November 17, 2025 • 24 mins
Wide receiver Adam Thielen makes his weekly appearance with Dan Barreiro to recap the loss and talk through the offensive struggles and how they can get it going this week against the Packers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Well, at five o'clock, we have an all time great
Minnesota Vikings receiver, former receiver Chris Carter on the program.
Right now, we have an all time great Minnesota Vikings
receiver who's still with the team, Adam Thielen, kind enough
to join us as well. I don't even know where
to begin. You know how this works. I mean, this
town lives and dies with games played by the Vikings
(00:38):
more than any other team in this town. It's on
a plane. You've been around it long enough to know
that it's on a plane all of its own. So
the frustration is palpable. I don't know if you hear booze,
if you heard them, or or wherever. There were certainly
some yesterday frustrated with the struggling nature of the passing game.
(01:00):
To the average roob out there who's concerned that this
season is kind of getting away from their favorite team,
what's your message?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, I mean, I think, I think at the end
of the day, those same frustrations were right there with you.
Right Like, we we put a lot of work and dedication,
and we've talked about on the show plenty of times,
right like all the all the you know, workouts and
sacrifices and all the OTAs and training camp practices that
are not the most fun, right, Like, you're not playing
(01:30):
a game every week at that time, you know, you
do that all for to have success from the season.
When you're not having that success, it's extremely frustrating. And
we understand the frustrations, right, we're right there with that
fan base. Obviously, I grew up a fan, so I'm
I've even got a little extra you know, extra just
motivation to have success in in this uniform. But yeah,
(01:54):
so we we we hear you. But at the end
of the day, for us, it's a week's week league.
You got to show up. You got to find a
way to get better as quickly as possible to give
yourself an opportunity to win the game next week. And momentum,
as we've talked about before, is huge, right, We're kind
of momentums against us right now. We've had a couple
of rough weeks that haven't gone our way, and we
(02:17):
got to find a way to shift that momentum and
start kind of bringing that momentum back on our side
like it was after Detroit and find a way to
rattle a bunch off. But it starts with Wednesday's preparation
and then obviously the game Sunday.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
It's there's obviously extra cruelty to you get the go
ahead touchdown and then they get the long kickoff return,
and it has to feel you know, I know, teams
are you know, trained to never celebrate too soon, but
to lose that way when you thought, probably on a
day where you know you didn't play as a team
(02:51):
all that great through much of it, certainly offensively, there
was still the hope to steal it. Is it even
tougher to swallow when it's a game that ends the
way this one did.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I think it is. Yeah, I think I think you
know it's in this league, those those wins mean so much, right,
one win at that point the season can just give
you just so much more opportunity towards the end of
the year. So yeah, when it slips out of your hand,
when it's right there, when we fought back and like
you said, we didn't play great the whole game and
(03:24):
come back and take the lead with fifty seconds left, yeah,
it's it's definitely tough. And I think that's where we
all go look at that tape and we say, man
like we can't wait until the last drive to go
have success and go put ourselves in a good position,
Like there's no reason why we can't do that same
thing we did in that drive, right, you know, converting
(03:45):
third downs, fourth downs and sustaining drives, making great great
throws and rhythm and timing and guys getting open against
the same coverage of your face in the entire day.
So it's that little glimpse of like, man, it's not like,
it's not like we can't do it, and we're like
trying to find a way to like make it happen.
(04:05):
It's like, no, it's happened. It's happened in the Detride
game where we played cultromery football and did it in
all three phases and and won a big game on
the road. Like, those things are there, And I think
that's what makes the most prussuring, is why are those
things not happening consistently? And I think we all individually
feel that, Like, you know, we all come out of
those games and we all can't sleep at night. You know,
(04:27):
we come in on Monday morning, we all talk about manage.
Couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about this play.
I was thinking about that play like I wish I
would have done this. I wish I would have done
that better. We all, you know, it's it's not easy
for us as players and and it's what helps you
become successful in this league. But you got to find
a way to change that quickly and find that momentum.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Well, you know, people will look, you know, look back
on the last scoring drive where things went so well
and JJ looked more settled, and say, well, wait a minute,
why can't we run hurry up all the time? Maybe
in those situations the game is simplified, maybe he doesn't
have as many things to call, or there aren't as
many choices, or it becomes a little easier for him
(05:12):
to succeed. Coaches are asked that all the time, about
well just keep going hurry up. You know, dude, do
that the whole game. I assume you tell us it's
not quite that simple. But is there something to be
gained from that? I mean, is there something about that
situation that can be capitalized on, whether it is simplifying
or changing whatever reads decisions that JJ has to make
(05:36):
at the line of scrimmage, or does that have nothing
to do with it? He just made more accurate throws.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I think there's I think there's two sides of it, right,
I think there is. Yeah, there's there's truth in everything, right,
I think there is truth to say, Yeah, there was
in all in all aspects, I think things were just
clicking a little faster. There was less thinking, There was
a little bit of pace in and out of the huddle.
Obviously not even getting in a huddle, so there was
a little just bit of pace to the energy. I
(06:02):
also believe there are side of it is but we're
also earning first downs, which is kind of where where
we've struggled really all year is just giving us more plays.
You know, we got to get those first first downs
just to give us an opportunity to get more plays,
to allow us to have the opportunity to get explosives.
(06:23):
And so I think, yeah, I think I think we
You always come out of games as an individual learning
something that you could use the next week to get better,
and I think as coaches they every week they kind
of grab stuff from the game that you do really
well and say, okay, we can we can build off
that and we can use that. Especially with a young quarterback,
right they don't know him very well. There's not. There
(06:45):
hasn't been a ton of games that they've been able
to evaluate to say Okay, he's really good at this,
or or he's really you know, more comfortable doing this.
Like there, we're all kind of learning together what this
twenty twenty five minute offense is going to be good at.
And I think again, we'll we'll definitely take some things.
(07:06):
And but you also, it doesn't make an excuse for
you know, we also got to execute better when when
we're not in hurry. I mean, it's not realistic to
just go hurry up entire game. That's not how it works. Well,
I think, well, I think we'll be able to use
some of that to our advantage in the future.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
You've obviously been around a long time and so you've
you've worked with a lot of quarterbacks and a lot
of different personalities. Do you have any theories for when
the ball's going, you know, twenty yards over JJ's head.
Is that is that a little bit of hyperventilation?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (07:39):
You know, Okay, I've just made three not so good
plays and now I'm trying to be too perfect and
I'm still too jacked up? Or what do you think?
What's your best you know, opinion. Educated opinion is a
guy who's around him and been around a lot of
quarterbacks to try to get a better handle on what's
happening when the ball's going wild for him.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Well, I think if you look at really any position
and you look at when guys are kind of in
the flow or not in the flow, I think it
all comes down to momentum, right, Like like you make
a couple of good plays and like all of a sudden,
like you can't miss right because you're in this like
flow state because there's so much confidence and like you're
(08:21):
feeling it, you're seeing it, and things are going well, right.
I think when you get those games and I and
I kind of talked to a few guys today, it's
like sometimes you get in these games and like nothing's
going right, you know, like you maybe you maybe miss
one here, or or maybe a guy drops one here,
and and there's just like just's just it's you're almost
like just trying to claw and dig and try to
(08:43):
get out of this hole, and you end up just
digging your hole even deeper. Uh. I've been there personally,
where you you make a couple of bad plays early
you maybe you drop ball, or you run a bad
route and and you feel like you're just trying to
dig out this hole, and you press a little bit
and and you end up, you know, actually hurting yourself
because you're like you're trying to do too much. Right.
(09:04):
I'm not saying that necessarily the case, but from my
personal experience of my own game, that definitely has been
the case in the past. So yeah, you just got
to find a way to just go back to the
simple things. And it's a lot easier said than done,
but just kind of go back to, Okay, my footwork,
my timing, my eyes, you know what is my reed
on this play? You know, that's that's really where I've
(09:28):
had experiences like you just go back to like, hey,
like I have a five step rout here, I got
third outside, I gotta I gotta line up with my
left foot up, I gotta be a plus two splits.
Like you just go back to those little little details
and then you make a play boom. Now you make
another play boom. Now you're kind of in this back
into this rhythm and momentum on your side.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Well, I would assume, too, human nature being what it
is that it is, if the quarterback is pressing because
he's got some accuracy issues. Then I think receivers same way,
where Okay, I gotta make this catch. We got to
get one of those first sounds that you were talking about,
and it may be more likely that then, you know,
(10:07):
you don't hold onto a ball. You had one that
I thought ordinarily you get. I didn't think it was
the easiest catch, but I thought it was a catch
you usually make. I know JJ had one. There were
several where I thought there were several drops in addition
to two accuracy issues. So can one thing actually compound
the other where whether you're a more veteran player or not,
(10:28):
that everything seems, you know, almost magnified if an offense
is just not going very good.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, I think that's kind of you know, where we're
at in the season, where we were at in that
game that like there wasn't any room for air, right right.
You kind of set yourself up for that by the
way that you played in a game or the way
that the season has gone. You kind of set yourself
up for this kind of this spot where like there's
there's this minimal room for air. And does that mean
(10:58):
that the season's over? Absolutely? Not does that I mean
the game's over, No, but yeah, you're you're backed up
against the wall. There's not you know, one one little
minute thing is amplified. And that's not just in a
game setting, but also in a season. So yeah, I
think that's but that's not always a bad thing, right.
That that makes you have to prepare a little bit harder,
(11:19):
right because you know how every play could matter in
the grand scheme of things, and that one play might
dig you out of that hole as an offense and
might and might create the kind of spark you need
to have. That last drive that we had, you know,
there was a couple I think plays in that drive
that you say, man, you know TJ runs a great
(11:39):
choice route and maybe has fifteen twenty our games, like
maybe that play right there just like allowed us to
go down and score. And you never know what that
play is going to be. So when you know that
and your backs against the wall, when you prepare, you're like,
you know, a little maybe a little extra communication on
a Wednesday to JJ or him to us as receivers
(12:00):
say hey, I'm thinking this, you know, against this coverage.
And I think it's those things that you don't really
think about until your backs up against the wall and
can really help repel you to have success the next
week and hopefully continuing forward.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
You know, to this point, it seems as if McCarthy,
you know, JJ is saying all the right things before
games and after games, and he did take a lot
of accountability for his performance in this last game. But again,
as a veteran guy, there's always I think, got to
be the concern, particularly given the focus of the position
(12:33):
of even a confident player or getting beaten down a
little bit, whether he's even acknowledging it publicly or not,
that there's a mental side to this game. Do you
worry about that at all with him? Do you sense
any of that? And is that something you ever would
talk to him about?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
You know, and even I would even take it further.
I think I think us as athletes to get to
this spot, you're extremely hard on yourself right without any
media or fans, and and just like you said, the
attention on us as players, but more simply as quarterbacks,
we already put a lot of pressure on ourselves. You know,
Like I can't sleep last night because I'm thinking about
(13:11):
that player you're talking about, man, Like what could have
I done to make sure I make that play to
help him out? You know, it's it's that that pressure
you put on yourself that really ultimately drives you to
come back Wednesday and be more prepared and detailed. But
I will say about jaj Is is he's he's the
guy that can handle it right. That's why they draft
him so high because of what they saw him in college.
(13:34):
To be able to handle adversity, to be able to
play in big games, to be able to find a
way to be as best when as best is required,
and we see that weekend, day in day out with him.
Is he's got He's got a great mindset. He's got
a really unique ability to just kind of flush what's happened,
to be able to refocus each week, each each play,
(13:57):
you know, Uh, if he was mentally weak, or if
he couldn't handle this game and how scrutinized that position,
and if he couldn't handle that, he wanted to have
had that last drive he did uh in the game.
And so those are the those are the things that
give you confidence and a guy and and we, like
I said, we feel that every single day that his mentality,
(14:17):
his attitude, his effort. He's also a young guy, right,
I think he's pretty old, so, uh that also is
to his benefit because when you're young, you kind of
just show up and and you find a way to
get better, and and you don't really think about the
big picture. You just you just you just live in
the moment. And that's a great, great trait to have.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
You stay in the division. Uh this so another division game? Uh?
Do you do you like division games? I mean, do
you is there is there some is there a little
bit of extra juice? Obviously you got a lot on
the line. You guys got to start winning some games
no matter who you're playing. But generally speaking, you know
this division obviously very well. Is it a little is
there a little extra juice for for that? You do
(14:55):
you revel in these games against other teams within the division,
especially the Packers and Bear?
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Absolutely? I think I think you know, first of all,
every game is important this league. But then when you
play these division opponents and how much that means for
your opportunity to make the playoffs. Uh, you know, you
know that these games are even bigger than just a
normal regular season game. And then when you're playing a
division arrival, right, like, like, no one in this state
likes the agreement Packers, and we feel that as players,
(15:23):
even if you're not from the state of Minnesota, you
still feel that from the fans and you know the
sense of urgency that we're at in the season, and yeah,
it's exciting to be able to go on the road
and play a divisional opponent. It's a really good football team.
I think when you play in this league and you
know you're playing a good football team, you know you're
playing a really good defense, it kind of gives you
(15:44):
a little extra motivation to go out there and prepare
it in a way that is different than than any
other week to that you're ready and locked in to
give your best effort to show show that you are
a team that can beat those teams and excited about
that opportunity to go back to work and do that.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Do you have a favorite road ballpark stadium that you
love playing in, whether it's the atmosphere or whatever that
you just that you love, you you think is a
cut above the rest of them.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah, I mean I think I think you know, Lambeau
is one of those that you just kind of the
history just kind of growing up and and even if
you're not from this rivalry, from these states around here,
you still know about Lambeoufield, the history and and all
that's talked about, the frozen frozen tundra. Like everybody knows
about Lambeufield. I think it's a really special place to play,
(16:38):
and never never take that opportunity for granted. For sure,
you know, there's a couple of other Seattle I think
is a really cool place to play. Just the atmosphere,
the the energy of that stadium, kind of that that
twelfth Man. You know, it's a it's a really unique
place to play in a unique environment. But yeah, I
think Green Bay is definitely one of those places that
that you look forward to playing every year, and this
(17:00):
week pretty cool. My family gets to enjoy it for
the first time. My kids have never been there, and
they don't nice seek so excited about that for them.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
That's outstanding. Well, the word seems to be the rep
I think the reputation that Packers fans have when they're
hosting Lambeau is slightly more civil than Eagles fans, right,
even though there's great hatred obviously between the two fan bases.
Most people I've talked to Vikings fans who go say, yeah,
there's some stuff that goes on, but it ain't exactly
(17:30):
like you got to worry about maybe you know, a
shive in the ribs like when you go to Eagles games.
So that probably is a little comforting too, even if
it's an enemy territory in Green Bay, that is for sure.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, they're they're they're a great fan base, obviously, very
passionate and very competitive. My my father in law is
a die hard Packer fan, so so I get I
understand a little bit more of what those Packer fans
are really like watching him watch games on Sundays every
once in a while. And but yeah, I know it's
(18:00):
it's they're a great fan base obviously Midwest, Midwest people. Uh,
for the most part, they're they're they're they're really uh
considerate fan bases, and I think they really enjoy kind
of showing off their stadium and their atmosphere and then
welcoming the away fans. But it is fun to be
able to quiet them down a little bit when when
when things are going well and you're able to have
(18:20):
successive success of that place that not a lot of
teams have. So that's a that's a great challenge.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Thanks Adam, good luck against the Packers. We'll check next week.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Appreciate you all right, Thanks good talking to you.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Adam Feeling Vikings wide receiver, very clearly disappointed with the
result again yesterday is the Vikings fall. Now a couple
games under the five hundred mark. Johnny Athletics going to
join at the top of the hour. Chris Carter, speaking
of Vikings receivers, is scheduled for five oh two today.
Will have Nacho shortened version of Nacho probably about all
(18:55):
for forty five for forty seven or so. We got
a lot of Vikings talk points that will include into
the mix as well. The Bradshawn Brian kfe In text
line you'll not be surprised to learn is hot today
at six four six eighty six. It tends to work
that way, more so after losses than after victories, because
(19:16):
everybody has the answer. I will say, I got to
get your reaction to this. Uh texture guy, This is
from Alan Plymouth. See what he believes that feeling has
boxed us up unwittingly. Okay, I'm listening, Damn. Felan just
(19:37):
nailed it. Listen to him speak about fundamentals and that's
what thelan was talking about in terms of receivers, the
little you know, the little things you have to do
that you do have to Even if you're the technique,
a magnificent professional with a great career at wide receiver,
you still have to pay attention to techniques. So maybe
we're boxed. I don't know. I would say the frequency
(20:00):
with which we've had to listen to that sort of
word salad is not helpful, especially I think when it's
coupled with well, he's, you know, the toughest guy in
the world, and and he's a great leader. And as
I said, that all may end up being true, but
(20:23):
you got to have more in the plate. You gotta
have more in the resume before you anoint yourself nine
or you go down several of those roads. I would say,
I will add quickly, by the way, do we have
I forgot my talking points list? Do we have a
talking point on the kickoff return that ultimately turned the game?
(20:46):
Did you do kind of that was the inn in
the angle, the ecstasy in the agony, the ecstasy in
the agony? How long is it?
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Four?
Speaker 1 (20:53):
All right? Then maybe we'll hold on to it. Well,
what I was going to say is you can put
me firmly in the categorylory of a snarky one who
does not believe the Vikings screwed up not kicking the
ball deep. I had no problem with the decision. It
was a very good kickoff. It was to the far side,
(21:15):
in the corner, to the one or two yard line,
and given the circumstances, it's easy to say, now, well, yeah,
well they're going to get a sixty five yard return.
Whatever it was. Yeah, just kicking the end zone. But
obviously we don't know that's what's going to happen. And
I would say, again, if the Vike, if the Bears
needed a touchdown, I might accept that premise. The fact
(21:38):
is they needed a field goal to win, not just
to tie the game, to win the game. I don't
put them at the thirty five. So ten out of
ten times I do exactly what the Vikings did. Now,
obviously it's got to be, you know, defended better, that's
the problem. Yeah, but I was not in the group
that said we screwed up kick the ball deep, played
defense because your defense had played better. It looked like
(22:00):
the Bears were reeling a little bit. Looked like Caleb
was frustrated a little bit, but I would still ten
out of ten times I'm kicking the ball in that situation.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
I liked what KOs said. I think today that our
kickoff coverage unit has been very good. Yes, they've been
very good, and honestly, they deserved an opportunity to go
make that play. And he said, a couple of they're
always young guys, A couple of young guys got out
of their lanes a little bit, got over their skis. Well,
probably wanted to blow somebody up at the fifteen right
(22:30):
and have US Bank Stadium go crazy, and that's what
allowed him to just sneak out the right side and
basically take it sixty five yards. So that one didn't
bother me either, because, like you said, it's fifty seconds,
which is an eternity.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Three timeouts, three timeouts.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And we have another talking point by Federated talking about
Caleb Williams. You haven't gotten him on the ground. You
got him on the ground once all day, Like he
can eat up fifteen yards in three seconds, right if
he just drops back and runs. So and even though
their kicker had missed one from I think forty four,
it's really hard to count on that again that we
saw it.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
He almost missed it. I almost there that there was
something religious because that ball was heading left and it
almost felt like Augusta Wynn pushed it back right.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
I thought it was going to be no good again
or was it the skycam? Did it hit the skycamp
this time?
Speaker 1 (23:18):
It got sent checked the video get in by much.
It did not get in by much. And it was
like the the other one was wide left and it
was headed in that direction as well. But all's well,
that ends poorly. Uh, we'll make this the top of
the hour break. We'll get Johnny Athletic on the Purple.
We'll get Johnny Athletic on the Wolves, who are indeed
(23:39):
back in action tonight on the fan correct against Dallas
against the Dallas Mavericks who've got a new general manager. Well,
actually I don't know if they have an acting one.
They got about seven players I'm not exaggerating in street clothes,
including street clothes himself, Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis as Charles Barkley,
has anointed him. Kyrie's out, Kyrie. It's Cooper Flag's playing.
(24:01):
Apparently Cooper Flag is playing point guard, or at least
they were trying to play them at point guard as well,
So we'll get into all of that and who knows
what else with our guy Johnny Chris Carter in about
an hour. Stay tuned,
Well, at five o'clock, we have an all time great
Minnesota Vikings receiver, former receiver Chris Carter on the program.
Right now, we have an all time great Minnesota Vikings
receiver who's still with the team, Adam Thielen, kind enough
to join us as well. I don't even know where
to begin. You know how this works. I mean, this
town lives and dies with games played by the Vikings
(00:38):
more than any other team in this town. It's on
a plane. You've been around it long enough to know
that it's on a plane all of its own. So
the frustration is palpable. I don't know if you hear booze,
if you heard them, or or wherever. There were certainly
some yesterday frustrated with the struggling nature of the passing game.
(01:00):
To the average roob out there who's concerned that this
season is kind of getting away from their favorite team,
what's your message?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, I mean, I think, I think at the end
of the day, those same frustrations were right there with you.
Right Like, we we put a lot of work and dedication,
and we've talked about on the show plenty of times,
right like all the all the you know, workouts and
sacrifices and all the OTAs and training camp practices that
are not the most fun, right, Like, you're not playing
(01:30):
a game every week at that time, you know, you
do that all for to have success from the season.
When you're not having that success, it's extremely frustrating. And
we understand the frustrations, right, we're right there with that
fan base. Obviously, I grew up a fan, so I'm
I've even got a little extra you know, extra just
motivation to have success in in this uniform. But yeah,
(01:54):
so we we we hear you. But at the end
of the day, for us, it's a week's week league.
You got to show up. You got to find a
way to get better as quickly as possible to give
yourself an opportunity to win the game next week. And momentum,
as we've talked about before, is huge, right, We're kind
of momentums against us right now. We've had a couple
of rough weeks that haven't gone our way, and we
(02:17):
got to find a way to shift that momentum and
start kind of bringing that momentum back on our side
like it was after Detroit and find a way to
rattle a bunch off. But it starts with Wednesday's preparation
and then obviously the game Sunday.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
It's there's obviously extra cruelty to you get the go
ahead touchdown and then they get the long kickoff return,
and it has to feel you know, I know, teams
are you know, trained to never celebrate too soon, but
to lose that way when you thought, probably on a
day where you know you didn't play as a team
(02:51):
all that great through much of it, certainly offensively, there
was still the hope to steal it. Is it even
tougher to swallow when it's a game that ends the
way this one did.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I think it is. Yeah, I think I think you
know it's in this league, those those wins mean so much, right,
one win at that point the season can just give
you just so much more opportunity towards the end of
the year. So yeah, when it slips out of your hand,
when it's right there, when we fought back and like
you said, we didn't play great the whole game and
(03:24):
come back and take the lead with fifty seconds left, yeah,
it's it's definitely tough. And I think that's where we
all go look at that tape and we say, man
like we can't wait until the last drive to go
have success and go put ourselves in a good position,
Like there's no reason why we can't do that same
thing we did in that drive, right, you know, converting
(03:45):
third downs, fourth downs and sustaining drives, making great great
throws and rhythm and timing and guys getting open against
the same coverage of your face in the entire day.
So it's that little glimpse of like, man, it's not like,
it's not like we can't do it, and we're like
trying to find a way to like make it happen.
(04:05):
It's like, no, it's happened. It's happened in the Detride
game where we played cultromery football and did it in
all three phases and and won a big game on
the road. Like, those things are there, And I think
that's what makes the most prussuring, is why are those
things not happening consistently? And I think we all individually
feel that, Like, you know, we all come out of
those games and we all can't sleep at night. You know,
(04:27):
we come in on Monday morning, we all talk about manage.
Couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about this play.
I was thinking about that play like I wish I
would have done this. I wish I would have done
that better. We all, you know, it's it's not easy
for us as players and and it's what helps you
become successful in this league. But you got to find
a way to change that quickly and find that momentum.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Well, you know, people will look, you know, look back
on the last scoring drive where things went so well
and JJ looked more settled, and say, well, wait a minute,
why can't we run hurry up all the time? Maybe
in those situations the game is simplified, maybe he doesn't
have as many things to call, or there aren't as
many choices, or it becomes a little easier for him
(05:12):
to succeed. Coaches are asked that all the time, about
well just keep going hurry up. You know, dude, do
that the whole game. I assume you tell us it's
not quite that simple. But is there something to be
gained from that? I mean, is there something about that
situation that can be capitalized on, whether it is simplifying
or changing whatever reads decisions that JJ has to make
(05:36):
at the line of scrimmage, or does that have nothing
to do with it? He just made more accurate throws.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I think there's I think there's two sides of it, right,
I think there is. Yeah, there's there's truth in everything, right,
I think there is truth to say, Yeah, there was
in all in all aspects, I think things were just
clicking a little faster. There was less thinking, There was
a little bit of pace in and out of the huddle.
Obviously not even getting in a huddle, so there was
a little just bit of pace to the energy. I
(06:02):
also believe there are side of it is but we're
also earning first downs, which is kind of where where
we've struggled really all year is just giving us more plays.
You know, we got to get those first first downs
just to give us an opportunity to get more plays,
to allow us to have the opportunity to get explosives.
(06:23):
And so I think, yeah, I think I think we
You always come out of games as an individual learning
something that you could use the next week to get better,
and I think as coaches they every week they kind
of grab stuff from the game that you do really
well and say, okay, we can we can build off
that and we can use that. Especially with a young quarterback,
right they don't know him very well. There's not. There
(06:45):
hasn't been a ton of games that they've been able
to evaluate to say Okay, he's really good at this,
or or he's really you know, more comfortable doing this.
Like there, we're all kind of learning together what this
twenty twenty five minute offense is going to be good at.
And I think again, we'll we'll definitely take some things.
(07:06):
And but you also, it doesn't make an excuse for
you know, we also got to execute better when when
we're not in hurry. I mean, it's not realistic to
just go hurry up entire game. That's not how it works. Well,
I think, well, I think we'll be able to use
some of that to our advantage in the future.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
You've obviously been around a long time and so you've
you've worked with a lot of quarterbacks and a lot
of different personalities. Do you have any theories for when
the ball's going, you know, twenty yards over JJ's head.
Is that is that a little bit of hyperventilation?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (07:39):
You know, Okay, I've just made three not so good
plays and now I'm trying to be too perfect and
I'm still too jacked up? Or what do you think?
What's your best you know, opinion. Educated opinion is a
guy who's around him and been around a lot of
quarterbacks to try to get a better handle on what's
happening when the ball's going wild for him.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Well, I think if you look at really any position
and you look at when guys are kind of in
the flow or not in the flow, I think it
all comes down to momentum, right, Like like you make
a couple of good plays and like all of a sudden,
like you can't miss right because you're in this like
flow state because there's so much confidence and like you're
(08:21):
feeling it, you're seeing it, and things are going well, right.
I think when you get those games and I and
I kind of talked to a few guys today, it's
like sometimes you get in these games and like nothing's
going right, you know, like you maybe you maybe miss
one here, or or maybe a guy drops one here,
and and there's just like just's just it's you're almost
like just trying to claw and dig and try to
(08:43):
get out of this hole, and you end up just
digging your hole even deeper. Uh. I've been there personally,
where you you make a couple of bad plays early
you maybe you drop ball, or you run a bad
route and and you feel like you're just trying to
dig out this hole, and you press a little bit
and and you end up, you know, actually hurting yourself
because you're like you're trying to do too much. Right.
(09:04):
I'm not saying that necessarily the case, but from my
personal experience of my own game, that definitely has been
the case in the past. So yeah, you just got
to find a way to just go back to the
simple things. And it's a lot easier said than done,
but just kind of go back to, Okay, my footwork,
my timing, my eyes, you know what is my reed
on this play? You know, that's that's really where I've
(09:28):
had experiences like you just go back to like, hey,
like I have a five step rout here, I got
third outside, I gotta I gotta line up with my
left foot up, I gotta be a plus two splits.
Like you just go back to those little little details
and then you make a play boom. Now you make
another play boom. Now you're kind of in this back
into this rhythm and momentum on your side.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Well, I would assume, too, human nature being what it
is that it is, if the quarterback is pressing because
he's got some accuracy issues. Then I think receivers same way,
where Okay, I gotta make this catch. We got to
get one of those first sounds that you were talking about,
and it may be more likely that then, you know,
(10:07):
you don't hold onto a ball. You had one that
I thought ordinarily you get. I didn't think it was
the easiest catch, but I thought it was a catch
you usually make. I know JJ had one. There were
several where I thought there were several drops in addition
to two accuracy issues. So can one thing actually compound
the other where whether you're a more veteran player or not,
(10:28):
that everything seems, you know, almost magnified if an offense
is just not going very good.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, I think that's kind of you know, where we're
at in the season, where we were at in that
game that like there wasn't any room for air, right right.
You kind of set yourself up for that by the
way that you played in a game or the way
that the season has gone. You kind of set yourself
up for this kind of this spot where like there's
there's this minimal room for air. And does that mean
(10:58):
that the season's over? Absolutely? Not does that I mean
the game's over, No, but yeah, you're you're backed up
against the wall. There's not you know, one one little
minute thing is amplified. And that's not just in a
game setting, but also in a season. So yeah, I
think that's but that's not always a bad thing, right.
That that makes you have to prepare a little bit harder,
(11:19):
right because you know how every play could matter in
the grand scheme of things, and that one play might
dig you out of that hole as an offense and
might and might create the kind of spark you need
to have. That last drive that we had, you know,
there was a couple I think plays in that drive
that you say, man, you know TJ runs a great
(11:39):
choice route and maybe has fifteen twenty our games, like
maybe that play right there just like allowed us to
go down and score. And you never know what that
play is going to be. So when you know that
and your backs against the wall, when you prepare, you're like,
you know, a little maybe a little extra communication on
a Wednesday to JJ or him to us as receivers
(12:00):
say hey, I'm thinking this, you know, against this coverage.
And I think it's those things that you don't really
think about until your backs up against the wall and
can really help repel you to have success the next
week and hopefully continuing forward.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
You know, to this point, it seems as if McCarthy,
you know, JJ is saying all the right things before
games and after games, and he did take a lot
of accountability for his performance in this last game. But again,
as a veteran guy, there's always I think, got to
be the concern, particularly given the focus of the position
(12:33):
of even a confident player or getting beaten down a
little bit, whether he's even acknowledging it publicly or not,
that there's a mental side to this game. Do you
worry about that at all with him? Do you sense
any of that? And is that something you ever would
talk to him about?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
You know, and even I would even take it further.
I think I think us as athletes to get to
this spot, you're extremely hard on yourself right without any
media or fans, and and just like you said, the
attention on us as players, but more simply as quarterbacks,
we already put a lot of pressure on ourselves. You know,
Like I can't sleep last night because I'm thinking about
(13:11):
that player you're talking about, man, Like what could have
I done to make sure I make that play to
help him out? You know, it's it's that that pressure
you put on yourself that really ultimately drives you to
come back Wednesday and be more prepared and detailed. But
I will say about jaj Is is he's he's the
guy that can handle it right. That's why they draft
him so high because of what they saw him in college.
(13:34):
To be able to handle adversity, to be able to
play in big games, to be able to find a
way to be as best when as best is required,
and we see that weekend, day in day out with him.
Is he's got He's got a great mindset. He's got
a really unique ability to just kind of flush what's happened,
to be able to refocus each week, each each play,
(13:57):
you know, Uh, if he was mentally weak, or if
he couldn't handle this game and how scrutinized that position,
and if he couldn't handle that, he wanted to have
had that last drive he did uh in the game.
And so those are the those are the things that
give you confidence and a guy and and we, like
I said, we feel that every single day that his mentality,
(14:17):
his attitude, his effort. He's also a young guy, right,
I think he's pretty old, so, uh that also is
to his benefit because when you're young, you kind of
just show up and and you find a way to
get better, and and you don't really think about the
big picture. You just you just you just live in
the moment. And that's a great, great trait to have.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
You stay in the division. Uh this so another division game? Uh?
Do you do you like division games? I mean, do
you is there is there some is there a little
bit of extra juice? Obviously you got a lot on
the line. You guys got to start winning some games
no matter who you're playing. But generally speaking, you know
this division obviously very well. Is it a little is
there a little extra juice for for that? You do
(14:55):
you revel in these games against other teams within the division,
especially the Packers and Bear?
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Absolutely? I think I think you know, first of all,
every game is important this league. But then when you
play these division opponents and how much that means for
your opportunity to make the playoffs. Uh, you know, you
know that these games are even bigger than just a
normal regular season game. And then when you're playing a
division arrival, right, like, like, no one in this state
likes the agreement Packers, and we feel that as players,
(15:23):
even if you're not from the state of Minnesota, you
still feel that from the fans and you know the
sense of urgency that we're at in the season, and yeah,
it's exciting to be able to go on the road
and play a divisional opponent. It's a really good football team.
I think when you play in this league and you
know you're playing a good football team, you know you're
playing a really good defense, it kind of gives you
(15:44):
a little extra motivation to go out there and prepare
it in a way that is different than than any
other week to that you're ready and locked in to
give your best effort to show show that you are
a team that can beat those teams and excited about
that opportunity to go back to work and do that.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Do you have a favorite road ballpark stadium that you
love playing in, whether it's the atmosphere or whatever that
you just that you love, you you think is a
cut above the rest of them.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah, I mean I think I think you know, Lambeau
is one of those that you just kind of the
history just kind of growing up and and even if
you're not from this rivalry, from these states around here,
you still know about Lambeoufield, the history and and all
that's talked about, the frozen frozen tundra. Like everybody knows
about Lambeufield. I think it's a really special place to play,
(16:38):
and never never take that opportunity for granted. For sure,
you know, there's a couple of other Seattle I think
is a really cool place to play. Just the atmosphere,
the the energy of that stadium, kind of that that
twelfth Man. You know, it's a it's a really unique
place to play in a unique environment. But yeah, I
think Green Bay is definitely one of those places that
that you look forward to playing every year, and this
(17:00):
week pretty cool. My family gets to enjoy it for
the first time. My kids have never been there, and
they don't nice seek so excited about that for them.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
That's outstanding. Well, the word seems to be the rep
I think the reputation that Packers fans have when they're
hosting Lambeau is slightly more civil than Eagles fans, right,
even though there's great hatred obviously between the two fan bases.
Most people I've talked to Vikings fans who go say, yeah,
there's some stuff that goes on, but it ain't exactly
(17:30):
like you got to worry about maybe you know, a
shive in the ribs like when you go to Eagles games.
So that probably is a little comforting too, even if
it's an enemy territory in Green Bay, that is for sure.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, they're they're they're a great fan base, obviously, very
passionate and very competitive. My my father in law is
a die hard Packer fan, so so I get I
understand a little bit more of what those Packer fans
are really like watching him watch games on Sundays every
once in a while. And but yeah, I know it's
(18:00):
it's they're a great fan base obviously Midwest, Midwest people. Uh,
for the most part, they're they're they're they're really uh
considerate fan bases, and I think they really enjoy kind
of showing off their stadium and their atmosphere and then
welcoming the away fans. But it is fun to be
able to quiet them down a little bit when when
when things are going well and you're able to have
(18:20):
successive success of that place that not a lot of
teams have. So that's a that's a great challenge.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Thanks Adam, good luck against the Packers. We'll check next week.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Appreciate you all right, Thanks good talking to you.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Adam Feeling Vikings wide receiver, very clearly disappointed with the
result again yesterday is the Vikings fall. Now a couple
games under the five hundred mark. Johnny Athletics going to
join at the top of the hour. Chris Carter, speaking
of Vikings receivers, is scheduled for five oh two today.
Will have Nacho shortened version of Nacho probably about all
(18:55):
for forty five for forty seven or so. We got
a lot of Vikings talk points that will include into
the mix as well. The Bradshawn Brian kfe In text
line you'll not be surprised to learn is hot today
at six four six eighty six. It tends to work
that way, more so after losses than after victories, because
(19:16):
everybody has the answer. I will say, I got to
get your reaction to this. Uh texture guy, This is
from Alan Plymouth. See what he believes that feeling has
boxed us up unwittingly. Okay, I'm listening, Damn. Felan just
(19:37):
nailed it. Listen to him speak about fundamentals and that's
what thelan was talking about in terms of receivers, the
little you know, the little things you have to do
that you do have to Even if you're the technique,
a magnificent professional with a great career at wide receiver,
you still have to pay attention to techniques. So maybe
we're boxed. I don't know. I would say the frequency
(20:00):
with which we've had to listen to that sort of
word salad is not helpful, especially I think when it's
coupled with well, he's, you know, the toughest guy in
the world, and and he's a great leader. And as
I said, that all may end up being true, but
(20:23):
you got to have more in the plate. You gotta
have more in the resume before you anoint yourself nine
or you go down several of those roads. I would say,
I will add quickly, by the way, do we have
I forgot my talking points list? Do we have a
talking point on the kickoff return that ultimately turned the game?
(20:46):
Did you do kind of that was the inn in
the angle, the ecstasy in the agony, the ecstasy in
the agony? How long is it?
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Four?
Speaker 1 (20:53):
All right? Then maybe we'll hold on to it. Well,
what I was going to say is you can put
me firmly in the categorylory of a snarky one who
does not believe the Vikings screwed up not kicking the
ball deep. I had no problem with the decision. It
was a very good kickoff. It was to the far side,
(21:15):
in the corner, to the one or two yard line,
and given the circumstances, it's easy to say, now, well, yeah,
well they're going to get a sixty five yard return.
Whatever it was. Yeah, just kicking the end zone. But
obviously we don't know that's what's going to happen. And
I would say, again, if the Vike, if the Bears
needed a touchdown, I might accept that premise. The fact
(21:38):
is they needed a field goal to win, not just
to tie the game, to win the game. I don't
put them at the thirty five. So ten out of
ten times I do exactly what the Vikings did. Now,
obviously it's got to be, you know, defended better, that's
the problem. Yeah, but I was not in the group
that said we screwed up kick the ball deep, played
defense because your defense had played better. It looked like
(22:00):
the Bears were reeling a little bit. Looked like Caleb
was frustrated a little bit, but I would still ten
out of ten times I'm kicking the ball in that situation.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
I liked what KOs said. I think today that our
kickoff coverage unit has been very good. Yes, they've been
very good, and honestly, they deserved an opportunity to go
make that play. And he said, a couple of they're
always young guys, A couple of young guys got out
of their lanes a little bit, got over their skis. Well,
probably wanted to blow somebody up at the fifteen right
(22:30):
and have US Bank Stadium go crazy, and that's what
allowed him to just sneak out the right side and
basically take it sixty five yards. So that one didn't
bother me either, because, like you said, it's fifty seconds,
which is an eternity.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Three timeouts, three timeouts.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And we have another talking point by Federated talking about
Caleb Williams. You haven't gotten him on the ground. You
got him on the ground once all day, Like he
can eat up fifteen yards in three seconds, right if
he just drops back and runs. So and even though
their kicker had missed one from I think forty four,
it's really hard to count on that again that we
saw it.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
He almost missed it. I almost there that there was
something religious because that ball was heading left and it
almost felt like Augusta Wynn pushed it back right.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
I thought it was going to be no good again
or was it the skycam? Did it hit the skycamp
this time?
Speaker 1 (23:18):
It got sent checked the video get in by much.
It did not get in by much. And it was
like the the other one was wide left and it
was headed in that direction as well. But all's well,
that ends poorly. Uh, we'll make this the top of
the hour break. We'll get Johnny Athletic on the Purple.
We'll get Johnny Athletic on the Wolves, who are indeed
(23:39):
back in action tonight on the fan correct against Dallas
against the Dallas Mavericks who've got a new general manager. Well,
actually I don't know if they have an acting one.
They got about seven players I'm not exaggerating in street clothes,
including street clothes himself, Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis as Charles Barkley,
has anointed him. Kyrie's out, Kyrie. It's Cooper Flag's playing.
(24:01):
Apparently Cooper Flag is playing point guard, or at least
they were trying to play them at point guard as well,
So we'll get into all of that and who knows
what else with our guy Johnny Chris Carter in about
an hour. Stay tuned,
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