Minnesota Vikings Podcast: 10-30-25

Tatum Everett from VEN is back for the MVP!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Marsters.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome into the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. I'm your host Tatum
Everett from the Vikings Entertainment Network. We've got a great
show for you Today will be joined by nine to
noons Eric Nordquist to talk everything Purple as the team
gears up for that Sunday afternoon contest against the Detroit Lions.
We'll also catch up with former Fox nine sports anchor
and Vikings Entertainment Network frequent guest Hoby Artigue. He's now

(00:30):
the sports director at Local for Detroit and gives us
some insight into the divisional adversary. But first let's dive
into the status of the team. The Vikings quarterback shuffle
continued after Carson Wentz was put on season ending injured
reserved this week. He suffered a left non throwing shoulder
injury in the first half of the London game against

(00:51):
the Browns. He gut it out that second half performance,
let a game winning drive, going nine for nine for
seventy one yards and that go ahead Addison touchdown. He
tried to rehab and started in two more games while
wearing a brace on his shoulder. Against the Chargers, he
was ACKed five times and tallied eight quarterback hits and
you could just see the wincing in his face that

(01:12):
he was in so much pain. He talked to the
media this week about his time with his childhood team,
after joining the roster in late August and now ending
his season on IR.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Feeling good with the ultimate decision that we've made collectively.
And you know, it's weird being done this early in
the season. Been on IR a couple of different times,
but never this early. So it's a bummer all those things.
But life's a lot bigger than this. You know, any
minutes or day, I'm about to have my fourth little
girl and surgeries on deck, So all the things that

(01:47):
are so much bigger than this are really occupying my
mind in time. But it is a bummer, obviously, it's
a bummer, the little loss, all the things. But yeah,
I'm doing a right What was.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
The process in the game, whether you're trying to decide
whether you can or should go.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Back out there, you're talking the game the other nights,
or just in general, however many games? Yeah, yeah, I mean,
I mean, it sounds like it's been reported kind of
the situation and how it happened against the Browns and
all the things. But the whole time, I felt I
can still help this team. You know, at the end
of the day, I knew what I was signing up for.

(02:23):
It wasn't like anyone was forcing me to go. I mean,
this is my tenth year in the league. There's a
lot bigger things in my in my life to worry about.
So I wasn't gonna do anything that would be detrimental
to my own health. So I knew what I was
getting into and knew there was a chance I'd be
playing with some pain and discomfort the other nights, and
I'd be lying if I thought it. I thought it

(02:44):
would be a little less than what it was. But
at the end of the day, it's it's pain, And
I felt like, Okay, the hit happened, and then I
could go on and I could still help the team.
And so it was never something and i'd be lying too.
I mean, as a competitor, like you never want to
take yourself out, Like, no matter what you're going through,
it's hard to remove yourself from the game. And you know,
I'm maybe optimist, too optimistic, like thinking we can still

(03:07):
mount to come back here, you know, all the things,
and that it feels crazy. Teams can score fast. We
have some dudes on this offense, and so scoring in
a hurry is a is a real expectation and an opportunity.
So I never once was like, yeah, I need to
be done. You know. It's like, yeah, that hurt, but
you know, I'm optimistic. I'm gonna get up and not
get hit the next play and we're gonna, you know,
go score and all the things. So that didn't really

(03:27):
cross my mind. And yeah, that's just kind of the
way it was.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
So with wentz on ir JJ McCarthy starting on Sunday
at Ford Field against the Lions. He's back after six
weeks of rehabbing a high ankle sprain he suffered against
the Falcons in Week two. He spoke on Wednesday afternoon
about his feelings heading back to Michigan for his third
career NFL start.

Speaker 4 (03:51):
Just finish up a great practice, felt like there was
a lot that you know, we did well and a
lot that we got to improve on this week, and
you know, got a tremendous opportunity in front of us
against divisional opponent, really tough opponent. You know, they've done
a lot of great things this year, and it'll be
great to see where we stack up against them, And
you know, we're just really focused on attacking each and
every day and making sure we're prepared as possible going

(04:12):
into this one on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Now, let's bring in friend of the show, Eric Nordquist,
you know him as Nordo from nine to Noon. Nordo,
how is your mini bie? I guess we'll call it.

Speaker 5 (04:24):
Yeah, the Baby Bye, Baby Bye.

Speaker 6 (04:26):
That's cute.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Well, we kind of framed it up, Pa and I
framed it up. Nine to Noon is turning the page?

Speaker 6 (04:31):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
So Monday it was what do we need to turn
the page on? So we had to lament a little
bit and just recap and just get and wrap our
heads around the thirty seven to ten debacle on Thursday
night at so Far. But then Tuesday morning, fresh new day,
we're ready to look at the Lions.

Speaker 5 (04:48):
We're ready to look at JJ McCarthy. We might be
rolling with some kid qbs here.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
So yes, I spent the Baby Bye trying to somewhat
forget and understand what I watched and witnessed on Thursday night.
It was enjoyable time away. And now we're back at
it against Detroit.

Speaker 5 (05:05):
This is sweet.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
So when head coach Kevin O'Connell walked in for x's
and o's on Tuesday, how did you assess his overall demeanor?
Did he also feel the turning the page theme that
we're feeling.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
He walked in as he normally does. Yeah, good conversation
x'es and o's. You would have heard it on the
fan last night. And and the thing with the coach,
I'm just kind of intrigued by it. Where there has
to be a part of him that has to be
confident in the development plan of JJ McCarthy. There has
to be a part of him that is also stressed

(05:40):
because this season through seven games soon to be eight,
has felt like an entire season already. At one point,
we believe we were going into the season, we were
going to unveil this fresh new offensive line interior with
these new beefeaters on the defensive side, and this was
going to be the launch point for JJ McCarthy. That
was take from us in less than two games with

(06:01):
the ankle injury against the Falcons, and there's got to
be a relief factor that now I feel like after
everything that we hit, the trials and tribulations of it
that we are now back on the path.

Speaker 5 (06:12):
We're back on the road again after taking a weird
five to six week deviation.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
So I just I've kind of summed it up as
just I think he and and oh, by the way,
we have the Lions at Ford Field where we haven't
won since.

Speaker 6 (06:27):
Hook of a game to have when you come back, right, So.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
Picture, just picture where that coach has had his ass
and it's it's got to be he's.

Speaker 5 (06:33):
Got to be locked in, dialed in.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
I'm sure he is, but man spinning a little bit
with all the different emotions of sorts.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
So now he's going to get that entire week of practice,
He's going to be healthy during it, getting the first
team reps when they go out there against the Lions.
What are some of the things you think they can
do to set him up to get a manageable performance.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, I need I need my left and right tackles
back in the mix. That would help the establishing the run.
This has kind of been that's kind of an evergreen talker.
But you look in two games. I don't use the
Bengals game because that was weird from step one in
the blowout, but the Bears in the Browns game. Our
commitment to the run not only stabilized things at times
Opening night when things weren't clicking, timing was off offensively,

(07:18):
our ability to grind out I think it was one
thirty four on the ground and then albeit it wasn't
one hundred yards, it wasn't pretty, but our commitment to
run against that brick wall of that Cleveland front in London,
I thought really helped in terms of keeping us in
the game, making plays. I mean, it's a rookie and
Dylan Gabriel making his debut, but just keeping that game close.
And then Carson goes nine to nine on that game

(07:39):
winning drive and that touchdown to Addison. So committing to
the run, we've talked about that. I'd like to see
whether it's maybe some swing passes to the backs. We
have Aaron Jones healthy again, didn't get to see him
much of him on Thursday or anything on Thursday night.
We'll get to see more of him, hopefully against the kiddies.
The timing of the offense, he's gonna have Jordan Addison,
he didn't have.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
Those, and that that connection during training camp was something
do you remember question?

Speaker 6 (08:03):
Was real?

Speaker 2 (08:04):
So I'm excited to see what he can he can
do with that, like that's like his safety blanket.

Speaker 6 (08:09):
I guess you could say what.

Speaker 1 (08:10):
I'm really looking for JJ has an opportunity to do
some things for himself here. So we've heard footwork and
foundation and it's just that's been talked over a lot.
But I'm looking at timing. I want to see just
a little hint when or lose on Sunday. I want
to see a hint that there's been an evolution and
better timing on offense, on time on target's going to.

Speaker 5 (08:31):
Lead to success.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
And then just some hints that the decision making and
the comfort level has improved.

Speaker 5 (08:37):
Those are all things. Again, I hate to say win
or lose.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
I want my favorite team to win every game, but
just I need to start seeing signs of improvement from
the QB and we haven't gotten to see enough of them.

Speaker 5 (08:46):
So this Sunday might be that first opportunity. Again.

Speaker 6 (08:50):
Well, and they're not.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
They're not out of this divisional race by any stretch.
You know, you've only played one divisional game, this this
next couple of Detroit Green Bay. Seeing these teams and
the Bears, you know that it's going to be so
important to hang in there. However, assessing the NFC North
right now, how difficult is it going to be on

(09:11):
Sunday against the Lions team who feels like they've found
their identity?

Speaker 5 (09:14):
Yeah? They well they have.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
And my idea with the Lions, I figured there'd be
a regression because of all the change, all that is
new from.

Speaker 6 (09:22):
Four started out that way. It felt like.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
Right wow for one game, and then we realized it's
still Dan Campbell, it's still Ham and Ross and Brown,
it still Jami Gibs and they still got all the
trickery and everything. Defense is healthier, by the way, I
think Kirby Joseph and Brian Branch are both going to
be in the mix.

Speaker 5 (09:37):
They missed them. Aleem nick Neil is a game changer,
big guy in the middle. He's there.

Speaker 1 (09:42):
Aiden Hutchinson is healthy. I mean the analyzing the NFC
North from a Vikings perspective, you got to sweep the
Lions and Green Bay if you're gonna have a shot
at the division. And if that doesn't happen, and we'll
get to find out on Sunday, if we're still in
that possibility, then you start thinking about the wild card
almost immediately and.

Speaker 5 (10:00):
That's not about a defeatist attitude.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
It's just that the Lions are that good, and they
feature and have continued to feature and dominated with it,
a dual headed rushing attack that, based on what we've
seen defensively in recent weeks from the Vikings, poses a
significant issue. If we can't mitigate that, if we can't
stem that tide, it's going to be a very long
season for the Minnesota Vikings. So that's those are some

(10:24):
of the things. You know, JJ kind of a marquee
talker for near term and long term, but specifically in
the near term. Defense has to improve too. It wasn't
just the quarterback situation.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
No, no, and right of course not. I mean you have
to attribute everything Carson Wentz two and three for his
childhood team.

Speaker 6 (10:41):
I mean he basically left it all out there.

Speaker 5 (10:44):
Yeah, he did.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Your thoughts on him coming here in August and having
to step in in this situation like he did and
really just giving his all up until the very end, well.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
I think I think he performed admirably. You know, people
handle pain, people handle circumstance differently, but it was pretty
clear that he's one of these guys that if he
can go. He's going to go, and he's not going
to take himself out of the game if he has
confidence in his ability to stand up right and throw
the ball. So nothing short of an Iron Man warrior

(11:16):
esque aura to his very short lived tenure here in
twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
All right, thanks Nordo for your time. Appreciate it as
always a love the fan perspective. You could listen to
him on KFAN nine to noon with Paul Allen and
listen to him though after the game.

Speaker 6 (11:33):
On KFN for Vikings fan line. We still have more
here on.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
The Minnesota Vikings Podcast, including a former familiar.

Speaker 6 (11:40):
Voice joining the show. Stay tuned.

Speaker 2 (11:44):
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(12:20):
Woodbury and chan Hassen. There's a Spalon close to you.
Visit online at spelon dot com. Welcome back into the
Minnesota Vikings Podcast. I'm Tatum Everett from the Vikings Entertainment
Network and I am so excited about our next guest.

Speaker 6 (12:33):
It's a voice that you may recognize.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Former Fox nine sports anchor, the face of several Vikings
shows in his time, he now covers the Detroit sports
scene as the sports director. We're local for Detroit. We
got Hoby Artigue on the podcast. I am a wow,
missed you man. It's been a little while since we
catch up, but I do love that we get this,
you know, bi annual built in forced catchup.

Speaker 7 (13:00):
Well, you know what, catching up with you an old
college friend is always a good time. We have LSU
roots that go way back, and then we work together
in Minnesota for a long time.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, it's going to be quite the affair. On Sunday,
Fox's a crew, their number one team will be at
Ford Field. You know, I wanted to ask you this
kind of right off the bat before we get into
like the nitty gritty of the game. Ford Field has
really become this home field advantage for the Lions. How
have you seen it play out in your time obviously

(13:32):
covering the Vikings and the Lions over the last several years.

Speaker 5 (13:36):
It's not even seeing.

Speaker 7 (13:37):
It play out, it's hearing it play out because my
ears hurt. It seems every single game that the Lions
play at home. But they really have created a home
field advantage. The only time that you really didn't see
it was that playoff game that they had against the
Commanders last year where it just kind of all came
to an end with the greatest season that this team
had had in history, going fifteen and two. But it

(14:01):
has been a great place for this team because they
bring the noise, they bring the Jared Golf chance, they
bring everything. And you see such a dedicated fan base
because they have been through it for thirty years and
to see them actually have a team that is a
consistent contender, at least that's been the case for the
last couple of years. It's really a lot of people's

(14:22):
dedication kind of being rewarded in a way, and I
think we have seen that with the Vikings in the
past over the last few years. But I think these
are two teams on another collision course because the NFC
North is just so good again this year that this
game really could pay dividends for the winner.

Speaker 6 (14:40):
No, I mean that.

Speaker 2 (14:41):
NFC North Black and Blue Division living up to its
name for sure. I mean, it's funny you mentioned that
fifteen and two season. The thought process behind this was
would this team regress because their corantinators both leave Dan
Campbell's still there, they become head coaches won actually in
the NFC North. But lo and behold, it's the same

(15:01):
old Lions in your opinion, how do you think they've
been able to sustain that success with different coordinators and
leaders and schemes.

Speaker 7 (15:11):
It's like the new version of the same old Lions
because that term was not very good around Detroit for
a long time. But looking at what they have done
over the last couple of years, and I think there
were a lot of questions coming into the season, and
actually after Week one because the game that they played
against the Packers, I think a lot of people externally
were saying, oh boy, here we go, this is where

(15:32):
the drop off begins. But since then that really has
not been the case, and I think a lot of
it is it begins and ends with Dan Campbell because
so many people want to say, well, that is so
and So's defense. Oh that was Ben Johnson's offense. Will
will it be as good? You forget that The man
at the top is Dan Campbell and what he says

(15:52):
often goes within this organization.

Speaker 8 (15:54):
And they have been so good about from the beginning
building up a sustainable culture, as they said, where you
get people, because you know, if you get good people
are going to leave.

Speaker 7 (16:07):
It's all about having the right pieces in place behind
those people. And they found that with Kelvin Sheppard, another
LSU alum who was in Baton Rouge at the same
time that we were, and his defense has played out
of its mind to start the year playing against some
really good competition. Look at what they did against the
Bucks just last week with all four starters in the
secondary out for that game, and offensively since week one,

(16:30):
they they had trouble moving the ball, and at times
they have had it since then, but they've also looked
like the machine that we've come to know here in
Detroit with the way they have been able to put
up points and using multiple players to get themselves going
every single week. It's not just one guy every single week.
It's it could be Jamiir Gibbs day one day, it

(16:53):
could be Sam Laporte's day the next day. And as
long as you protect Jared Goff, I think I think
that's the that's the key for this team. But I
think a lot of it is keeping it consistent in
the pipeline, if you will, and having the right pieces
in place, and preparing for things that do shake up
in the NFL as time moves on.

Speaker 6 (17:14):
Yeah, a lot of shakeup between the two teams.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
But you know, obviously, like you said, it's the consistency,
and I think the Vikings are still trying to find
their identity at this point in the season.

Speaker 6 (17:24):
They've had a mini buy going into.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
This game, albeit obviously Detroit's had a little extra time,
but the Vikings have a mini by to self scout
and kind of attack this week. They know how physical
this matchup is going to be. I just got done
talking to Jonathan Grenard a second ago, and as we
tape this on a Wednesday, he was telling me that,

(17:48):
you know, they know that they have to block the lanes,
that they have to pressure Jared Goff that they have
to be off the blocks faster than they ever have
before and be on top of all the small things
that they have to do.

Speaker 6 (18:00):
What does it take when you've seen a team who
is successful.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
Against the run against the Lions, what has it been
that's been able to disrupt that rushing rhythm?

Speaker 1 (18:11):
Right?

Speaker 7 (18:11):
Honestly, it's it's establishing the run offensively because whenever they
do that with their offensive line, that opens up so
much with the play action game for Jared Goff, and
it kind of keeps a defense guessing because you don't know,
all right, should we send the house, should we not?
Should we back in the coverage? And I think we
saw it last game. It was it was Jamira Gibbs
leading the way. And that was also the case in

(18:31):
that game that they played against the Vikings at the
end of the season last year, where Jamier Gibbs had
four touchdowns in that game. It was a very similar Yeah,
it was a very simile. I bring it because that
was the case against the Bucks in the last game
and Jared Goff and the offense did not play their
absolute best. And I think with this team it still
goes back to, Yeah, they have Ham and Ross Saint Brown.

(18:53):
They have a great tight end in Sam Laport, they
have a burner in Jamison Williams. Jared Goff can get
it to all those places. But at the end of
the day, Dan Campbell wants to run the football. He
wants to be that that hard nosed run team because
they also have two running backs who can do it
extremely well.

Speaker 5 (19:09):
If they can't get.

Speaker 7 (19:10):
Going, and I think that's what kind of keeps the
defense on their toes. And it's not just a hunting
season on Jared Goff in that backfield.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah, for sure, I know a couple of guys they
definitely want to start being able to affect the quarterback.
Jonathan Grenard's season has been able to get pressure back there,
he just hasn't been able to cash it on the.

Speaker 6 (19:27):
Sacks can personally, I want to talk oaks.

Speaker 7 (19:30):
Go ahead, Oh and you bring up I mean getting SATs,
I mean the Lion the Lions offensive line. It has
been good, but they have given up four sacks or
more into of the last three games. So it's not
like they're keeping Jared Goff perfectly clean by any means,
but it's but it's all about forcing them into into
bad positions because this team has not been really good

(19:50):
on third down, especially third and medium for some reason.

Speaker 5 (19:55):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (19:55):
But if you can get him into into third down territory,
it could it could spell trouble for their offense.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
I want to kind of go back to us talking
about being the game being in Detroit and you were
lucky enough to cover JJ McCarthy's run to the National
Championship a couple of seasons ago on a week to
week basis, And we've heard so many people talk about
what makes JJ McCarthy successful.

Speaker 6 (20:20):
How have you seen that or what what have.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
You seen in the glim in the glimpses of what
he's been successful at from his time at Michigan.

Speaker 7 (20:28):
On the field, it's his ability to maneuver the pocket
and to use his legs. I mean, we saw that
at Michigan. We saw him Eke sten plays to get
the ball down the field and that that's kind of
the on field. But off of the field, it's the
way I have seen people gravitate toward him. That's how
he was at Michigan. He was the unquestioned leader not

(20:50):
only of that offense, but that entire team. They look
to him because of his positivity and the way he
not only approached the game, but the way he approached life.

Speaker 5 (21:00):
And and I see that.

Speaker 7 (21:01):
In Minnesota, at least from what I've been able to follow,
And it seems like that part of him has not
changed whatsoever in the grand scheme of things for his
transition from college to the NFL. But now it's it's
time to show what we saw at Michigan and do
it on an even bigger level. Because at Michigan he

(21:25):
had a lot of help on offense. I mean, he
had Blake Korum, he had Donovan Edwards, he had a
great offensive line with a lot of draft picks. He
had a defense that was filled with NFL talent that
we see today. And now it's gonna be time for
him to kind of to kind of shoulder that load
and be the leader on the field that his team
needs him to be.

Speaker 6 (21:43):
I love that vantage point. Thanks so much to Hobie Artigue.

Speaker 2 (21:46):
Obviously, we have a long and deep personal connection. So
I'm excited to see him on Sunday, as about excited
as I am to see the Vikings take on the Lions.
Finally we get a Sunday at noon game. Hallelujah. Suggs
that one. The kickoff is set for noon. It's the
Fox A team with Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Aaron Andrews,

(22:08):
and Tom Rinaldi on the call.

Speaker 6 (22:10):
We're excited for that.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
Game and for the Vikings to break that four consecutive
losing streak at Ford Field. Tough place to play, but
it's going to make for an amazing game on Sunday.
Thank you so much for listening to the Minnesota Vikings podcast.
We'll be back next week and skull Viking. Minnesota needed
a go to source for everything high school sports. That's

(22:33):
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