December 15, 2025 • 30 mins
Dan Barreiro opens the reacting to the Vikings win in Dallas and again mentions that he would have "started his column earlier" season. Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson joins with his thoughts on the game and how the team will keep going despite being knocked out of the playoff race.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Misesre. I just started my column earlier.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Leader fan fan Radio Network, Fan Radio Network, Fan Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
There we go and k f a N dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
One minute and forty seven seconds past three Central Standard time.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Welcome back to a Monday edition.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Of the Bumper to Bumper program on a feels almost
balmy mid to late December afternoon here in the Twin
Cities that we affectionately referred to as Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
My name is Dan Barrero, the host of the program,
guards he produces, and we are delighted that you are
along for today's ride that will include several distinguished and
(00:52):
outstanding guests, including at the bottom of this hour, TJ. Howkinson,
Viking's tight End is scheduled to join at three point thirty,
another man who apparently is not afraid of the Bumper
to Bumper. Vikings player Hope a hell of a game yesterday.
I should say, I think he led us in tackles yesterday.
I'm back to us. He let us the tackles. The
(01:14):
test will be whether he's still with him next year.
The test with Hockinson will be whether he's with the
club next year.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I think true.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
We'll see Bikings talking points will be part of the
equation today as well. There may be an a section update,
an injury update news now I think official.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
According to the head coach Jonathan.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Grenard's season has been shut He has been shut down.
His season is over aggravated a shoulder issue, and so
he's going to undergo or maybe he already has undergone
surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the
twenty twenty five slash twenty six season.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
We play in twenty six? Is our last game in January?
I can't remember it. We wrap up in December. It
says TBD because that has to be settled. So I'm
trying to figure out what it probably would be January.
It's got to be January. You're right, You're right. There
has to be at least one there.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yep. You know.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
There's a lot of fan kfan lower stories that have
been told and retold and run into the ground over
the years. One of my favorites was the The common
Land Rant. This was back in my Instaine Wretch days
(02:30):
and occasionally if I a column broke late. I mean
the deal I had with the with the fan big
shots was the newspaper has to come first or I'm dead.
They're they're not going to let me do this, So
you're gonna have to live with the possibility that occasionally
I'm not going to be able to get in on time.
(02:53):
And I don't think they loved it, but I think
they at that point they were willing to accept it
because I was relatively new to the radio, and they
know they didn't They knew that at that point they
didn't have as much power over me as the newspaper did.
And on one of these occasions, and I think it
may be that Chad was unavailable that day, so I
was going to have to lead it, and so I
(03:14):
was needed.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Well, I wasn't going to get there on time.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So the only other option at that point was Common
was going to have to stay and go later.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
And so Common did the rant, we probably have it
somewhere I could I can find it easily, because wasn't
it at the State Fair. I feel like it was
because we were they were the location, because it was
it was common with Jeff Dubay as I recall it,
and so Colin went into the old rant about you know,
(03:45):
I don't I mean I understand this. I I got
places to guide things to do.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I wouldn't I wouldn't presume to I wouldn't impose myself
on someone this way. I would just just start your
column earlier.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
I don't know why. That's what I do.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
That's what I do, exactly it. And at one point
then he pretended like, well is this Mike on we
were you know, like he was, although he said later
that he knew all along.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
He just said that. As part of the bit.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Dobay can be heard in the background laughing a couple
of times, and you may be wondering what the hell
that has to do with today.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
It's it is.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I think there's a direct line there because that whole mantra,
you know, I just started my column earlier. For me today,
it applies to the Minnesota Vikings, who are getting a
lot of praise and a lot of pats on the
back and a lot of salutes that all is right
with the world.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
You're guy Alec Lewis. One of the tweets from him
is I thought, let me.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I don't know if I have it exact, but I
believe if I paraphrase it, he basically said, if the
Vikings had had a two game stretch, like this in
the middle of the season, they would be the talk
of the National Football League. And all I can think
about is I just started my season earlier.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Again, better to win than to lose, better for.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
JJ McCarthy to show more progress, as he most assuredly
did on an occasion where the Vikings did not have
as good a running game as they did the week before.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
That's all to the good, but I'm sorry I can
only go so far. Again, I'd say, well, this mini
surge might have meant something much earlier in the season,
but it didn't take place in the middle.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Of the season.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
It took place after, at least last night, they were
mathematically eliminated from the postseason. They beat one terrible team
Washington here that seemed utterly and completely disinterested, and then,
to their credit, they beat a team that needed to
win to keep their playoff hopes are alive, and they
did it on the road. But nevertheless, a team that
(06:01):
we all talked about this three weeks ago is one
of the worst defensive teams in football. So congratulations on
the two game winning streak, Congratulations on some progress being
made at everything but getting the ball to Justin Jefferson.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
More on that later, but I just started a little
sooner before.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I'm gonna now turn this into some kind of a
coronation and a celebration.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I mean, I get lauding the team for.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Not tanking, not gonna you know, people want us to
tank when they didn't do it, and it's a credit
to them.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I agree. I'm not a big I like doing the
tanking bit, but I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
My heart's not in it. I don't really mean it.
It's it's satiric, it's it's tongue in cheek. But I'm
not putting up a commemortive print, especially because, as I said,
this game, let's be honest about something. There was no
pressure on the Vikings on Sunday night football other than
(07:05):
the pressure of playing in front of a national audience.
The heat was off. They could play free and easy,
no longer anything at stake, mathematically or any other way.
So just like I should have started my column earlier
twenty years ago, whenever that was, I'd still say Vikings
(07:25):
should have started their season a little earlier.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
The head coach should have figured out what he seems to.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Be figuring out about his quarterback a little a little sooner.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Mark Craig had another item about this. It is five.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Items in which he believes, even in this game, there's
still more simplicity in what he's asking the quarterback to
do and less concern about mechanics. Chris Collinsworth made a
big point of that one of those throws that meant,
you know, fundamentally it was not sound at all, but
every once in a while, maybe you just at some
(07:56):
point go, I don't want them overthinking. Let's just if
if the ball can get there. Yep, let's just let
the ball get to the right place. And he had
a few that didn't, but he had a bunch that did.
Check his his shooting percentages well, in this case, I
guess past completion percentages of the last two weeks they're
off the charts compared to what they were.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Before. So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I mean, you probably you're in celebratory mode, maybe because
McCarthy mansions look like they're going to start gaining in
some value again. Sure, and I'm not going to look
that gift horse in the mouth if I'm a Vikings fan.
But this season wasn't supposed to be about consolation prizes
and feeling really good about playing a good game in
(08:41):
Dallas after you were mathematically eliminated.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Sorry, is that too negative for you? It might be
a little too negative for me. However, I am more wistful.
It's the same concept as last week, the exact plan
that they had last week, and how JJ played last week,
and their approach with JJ last week.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yes, at least I was I think you were.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
We were saying for three months like that's what it
should have been.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You gotta do.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
I've been to enough colleges to know you have to
get the prerequisites out of the way.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
You can't skip ahead.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
There's classes that you can't register for right correct, You
have to take the prerequisites. And for whatever the reason,
they decided that they didn't need to take all the prerequisites.
And we saw what the results were. And now it
seems like they are going back to freshman rhetoric. Ye
math one oh one, and they're letting him put some
building blocks down and he went on a couple.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Of heaters last night.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
I was convinced after whatever drive it was that I
think gave them the lead again that after watching JJ
throw that drive, I was convinced Koc was never going
to run the ball ever again, Like that the little
two week restpite of him need to establish it because
his guy was feeling it.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yeah, you could tell. You could tell.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
That's all he needed. He didn't need much urgent. No,
he does not need any encouragement in that way. And
his guy was absolutely feeling it, and he still threw
a couple one hundred and fifty miles an hour. I
thought he was going to break JJ's hand on that
one after the Howkinson platform.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Yes, I agree, the one in the end zone.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
No, there was a different one, different one, Yeah, but
it could have been either one of them. But but
JJ played well last night, and yeah, this is the
consolation prize of the season. Now at this point is
this is what you're left with. This is what you
have to hold on to correct. But I do wish
that we were talking again. I said it on enough
set on Friday. I do wish we were talking about
this when it was seventy five degrees in sunny, and
(10:25):
not just because it's been miserable around here, but because
it'd be September or even October and you would feel
like you have some more runway to build upon this
and maybe see it go somewhere.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
But that's not how it worked out. No, it most
assurely did not.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
And well, we got good Vikings talking points that you
put together that are positive. Don't worry, there's plenty of
positivity in them. I just think there's limits, and I'm
not sure I buy the premise that these two victories
would represent some kind of a breakthrough in the regular
season that the rest of the league we go, oh
of Vikings, look out. I mean, I mean, come on,
(11:01):
we got to have I'd like to think we would
have a little bit higher standard than that.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
As I mentioned your guy t J.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Hawkinson at the bottom of the hour, John Athletic on
your red hot Minnesota Timberwolves. How are we going to
we have to find time to follow up what we
spent almost the entire Sunday sermons on your favorite hockey
team making news seasonal short week after we got off
the air, right, Yes, my first word of it was
the text that you and I both got from Lavel.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I knew nothing until then, And from that point forward
it's been nothing but state of hockey for all the
important reasons. And then what do we do? We dominate
the Bruins. Yesterday, all three of our local professional teams
were victorious yesterday, right the Wolves or Sack there were
the wild over the Bruins.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Both go for basketball teams won yesterday, did they?
Speaker 4 (11:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Men and women after there's a great picture of Crunch
Victor and Nordy is Lori Fisher and no she's not.
She's probably taking the picture. But they basically said, a
picture twenty two years in the making. The last time
that those three organizations were the day that same day.
(12:11):
Think Stockholm syndrome.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
The battered bride who makes her way back to what
is normal to her, much disregrant of all who try
to save her. This is what they know. Is that
what Stockholm syndrome is. I thought that was something very different.
In any case, let's pause, stay on schedule and chat
with a member of the Vikings, as I said at
bottom of the hour, and get into much more when
we return.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Odo.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
A dead guy will be part of the proceedings today,
as one might expect. Stockholm syndrome when a person who
is kidnapped starts to identify with their captors instead of
their former beliefs. That's what I thought the term related to.
I didn't understand that other analogy, but maybe I'm just
not bright enough. That's very possible. I we'll keep that
in mind. Quinn Hughes is a member of the Minnesota and.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
It's big.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I can't tell you how impressive I think it is.
On the front end. It falls under the classification of
as we discussed in a lot of detail yesterday, but
you weren't, of course on yesterday, the belief in the
big swing.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
And we've got a minimum of two.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Presidents or of their sport operation or their business or
general manager.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Whatever title they go.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
With both winter sports teams, we've got two who believe
in that mantra. One of them is a lot more
out front than the other. Tim Conley is more behind
the scenes. Guy comes on with us occasionally, but I
don't think would care if he ever came on. In
the case of and I don't want to say that
Billy Garan is demanding all the time to come on,
(13:56):
but I think he's more of it in your face guy,
and he's happy to join when asked. He is, and
and he did join yesterday from the start, at the
start of the program.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I just.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
If I'm a fan of that team.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I might swallow hard about the price.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
And there are no guarantees in this deal, boys and girls,
there's no guarantees it's going to lead them out of
the first round this year, which it kind of needs to.
There's no guarantee that he's going to resign here. I
think there's a chance he will, but there's no guarantee
at all. They've made that very clear. But if I'm
a fan, as I said yesterday, little Danny Barrero loved
(14:41):
the idea that.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
They're going after something.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
The quote from guarant yesterday was, you can bunt all
your life, and there's nothing wrong with bunting, and sometimes
you should bunt. But if that's all you do, what
the hell are we up to?
Speaker 1 (14:58):
What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
And that's the way I feel about it. If I'm
a fan, I'm inspired. I'm aroused by this big swing
and what it might represent, what I think it has
a chance to represent on so many levels. It's what
we I think demand of our general managers. It's what
(15:22):
I think leads us to lose our minds. And we
have teams who always seem to find a way to
convince themselves to not do something, because you can always
find a reason to bunt, and and at some point
you're looking for.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Well, okay, let's let's let's let's do something that maybe
is dangerous. There's risk to this. There was risk to
the Wolves trading for Rudy Gobayer, there was risk to
the trade the Wolves made before last season. Correct sure
to trade up to get Billiam, which, yeah, that's a
big swing.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
That's a big swing. That doesn't look so good right now.
Not good, but take your chances. Yeah, exactly. So, I think,
leaving aside the potential seasonal boost, I think part of
what this does is, look, the hockey community is very
intense and they're very committed, but I think this is
the kind of move that speaks to the casual fan
(16:18):
where they're going, I don't even care about hockey, but
I care about this story. I got a lot of
that yesterday from people going, I'm not really that big
of a hockey guy, but man, this feels big. And
this isn't you know, a herschel Walker trade. This kid's
in the prime of his career. He's twenty six years old,
and he is obviously one of the best players.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
In the National Hockey League.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Most of the experts consider him the second best defenseman
in this league. So I assume you had them, I
assume you had pretty much the same reaction.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
But I.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Like the bigness of it. I like the boldness of it.
And he said also yesterday Garin, look, everybody in the summer,
they wanted us to do something big and it didn't
present itself.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
So it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
I didn't want to do something big, but it's got
to be present itself in such a way that it's
worth doing.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And he even admitted yesterday it wasn't. He wasn't really
doing that much exploring about Hughes.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It took one of his subordinates calling him to say,
make a phone call, there might be something going on there,
and guess what he did follow up and the rest
is history. I also found it interesting that he decided
not to wait on Okay, We're going to do the
negotiating game. I'm going to make our best offer from
(17:46):
the beginning because I want to get their attention. I
want to mess with them now. Some people have said,
well you could, but why not work up to it?
Depending on what what if they had said yes without
Booham being in the deal, that seems unlikely. But his
position was I'm not going to jack around on this deal.
I'm gonna I'm gonna show up more serious from the
beginning because I want to get the deal done anyway.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Exhilarating, Yeah, it has to be exhilarating if you're in
that locker room, which obviously you can see it. Just
the reaction that the guys have had to have in
him here. If you're a fan, just think about, first
of all, they were also playing well too, so you're
not even like shaking out the team too that had
been scuffling. If this was two months ago, there still
(18:28):
would have been obviously a big level of excitement. But
the fact that they've been playing so well and we're
coming off beating Dallas on Thursday night here in a
great game, that then you throw this into the mix.
It's the best time to be a sports fan when
your team takes a big shot and a big swing,
and we've been I guess fortunate for whatever it is
(18:49):
the last handful of years with a couple of these
teams that said we're not messing around, We're going for it.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Well, this is the biggest name easily, this is the
biggest name, right, I mean, the biggest trade in the
history of the franchise.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I don't think, and I even think if you brought
it out to other sports, you know, in terms of
his production talent age a session, Yep, he's I.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Don't think there's been a bigger swing. Quite frankly, all right.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Let's stay on schedule because we got we expect a
phone call from the Vikings tight end TJ. Hockinson Vikings
talking points yet to come, Johnny Athletic and so much more.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
JJ McCarthy's out of the shotgun. CJ.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Hammond the backfield passed over the middle to TJ. Hockinson
between the hash marks on the run at the fifty
gets to the forty five of the Dallas Cowboys, and
he stopped at the forty four yard line. It is
Hockinson for twenty nine and a perst down.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Good call from PA yesterday or last night in Dallas,
Texas involving our next guest, Vikings tight end TJ. Hockinson
is kind enough to join us, and we appreciate the time, sir.
There's been a lot of talk around town the last
week or two about something called pure progression, as it
pertains to the way the quarterback should go about his
(20:24):
business or the way the Vikings want their quarterbacks to
go about their business in terms of going from one
possibility to another on a play. Somebody said to me
that pass and catch was not pure progression, that that
had more to do with the quarterback reading the play.
When you're a tight end, are you allowed to get
in all this stuff? Does this pure progression stuff fascinate
(20:46):
you or are you kind of bored with it?
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Well? First off, I appreciate you guys having man absolutely,
but yeah, I think you know, Jason's obviously he's a
young quarterback, and you know he's he's been you know,
navigating this season. But I mean the pure progression stuff,
the you know, all the all the things that you know,
we do. That's that's part of football, you know. And
(21:13):
and and that play that that you just ran on
the steam route, you know, it's it's covered two. Mike
opens up to justin you know, he he kind of
looks him off and then throws the backside to to
me running down the other the opposite seams, so you know,
and and threw a fantastic ball right over the linebacker
(21:33):
and and in into some coverage. So I mean, the
the amount of uh, you know, growth with us throws
and and and the things that he's been able to do.
You know, we have a lot of confidence in the
locker room with him, and yeah, it's been it's been
a lot of fun to be able to play with
him so far.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
You know, I get the sense that part of the
objective the last couple of weeks has been let's just
go out and not make you think about quite as much.
Even though quarterbacks to grow have to think, right, it's
a thinking man's position, but that it's been more let's
simplify a.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Little, Let's get the body of.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Your hands when we can, and we're not going to
necessarily always worry about perfect form. Let's just see even
go out and fling it a little bit. Do you
think that has been part of the reason for the
success the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Yeah, I mean I think you know, any kind of player,
you know, when they when they're able to play fast
and they're able to, uh, you know, really just play
their game, they're they're always going to play at their
best and and the best of their ability. And I think,
you know that's really what Jay has been able to
do the last few weeks is just you know, not
(22:48):
worry about anything else. Not worry about the noise, not
not worry about what's going on around us, and just
focused on each play, each game, each day. And he's, uh,
he's been balling, you know, the last couple of weeks,
and it's been fun to just just watch him be
able to uh, you know, grow into himself and and
and his what he shows every day in the practice
(23:10):
field and just be able to carry that in the sunday.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
You've you've played with and work with some pretty damn
good quarterbacks. Obviously in your own resume speaks for itself.
So you know when when when outsiders talk about trust
developing trust between a quarterback and a specific receiver, what
what is that? How does that play out? You know,
how does that happen over a period of time? And
(23:34):
is it an important part of whatever on field relationship
is going to exist between a wide receiver and a QB,
a tight end and and a QB et cetera.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
Yeah, one hundred percent. I mean I think, uh, you know,
that's what we're all trying to do at the receiver
position is just gained the trust of of our quarterback
and you know that that's it takes time, It takes uh,
it takes some you know obviously just personal you know,
hanging out whatever it is, and then you know, on
(24:05):
the field, just having him trust that you're gonna go
make a play. You know, just you talk about trust.
You know the corner route that we had yesterday where
he just kind of flung it up there and you
know it was it was like, Okay, change angles and
go make a play for him. And and that's the
kind of stuff that you want him to be able
(24:26):
to feel as a receiver. Is Hey, there's the worst
thing that can happen is an incompletion. And you know
that's that's really what what we all what we're all
striving for. And and and JJ and I. You know,
we we hang out a lot. We we work you know,
on the field together a lot. And so it's it's
just you know, continue to build that revotoire, continuing to
(24:47):
build that trust. And that's with all the guys on
the field. So yeah, you're starting to see it come
out on Sunday a little more for sure. T J.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Hockinson Vikings tight end kind enough to join us. Johnny
Athletic coming up in a little bit. You know, you
guys knew or learned before the game that you'd been
mathematically eliminated from the postseason was already probably trending that way,
but then it became official. It surely didn't seem anything
in the on the way you guys played that indicated
heads were hanging or moping.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Is that easier said than done.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I get it, you're pros, you're paid to play, but
you're in it obviously to get in the postseason. So
what's that like for you individually? What do you think
it was like for the team collectively last night?
Speaker 4 (25:31):
I mean, you know, you can't you can't. You can't
worry about other things outside of what we have going
on in this building, what we have going on in
this in this locker room. And you know, at the
at the end of the day, you know, every year
is different, every every team is different, and so you
just played for the guys next year, and so that's
(25:54):
that's that's what we've built in this locker room. It's
just a culture that you know, there's no give up,
there's no hanging our hats. It's it's it's all about,
you know, loving each other in the locker room, being
as close as a close knit unit throughout that locker room,
and and you know, we're we're not worried about whether
(26:16):
it's the postseason or the next game or whatever it is.
We're just trying to go out there when we get
an opportunity in between the white lines and and go
play for not only our locker room, not only our
coaching staff and in the entire organization, but you know,
our fans. You know, we had a lot of Viking
fans down in Dallas, and you know, we all love
(26:39):
playing for them. They spend they spend money, their own
money to come watch us play. And uh, you know
we're gonna try to put every every single ounce of
our being into that game on that day.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
You know.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Yet, the news breaks yesterday that a couple of heavyweight names,
Micah Parsons and of course Pat Mahomes. Patrick Mahomes end
up with ACL injuries to end their seasons.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
You know how that feels. Was it December or I want
to say it was might even be in Christmas? Eve
was a twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Three And I'm curious to know what, I mean, what's
your best advice to players? It's I know, it's not
you know, it happens, it's these aren't the first acls
and people generally, like you've shown are able to come
back for them.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
But what if they.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
If one of them called you to say, Okay, what's
give me some tips on the best way to try
to approach this.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
What did you learn from your own experience there?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Yeah, I mean it's it's really a a process of
not only the physical but the mental. You know, the
mental toll that the NFL season seventeen games puts on
you and then to have to really turn around and
it's a it's a new nine months journey that you
have in front of you, is it can be a
(27:54):
mental toll. And so you know, I think the biggest
thing that I did and I was to do was
just attack the process of the first really two three
months the are the biggest things where you're getting the
range of motion. You know, that's the you're building a
foundation and and you want that to be a solid
foundation and so and then and then the rest kind
(28:17):
of just kind of goes from there. So I think,
you know, the first really few months are big, and
then you know they'll obviously getting back into football and
those things, but at the at the after about a
few months, you know, you're really just training. You're you're
really trying to get back for an NFL season, and
and that's that, that is what it is. But I think,
you know that's the challenge, is the mental part of it,
(28:38):
going from you know, fifteen games that we've that they've
played already this year to then a solid nine month
journey ahead of them is is you know, it can
be a grind, but you just got to stay in it.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Is it hard not to mope early and a while
a little bit.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
I mean, you know, you never want injuries to happen.
You know, you never want injuries. You just it's part
of the game unfortunately, and you know we uh yeah, yeah,
I mean it's it's tough, it really is. It's a
hard feeling and you got to get over that first
part of it. But you know, once the surgery happens
(29:17):
and you you're able to uh start your rehab, that's
when when that's when things you know, you're pushing forward.
At the end of the day, you know, now you're
good and everything is healed, and and now it's just
moving forward to the to the next year.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
So I enjoyed the conversation. I appreciate you giving us
some time and good luck next week as well.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Thanks t J.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Yeah, I appreciate you. Then t J.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Hockinson Vikings tight End kind enough to join us this afternoon.
If we've had more time, maybe we get him again.
Who knows, AYO be lucky. I'm not sure I've ever
talked to him about his Iowa uh you know, career
and thoughts maybe about his head coach.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
It was pretty good. It was awfully good.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
And and you know, apparance is coming back, right, he's
coming back again and maybe getting to some other things
like I don't know, do maybe you know, do you
know who he rooted for growing up? That's the other
thing I'd like to ask him next time. I don't
know if I do. We're on a tight schedule, so
let's do this. We'll pause to stay on that tight schedule.
Clock management very very important. Johnny athletic, and Johnny promises
(30:19):
us that he's hoping we spend most of the time
talking about the Minnesota while the big Minnesota whild trade.
He's almost not just encouraging, he's demanding it. So we
may get his view on that, and who knows. We
cover little Vikings and a little Minnesota Timberwolves as well.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Ben Lieber will join about an hour from now
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Vikings talking points and owe to a dead guy as
well before we wrap things up to
Misesre. I just started my column earlier.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Leader fan fan Radio Network, Fan Radio Network, Fan Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
There we go and k f a N dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
One minute and forty seven seconds past three Central Standard time.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Welcome back to a Monday edition.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Of the Bumper to Bumper program on a feels almost
balmy mid to late December afternoon here in the Twin
Cities that we affectionately referred to as Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
My name is Dan Barrero, the host of the program,
guards he produces, and we are delighted that you are
along for today's ride that will include several distinguished and
(00:52):
outstanding guests, including at the bottom of this hour, TJ. Howkinson,
Viking's tight End is scheduled to join at three point thirty,
another man who apparently is not afraid of the Bumper
to Bumper. Vikings player Hope a hell of a game yesterday.
I should say, I think he led us in tackles yesterday.
I'm back to us. He let us the tackles. The
(01:14):
test will be whether he's still with him next year.
The test with Hockinson will be whether he's with the
club next year.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I think true.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
We'll see Bikings talking points will be part of the
equation today as well. There may be an a section update,
an injury update news now I think official.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
According to the head coach Jonathan.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Grenard's season has been shut He has been shut down.
His season is over aggravated a shoulder issue, and so
he's going to undergo or maybe he already has undergone
surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the
twenty twenty five slash twenty six season.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
We play in twenty six? Is our last game in January?
I can't remember it. We wrap up in December. It
says TBD because that has to be settled. So I'm
trying to figure out what it probably would be January.
It's got to be January. You're right, You're right. There
has to be at least one there.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yep. You know.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
There's a lot of fan kfan lower stories that have
been told and retold and run into the ground over
the years. One of my favorites was the The common
Land Rant. This was back in my Instaine Wretch days
(02:30):
and occasionally if I a column broke late. I mean
the deal I had with the with the fan big
shots was the newspaper has to come first or I'm dead.
They're they're not going to let me do this, So
you're gonna have to live with the possibility that occasionally
I'm not going to be able to get in on time.
(02:53):
And I don't think they loved it, but I think
they at that point they were willing to accept it
because I was relatively new to the radio, and they
know they didn't They knew that at that point they
didn't have as much power over me as the newspaper did.
And on one of these occasions, and I think it
may be that Chad was unavailable that day, so I
was going to have to lead it, and so I
(03:14):
was needed.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Well, I wasn't going to get there on time.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So the only other option at that point was Common
was going to have to stay and go later.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
And so Common did the rant, we probably have it
somewhere I could I can find it easily, because wasn't
it at the State Fair. I feel like it was
because we were they were the location, because it was
it was common with Jeff Dubay as I recall it,
and so Colin went into the old rant about you know,
(03:45):
I don't I mean I understand this. I I got
places to guide things to do.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I wouldn't I wouldn't presume to I wouldn't impose myself
on someone this way. I would just just start your
column earlier.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
I don't know why. That's what I do.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
That's what I do, exactly it. And at one point
then he pretended like, well is this Mike on we
were you know, like he was, although he said later
that he knew all along.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
He just said that. As part of the bit.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Dobay can be heard in the background laughing a couple
of times, and you may be wondering what the hell
that has to do with today.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
It's it is.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I think there's a direct line there because that whole mantra,
you know, I just started my column earlier. For me today,
it applies to the Minnesota Vikings, who are getting a
lot of praise and a lot of pats on the
back and a lot of salutes that all is right
with the world.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
You're guy Alec Lewis. One of the tweets from him
is I thought, let me.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I don't know if I have it exact, but I
believe if I paraphrase it, he basically said, if the
Vikings had had a two game stretch, like this in
the middle of the season, they would be the talk
of the National Football League. And all I can think
about is I just started my season earlier.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Again, better to win than to lose, better for.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
JJ McCarthy to show more progress, as he most assuredly
did on an occasion where the Vikings did not have
as good a running game as they did the week before.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
That's all to the good, but I'm sorry I can
only go so far. Again, I'd say, well, this mini
surge might have meant something much earlier in the season,
but it didn't take place in the middle.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Of the season.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
It took place after, at least last night, they were
mathematically eliminated from the postseason. They beat one terrible team
Washington here that seemed utterly and completely disinterested, and then,
to their credit, they beat a team that needed to
win to keep their playoff hopes are alive, and they
did it on the road. But nevertheless, a team that
(06:01):
we all talked about this three weeks ago is one
of the worst defensive teams in football. So congratulations on
the two game winning streak, Congratulations on some progress being
made at everything but getting the ball to Justin Jefferson.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
More on that later, but I just started a little
sooner before.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I'm gonna now turn this into some kind of a
coronation and a celebration.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I mean, I get lauding the team for.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Not tanking, not gonna you know, people want us to
tank when they didn't do it, and it's a credit
to them.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I agree. I'm not a big I like doing the
tanking bit, but I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
My heart's not in it. I don't really mean it.
It's it's satiric, it's it's tongue in cheek. But I'm
not putting up a commemortive print, especially because, as I said,
this game, let's be honest about something. There was no
pressure on the Vikings on Sunday night football other than
(07:05):
the pressure of playing in front of a national audience.
The heat was off. They could play free and easy,
no longer anything at stake, mathematically or any other way.
So just like I should have started my column earlier
twenty years ago, whenever that was, I'd still say Vikings
(07:25):
should have started their season a little earlier.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
The head coach should have figured out what he seems to.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Be figuring out about his quarterback a little a little sooner.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Mark Craig had another item about this. It is five.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Items in which he believes, even in this game, there's
still more simplicity in what he's asking the quarterback to
do and less concern about mechanics. Chris Collinsworth made a
big point of that one of those throws that meant,
you know, fundamentally it was not sound at all, but
every once in a while, maybe you just at some
(07:56):
point go, I don't want them overthinking. Let's just if
if the ball can get there. Yep, let's just let
the ball get to the right place. And he had
a few that didn't, but he had a bunch that did.
Check his his shooting percentages well, in this case, I
guess past completion percentages of the last two weeks they're
off the charts compared to what they were.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Before. So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I mean, you probably you're in celebratory mode, maybe because
McCarthy mansions look like they're going to start gaining in
some value again. Sure, and I'm not going to look
that gift horse in the mouth if I'm a Vikings fan.
But this season wasn't supposed to be about consolation prizes
and feeling really good about playing a good game in
(08:41):
Dallas after you were mathematically eliminated.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Sorry, is that too negative for you? It might be
a little too negative for me. However, I am more wistful.
It's the same concept as last week, the exact plan
that they had last week, and how JJ played last week,
and their approach with JJ last week.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yes, at least I was I think you were.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
We were saying for three months like that's what it
should have been.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You gotta do.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
I've been to enough colleges to know you have to
get the prerequisites out of the way.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
You can't skip ahead.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
There's classes that you can't register for right correct, You
have to take the prerequisites. And for whatever the reason,
they decided that they didn't need to take all the prerequisites.
And we saw what the results were. And now it
seems like they are going back to freshman rhetoric. Ye
math one oh one, and they're letting him put some
building blocks down and he went on a couple.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Of heaters last night.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
I was convinced after whatever drive it was that I
think gave them the lead again that after watching JJ
throw that drive, I was convinced Koc was never going
to run the ball ever again, Like that the little
two week restpite of him need to establish it because
his guy was feeling it.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yeah, you could tell. You could tell.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
That's all he needed. He didn't need much urgent. No,
he does not need any encouragement in that way. And
his guy was absolutely feeling it, and he still threw
a couple one hundred and fifty miles an hour. I
thought he was going to break JJ's hand on that
one after the Howkinson platform.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Yes, I agree, the one in the end zone.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
No, there was a different one, different one, Yeah, but
it could have been either one of them. But but
JJ played well last night, and yeah, this is the
consolation prize of the season. Now at this point is
this is what you're left with. This is what you
have to hold on to correct. But I do wish
that we were talking again. I said it on enough
set on Friday. I do wish we were talking about
this when it was seventy five degrees in sunny, and
(10:25):
not just because it's been miserable around here, but because
it'd be September or even October and you would feel
like you have some more runway to build upon this
and maybe see it go somewhere.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
But that's not how it worked out. No, it most
assurely did not.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
And well, we got good Vikings talking points that you
put together that are positive. Don't worry, there's plenty of
positivity in them. I just think there's limits, and I'm
not sure I buy the premise that these two victories
would represent some kind of a breakthrough in the regular
season that the rest of the league we go, oh
of Vikings, look out. I mean, I mean, come on,
(11:01):
we got to have I'd like to think we would
have a little bit higher standard than that.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
As I mentioned your guy t J.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Hawkinson at the bottom of the hour, John Athletic on
your red hot Minnesota Timberwolves. How are we going to
we have to find time to follow up what we
spent almost the entire Sunday sermons on your favorite hockey
team making news seasonal short week after we got off
the air, right, Yes, my first word of it was
the text that you and I both got from Lavel.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I knew nothing until then, And from that point forward
it's been nothing but state of hockey for all the
important reasons. And then what do we do? We dominate
the Bruins. Yesterday, all three of our local professional teams
were victorious yesterday, right the Wolves or Sack there were
the wild over the Bruins.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Both go for basketball teams won yesterday, did they?
Speaker 4 (11:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Men and women after there's a great picture of Crunch
Victor and Nordy is Lori Fisher and no she's not.
She's probably taking the picture. But they basically said, a
picture twenty two years in the making. The last time
that those three organizations were the day that same day.
(12:11):
Think Stockholm syndrome.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
The battered bride who makes her way back to what
is normal to her, much disregrant of all who try
to save her. This is what they know. Is that
what Stockholm syndrome is. I thought that was something very different.
In any case, let's pause, stay on schedule and chat
with a member of the Vikings, as I said at
bottom of the hour, and get into much more when
we return.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Odo.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
A dead guy will be part of the proceedings today,
as one might expect. Stockholm syndrome when a person who
is kidnapped starts to identify with their captors instead of
their former beliefs. That's what I thought the term related to.
I didn't understand that other analogy, but maybe I'm just
not bright enough. That's very possible. I we'll keep that
in mind. Quinn Hughes is a member of the Minnesota and.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
It's big.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I can't tell you how impressive I think it is.
On the front end. It falls under the classification of
as we discussed in a lot of detail yesterday, but
you weren't, of course on yesterday, the belief in the
big swing.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
And we've got a minimum of two.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Presidents or of their sport operation or their business or
general manager.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Whatever title they go.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
With both winter sports teams, we've got two who believe
in that mantra. One of them is a lot more
out front than the other. Tim Conley is more behind
the scenes. Guy comes on with us occasionally, but I
don't think would care if he ever came on. In
the case of and I don't want to say that
Billy Garan is demanding all the time to come on,
(13:56):
but I think he's more of it in your face guy,
and he's happy to join when asked. He is, and
and he did join yesterday from the start, at the
start of the program.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I just.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
If I'm a fan of that team.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I might swallow hard about the price.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
And there are no guarantees in this deal, boys and girls,
there's no guarantees it's going to lead them out of
the first round this year, which it kind of needs to.
There's no guarantee that he's going to resign here. I
think there's a chance he will, but there's no guarantee
at all. They've made that very clear. But if I'm
a fan, as I said yesterday, little Danny Barrero loved
(14:41):
the idea that.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
They're going after something.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
The quote from guarant yesterday was, you can bunt all
your life, and there's nothing wrong with bunting, and sometimes
you should bunt. But if that's all you do, what
the hell are we up to?
Speaker 1 (14:58):
What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
And that's the way I feel about it. If I'm
a fan, I'm inspired. I'm aroused by this big swing
and what it might represent, what I think it has
a chance to represent on so many levels. It's what
we I think demand of our general managers. It's what
(15:22):
I think leads us to lose our minds. And we
have teams who always seem to find a way to
convince themselves to not do something, because you can always
find a reason to bunt, and and at some point
you're looking for.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Well, okay, let's let's let's let's do something that maybe
is dangerous. There's risk to this. There was risk to
the Wolves trading for Rudy Gobayer, there was risk to
the trade the Wolves made before last season. Correct sure
to trade up to get Billiam, which, yeah, that's a
big swing.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
That's a big swing. That doesn't look so good right now.
Not good, but take your chances. Yeah, exactly. So, I think,
leaving aside the potential seasonal boost, I think part of
what this does is, look, the hockey community is very
intense and they're very committed, but I think this is
the kind of move that speaks to the casual fan
(16:18):
where they're going, I don't even care about hockey, but
I care about this story. I got a lot of
that yesterday from people going, I'm not really that big
of a hockey guy, but man, this feels big. And
this isn't you know, a herschel Walker trade. This kid's
in the prime of his career. He's twenty six years old,
and he is obviously one of the best players.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
In the National Hockey League.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Most of the experts consider him the second best defenseman
in this league. So I assume you had them, I
assume you had pretty much the same reaction.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
But I.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Like the bigness of it. I like the boldness of it.
And he said also yesterday Garin, look, everybody in the summer,
they wanted us to do something big and it didn't
present itself.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
So it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
I didn't want to do something big, but it's got
to be present itself in such a way that it's
worth doing.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And he even admitted yesterday it wasn't. He wasn't really
doing that much exploring about Hughes.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It took one of his subordinates calling him to say,
make a phone call, there might be something going on there,
and guess what he did follow up and the rest
is history. I also found it interesting that he decided
not to wait on Okay, We're going to do the
negotiating game. I'm going to make our best offer from
(17:46):
the beginning because I want to get their attention. I
want to mess with them now. Some people have said,
well you could, but why not work up to it?
Depending on what what if they had said yes without
Booham being in the deal, that seems unlikely. But his
position was I'm not going to jack around on this deal.
I'm gonna I'm gonna show up more serious from the
beginning because I want to get the deal done anyway.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Exhilarating, Yeah, it has to be exhilarating if you're in
that locker room, which obviously you can see it. Just
the reaction that the guys have had to have in
him here. If you're a fan, just think about, first
of all, they were also playing well too, so you're
not even like shaking out the team too that had
been scuffling. If this was two months ago, there still
(18:28):
would have been obviously a big level of excitement. But
the fact that they've been playing so well and we're
coming off beating Dallas on Thursday night here in a
great game, that then you throw this into the mix.
It's the best time to be a sports fan when
your team takes a big shot and a big swing,
and we've been I guess fortunate for whatever it is
(18:49):
the last handful of years with a couple of these
teams that said we're not messing around, We're going for it.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Well, this is the biggest name easily, this is the
biggest name, right, I mean, the biggest trade in the
history of the franchise.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I don't think, and I even think if you brought
it out to other sports, you know, in terms of
his production talent age a session, Yep, he's I.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Don't think there's been a bigger swing. Quite frankly, all right.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Let's stay on schedule because we got we expect a
phone call from the Vikings tight end TJ. Hockinson Vikings
talking points yet to come, Johnny Athletic and so much more.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
JJ McCarthy's out of the shotgun. CJ.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Hammond the backfield passed over the middle to TJ. Hockinson
between the hash marks on the run at the fifty
gets to the forty five of the Dallas Cowboys, and
he stopped at the forty four yard line. It is
Hockinson for twenty nine and a perst down.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Good call from PA yesterday or last night in Dallas,
Texas involving our next guest, Vikings tight end TJ. Hockinson
is kind enough to join us, and we appreciate the time, sir.
There's been a lot of talk around town the last
week or two about something called pure progression, as it
pertains to the way the quarterback should go about his
(20:24):
business or the way the Vikings want their quarterbacks to
go about their business in terms of going from one
possibility to another on a play. Somebody said to me
that pass and catch was not pure progression, that that
had more to do with the quarterback reading the play.
When you're a tight end, are you allowed to get
in all this stuff? Does this pure progression stuff fascinate
(20:46):
you or are you kind of bored with it?
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Well? First off, I appreciate you guys having man absolutely,
but yeah, I think you know, Jason's obviously he's a
young quarterback, and you know he's he's been you know,
navigating this season. But I mean the pure progression stuff,
the you know, all the all the things that you know,
we do. That's that's part of football, you know. And
(21:13):
and and that play that that you just ran on
the steam route, you know, it's it's covered two. Mike
opens up to justin you know, he he kind of
looks him off and then throws the backside to to
me running down the other the opposite seams, so you know,
and and threw a fantastic ball right over the linebacker
(21:33):
and and in into some coverage. So I mean, the
the amount of uh, you know, growth with us throws
and and and the things that he's been able to do.
You know, we have a lot of confidence in the
locker room with him, and yeah, it's been it's been
a lot of fun to be able to play with
him so far.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
You know, I get the sense that part of the
objective the last couple of weeks has been let's just
go out and not make you think about quite as much.
Even though quarterbacks to grow have to think, right, it's
a thinking man's position, but that it's been more let's
simplify a.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Little, Let's get the body of.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Your hands when we can, and we're not going to
necessarily always worry about perfect form. Let's just see even
go out and fling it a little bit. Do you
think that has been part of the reason for the
success the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Yeah, I mean I think you know, any kind of player,
you know, when they when they're able to play fast
and they're able to, uh, you know, really just play
their game, they're they're always going to play at their
best and and the best of their ability. And I think,
you know that's really what Jay has been able to
do the last few weeks is just you know, not
(22:48):
worry about anything else. Not worry about the noise, not
not worry about what's going on around us, and just
focused on each play, each game, each day. And he's, uh,
he's been balling, you know, the last couple of weeks,
and it's been fun to just just watch him be
able to uh, you know, grow into himself and and
and his what he shows every day in the practice
(23:10):
field and just be able to carry that in the sunday.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
You've you've played with and work with some pretty damn
good quarterbacks. Obviously in your own resume speaks for itself.
So you know when when when outsiders talk about trust
developing trust between a quarterback and a specific receiver, what
what is that? How does that play out? You know,
how does that happen over a period of time? And
(23:34):
is it an important part of whatever on field relationship
is going to exist between a wide receiver and a QB,
a tight end and and a QB et cetera.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
Yeah, one hundred percent. I mean I think, uh, you know,
that's what we're all trying to do at the receiver
position is just gained the trust of of our quarterback
and you know that that's it takes time, It takes uh,
it takes some you know obviously just personal you know,
hanging out whatever it is, and then you know, on
(24:05):
the field, just having him trust that you're gonna go
make a play. You know, just you talk about trust.
You know the corner route that we had yesterday where
he just kind of flung it up there and you
know it was it was like, Okay, change angles and
go make a play for him. And and that's the
kind of stuff that you want him to be able
(24:26):
to feel as a receiver. Is Hey, there's the worst
thing that can happen is an incompletion. And you know
that's that's really what what we all what we're all
striving for. And and and JJ and I. You know,
we we hang out a lot. We we work you know,
on the field together a lot. And so it's it's
just you know, continue to build that revotoire, continuing to
(24:47):
build that trust. And that's with all the guys on
the field. So yeah, you're starting to see it come
out on Sunday a little more for sure. T J.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Hockinson Vikings tight end kind enough to join us. Johnny
Athletic coming up in a little bit. You know, you
guys knew or learned before the game that you'd been
mathematically eliminated from the postseason was already probably trending that way,
but then it became official. It surely didn't seem anything
in the on the way you guys played that indicated
heads were hanging or moping.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Is that easier said than done.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I get it, you're pros, you're paid to play, but
you're in it obviously to get in the postseason. So
what's that like for you individually? What do you think
it was like for the team collectively last night?
Speaker 4 (25:31):
I mean, you know, you can't you can't. You can't
worry about other things outside of what we have going
on in this building, what we have going on in
this in this locker room. And you know, at the
at the end of the day, you know, every year
is different, every every team is different, and so you
just played for the guys next year, and so that's
(25:54):
that's that's what we've built in this locker room. It's
just a culture that you know, there's no give up,
there's no hanging our hats. It's it's it's all about,
you know, loving each other in the locker room, being
as close as a close knit unit throughout that locker room,
and and you know, we're we're not worried about whether
(26:16):
it's the postseason or the next game or whatever it is.
We're just trying to go out there when we get
an opportunity in between the white lines and and go
play for not only our locker room, not only our
coaching staff and in the entire organization, but you know,
our fans. You know, we had a lot of Viking
fans down in Dallas, and you know, we all love
(26:39):
playing for them. They spend they spend money, their own
money to come watch us play. And uh, you know
we're gonna try to put every every single ounce of
our being into that game on that day.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
You know.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Yet, the news breaks yesterday that a couple of heavyweight names,
Micah Parsons and of course Pat Mahomes. Patrick Mahomes end
up with ACL injuries to end their seasons.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
You know how that feels. Was it December or I want
to say it was might even be in Christmas? Eve
was a twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Three And I'm curious to know what, I mean, what's
your best advice to players? It's I know, it's not
you know, it happens, it's these aren't the first acls
and people generally, like you've shown are able to come
back for them.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
But what if they.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
If one of them called you to say, Okay, what's
give me some tips on the best way to try
to approach this.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
What did you learn from your own experience there?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Yeah, I mean it's it's really a a process of
not only the physical but the mental. You know, the
mental toll that the NFL season seventeen games puts on
you and then to have to really turn around and
it's a it's a new nine months journey that you
have in front of you, is it can be a
(27:54):
mental toll. And so you know, I think the biggest
thing that I did and I was to do was
just attack the process of the first really two three
months the are the biggest things where you're getting the
range of motion. You know, that's the you're building a
foundation and and you want that to be a solid
foundation and so and then and then the rest kind
(28:17):
of just kind of goes from there. So I think,
you know, the first really few months are big, and
then you know they'll obviously getting back into football and
those things, but at the at the after about a
few months, you know, you're really just training. You're you're
really trying to get back for an NFL season, and
and that's that, that is what it is. But I think,
you know that's the challenge, is the mental part of it,
(28:38):
going from you know, fifteen games that we've that they've
played already this year to then a solid nine month
journey ahead of them is is you know, it can
be a grind, but you just got to stay in it.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Is it hard not to mope early and a while
a little bit.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
I mean, you know, you never want injuries to happen.
You know, you never want injuries. You just it's part
of the game unfortunately, and you know we uh yeah, yeah,
I mean it's it's tough, it really is. It's a
hard feeling and you got to get over that first
part of it. But you know, once the surgery happens
(29:17):
and you you're able to uh start your rehab, that's
when when that's when things you know, you're pushing forward.
At the end of the day, you know, now you're
good and everything is healed, and and now it's just
moving forward to the to the next year.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
So I enjoyed the conversation. I appreciate you giving us
some time and good luck next week as well.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Thanks t J.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Yeah, I appreciate you. Then t J.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Hockinson Vikings tight End kind enough to join us this afternoon.
If we've had more time, maybe we get him again.
Who knows, AYO be lucky. I'm not sure I've ever
talked to him about his Iowa uh you know, career
and thoughts maybe about his head coach.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
It was pretty good. It was awfully good.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
And and you know, apparance is coming back, right, he's
coming back again and maybe getting to some other things
like I don't know, do maybe you know, do you
know who he rooted for growing up? That's the other
thing I'd like to ask him next time. I don't
know if I do. We're on a tight schedule, so
let's do this. We'll pause to stay on that tight schedule.
Clock management very very important. Johnny athletic, and Johnny promises
(30:19):
us that he's hoping we spend most of the time
talking about the Minnesota while the big Minnesota whild trade.
He's almost not just encouraging, he's demanding it. So we
may get his view on that, and who knows. We
cover little Vikings and a little Minnesota Timberwolves as well.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Ben Lieber will join about an hour from now
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Vikings talking points and owe to a dead guy as
well before we wrap things up to
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