
really good football team. So where are you at? If
I take your temperature on the Golden golfers right now
and this season, where are you?
Speaker 6 (14:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
I would say, I think I'm kind of in line
with where you're at in terms of I First of all,
I do think PJ. Fleck is a good coach, and
I think he's the right coach for this program in
this market and in trying to like bring, you know,
any some kind of attention and energy to it and
go out and recruit and do the things that he
(14:31):
is doing. So in all of those kind of areas,
I give PJ. Fleck high marks. But I do think
it has been disappointing. I would say, is the word
that I would use, that they have not been more
competitive in some of these games. I did not expect
them to go to Oregon on a Friday night and
(14:52):
win that game. But you do want to see some
progress as the season goes along, and you want to
see you know, some sort of uh yeah, competitive spirits,
some juice that's that's around the program that you build on.
You have a young quarterback who I really like, and
I think that it is presumable that over the next
couple of years, provided he stays here, that that that
(15:15):
things can start looking up more and more. But yeah,
I mean getting kind of man handled the way that
they have in some of these games is should it
should There's the bar should be higher than that in
terms of week to week competitiveness. And I do think
it's just a it's an okay team. I don't think
you can call them a good team. Maybe they will
(15:37):
be good in the next couple of years as Lindsay
gets gets older and more mature, but like, but yeah,
it is disappointing to me that you know, they just
go in and get routed by by a team like
Oregon and that they you know that that they're not
in more of these games and kind of given.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
Fans something to be a little more excited about.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
The early NBA season has featured obviously a great deal
of success for the defending champions against not I think
the greatest schedule, but because of the way they've dominated.
In fact, I think their point, their margin of victory
so far is historic with a couple of the great
all time teams, they're still being saluted.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
The Denver Nuggets came.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
To town Saturday, representing a chance for the Wolves to
I think, beat a team with the winning record for
the first time, which ultimately they were not able to do.
So give me before we talk a little bit about
the Wolf situation, give me your read on whether there's
concern in Wolves Land that a team they've kind of
(16:42):
done pretty well against even in the postseason, Denver is
now more of a threat and now maybe a cut
above potentially what the Wolves have fashioned, you know, have
turned themselves into the last couple of playoffs playoff runs.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
How do we evaluate.
Speaker 5 (17:01):
Yeah, I think that you know, the Wolves are.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Still confident in the matchup and that eventually if they
got into a series that they would feel like they
could win. But certainly like the feeling of dominance, the
feeling like they had a mental edge over the Nuggets
is long gone. The Nuggets have vastly improved their bench.
(17:24):
Which was the big thing, you know in that playoff
series two years ago, was that the Wolves in Game
seven just walked down Yokich and Murray and Gordon because
they were just.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Run out of gas.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
That in that second half of Game seven, they had
no energy left because they all had to play forty
five minutes a night to try and be competitive in
that series. And so when you add Tim Hardaway Junior,
when you add valanchounis, when you add Cam Johnson, Bruce
Brown back, like, they're just deeper than they've been in
a while.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
And that should allow.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
The Nuggets to be fret usure going into the playoffs
this year. And then the other part that is different
now from the Nuggets that they have faced the last
couple of years is that Jamal Murray's kind of back
to its real difference making ways and Aaron Gordon suddenly
can't miss from three point range. And those are you know,
two things, two elements. The Wolves just tormented Murray in
(18:20):
their matchups, and then Gordon they would just say, off
of and dare to shoot threes, so they could kind
of more give more attention to Jokic and and he
couldn't make them pay. Well, now he's he's just shooting
an incredible clip and looks like that strategy may not work,
and so they are very formidable. I think Dan that
it's okay, see number one, it's Denver a clear number two,
(18:42):
and you throw into another tier with Houston Lakers. Maybe
Minnesota might be in there eventually if they start playing
better against against good teams with Denver.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Is absolutely legit.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And this does look like a different animal than the
team the Wolves had so much successful.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
So we what do we?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I guess in terms of some of this again has
to do with schedule, but is there any mild concern
how this is broken down so far for this team.
You know, they've they've they've gotten better and a little
bit more dominant against teams are supposed to take care of,
which is a previous complaint that we've had about the
Wolves even when they've been good, and to that that's positive,
(19:24):
I would think, But we got to start, you know,
not just competing but playing against uh, you know, winning teams.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
Correct, Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
And part of this is like it's still too early
in the season. I really think Dan to like drop
major conclusions because some of those games that they've lost
against good teams, like either Ant didn't play in them,
or like in the next game, you had just come
back from injury, and certainly it was not himself, you know,
even the Nuggets game on Saturday, like Ant went oz
(19:53):
for eight from three, Like how often is that going
to happen?
Speaker 5 (19:56):
And and so.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
There's a little bit of like variance that you that
you of want to guard against. But it's been five
games now where they have played teams with winning records
and they've lost every one of them. Sooner or later,
they've got to start winning games against good teams.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
They are very fortunate.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Right now that they're in an incredibly soft part of
their schedule, and to their credit, they are doing something
they hadn't done in the past, which has beat the
bad teams. There no against teams with the five hundred
record or worse. But if you really want to start
believing that this is a team that can not only
get into the playoffs again, but like then do more
(20:36):
damage in the playoffs, and they have talked about making
that final step, they are going to have to start
playing better against the really good teams. The Denvers, the
New York's the you know, OKAC comes up next week,
so there's gonna be some tests coming up to.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
See how far they've come.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
But so far they have not met those moments. And
and you know, the more of them they get them,
there's gonna be more questions. Yeah, and it's clear that
they have they have a lot to answer for it.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
And as you know, Denver was also down two starters.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
So you know, the Wolves can say, well, Anthony didn't
shoot as well as he usually did. But you know,
there's you can you can you can talk yourself out
of anything on that basis. I mean, Denver played a
much better fourth quarter I thought than across the board.
Then the Wolves at a point where the game was
quite winnable, or seemed to be winnable because it was
very competitive up until up until that point. Lastly, the apology.
(21:28):
Do you want to get it in now? Do I
need to prompt you or do you want to just
volunteer it? I think it'd be more powerful and effective
if you volunteer it.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
But it's up to you.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
It's I'll bring it up if you want. It's entirely
how you want to handle it. Donny Wow, he took offense.
Maybe he didn't want to apologize. Well, you know it
was gonna be better about that the hockey community. Why
don't I call him back because he's gonna want to
speak on.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
This, Well, yeah he should.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
All all of a sudden, all we do is either
win or tie get a point, and all we do
is guard the team that was giving was routinely giving
up four, five and six goals a game earlier in
the season, is giving up zero, one or two on
(22:22):
pretty much a regular basis. So I wanted to give
him a chance to acknowledge that because he tends to be.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
Let's just put this way.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
When the Wilder struggling, he's notable, he notices, and he
talks about it.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
I did you were you? Did you hang up because
you did not want to face the music?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Johnny started there for a second. I was like a
Charlie Brown parent, and that was interesting to me. So
I couldn't really hear it. But I hear you loud
and clear now, and so please, well, like, let's.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Square, I'm just saying that you were not hesitant early
in this season when the wild were routinely giving up four, five, six,
seven goals. To mock the team's defense, and the start
of the generally speaking, the start that the team had.
Now they're routinely giving up zero one and two. They're
(23:18):
almost Lamaire like defensively right now, and they're winning more games.
They won an OT again last night, and I'm not
hearing a peep from you now.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Isn't that funny?
Speaker 3 (23:30):
It's hilarious because I will tell you this, Dan, literally,
you are the only person that ever.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Asked me my Hotey opinion.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
So so it's just funny how that happens. Is the
only reason I haven't been able to give them of
latest because we haven't talked about it.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Nobody else wants to hear me on that.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
But I believe, I will say, we can run the
tape back. But I do believe the last time that
you tried to draw me in didn't work to the battle.
I think I said that the Wild have this weird
thing where every year they play terribly for a little while,
and then they go on a streak where they never
lose for like thirty games, and they get right back
(24:11):
into it and get everyone excited, and then you know,
maybe they lose in the first round.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
Again. We'll see what happens.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
But but This is very much like a hockey season
where they I don't know, you look at them and
they're just like, what in the heck is going on?
This is a disaster, and then all of a sudden
everything falls into place. Puck lucked you a defensive intensity,
all that stuff, and so happy for him. It's really
nice to kind of take a little bit of the
pressure off. But let's let's see what happens in April
(24:39):
and May.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Okay, all right, I mean it's up to you.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
I just thought, maybe, you know, it shows a little
bit of grace there, a little bit a little bit
of humility, but probably too much to askiving.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Is next week? Maybe maybe a Monday of next week.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
A little bit that might be the answer. Thanks John,
that might be it. Well chat, we'll chat next week, all.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Right, Thanks Dan.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
That's Johnny Athletic. I forgot to mention to him. This
might be a bit disappointing to hardcore basketball purists. I
think the Wolves have a game coming up fairly soon
later this month with the Spurs, and now the word
is calf injury. He's sidelined for several weeks and they're
(25:21):
becoming very anal around the league about calf injuries because
of this belief that it's a precursor to the possibility
of blowing out your achilles.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I mean you could say, well, it's easier to beat
the Spurs without him, but I mean you want to
see the best, don't you. And Wenby has done just
some freaky stuff this year. Yes, there's no question about it.
He's on a highlight reel every night on hundred percent.
All right, what's the plan. Bottom of the hour, We'll
try to get to a Vikings talking point, We'll prepare
for Ben Lieber and then we've got Chris Carter at
five o'clock.
Speaker 6 (25:50):
Uncle, don't get them.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
You don't show up what you can do.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Hockey community is not afraid to slash tires. That seems
a bit excessive. Oh, they shouldn't do that, doesn't it. Yes,
that's I don't want to encourage that.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
No, we do not.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I don't think he meant it. I think he was
just it's it's kind of the bit. Apparently I'm the
only one that ever had Well, it's because you know this,
Johnny's very sly about throwing in the hockey community. Jab
he did in that last the last answer, I mean,
(27:21):
come on, it's it's right there for everybody, isn't it.
I mean, I just I'm just saying he can't. I
don't think he can conveniently leave that out at this point.
All right, let's do this in this segment. Let's get
to well, let's just let's go to the very end
of the ball game. Let's do the what we like
(27:42):
to call the ecstasy and the agony.
Speaker 8 (27:46):
First intent from the Bear's fifteen Addison in motion to
the last takes the snap. Now, four men rush McCarthy
to the end zone.
Speaker 9 (27:57):
Job listen, just in the nick of time, and we're
tied at sixteen. B JJ McCarthy, well done.
Speaker 10 (28:10):
You gotta give a ton of credit to the offensive line.
The Bears one with a four man rush, and McCarthy
had all the time in the world to allow Addison
on as a second really through the zone to get
to the end zone. And it was a beautiful back
shoulder throw and Jordan Aison comes up with the biggest
catchup the day.
Speaker 8 (28:30):
Reikert snap spot the Rykert.
Speaker 9 (28:34):
Guess how about this seventeen sixteen Minnesota coming from the
depths of nowhere.
Speaker 5 (28:45):
They've gone from the.
Speaker 8 (28:46):
Outthouse to the penthouse.
Speaker 9 (28:48):
We have fifty seconds to go in the game.
Speaker 6 (28:51):
And just like.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
Week one, when the Vikings trailed seventeen to six into
the fourth quarter, they trailed sixteen to three, these Bears
into the fourth quarter and now they lead seventeen sixteen.
The Bears have three timeouts. Almost cool Shrepper kicking into
the east side of the US Bank Stadium. Boom, a
(29:13):
shorter kick by design DuVernay from his own three hits right, five, ten,
fifteen to twenty.
Speaker 9 (29:19):
It's a nice block from Blackwell, Eric Gilson trying to
run him down with Bill Record and just Blackwell make
that Devin DuVernay out of bounds, deepened Vikings territory. Devin
DuVernay with a cold blooded return of fifty seven yards
and with forty two seconds to go in the game,
(29:41):
Minnesota leads seventeen sixteen and the Bears have the ball
at the Vikings thirty nine yard line.
Speaker 10 (29:48):
A wall you talk about disappointing. Dubernat was able to
catch his football on a near side and in bend
it all the way to the opposite side on the field.
What a block by Blackwell and Tyler Baddy just wasn't
able to get stay in your lanes. Huge, huge, huge
mistake by the special team. Now the Bears started their
own four yard line.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
You can't give an inch right here, now, you can't.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
H Oh.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
He didn't even include the game winning field goal. I
thought that was going to be the the No, he's
going to be part of the agony. No, just the
ecstasy and the agony. Yeah, well, I mean it's set
up by that that play. But and as I said,
I thought, I thought the Bears were being way too
presumptuous about their field goal kicker, who has a good
(30:35):
he's accurate, but doesn't have like compared to a lot
of these these these new fangled kickers, he does not
have a cannon for for a leg. I don't think
like Will the Thrill like Will Yeah, like several even
our guy. Yeah, well that's what you mean, Will the Thrill.
That's there's several Will of thrills. I forgot that. That's
one of our nicknames for him. So I mean I'm
(30:55):
trying to fit. I mean that made it crueler, right
if the if the Vikings had just I'm at last drive,
you know, turn it over on downs rather than scoring
in an odd sort of way, wouldn't it have been
less painful. I'm not saying it wouldn't have hurt. I
think it became crueler. It's the old game of god.
It's not we're done, we're not very good, and they go, well,
(31:16):
let's take the victory.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
What the hell? And looks good?
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Good?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
So now it's all I think it. Actually it's it's
where the football gods really can be cruel. Where they
going all, how about a kickoff return that puts them
in basically what they need? Like three runs to get
in the field goal ran, Yes, and really it wasn't
until the third one that they got what they really need.
That's true, Like that was a big sneaky So one
of the runs they lost yard, yes, yes, this was
(31:41):
the second down run. One of the two might have
been both we bowed up and then we didn't, and
then they ended up. I thought there they ended up.
I think it was fourth and one because I thought, well,
you better try to get another first down, you better
try to get more and I know you're not gonna
throw there, but I wasn't convinced that the kicker was
going to make it. But he did, and the Bears
are in first place. In the division.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
It's it's.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
It's mind boggling. And I mentioned earlier the fascinating contrast.
Somebody in fact wrote about this, but I don't know
that they used this particular quote that I noticed on
the Bears. I went back and forth between the Vikings
postgame here on the on the fan on iHeart, and
the Bears post game to get reaction.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
And the most.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Illuminating moment for me regarding Ben Johnson and the Bears
after that game was somebody said, how would you evaluate
your quarterbacks play today?
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Here's this was his answer. I'm not sure. We're gonna
have to look at the film and I'm thinking, whoa.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
After you win? And by the way, he wasn't great.
But my point is Ben Johnson his approach. Now again,
this is year two for Kala, but year one with
him has been a lot more challenging in public where
he has not it's not been a better roses where
(33:13):
he's just constantly offering a praise or you know, he
had some good throws and he had some throws we
I'm sure he'd like to take back and we're a
work in progress. It was got to look at the tape.
I can't say they won the game, and we'll see. Now,
maybe the longer that you know Koc works with JJ,
(33:33):
he'll reach a point where he'll feel comfortable being a
little bit more blunt in public, or maybe even think
there's an advantage to being a little bit more blunt
in public.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
I'm not sure because and I got to tell you
one other thing. I get it on the drops.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Okay, there are a few drops, but I'm not putting
those drops close to the same level of McCarthy's wildness.
In fact, I would argue that on at least two
of those throws they were catchable, but they were not
great throws. And in this effort to I guess, make
(34:09):
sure we remember that's not just about him, and boy
he didn't get helped out there. We lose our minds
and this stuff. Bears had several drops too, and I
didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything about that from
the bear's head coach. He was about, as I said,
as board with and as disinterested in giving his own
quarterback any praise at all. So I found it an
(34:32):
interesting approach. And maybe it has something to do with
Kable's personality. Maybe he just maybe I'm reading too much
into it. But generally after a victory, right, even if
there was a victory not born of great offense. It's
not like they finished the game with a great offensive flourish.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
But that's not the time where the coach.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Usually the coach goes to the tape where he's mad
they lost the game, right you go, I got a look,
I'm not sure. I'm not in the mood to get
very specific. And by the way, Camp Williams is coming
off two great finishing finishes where he came back and
won the game. So maybe a little bit more tough
love in Chicago, And it ain't nothing tough about the
love here right now. Right now, it's all excuses and
(35:16):
fundamentals and we're hanging in and he's doing everything he can.
The only guy, you know, the quarterback whisper who was
tougher on him on the broadcast was Tom Brady. Brady
basically said, look, I get it what all other you
guys are saying about this is but I you're you're
you're a professional player.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
This is your second year.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Even if you didn't play all that much last year,
you come you come from a very good program. Yeah,
there's there's gonna be a lot expected of you from
the beginning. It can't just be well, I'm going to
need extra time to figure this whole thing out.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
We'll see how it goes.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Let's break come back to Nacho's view on what took place,
whether he agreed with me that I had no problem
with kicking the ball, not kicking the ball through the
through the end zone, which I know a lot of
people now do. Funny after the fact, we'll get into that.
We'll get his Hotsplash Player of the game, a quickie
version of liber because we've got Chris Carter coming up
(36:15):
at five as well. All right, quick hit a little
(36:35):
a little shorter than usual with Nacho, because we've got
Chris Carter at the top of the hour. Guards you
reminded me that he was at the game yesterday. Nacho
whether us via the Conneticot Water Systems hotline, and of
course his appearance as usual brought to you by Sierra
Nevada Brewing Company. Perhaps we get started with your Hopsplash
Player of the Game, and then we can get into
(36:57):
a couple other areas quickly. But let's sort of change
the the usual routine.
Speaker 8 (37:01):
We have here.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
Who are you nominating or sighting this week.
Speaker 7 (37:07):
Well, first of all, good to be with you and
tell Chris Carter said, pullo the stud and let's see
the Hopsplash. Player of the game is not just the
guy that I interviewed after the game. I'm not just
picking him just because it's convenient. I actually when I
watched back the film, I noticed what he was doing
during the game, and I'm like, okay, I just need
to like confirm that he actually played solidly, not just
(37:29):
for a couple of plays with throughout, but all right,
guard Will fries Is he's a special player, man, Like
he has been out there just grinding, quietly grinding, and
I thought he played a really solid game. And you
watch the things that they ask him to do, not
just blocking the guys in front or Comba blocking and
getting to the second level. I mean, of all the
(37:51):
guys that poll on our offensive line, he probably pulls
the most, so they're using him in that capacity as well.
So it kind of just shows his athleticism, you know,
his toughness when he's blocking people, and if you watch
the way he finishes, like he just brings an attitude
every single stamp. So I really appreciate what he's doing,
(38:12):
So he's my hotsplash player of the game outstanding.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
One of the debate points that, then, this is what
makes the game of professional football the most popular by far,
is is everybody can offer up an opinion on a
play call, or on a decision, or whatever the case
may be. And the big one after yesterday was the
decision to not try to kick out of.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
The end zone once the Vikings got that late lead.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Again, I think some of that is because of what
ended up happening, But I'm curious to get your view,
and I don't know if you've spoken about this yet,
but I had no problem kicking to the two.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
I actually, I know he's a great return guy.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
But given that the but the Bears only needed three
and I think three time outs left, I don't want
to concede the thirty five yard line in a situation
where a three points means I lose the game. I
think it was the right call. I obviously it ended
up being a worst case scenario. Where were you on
whether they should have just kicked it and accepted the
(39:21):
idea that the Bear started the thirty.
Speaker 7 (39:22):
Five I'm with you on that one. I actually I
thought about it for a brief moment, But I'm like,
we got a pretty good kick cover team, and I
don't know, like, don't you want to make them earn it,
like earn every yard, you know, like we're going to
put our best guys against your best special teams guys
and let's see who ends. Now, it did blow up
(39:43):
in our face, we know that. But you know, when
the balls kicked, I thought that was the right decision
and the right call. And you know, if we you know,
played out and we pinned them back on let's just
say the twenty yard line, the old touchback spot. You know,
it's fifteen more yards that exactly. No, you know, like
that could have been the difference in the game. So
(40:04):
I like the idea just to kick it off and
let him return it.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Yeah, I didn't have a problem with it.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
So a lot of people, and I think you may
have talked some about this, they're noting the way McCarthy
finished on that last drive, and they're going with, you know,
maybe we go more no huddle, maybe when there's less
that in that situation, there's less to think about and
he can just sort of fling the ball.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
Is that over simplifying things? Is there something to it.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
Is anything that the Vikings and koc Can can learn
to try to incorporate that might give him a better
chance to settle down in other parts of the game.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
Or is it just apples and oranges?
Speaker 7 (40:41):
You know, I wish it were that simple. I definitely
think in those two man interurills, you're doing you know,
you're doing less check with mees at the line right.
You know, you are just kind of calling the play
and whatever happens happens, and you know the center's going
to make their call and they're going to get right.
But a lot of times you don't have time to
really diagnose like, oh is this guy tipping a blitz
(41:03):
or are they tipping a coverage? You just have to
play it out. So I do think, you know, you
can maybe take a little bit of that simplification, but
it's not. It's just not that easy. And the thing
is the other part of it is in two minute drill,
you're doing less play action to the defense. You're not
trying to fool them. It's like, Okay, we're just playing
(41:25):
seven on seven out here, and and I don't think
that that's sustainable. I mean, we've seen this a lot
of times with different quarterbacks in different situations where like, wait, well,
what can't we just play because it doesn't work like that,
you know, it just it just doesn't. It's gonna catch
up to you gotta find more balance. And we talk
about it all the time. I mean even leading up
to this game, Mike mink we run the football a
little bit more and we got more of a commitment
(41:46):
to the run, and we saw that the offense I think,
functions better like that. You get more more pass protection
in those situations if you're just throwing the ball willy
nilly fifty five times a game and seven on seven,
you're gonna get beat and you're gonna get picked off,
and you're gonna get at a whole bunch.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
So the he's not the first young quarterback to be erratic,
but even by erratic standards, I mean, the wildness high
I think is kind of symbolized by the on the
on the JJ play was pretty alarming, I think, and
and you know, pretty unusual even by young quarterback standards.
Do you have any theories on what happens?
Speaker 6 (42:22):
Is it?
Speaker 10 (42:22):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (42:23):
You know you want to say, well, sometimes he gets
sped up.
Speaker 4 (42:26):
I don't know. Is it? Is it mechanics? Is it?
Speaker 2 (42:30):
You know, the basic stuff that that the head coach
keeps talking about. Is it in his head where no
matter what he says publicly about how I'm fine, I
take responsibility, but I'm in and I'm he's you know,
he's he's he's shaking hands on the sideline. We'll get
him next time. And he sounds like he's not let
anything get to him. If there's a chance that some
of this stuff is getting to.
Speaker 7 (42:50):
Him, you know, it might. I mean, I wish I
had more insight on what really goes into throwing mechanics.
My my, just like very novice guess is that he's
just not transferring his weight, you know, more forward, you know,
like you're seeing you know, the like the the ball
that he sailed early in the game, Justin's making an
(43:12):
outcut towards their sideline and he know he just airmailed
it right, and there wasn't there wasn't people, and there
weren't players in front of him. The pocket wasn't collapsing
in those clean situations. It's like, well, what really happened there?
And it just seems like he's not he's not transferring
all of that weight from his back foot to his
front foot. It looks like he is, but there must
(43:33):
be something mechanically going on where the release point is
coming up, you know, you know, behind the midpoint or something.
I don't know, that's my best guess because when you
see he had another play similar to uh to Justin Jefferson,
but it was more of an indcut and it was
early in the game. It might have been the second
drive of the game where he stepped up in the
(43:55):
pocket and where he was literally moving forward like his
body weight is and he delivers a dart right on
his numbers, and it's like, well, that's the exaggeratory look
of the weight transfer going forward because he's actually moving forward.
But when he's in a static position, he's setting his
feet and he's you know, he's turning his hips. But
(44:15):
is he really turning his hips and transferring the weight
from the back foot to the front foot. I don't
know if that's not even it, that's not it. But
I look at those two different plays and I'm like, well,
the difference is the weight's going forward on the one
where he's escaping and climbing the pocket, and that's why
it looks so good, and those static throws get a
little erratic because he's not transferring that weight.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
Last question for you today, and I appreciate your indulgence
since we have a crystal earlier than I originally anticipated.
Are you of the mind? I think you've been all
along the guy. One of the guys just said you
just got to play him. I mean, this is it,
this is your few, this is the guy you decided
you got to find out about him, You got to
let him play through stuff. Is there any hesitation in that,
(44:58):
the danger of if he can continues to have these
sorts of highs and lows and quarterback rankings.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
Where you go, Man, I don't want to mess with it.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
I don't want to like get traumatized mentally here that
it might be better to have him sit for a while,
or do you say nope, full speed ahead, training wheels
have to stay off. Chances are the season is pretty
close to, you know, being done in terms of a
playoff race if they lose the next week or two,
and you just got to keep throwing them out there
and get give him every minute you can.
Speaker 7 (45:28):
Yeah, this is a tough love situation for me, and unfortunately, Yeah,
the offense is gonna at times suffer from it. You know,
your star player is going to be frustrated at times.
But I'm my guess is they all understand it. This
is just what it looks like to kind of go
through these rough patches. So my advice is you'll you'll
ride with him all the way through the season. If
(45:49):
that means that you are non competitive in some games,
does that mean that the defense is going to be
set up on a short field because the turnovers and interceptions. Yes,
because when he goes back and he watches the film
and they get to learn his personality and what he
does really well and what he can handle when they
go in the offseason, that's all such valuable information to
(46:10):
know to chew on, to dissect, and to motivate. And
that's what you want of a young player like Okay,
I have these four or five things that I have
to work on this offseason, and that's when you make
the biggest strides. So he's going to make it. Every player,
whether you're a bust of a first round pick or not,
you make the biggest strides from year one to year two.
(46:32):
And I already like so much of what I see
that I'm already excited to see what he can look
like in the Tony twenty sixth version.
Speaker 4 (46:38):
Thanks for the time as always, well chat next week.
Speaker 7 (46:40):
Thanks Ben, all right, sounds good.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
See Nacho Lieber Ben Leever helping us out. And we're
cutting it a little short because Chris Carter is scheduled
to join us next If you have questions for him,
hit the branch on Brian Cafe in text line six
four six eighty six. He was in attendance as guards,
he reminds me, very prominently in attendance yes day the game.
We'll get his reaction and you know, as always with Chris,
(47:04):
get into a couple of other issues as well.
Speaker 4 (47:06):
Stay tuned.
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