November 17, 2025 • 42 mins
Pete Bercich begins the hour with his weekly Monday appearance, and Gophers coach PJ Fleck ends the hour with his look ahead to the Northwestern game at Wrigley!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Man MacCarthy shotgun first intent from the Bear's fifteen Addison
in motion to the left, takes a snap.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Now a four man rush McCarthy to the end zone and.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yes, John and.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Listen, just a n at a time and we're tied.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Cat sixteen peas JJ McCarthy. Well done.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
Riker kicking it to the east side of the US
Bank Stadium Boom, A shorter kick by design DuVernay from
his own three He's right, five ten, fifteen twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
It's a knife block from Blackwell. Eric Wlison trying to
running down.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
With Bill Record and just blockwell, make that Devin DuVernay
out of bounds, deepened Viking's territory. Devin DuVernay with a
cold blooded return of fifty seven yards.
Speaker 6 (01:04):
The analyst is Pete Bursage at Pete Bursage via x
very active on YouTube these days. Learn more about that
via YouTube and just search like Pete Bursage five six
you'll get the Eye in the Sky film breakdowns. Suecup Manufacturing,
Thank you very much, Suecup Manufacturing and Sue Cup dot
Com brings us the analyst each and every Monday, nine
(01:26):
to noon. And you know off the YouTube depth chart
deep dive you put on via I in the Sky,
and that was really really cool that you did that.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I really enjoyed that.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
As yesterday's game unfolded, mister analyst, how much on said
chart was telling the story of the game we were calling.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, I think quite a bit of it.
Speaker 7 (01:51):
I Mean, the Bears in their story on defense continued
with the unbelievable plus fourteen that they brought in and
the plus sixteen that they left with and the twenty
two turnovers that they have created this year. So I
mean that part of it, that part of it stood
(02:13):
in there or was was there. I mean, the defense
played I think to the level that they that they do.
I mean, we the opportunities that this offense had and
left on the table, especially in the first the first
quarter and a half.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Of this football game.
Speaker 7 (02:31):
Yeah, but yeah, it would have it would have looked
like it would have looked like exactly what was described
coming into it, having a harder time getting the quarterback,
giving up a lot of yards six point three play
yards per play thirty first in the league, and yards
per play passing. I mean, just you know, it would
(02:51):
have gone, it would have gone the exact exact same way.
And then offensively, you know, they're the one drive, the
one big drive they had. They had fourteen plays, they
ran the ball eleven times. I mean, that's the running game, right,
one hundred and eighty three point four yards per game
since week six going into going in.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So a lot of that stayed true to form.
Speaker 7 (03:12):
In that regard, and I don't think in that you know,
in that respect now you asked me a question, it
was it was much different than how we kind of
laid it out going into it.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
They're there, you know in most games, but specifically Vikings
Bears with O'Connell as the head coach. There there's an
overarcher here that that absolutely is a common threat.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
We discussed it multiple times.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
Yesterday, the Chicago Bears, like Pete said, were plus fourteen
and the take give into the game, the Vikings reminus seven.
The Bears won that category and they won the game.
And O'Connell's two losses to the Bears, in the first
one at US Bank Stadium, the Vikings reminus two in
the turnovers. Yesterday, they lost the turnover battle again and
lost the game to the Bears. Different Bears team now
(03:57):
than it was a couple of years ago. But with
this individual team, with this nice head coach who knows
how to manipulate offense and try to go quick strike
or have long drives, you lose the turnover battle to
these guys and you're probably going to lose the game.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It's yeah, you definitely, It's like anything.
Speaker 7 (04:17):
I think if you're minus two, you have about a
seventeen percent chance of winning the football game. It's one
of the one of the I was reading a study
that led up It was up to the end of
twenty twenty four, so it doesn't include the season, but
there were only three teams in the NFL last year
that were at five hundred or above that were negative
(04:38):
in the take given, and all three of those teams
were minus two. Of them are minus one, one of
them was minus two. One of them was the Philadelphia Eagles.
I forget who the other two were. So that one
stat is as indicative to success as any other stat
that's out there, and we are on the tail end of.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
That one right now, being min it's nine. So you know,
what are you going to fix? First?
Speaker 7 (05:03):
Well, that's one thing that you you know that you
need to stop. I mean, Caleb Williams last year sacked
sixty eight times, but protected the football pretty well. He's
only been he was only saying he's been sacked what
sixteen times now this year and only six inner? You
know many, how many interceptions is he looking at?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Four?
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Four?
Speaker 7 (05:23):
So the struggles that he's had, he he at least
hadn't thrown the football away a ton, and that just that,
you know, that's our problem right now with somehow We've
got to fix that. I think the buyered interception was
just a great play by him. I'm gonna believe that
until I'm till one of the coaches here tells me
something differently. If I hear differently, just as a flat
(05:46):
defender him, you know, reading the place he and JJ
coming across and then just bailing underneath it. It's kind
of like a cover two kind of a look. You
see that a lot with cover two corners. But he
was a deep third defender and got back underneath one,
So that one I'm not mad at. You know, the
underthrow to Jordan Andison that Sean Wright got, It's amazing
(06:06):
to Sean Wright gets one thrown right to him in
the end zone last week and he drops it. This week,
he goes up and becomes a wide receiver and brings
that thing, you know, brings that thing down.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
But that you know, that one was underthrown as well, So.
Speaker 7 (06:21):
I think JJ's was hit or his arm was hit
as he was thrown it and maybe caused it to
fall little short. But you know, those they take points
off the board. One of them created points for the Bears.
The other one took points off the board for the Vikings. Yeah,
and that's not even including the miss to Jordan Andison earlier,
the drop that Jordan Andison had, the miss to Justin
(06:42):
Jefferson on the previous drive, so early on in the game,
we left at least six points on the board. He
count that last interception, that's nine. I mean, that's the
game right there. That's that's the game, you know it.
We want to dig deeply and find out the problem
is the problem? You know, it's pretty it's pretty simple.
(07:02):
When the players are there, you got to make them
the calls that were made. I mean, how can you
fault the play calling. You got guys running wide open
all over the place.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Right.
Speaker 7 (07:11):
We've seen JJ come out and fire a one fifty
four point two rating on the first two drives eleven
point six on the yards per attempt, right best in
the NFL, and the first two drives going into the
Bears game, and it was there again again, it was there.
All I gotta do is hit your target or catch
the football one of the two.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
You guys are professionals.
Speaker 7 (07:32):
It should this is that should be expected of you,
and you don't do that. So a lot of things
held true to form going into this game. That part
in particular as well. But the play calling, I mean,
what they're calling, it's there. We just got executed.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
You know.
Speaker 7 (07:49):
We didn't give up any sacks, which is which is
a huge positive. That needs to continue as well, to
go to cut, let the quarterback get more and more
comfortable back there. But our opportunities, man, that one, that
one is painful to watch. I know as a former
player or a coach that a game like that is
(08:10):
just painful to watch because it was all right there
right if you have if you have twelve penalties like
you did a week ago, then you know you got
something to be mad about.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Something.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
We got to fix this one. I mean, what do
you do catch the ball? Obviously you see.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
What I'm saying.
Speaker 7 (08:28):
It's just it's a it's a gut wrencher man this
and they're not going to feel any better walking out
of the facility today after seeing seeing the opportunities that
were missed.
Speaker 6 (08:38):
Okay, now, offensively, too many gibs, we know that. But
but three interceptions defensively, three interceptions through three games is
the worst number in the history of Minnesota Vikings football.
It was through nine games, so it's only getting worse
now through ten.
Speaker 8 (08:57):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (08:58):
I bet Bernard plays next week, so it's full throttle defensively,
and if Ryan Kelly moves into center, which which I
wouldn't be surprised if he did, you know, this whole
thing could go full throttle. But three interceptions through ten games.
Speaker 7 (09:12):
Your thoughts, I think a lot of that has to
do with not playing with the lead, not having an
offense that that needs to you.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Know, that needs to get to get to get after it.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
I think about the Indie game last year where we
didn't have a sack that entire game, and then the
last drive, the last drive of the game, I think
we sacked the quarterback three times. Right why because they
were behind. It was a two minute situation they had
to score. It's the situation that situational part of the game.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
By not playing with the lead really affects that.
Speaker 7 (09:51):
It really does because because offenses don't need to be
as aggressive. Some of it's just you know, we had
some tips yesterday and the ball is you know, I mean,
as you've seen them to tip the ball, it's up
in the air and then there's just there's just nobody
near it. Sometimes those things go your way, sometimes they don't.
I think that might be one of the biggest one
of the biggest parts.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
I mean the sacks.
Speaker 7 (10:13):
We had twenty six on the season, so we're not
horrible in that regard. We're top ten in sack rate,
meaning the percentage of sacks is as passes that we face.
So we're getting pressure on the quarterback. We're just we're
just not either in the right place. But I do
believe the main thing is not playing with the lead,
(10:35):
so offenses don't feel the pressure to have to make
things happen. They don't have to get down the field right.
They can just hand the ball off. They could throw
it in complete and punt. They it's you know, they're
not pushing as much against this defense. This defense faced
more passing attempts last year than any other defense in
the league, and it's quite the opposite this year, So
(10:56):
teams being able to run the football as well. You know,
you're just seeing more runs. You can get more runs,
you're gonna see less interceptions. Right, there's a little bit of,
you know, a little bit of all of that wrapped
into that big number. It's not one thing.
Speaker 9 (11:10):
I don't think, Hey, p I thought I was going
to see more runs out of Jaj McCarthy than I
saw yesterday as in zero. And I'm just curious if
there was anything that popped in your head in terms
of something the Bears were doing to mitigate that opportunity.
You know, you were mentioning that first interception. I think
that's a great example of it. Also later where Addison
(11:31):
became a dB and kind of broke that pass up
between Brisker and Stevenson where Fries was back seven yards
into McCarthy's lap and he still let that thing go. Like,
was there anything in terms of I wonder if there
was an emphasis to keep him in the pocket because
he was kind of militant about it yesterday. We didn't
see him using his legs at all, And I'm just
(11:52):
kind of thinking, like that's an asset for the kid,
and we didn't see him give it.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
It is it is.
Speaker 7 (11:59):
Yeah, we didn't see a lot of him getting to
the top of his drop, not seeing what's there, and
then pulling that thing down and running.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
And sometimes that's a blessing. Sometimes it's a mistake that
comes with.
Speaker 7 (12:07):
Time, knowing when one to you know, raise the white
flag and just pull that thing down. I don't think
he's the guy that you want to have a bunch
of called runs with, just because of the injury history
and everything else. I just you know, quarterbacks who depend
on the run a lot when they're young, they're going
(12:28):
to get there. I mean, they're going to get beat up.
They have to make the transition into a passer. And
you know, so you're kind of making that decision and saying, yeah,
we got to get him in the pocket, We got
to get him ready.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
You don't want to turn him into Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 7 (12:41):
But at the same time, you know you have to, uh,
you have to sit back there and let some of
these routes, you know, develop. I didn't se Yeah, you're right,
though we didn't see a lot of bootlegs. We didn't
see a lot of run pass option or put getting
them out, you know, getting them outside the pocket, you know,
moving them around.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Maybe that has.
Speaker 7 (13:01):
Something to do with the fundamentals of the whole thing,
or they're just not comfortable or feeling great about him
out on the edges of the defense.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (13:09):
Well, you know, that's a question I you know, I
can't really answer. But what you saw or what you
think you saw is correct. He was he was staying
in the pocket yesterday. I'll tell you that he was.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Hanging in there. And you know it didn't have to
scramble a whole lot. He didn't.
Speaker 7 (13:23):
He didn't get pressured immediately very often. It wasn't as
if he got the top of his drop and he
had somebody on him right away. He had time yesterday,
which was which is really a great thing. It's been
two weeks in a row we faced teams that are
struggling to get to the quarterback, and we've protected him,
I think, pretty you know, much better than we have
in the in the beginning of the season.
Speaker 9 (13:44):
This isn't the first time we've seen it, Pete. During
Kevin O'Connell's tenure. I remember if it was twenty twenty three,
where there have been some conversation through the first couple
of games the Chargers were in town and people are like, hey,
you know, you got to run the ball more. And
I think he started off that Chargers game with like
six consecutive runs. Well, yesterday, in the opening drive, it
was kind of similar where people have been clamoring after
(14:07):
the Ravens loss, like we want to establish the run,
help out the kid. Well you saw Aaron Jones with
five carries on that opening drive. Sadly it doesn't find
its way to points. But in all I thought that,
and we can nitpick specific moments. I thought there was
more attention and commitment to the run yesterday and I
saw some positive things from it.
Speaker 7 (14:25):
Did you Yeah, I mean I believe when Jordan Mason
on the drive where Jordan Mason ended up scoring a touchdown,
that was probably the first time in a long time
that we kind of wore the defense out, meaning you know,
Jordan Mason's normally that would have been an eight nine
yard game, but he's running through arm tackles. I mean,
we had him right, We had worn him down a
(14:48):
little bit, and Mason was able to break through some
and score and score a touchdown. So at that point, however,
when the quarter, you know, at that point, I think
McCarthy's passer rating was hovering around six, right, so there
was nothing throwing the football or maybe wasn't an option
at that moment. You had to let the kids settle
on a little bit and just get him to hand
(15:08):
the football off. And uh it ended up being successful.
So that's a it's an ebb and flow, you know.
I don't I don't know. Aaron Jones just didn't look
to me like Aaron Jones yesterday. There's there's I mean,
just something there. I don't know if there's any there there.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
But I don't.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Sorry, sorry to clip here, sorry to clip here, but
off what you just said with us on short time,
it's my it's my belief that coming off that hamstring
for Aaron Jones.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
And you would know more than me, man because you
played the game that wasn't fast enough to pull a hamstring.
Speaker 6 (15:41):
But Alice, but uh uh that you know, like when
you come back, you're not just like, oh wow, everything's great,
perfect ten out of ten is is like with that
and like with Van Ginkle and the neck and everything
that goes with it, it's you're cleared to come back
so you can play without worrying about, you know, hurting
(16:03):
yourself for the next fifty years. But there still is
a gradual, you know, with conditioning and belief in it
and strengthening. So I actually believe, after you know, some
conversations in the locker room yesterday, that I think Jones
is either right there or has pushed through with this
hammy where it's now like hit legit moving forward. Same
(16:27):
thing with Van Ginkel, and we could kind of tell
the way he played in the second half that that
mentally and physically, I think things have gotten, you know,
to where they absolutely need to be with him to
become effective.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
So that's why I clipped yeah and no.
Speaker 7 (16:43):
And to your point, Paul, it doesn't take much to
be off. It's not like you got to be twenty
percent off to look off. It's it's it's such a
speed game now, an athletic game, that if you're just
off a little bit, I think it's noticeable. So my
point with all, he still played very well, it's just
he seemed to miss a little bit of the zip
(17:04):
and uh, you know, the how would you It's hard
to even describe, right just the explosiveness. So I'll put
it that way that you normally see or we have
seen odd of him before, and you're right, when you
are gone for an extended period of time and you
come back, you're gonna feel great that first game or two,
and then the can you know, then the body starts
(17:25):
to the conditioning parts has to task to take over
and kick in, and then you get yourself back up.
That's what training camp used to be. You beat yourself
into a pulp. You feel like crap after two weeks,
but then three four weeks into it, you start to
get better and better and better and better, and then
you hit you know, and then you hit the regular
season and stride. So I I do believe you're correct
in that, and that uh that both those guys getting
(17:48):
their sea legs back underneath something will continue to ascend
the rest of the season.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
Yeah, that's a good way to put it, getting the
sea legs all right, my brother, I will see you Saturday.
We'll go to We'll go to Appleton hang Out, one
of these same four places we've hung out with hung
out at of twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty forty times
and it's the seven thirty am bus yep gett to
take that nice long drive to a lambo, which is
football Americana.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
I love calling games at the Lambeau Field, being on
the field in the pre game.
Speaker 6 (18:16):
The place is the bomb. So see you this weekend.
We'll see what happens.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Right, all right? Sounds good? Man.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Later, Pete versage at Pete Bursage via x and they're
assumably you can learn more about his Eye in the
Sky video production he's now doing via YouTube. So go
to YouTube and just like search Pete Bursage numbers five six,
it'll take you right to the channel. He put it
at least a couple of last week, and there were
they were quite good vikes.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Bites around the corner. PJ. Fleck, coach of the Golden
Gophers football team, fifteen to twenty minutes from now.
Speaker 10 (18:55):
Talking about the party. Yes he's young, Yes he's played
a few games. Yes we have to have patients. But
we can't be surprised that people are turning on him
when the team set high expectations for him. When well'connell
talks about how it wouldn't be fair to the rest of
the team to shorten the playbook for him, and how
after one good not great game, he comes out with
(19:15):
all this nine garbage. We can't be surprised people are
turning on him and not having the patience that they
should for him.
Speaker 6 (19:22):
Right, you're right, but that's a choice to be made
the reality and the facts with that position, and say
twenty to twenty five starts, which is something nine to
Noon has shared for many, many years, not just involving
Vikings quarterbacks, but that individual spot in rookies overall. If
(19:44):
you put a blanket on whether somebody belongs or doesn't
belong five games into it, of course, society and fans
and people and they have that right, and quite honestly,
we don't care if they execute that right or not.
But the facts in the reality are whether it's Joe
(20:06):
Montana or Spurgeon wins. It's difficult to go all in
on scenarios like this through just five games. I mean,
it's easy for people to do it because nobody's going
to forget whether you were right or wrong, generally speaking,
(20:26):
not nobody, but a large group of people. But when
it comes to analyzing it, assumably for profit and looking
at examples over the course of time, is this working
out exactly the way they want, Probably not at this stage.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
But maybe it is. I have no idea. We have
no idea.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
But I don't recall the coach saying we're shrinking the playbook.
In fact, on the other side, and we'll talk to
him tomorrow at eleven o'clock and I'll try to craft
a question around this. If anything, I recall him saying,
we purposely are putting the young man in different called situations.
Speaker 9 (21:01):
Well, and that that's what the talkbacker said to what
he's saying, well, you were, you were saying he wasn't.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
He's saying. People are saying, oh, I got yeah, get
you No.
Speaker 9 (21:08):
I think I think the quote was how it wouldn't
be fair to the rest of the team.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Thank you shorten the playbook bad? So you're you're in
lockstep there heard heard it the wrong way? So yes,
I I which creates a tougher path, and my voice
got louder about I'm not coming at the talkbacker. I'm
simply saying, if if Richard Sherman and whomever want to
say that this is an absolute mistake, okay A in
(21:39):
a year and a half to two years, nobody's gonna
remember what they said, because only they only the insecure
quote tweet themselves when it comes to proving a point.
But secondly, nobody cares or should care. And thirdly, if
you play the averages over the course of time, it
it and you all pro hof through five. I don't
(22:05):
know how right you're gonna be, but I don't think
it's gonna be a lot.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
But if you say.
Speaker 6 (22:09):
Sam Darnold awful, doesn't belong in the league, terrible third
overall pick in the draft, what a bust? And then
you fast forward six, seven, eight years whatever it is
he did, what how do you do that?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Holy cow? Wow? He got a what kind.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Of a deal?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Geez wow?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
That's kind of Donald and McCarthy are a little analogous
here through you know, hopefully without the handling of the
big games later in life. But there's something analogous here
that I'm kind of tripping on.
Speaker 9 (22:40):
Well, I would actually say, I mean, I think JJ,
albeit sadly it's ended up with more losses than wins.
He's actually proved himself in the biggest moments. He decides
to show up.
Speaker 6 (22:51):
Yeah, but he's doing so with Christian Darisaw, Justin Jefferson
and Jordan Addison and O'Connell, Colley plays Darnald didn't have
any of that, So I don't know how analogous it
is to Darnold's first five with that Jets operation compared
to the first five here. But there's something, there's something here.
But you know what I mean, going shipping all in
(23:15):
five starts into this or leaving and supposedly never coming back,
even though you'll listen to and or watch the next one.
But that's fine because you know that's that's what fans do.
That's what I do. Getting frustrated at something. It I
forgot what I was going to say, Go ahead, Well.
Speaker 9 (23:33):
I just I just think there's two things that work here.
Because you heard it in that talkback. I've seen a
couple of text messages about it too. Kind of the
idea again, when you move on, you have a roster
on paper that you believe is built to win. Now
it may or may not be again using some words
that are lawski through throughout there, a quarterback independent.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
When you say you, you mean it's a roster. You
the Minnesota Vikings believe good and can win now can contend.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, Viking's not bad. The Viking.
Speaker 9 (24:04):
I'm with you, right, So when when the Vikings set
that expectation, which you appreciate and respect. They did despite
the flop in Detroit in the wild card game. They
did win fourteen games last year. They got some nice
players on the team, they got some nice coaching.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
We like that.
Speaker 9 (24:17):
We liked the head coach in particular, he's Coach of
the Year and everyone celebrated wishing that twenty twenty five
would be better. But you have that roster, you invest
in it the way you do, and I think that
sets expectations.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Okay, So to.
Speaker 9 (24:30):
Your point, nothing has gone right or at least maybe
according to plan for the most part. But the other
end of this too, we've been begging the team to
draft a QB for two plus decades. Well, I'm glad
you're going down that road because because I think I
think there's an element of the uncharted here for and
(24:51):
they did it with Ponder, they did it with Bridgewater,
but to sadly to no avail Ponder ineptitude Bridgewater, I mean,
the injury would you have ever ascended It is hard
to say. We just remember a sad day off in
August after the great NFC North Debate. Some things changed
that brought us Sam Bradford in and it was a
(25:13):
disaster from there altered the course of Teddy's career. We've
been begging for this and now it's here. Yeah, And
I just I think there's an uncharted nature to it.
It need that the coach said that we had a
good roster. The coach won us, the team won us
fourteen games. What are we bleeping around with this for it?
This is a disaster. This is awful, and I think
(25:35):
there's some impatience there.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
Well, right, And what I was going to say with
those shipping all in through five or those lead you know,
going to Richard Sherman on it and bailing and daggering
an opinion. Yeah, No, you're wrong. Patients are not required.
This is how it would sound, okay if somebody were
to talk it out, not tweet it out. No, Paul
(25:57):
and Nordo, you're wrong. Skipping the steps means nothing. And
I'm telling you now that I know enough from what
I've seen, and he does not belong as a starter
in the NFL or It's what has fairly been said
while playing the averages over the course of time, but
specifically the last twenty to thirty years, with through five games,
(26:21):
ABCDEFG hij we you know, just everything we've talked about. However,
the conclusive nature of the bailing or bragging loudly is
analogous to twenty twenty five. It's analogous to all in
(26:42):
or all out. Oh yeah, and it's loud, and you
either got to be on one side or the.
Speaker 9 (26:47):
Other while sitting on the fence. Doesn't make anybody any money.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
There we go.
Speaker 6 (26:51):
But it's louder now really than it has been in
a large portion of my life.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
And I'm fifty nine years old.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
Tell me I'm wrong, six four six eight, tell me
I'm wrong, talkbacks, whatever. It's just everything's loud. Politics would
be the a topic. But everything's so loud that why
wouldn't this be loud?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
People care? You know, people care and they get loud, right.
I just think I think the team set a bar.
Speaker 9 (27:16):
We've been waiting for a long time to draft somebody
top ten, highly touted quarterback, whisper the whole thing deep
quarterback draft, sweet roster yep andj The way Jefferson and
the way that this thing has gone, I just think
has been to choose your own adventure. Every single page
(27:37):
you turned to you are falling off a cliff. That's
what it feels like this particular season.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
But yes, I mean I think we're in the first chapter,
say place thirteen years. We're in the first chapter of
a thirteen chapter book, and I've already died four times, right,
But I mean, clearly there's some form of resurrection that's
going to transpire during the course of this or some
form of coming back to like because.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
He will be back to life next week, that is correct. Yes,
you know what it will be more games.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
It's the Minnesota Vikings, Daniel Jones off to the side.
And I don't believe Jones would have come back here
with a not just with the competing for the starting job,
no matter if you beat the Cold Steel or not.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I don't.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
In fact, I feel comfortable that he would not have
come back even for five more million dollars to compete.
He was basically given the job in Indianapolis, and it's
working good for him. You bring Darnold back, you give
him a one hundred million dollar contract. I can't possibly
tell you how loud it would be. Why did you
(28:38):
draft this guy? How long do we have to wait?
Why'd you do that? Why'd you waste that pick. Didn't
you see the Rams game? Didn't you see the Lions game?
It's going to be freaking loud no matter what happens
that somebody doesn't want it to go that way. So
that's yeah, it's after the Lions game. I mean aut
(29:00):
almost rather play ten on eleven, quite honestly. And that's
not to short change the skill set of this comeback story.
It's a fantastic comeback story. It's personally speaking, and we all,
you know, since since we all get our own personal
proclivities that we share in the microphones via six four
(29:21):
six eighty six, social media or talkbacks, well I'll get
mine too, And that night at Detroit is one professionally
I will never forget the rest of my life. Okay,
So it's with farv in nine another one like that. Yeah,
I'm never gonna forget that. But you know what, he
(29:42):
had done a lot for a lot of people for
a lot of years before that. So that's being pissed off,
can't wait to see you next year. The other one
is being pissed off. You are who everybody said you were,
and it happened to be at the biggest of the
big ever to big and that's it.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
I'll never forget it.
Speaker 6 (30:01):
And you know what, if I own this football team
and you bring him back his quarterback talking about Sam Darnold,
here's the deal. I'll pay the money because I see
what you're saying and it probably will be better in
the second year within the system. But if we get
to a big spot and he does that again, you're fired.
So make the choice. What do you want to do?
(30:21):
You want to bring him back and roll the dice
or do you want to move on to the kid.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
I'm not saying that happen, because it didn't. But that's
how I.
Speaker 6 (30:29):
Look at it, is that one's carred so badly that
you'll pay the money because you think it's best. And
I believe in you, man, that's why I hired you.
But if that same situation happens again in the biggest
of the big effort to big, you're fired. Which way
you want to go? Brother, It's nine to noon. PJ
Flack is next Sky. Thank you, Ma f M one
(31:01):
hundred point three kfan. Thanks for listening to nine to
noon when you do and around this time each and
every week.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
PJ. Fleck, coach of the Golden Gophers football.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
Team joins us likewise for former Gophers basketball player Parker Fox,
who sticks around until about eleven thirty. Parker Fox is
a in studio now to chat with a PJ. Fleck,
who joins US now from Chicago because his Gophers have
a game this weekend against Northwestern at Wrigley Field.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
A good morning, PJ.
Speaker 6 (31:30):
And I would imagine, you know, being a Chicago land native,
you probably have spent some time watching baseball at Wrigley Field?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Is that accurate? And good morning?
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Good morning Pa and Parker. Yeah, absolutely, I mean I
was at the game. We had a high school field
trip that we took and I was at the game
whe kerry Wood through twenty strikeouts where it started out
beautiful day started rating. Everybody left and we had some
bad seats, you know, I mean Caitlin High School. We
probably didn't get box seats. But by the time the
game was over here in the boxes, man, we were
(32:03):
right down there by the dugout. We had a blast,
and just so many great memories being around Wrigley and
especially even college, not even going into the game, but
driving out to Rigley for a game, being at the
Cubby Bear and kind of being around. So a lot
of great memories. And I know, you know, we play
a really good football team coming up at Rigby Field
in Northwestern and then we're gonna have to be at
(32:25):
our best.
Speaker 6 (32:25):
So that so that would that would be the time
you said carry would So is that Mark Pryor time also.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Right around that same time? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:36):
So it's Ryan Sandberg, Mark Gray, Sean Dunstan, Jerome Walton,
all those guys, right.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
All of them. It's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Oh wow, tremendous time to be a Cubs fan.
Speaker 6 (32:47):
Did you ever watch Harry Carey call Cubs games on TV?
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:52):
Pa, Yeah, okay, Well since you did an impression, may
I do an impression for you of Harry Carey calling
the double playball on TV?
Speaker 3 (33:02):
Oh I would love it.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Here we go three too, double playball? Samberg.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Hey, he doesn't say like.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
Second to first out out, He just goes.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Hey, he was went straight to the right to the
results man. Harry was the best man. He go right
to the result.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yeah, he's he's iconic.
Speaker 6 (33:25):
So with regular field, like how do they construct the
football field? How close is it to the stands? And
like a field conditions, all that intel.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
And all that work that you do before a game.
What do you think.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Yeah, end zones are really one side, kind of like
right center field when you kind of look at it
and they bring it all the way from the left
from all the way down, and then the third base
line is kind of the other end zone and they
kind of smash it in there a little bit. You know,
some of the corners are really tight and up to
the ivy. But that's what makes Brigny Field Brigley Field.
(33:58):
The IVY is gonna come into you might come into
play a little bit during game day, so it's just
it's it's part of that. But they've done a really
good job of evolving when they started playing it riddy
because both teams had to be on the same side
at one point, uh if I remember that correctly, And
now they you know, we have normal setups, which I
think they've done a better job of creating more of
a realistic game day atmosphere for coaches and players when
(34:22):
you have split sidelines before as well.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Keep on, I'm sorry, Well, no, you're fine. That's that's
my bad.
Speaker 6 (34:28):
I was the human clipping penalty, not you. When uh,
when did you guys play at Yankee Stadium just a
few years ago.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Right, Yeah, a few years ago. Yeah, we were we
played uh uh Syracuse uh in the uh in the
pinstrikele does it that's play movable?
Speaker 6 (34:45):
I should say so when you play at stadiums or
ballparks like that, uh part, at least for part of it,
the stands, the crowd they're they're super far away from
the action, where like when you play at Huntington Banks
Stadium or say Foalsome Field in Boulder, Colorado, where the
stands are the closest to the teams on the sideline
(35:06):
I've ever seen in my life. Is does that in
any way impact the game when the fans aren't that
close to the team.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
I don't think so. I think atmospheres or atmospheres, everybody
has a little bit of a different atmosphere. We've played
in multiple baseball stadiums over the years, maybe not this
particular team, but we played in multiple baseball stadiums, whether
it was the Diamondbacks when we were out in Arizona,
or whether it was again Yankee Stadium, and so we've
done it before at a lot of different venues, and
it creates a different environment than its own, and especially
(35:36):
in its own way, and I think our guys will
definitely appreciate that aspect of it.
Speaker 8 (35:41):
Coach grat you be back with you, Parker Fox here, Darius
Taylor back last week looked healthy against Northwestern? How is
important is it to establish the run with DT and
then kind of vice versa Northwestern around the ball twenty
five plus times? Where do you feel like your run
defense is right now?
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yeah, We've got to continue to grow, that's for sure.
We're playing a really good team that's really physical in
northwesterns knowing for their mindset and their attitude and how
hard they play, and they've got a lot of really
good players, and they set the tone with their mentality,
and we're going to have to play our best football
game of the year. We need to be playing complimentary football.
It's not just about the run game, but it's about
complimentary football, about being balanced and doing what's going to
(36:19):
take to win that football game and setting that early
and playing our best game.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Of the year.
Speaker 6 (36:23):
You guys played Oregon quite tough in that second half.
What building blocks potentially were established not only off that game,
but kind of the way you guys played them in
the second half, Well.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
There's a lot of good to take from the game.
I know the score is not going to necessarily make
anybody really happy, neither with us. Nobody's work disappointed than
our football team because we went there to win the
football game. That's what I love about this team. They've
got no problem going in any place and thinking they're
going to win, now knowing and doing or two different things.
And that's where we've got to close the gap. And
we've got to do the things that are required to
win the games. Do the things that are required to
(36:57):
start fast, accelerate mental, and finish strong. But that was
a really good football team we played. You got to
give them credit. I'm not taking anything away from them,
but they played pretty flawless and their athletes made incredible plays,
some contested, some not contested. But the quarterback had a
special night, and when he's hot, he's hard to beat.
And they played really, really well on defense. They're one
(37:17):
of the top five teams after probably tonight or tomorrow,
the probably one of the top five teams in the country,
and that's a tremendous challenge for us, and we're going
to have to play as good as we've ever played
to be the team like that with them playing flawlessly
and we weren't able to do that. So lots to
learn from about what we can do as we move forward.
And I think our guys came in yesterday and accepted
(37:38):
that type of challenge and responded really well. P J.
Speaker 6 (37:41):
Fleck from Chicago Gophers and Northwestern this weekend at rig
Lee Field. Just a couple of close here for the
head coach Parker.
Speaker 8 (37:49):
Yeah, coach, you know, this is a type of you know,
type of the time in the season where a lot
of guys start looking forward, right, You're looking to get
a certain amount of wins.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
They try to play in a bowl game. How much
is that is on your mind?
Speaker 8 (37:59):
And the message that you preach the team versus a
week to week basis, Hey, let's go to Wrigleyfield and
play Northwestern and final way to get one and all
this week.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
I think becoming bow eligible a tremendous accomplishment in twenty
twenty five, especially when you're in the Power two conferences
and there's gonna be a lot of teams who aren't
be eligible who might be used to being b eligible,
whether in the SEC or the Big Ten. And that's
what you get when you have eighteen teams in the
Big ten and sixteen in the SEC. I think it
definitely changes, and you can feel that change of expectation
(38:30):
based on records of fan bases. That's really difficult. So
obviously one of our big goals was to be itcome
go eligible. We're able to do that for the ninth game,
which is a tremendous feat for us, but we're not
done playing and that would we handle that after Michigan State.
We check that box and now we need to be
one to know in every game that we play, and
you continue to elevate your bullstock and bull status, but
(38:51):
we want to be the best team we can possibly
be and play our best football as the season winds
down here in November, because that's what you want to do.
This trains you to play champion ship football come November
when it becomes the most important.
Speaker 6 (39:02):
Hey, PJ, I appreciate the text. Middle of the afternoon
yesterday I shared. I'm seeing some of the context earlier
nine to noon about JJ McCarthy, the Vikings quarterback. And
you know you can't skip the steps part of the
equation which you've shared here and I'm sure other places,
but you've shared here about Drake Lindsay and about other
inexperienced situations.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
So you know, the reason I texted you.
Speaker 6 (39:25):
When I got to my car outside of US Bank
Stadium was because I stole your bit. You just can't
skip the steps if you think somebody is going to
be really, really good. I stole it in the Vikings
locker room and ran it by Aaron Jones and TJ.
Howkinson and others, and they were in lockstep with it,
you know. And these are private conversations, were not private
(39:46):
but off the microphone, and they see all the bad
and good in a way we as fans, don't. They
believe in McCarthy and recognize no matter to be really good.
You indeed can't skip the steps. So as a co
coach when you scheme them open and they keep getting missed,
yet there's absolutely good in the early part of the
(40:07):
equation for this quarterback, Well, how do you handle it,
you know, with the grimy part of not being able
to skip the steps?
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Yeah, I think that. You know, a lot of people
want to live in an ideal world. In a perfect world.
Football is not a perfect game nor an ideal game.
There's there's a real piece of that. And if you
talk to anyone who's really successful and has become successful,
they're going to start with all the things they fail.
That that's why we define failing as growth. The only
way you're going to grow the most is by your
(40:39):
scars and your failing. I played football, I have I've
had multiple shoulder surgeries. I mean, the scars on my
shoulder show a lot of hardship and show what I
have been through, what I overcame. And I think that's
where the not skipping steps is necessary. Anybody successful, you're
going to hear all their negatives. You're gonna hear all
their adverse situations. You're going to hear all the doubt
(41:03):
and the fear and that they overcame. And that's what
I mean about you can't skip the steps. And because
anybody successful unless they were just handed everything and it
was generationally handed down. Nobody has had it perfect, nobody's
had an ideal. And I think the harder you work
through the adverse situations and the better you respond to
(41:23):
those things make you the player you're going to become
and will create success down the road, not promised, but
give you the best chance. And at the end of
the day. When you look at it, the two drives
to go down the field, there are two touchdown drives, right,
that's pretty impressive to respond that way as a quarterback.
That's hard to do. To get anybody to even do that,
let alone do everything perfect. So taking the next right steps,
(41:45):
not skipping any steps in that process can be frustrating
from an ideal perfect world helicopter view. But the ability
and the resolve and the response and the resiliency to
just keep moving forward and to keep growing the learning,
that's the key to success in my opinion.
Speaker 6 (42:03):
Thanks my brother, tear it up this weekend. We'll talk
next week.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
You bet real the bust game. I'm go go for Skulvites. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Yep, see you about p J Fleck nine to noon.
It's eleven o three.
Speaker 6 (42:13):
We'll keep p Fox around chats and basketball and football
after this
Man MacCarthy shotgun first intent from the Bear's fifteen Addison
in motion to the left, takes a snap.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Now a four man rush McCarthy to the end zone and.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yes, John and.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Listen, just a n at a time and we're tied.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Cat sixteen peas JJ McCarthy. Well done.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
Riker kicking it to the east side of the US
Bank Stadium Boom, A shorter kick by design DuVernay from
his own three He's right, five ten, fifteen twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
It's a knife block from Blackwell. Eric Wlison trying to
running down.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
With Bill Record and just blockwell, make that Devin DuVernay
out of bounds, deepened Viking's territory. Devin DuVernay with a
cold blooded return of fifty seven yards.
Speaker 6 (01:04):
The analyst is Pete Bursage at Pete Bursage via x
very active on YouTube these days. Learn more about that
via YouTube and just search like Pete Bursage five six
you'll get the Eye in the Sky film breakdowns. Suecup Manufacturing,
Thank you very much, Suecup Manufacturing and Sue Cup dot
Com brings us the analyst each and every Monday, nine
(01:26):
to noon. And you know off the YouTube depth chart
deep dive you put on via I in the Sky,
and that was really really cool that you did that.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I really enjoyed that.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
As yesterday's game unfolded, mister analyst, how much on said
chart was telling the story of the game we were calling.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, I think quite a bit of it.
Speaker 7 (01:51):
I Mean, the Bears in their story on defense continued
with the unbelievable plus fourteen that they brought in and
the plus sixteen that they left with and the twenty
two turnovers that they have created this year. So I
mean that part of it, that part of it stood
(02:13):
in there or was was there. I mean, the defense
played I think to the level that they that they do.
I mean, we the opportunities that this offense had and
left on the table, especially in the first the first
quarter and a half.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Of this football game.
Speaker 7 (02:31):
Yeah, but yeah, it would have it would have looked
like it would have looked like exactly what was described
coming into it, having a harder time getting the quarterback,
giving up a lot of yards six point three play
yards per play thirty first in the league, and yards
per play passing. I mean, just you know, it would
(02:51):
have gone, it would have gone the exact exact same way.
And then offensively, you know, they're the one drive, the
one big drive they had. They had fourteen plays, they
ran the ball eleven times. I mean, that's the running game, right,
one hundred and eighty three point four yards per game
since week six going into going in.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So a lot of that stayed true to form.
Speaker 7 (03:12):
In that regard, and I don't think in that you know,
in that respect now you asked me a question, it
was it was much different than how we kind of
laid it out going into it.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
They're there, you know in most games, but specifically Vikings
Bears with O'Connell as the head coach. There there's an
overarcher here that that absolutely is a common threat.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
We discussed it multiple times.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
Yesterday, the Chicago Bears, like Pete said, were plus fourteen
and the take give into the game, the Vikings reminus seven.
The Bears won that category and they won the game.
And O'Connell's two losses to the Bears, in the first
one at US Bank Stadium, the Vikings reminus two in
the turnovers. Yesterday, they lost the turnover battle again and
lost the game to the Bears. Different Bears team now
(03:57):
than it was a couple of years ago. But with
this individual team, with this nice head coach who knows
how to manipulate offense and try to go quick strike
or have long drives, you lose the turnover battle to
these guys and you're probably going to lose the game.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It's yeah, you definitely, It's like anything.
Speaker 7 (04:17):
I think if you're minus two, you have about a
seventeen percent chance of winning the football game. It's one
of the one of the I was reading a study
that led up It was up to the end of
twenty twenty four, so it doesn't include the season, but
there were only three teams in the NFL last year
that were at five hundred or above that were negative
(04:38):
in the take given, and all three of those teams
were minus two. Of them are minus one, one of
them was minus two. One of them was the Philadelphia Eagles.
I forget who the other two were. So that one
stat is as indicative to success as any other stat
that's out there, and we are on the tail end of.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
That one right now, being min it's nine. So you know,
what are you going to fix? First?
Speaker 7 (05:03):
Well, that's one thing that you you know that you
need to stop. I mean, Caleb Williams last year sacked
sixty eight times, but protected the football pretty well. He's
only been he was only saying he's been sacked what
sixteen times now this year and only six inner? You
know many, how many interceptions is he looking at?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Four?
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Four?
Speaker 7 (05:23):
So the struggles that he's had, he he at least
hadn't thrown the football away a ton, and that just that,
you know, that's our problem right now with somehow We've
got to fix that. I think the buyered interception was
just a great play by him. I'm gonna believe that
until I'm till one of the coaches here tells me
something differently. If I hear differently, just as a flat
(05:46):
defender him, you know, reading the place he and JJ
coming across and then just bailing underneath it. It's kind
of like a cover two kind of a look. You
see that a lot with cover two corners. But he
was a deep third defender and got back underneath one,
So that one I'm not mad at. You know, the
underthrow to Jordan Andison that Sean Wright got, It's amazing
(06:06):
to Sean Wright gets one thrown right to him in
the end zone last week and he drops it. This week,
he goes up and becomes a wide receiver and brings
that thing, you know, brings that thing down.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
But that you know, that one was underthrown as well, So.
Speaker 7 (06:21):
I think JJ's was hit or his arm was hit
as he was thrown it and maybe caused it to
fall little short. But you know, those they take points
off the board. One of them created points for the Bears.
The other one took points off the board for the Vikings. Yeah,
and that's not even including the miss to Jordan Andison earlier,
the drop that Jordan Andison had, the miss to Justin
(06:42):
Jefferson on the previous drive, so early on in the game,
we left at least six points on the board. He
count that last interception, that's nine. I mean, that's the
game right there. That's that's the game, you know it.
We want to dig deeply and find out the problem
is the problem? You know, it's pretty it's pretty simple.
(07:02):
When the players are there, you got to make them
the calls that were made. I mean, how can you
fault the play calling. You got guys running wide open
all over the place.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Right.
Speaker 7 (07:11):
We've seen JJ come out and fire a one fifty
four point two rating on the first two drives eleven
point six on the yards per attempt, right best in
the NFL, and the first two drives going into the
Bears game, and it was there again again, it was there.
All I gotta do is hit your target or catch
the football one of the two.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
You guys are professionals.
Speaker 7 (07:32):
It should this is that should be expected of you,
and you don't do that. So a lot of things
held true to form going into this game. That part
in particular as well. But the play calling, I mean,
what they're calling, it's there. We just got executed.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
You know.
Speaker 7 (07:49):
We didn't give up any sacks, which is which is
a huge positive. That needs to continue as well, to
go to cut, let the quarterback get more and more
comfortable back there. But our opportunities, man, that one, that
one is painful to watch. I know as a former
player or a coach that a game like that is
(08:10):
just painful to watch because it was all right there
right if you have if you have twelve penalties like
you did a week ago, then you know you got
something to be mad about.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Something.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
We got to fix this one. I mean, what do
you do catch the ball? Obviously you see.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
What I'm saying.
Speaker 7 (08:28):
It's just it's a it's a gut wrencher man this
and they're not going to feel any better walking out
of the facility today after seeing seeing the opportunities that
were missed.
Speaker 6 (08:38):
Okay, now, offensively, too many gibs, we know that. But
but three interceptions defensively, three interceptions through three games is
the worst number in the history of Minnesota Vikings football.
It was through nine games, so it's only getting worse
now through ten.
Speaker 8 (08:57):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (08:58):
I bet Bernard plays next week, so it's full throttle defensively,
and if Ryan Kelly moves into center, which which I
wouldn't be surprised if he did, you know, this whole
thing could go full throttle. But three interceptions through ten games.
Speaker 7 (09:12):
Your thoughts, I think a lot of that has to
do with not playing with the lead, not having an
offense that that needs to you.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Know, that needs to get to get to get after it.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
I think about the Indie game last year where we
didn't have a sack that entire game, and then the
last drive, the last drive of the game, I think
we sacked the quarterback three times. Right why because they
were behind. It was a two minute situation they had
to score. It's the situation that situational part of the game.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
By not playing with the lead really affects that.
Speaker 7 (09:51):
It really does because because offenses don't need to be
as aggressive. Some of it's just you know, we had
some tips yesterday and the ball is you know, I mean,
as you've seen them to tip the ball, it's up
in the air and then there's just there's just nobody
near it. Sometimes those things go your way, sometimes they don't.
I think that might be one of the biggest one
of the biggest parts.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
I mean the sacks.
Speaker 7 (10:13):
We had twenty six on the season, so we're not
horrible in that regard. We're top ten in sack rate,
meaning the percentage of sacks is as passes that we face.
So we're getting pressure on the quarterback. We're just we're
just not either in the right place. But I do
believe the main thing is not playing with the lead,
(10:35):
so offenses don't feel the pressure to have to make
things happen. They don't have to get down the field right.
They can just hand the ball off. They could throw
it in complete and punt. They it's you know, they're
not pushing as much against this defense. This defense faced
more passing attempts last year than any other defense in
the league, and it's quite the opposite this year, So
(10:56):
teams being able to run the football as well. You know,
you're just seeing more runs. You can get more runs,
you're gonna see less interceptions. Right, there's a little bit of,
you know, a little bit of all of that wrapped
into that big number. It's not one thing.
Speaker 9 (11:10):
I don't think, Hey, p I thought I was going
to see more runs out of Jaj McCarthy than I
saw yesterday as in zero. And I'm just curious if
there was anything that popped in your head in terms
of something the Bears were doing to mitigate that opportunity.
You know, you were mentioning that first interception. I think
that's a great example of it. Also later where Addison
(11:31):
became a dB and kind of broke that pass up
between Brisker and Stevenson where Fries was back seven yards
into McCarthy's lap and he still let that thing go. Like,
was there anything in terms of I wonder if there
was an emphasis to keep him in the pocket because
he was kind of militant about it yesterday. We didn't
see him using his legs at all, And I'm just
(11:52):
kind of thinking, like that's an asset for the kid,
and we didn't see him give it.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
It is it is.
Speaker 7 (11:59):
Yeah, we didn't see a lot of him getting to
the top of his drop, not seeing what's there, and
then pulling that thing down and running.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
And sometimes that's a blessing. Sometimes it's a mistake that
comes with.
Speaker 7 (12:07):
Time, knowing when one to you know, raise the white
flag and just pull that thing down. I don't think
he's the guy that you want to have a bunch
of called runs with, just because of the injury history
and everything else. I just you know, quarterbacks who depend
on the run a lot when they're young, they're going
(12:28):
to get there. I mean, they're going to get beat up.
They have to make the transition into a passer. And
you know, so you're kind of making that decision and saying, yeah,
we got to get him in the pocket, We got
to get him ready.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
You don't want to turn him into Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 7 (12:41):
But at the same time, you know you have to, uh,
you have to sit back there and let some of
these routes, you know, develop. I didn't se Yeah, you're right,
though we didn't see a lot of bootlegs. We didn't
see a lot of run pass option or put getting
them out, you know, getting them outside the pocket, you know,
moving them around.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Maybe that has.
Speaker 7 (13:01):
Something to do with the fundamentals of the whole thing,
or they're just not comfortable or feeling great about him
out on the edges of the defense.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (13:09):
Well, you know, that's a question I you know, I
can't really answer. But what you saw or what you
think you saw is correct. He was he was staying
in the pocket yesterday. I'll tell you that he was.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Hanging in there. And you know it didn't have to
scramble a whole lot. He didn't.
Speaker 7 (13:23):
He didn't get pressured immediately very often. It wasn't as
if he got the top of his drop and he
had somebody on him right away. He had time yesterday,
which was which is really a great thing. It's been
two weeks in a row we faced teams that are
struggling to get to the quarterback, and we've protected him,
I think, pretty you know, much better than we have
in the in the beginning of the season.
Speaker 9 (13:44):
This isn't the first time we've seen it, Pete. During
Kevin O'Connell's tenure. I remember if it was twenty twenty three,
where there have been some conversation through the first couple
of games the Chargers were in town and people are like, hey,
you know, you got to run the ball more. And
I think he started off that Chargers game with like
six consecutive runs. Well, yesterday, in the opening drive, it
was kind of similar where people have been clamoring after
(14:07):
the Ravens loss, like we want to establish the run,
help out the kid. Well you saw Aaron Jones with
five carries on that opening drive. Sadly it doesn't find
its way to points. But in all I thought that,
and we can nitpick specific moments. I thought there was
more attention and commitment to the run yesterday and I
saw some positive things from it.
Speaker 7 (14:25):
Did you Yeah, I mean I believe when Jordan Mason
on the drive where Jordan Mason ended up scoring a touchdown,
that was probably the first time in a long time
that we kind of wore the defense out, meaning you know,
Jordan Mason's normally that would have been an eight nine
yard game, but he's running through arm tackles. I mean,
we had him right, We had worn him down a
(14:48):
little bit, and Mason was able to break through some
and score and score a touchdown. So at that point, however,
when the quarter, you know, at that point, I think
McCarthy's passer rating was hovering around six, right, so there
was nothing throwing the football or maybe wasn't an option
at that moment. You had to let the kids settle
on a little bit and just get him to hand
(15:08):
the football off. And uh it ended up being successful.
So that's a it's an ebb and flow, you know.
I don't I don't know. Aaron Jones just didn't look
to me like Aaron Jones yesterday. There's there's I mean,
just something there. I don't know if there's any there there.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
But I don't.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Sorry, sorry to clip here, sorry to clip here, but
off what you just said with us on short time,
it's my it's my belief that coming off that hamstring
for Aaron Jones.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
And you would know more than me, man because you
played the game that wasn't fast enough to pull a hamstring.
Speaker 6 (15:41):
But Alice, but uh uh that you know, like when
you come back, you're not just like, oh wow, everything's great,
perfect ten out of ten is is like with that
and like with Van Ginkle and the neck and everything
that goes with it, it's you're cleared to come back
so you can play without worrying about, you know, hurting
(16:03):
yourself for the next fifty years. But there still is
a gradual, you know, with conditioning and belief in it
and strengthening. So I actually believe, after you know, some
conversations in the locker room yesterday, that I think Jones
is either right there or has pushed through with this
hammy where it's now like hit legit moving forward. Same
(16:27):
thing with Van Ginkel, and we could kind of tell
the way he played in the second half that that
mentally and physically, I think things have gotten, you know,
to where they absolutely need to be with him to
become effective.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
So that's why I clipped yeah and no.
Speaker 7 (16:43):
And to your point, Paul, it doesn't take much to
be off. It's not like you got to be twenty
percent off to look off. It's it's it's such a
speed game now, an athletic game, that if you're just
off a little bit, I think it's noticeable. So my
point with all, he still played very well, it's just
he seemed to miss a little bit of the zip
(17:04):
and uh, you know, the how would you It's hard
to even describe, right just the explosiveness. So I'll put
it that way that you normally see or we have
seen odd of him before, and you're right, when you
are gone for an extended period of time and you
come back, you're gonna feel great that first game or two,
and then the can you know, then the body starts
(17:25):
to the conditioning parts has to task to take over
and kick in, and then you get yourself back up.
That's what training camp used to be. You beat yourself
into a pulp. You feel like crap after two weeks,
but then three four weeks into it, you start to
get better and better and better and better, and then
you hit you know, and then you hit the regular
season and stride. So I I do believe you're correct
in that, and that uh that both those guys getting
(17:48):
their sea legs back underneath something will continue to ascend
the rest of the season.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
Yeah, that's a good way to put it, getting the
sea legs all right, my brother, I will see you Saturday.
We'll go to We'll go to Appleton hang Out, one
of these same four places we've hung out with hung
out at of twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty forty times
and it's the seven thirty am bus yep gett to
take that nice long drive to a lambo, which is
football Americana.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
I love calling games at the Lambeau Field, being on
the field in the pre game.
Speaker 6 (18:16):
The place is the bomb. So see you this weekend.
We'll see what happens.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Right, all right? Sounds good? Man.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Later, Pete versage at Pete Bursage via x and they're
assumably you can learn more about his Eye in the
Sky video production he's now doing via YouTube. So go
to YouTube and just like search Pete Bursage numbers five six,
it'll take you right to the channel. He put it
at least a couple of last week, and there were
they were quite good vikes.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Bites around the corner. PJ. Fleck, coach of the Golden
Gophers football team, fifteen to twenty minutes from now.
Speaker 10 (18:55):
Talking about the party. Yes he's young, Yes he's played
a few games. Yes we have to have patients. But
we can't be surprised that people are turning on him
when the team set high expectations for him. When well'connell
talks about how it wouldn't be fair to the rest of
the team to shorten the playbook for him, and how
after one good not great game, he comes out with
(19:15):
all this nine garbage. We can't be surprised people are
turning on him and not having the patience that they
should for him.
Speaker 6 (19:22):
Right, you're right, but that's a choice to be made
the reality and the facts with that position, and say
twenty to twenty five starts, which is something nine to
Noon has shared for many, many years, not just involving
Vikings quarterbacks, but that individual spot in rookies overall. If
(19:44):
you put a blanket on whether somebody belongs or doesn't
belong five games into it, of course, society and fans
and people and they have that right, and quite honestly,
we don't care if they execute that right or not.
But the facts in the reality are whether it's Joe
(20:06):
Montana or Spurgeon wins. It's difficult to go all in
on scenarios like this through just five games. I mean,
it's easy for people to do it because nobody's going
to forget whether you were right or wrong, generally speaking,
(20:26):
not nobody, but a large group of people. But when
it comes to analyzing it, assumably for profit and looking
at examples over the course of time, is this working
out exactly the way they want, Probably not at this stage.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
But maybe it is. I have no idea. We have
no idea.
Speaker 6 (20:46):
But I don't recall the coach saying we're shrinking the playbook.
In fact, on the other side, and we'll talk to
him tomorrow at eleven o'clock and I'll try to craft
a question around this. If anything, I recall him saying,
we purposely are putting the young man in different called situations.
Speaker 9 (21:01):
Well, and that that's what the talkbacker said to what
he's saying, well, you were, you were saying he wasn't.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
He's saying. People are saying, oh, I got yeah, get
you No.
Speaker 9 (21:08):
I think I think the quote was how it wouldn't
be fair to the rest of the team.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Thank you shorten the playbook bad? So you're you're in
lockstep there heard heard it the wrong way? So yes,
I I which creates a tougher path, and my voice
got louder about I'm not coming at the talkbacker. I'm
simply saying, if if Richard Sherman and whomever want to
say that this is an absolute mistake, okay A in
(21:39):
a year and a half to two years, nobody's gonna
remember what they said, because only they only the insecure
quote tweet themselves when it comes to proving a point.
But secondly, nobody cares or should care. And thirdly, if
you play the averages over the course of time, it
it and you all pro hof through five. I don't
(22:05):
know how right you're gonna be, but I don't think
it's gonna be a lot.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
But if you say.
Speaker 6 (22:09):
Sam Darnold awful, doesn't belong in the league, terrible third
overall pick in the draft, what a bust? And then
you fast forward six, seven, eight years whatever it is
he did, what how do you do that?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Holy cow? Wow? He got a what kind.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Of a deal?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Geez wow?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
That's kind of Donald and McCarthy are a little analogous
here through you know, hopefully without the handling of the
big games later in life. But there's something analogous here
that I'm kind of tripping on.
Speaker 9 (22:40):
Well, I would actually say, I mean, I think JJ,
albeit sadly it's ended up with more losses than wins.
He's actually proved himself in the biggest moments. He decides
to show up.
Speaker 6 (22:51):
Yeah, but he's doing so with Christian Darisaw, Justin Jefferson
and Jordan Addison and O'Connell, Colley plays Darnald didn't have
any of that, So I don't know how analogous it
is to Darnold's first five with that Jets operation compared
to the first five here. But there's something, there's something here.
But you know what I mean, going shipping all in
(23:15):
five starts into this or leaving and supposedly never coming back,
even though you'll listen to and or watch the next one.
But that's fine because you know that's that's what fans do.
That's what I do. Getting frustrated at something. It I
forgot what I was going to say, Go ahead, Well.
Speaker 9 (23:33):
I just I just think there's two things that work here.
Because you heard it in that talkback. I've seen a
couple of text messages about it too. Kind of the
idea again, when you move on, you have a roster
on paper that you believe is built to win. Now
it may or may not be again using some words
that are lawski through throughout there, a quarterback independent.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
When you say you, you mean it's a roster. You
the Minnesota Vikings believe good and can win now can contend.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, Viking's not bad. The Viking.
Speaker 9 (24:04):
I'm with you, right, So when when the Vikings set
that expectation, which you appreciate and respect. They did despite
the flop in Detroit in the wild card game. They
did win fourteen games last year. They got some nice
players on the team, they got some nice coaching.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
We like that.
Speaker 9 (24:17):
We liked the head coach in particular, he's Coach of
the Year and everyone celebrated wishing that twenty twenty five
would be better. But you have that roster, you invest
in it the way you do, and I think that
sets expectations.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Okay, So to.
Speaker 9 (24:30):
Your point, nothing has gone right or at least maybe
according to plan for the most part. But the other
end of this too, we've been begging the team to
draft a QB for two plus decades. Well, I'm glad
you're going down that road because because I think I
think there's an element of the uncharted here for and
(24:51):
they did it with Ponder, they did it with Bridgewater,
but to sadly to no avail Ponder ineptitude Bridgewater, I mean,
the injury would you have ever ascended It is hard
to say. We just remember a sad day off in
August after the great NFC North Debate. Some things changed
that brought us Sam Bradford in and it was a
(25:13):
disaster from there altered the course of Teddy's career. We've
been begging for this and now it's here. Yeah, And
I just I think there's an uncharted nature to it.
It need that the coach said that we had a
good roster. The coach won us, the team won us
fourteen games. What are we bleeping around with this for it?
This is a disaster. This is awful, and I think
(25:35):
there's some impatience there.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
Well, right, And what I was going to say with
those shipping all in through five or those lead you know,
going to Richard Sherman on it and bailing and daggering
an opinion. Yeah, No, you're wrong. Patients are not required.
This is how it would sound, okay if somebody were
to talk it out, not tweet it out. No, Paul
(25:57):
and Nordo, you're wrong. Skipping the steps means nothing. And
I'm telling you now that I know enough from what
I've seen, and he does not belong as a starter
in the NFL or It's what has fairly been said
while playing the averages over the course of time, but
specifically the last twenty to thirty years, with through five games,
(26:21):
ABCDEFG hij we you know, just everything we've talked about. However,
the conclusive nature of the bailing or bragging loudly is
analogous to twenty twenty five. It's analogous to all in
(26:42):
or all out. Oh yeah, and it's loud, and you
either got to be on one side or the.
Speaker 9 (26:47):
Other while sitting on the fence. Doesn't make anybody any money.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
There we go.
Speaker 6 (26:51):
But it's louder now really than it has been in
a large portion of my life.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
And I'm fifty nine years old.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
Tell me I'm wrong, six four six eight, tell me
I'm wrong, talkbacks, whatever. It's just everything's loud. Politics would
be the a topic. But everything's so loud that why
wouldn't this be loud?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
People care? You know, people care and they get loud, right.
I just think I think the team set a bar.
Speaker 9 (27:16):
We've been waiting for a long time to draft somebody
top ten, highly touted quarterback, whisper the whole thing deep
quarterback draft, sweet roster yep andj The way Jefferson and
the way that this thing has gone, I just think
has been to choose your own adventure. Every single page
(27:37):
you turned to you are falling off a cliff. That's
what it feels like this particular season.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
But yes, I mean I think we're in the first chapter,
say place thirteen years. We're in the first chapter of
a thirteen chapter book, and I've already died four times, right,
But I mean, clearly there's some form of resurrection that's
going to transpire during the course of this or some
form of coming back to like because.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
He will be back to life next week, that is correct. Yes,
you know what it will be more games.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
It's the Minnesota Vikings, Daniel Jones off to the side.
And I don't believe Jones would have come back here
with a not just with the competing for the starting job,
no matter if you beat the Cold Steel or not.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I don't.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
In fact, I feel comfortable that he would not have
come back even for five more million dollars to compete.
He was basically given the job in Indianapolis, and it's
working good for him. You bring Darnold back, you give
him a one hundred million dollar contract. I can't possibly
tell you how loud it would be. Why did you
(28:38):
draft this guy? How long do we have to wait?
Why'd you do that? Why'd you waste that pick. Didn't
you see the Rams game? Didn't you see the Lions game?
It's going to be freaking loud no matter what happens
that somebody doesn't want it to go that way. So
that's yeah, it's after the Lions game. I mean aut
(29:00):
almost rather play ten on eleven, quite honestly. And that's
not to short change the skill set of this comeback story.
It's a fantastic comeback story. It's personally speaking, and we all,
you know, since since we all get our own personal
proclivities that we share in the microphones via six four
(29:21):
six eighty six, social media or talkbacks, well I'll get
mine too, And that night at Detroit is one professionally
I will never forget the rest of my life. Okay,
So it's with farv in nine another one like that. Yeah,
I'm never gonna forget that. But you know what, he
(29:42):
had done a lot for a lot of people for
a lot of years before that. So that's being pissed off,
can't wait to see you next year. The other one
is being pissed off. You are who everybody said you were,
and it happened to be at the biggest of the
big ever to big and that's it.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
I'll never forget it.
Speaker 6 (30:01):
And you know what, if I own this football team
and you bring him back his quarterback talking about Sam Darnold,
here's the deal. I'll pay the money because I see
what you're saying and it probably will be better in
the second year within the system. But if we get
to a big spot and he does that again, you're fired.
So make the choice. What do you want to do?
(30:21):
You want to bring him back and roll the dice
or do you want to move on to the kid.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
I'm not saying that happen, because it didn't. But that's
how I.
Speaker 6 (30:29):
Look at it, is that one's carred so badly that
you'll pay the money because you think it's best. And
I believe in you, man, that's why I hired you.
But if that same situation happens again in the biggest
of the big effort to big, you're fired. Which way
you want to go? Brother, It's nine to noon. PJ
Flack is next Sky. Thank you, Ma f M one
(31:01):
hundred point three kfan. Thanks for listening to nine to
noon when you do and around this time each and
every week.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
PJ. Fleck, coach of the Golden Gophers football.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
Team joins us likewise for former Gophers basketball player Parker Fox,
who sticks around until about eleven thirty. Parker Fox is
a in studio now to chat with a PJ. Fleck,
who joins US now from Chicago because his Gophers have
a game this weekend against Northwestern at Wrigley Field.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
A good morning, PJ.
Speaker 6 (31:30):
And I would imagine, you know, being a Chicago land native,
you probably have spent some time watching baseball at Wrigley Field?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Is that accurate? And good morning?
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Good morning Pa and Parker. Yeah, absolutely, I mean I
was at the game. We had a high school field
trip that we took and I was at the game
whe kerry Wood through twenty strikeouts where it started out
beautiful day started rating. Everybody left and we had some
bad seats, you know, I mean Caitlin High School. We
probably didn't get box seats. But by the time the
game was over here in the boxes, man, we were
(32:03):
right down there by the dugout. We had a blast,
and just so many great memories being around Wrigley and
especially even college, not even going into the game, but
driving out to Rigley for a game, being at the
Cubby Bear and kind of being around. So a lot
of great memories. And I know, you know, we play
a really good football team coming up at Rigby Field
in Northwestern and then we're gonna have to be at
(32:25):
our best.
Speaker 6 (32:25):
So that so that would that would be the time
you said carry would So is that Mark Pryor time also.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Right around that same time? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:36):
So it's Ryan Sandberg, Mark Gray, Sean Dunstan, Jerome Walton,
all those guys, right.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
All of them. It's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Oh wow, tremendous time to be a Cubs fan.
Speaker 6 (32:47):
Did you ever watch Harry Carey call Cubs games on TV?
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:52):
Pa, Yeah, okay, Well since you did an impression, may
I do an impression for you of Harry Carey calling
the double playball on TV?
Speaker 3 (33:02):
Oh I would love it.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Here we go three too, double playball? Samberg.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Hey, he doesn't say like.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
Second to first out out, He just goes.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Hey, he was went straight to the right to the
results man. Harry was the best man. He go right
to the result.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yeah, he's he's iconic.
Speaker 6 (33:25):
So with regular field, like how do they construct the
football field? How close is it to the stands? And
like a field conditions, all that intel.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
And all that work that you do before a game.
What do you think.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Yeah, end zones are really one side, kind of like
right center field when you kind of look at it
and they bring it all the way from the left
from all the way down, and then the third base
line is kind of the other end zone and they
kind of smash it in there a little bit. You know,
some of the corners are really tight and up to
the ivy. But that's what makes Brigny Field Brigley Field.
(33:58):
The IVY is gonna come into you might come into
play a little bit during game day, so it's just
it's it's part of that. But they've done a really
good job of evolving when they started playing it riddy
because both teams had to be on the same side
at one point, uh if I remember that correctly, And
now they you know, we have normal setups, which I
think they've done a better job of creating more of
a realistic game day atmosphere for coaches and players when
(34:22):
you have split sidelines before as well.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Keep on, I'm sorry, Well, no, you're fine. That's that's
my bad.
Speaker 6 (34:28):
I was the human clipping penalty, not you. When uh,
when did you guys play at Yankee Stadium just a
few years ago.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Right, Yeah, a few years ago. Yeah, we were we
played uh uh Syracuse uh in the uh in the
pinstrikele does it that's play movable?
Speaker 6 (34:45):
I should say so when you play at stadiums or
ballparks like that, uh part, at least for part of it,
the stands, the crowd they're they're super far away from
the action, where like when you play at Huntington Banks
Stadium or say Foalsome Field in Boulder, Colorado, where the
stands are the closest to the teams on the sideline
(35:06):
I've ever seen in my life. Is does that in
any way impact the game when the fans aren't that
close to the team.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
I don't think so. I think atmospheres or atmospheres, everybody
has a little bit of a different atmosphere. We've played
in multiple baseball stadiums over the years, maybe not this
particular team, but we played in multiple baseball stadiums, whether
it was the Diamondbacks when we were out in Arizona,
or whether it was again Yankee Stadium, and so we've
done it before at a lot of different venues, and
it creates a different environment than its own, and especially
(35:36):
in its own way, and I think our guys will
definitely appreciate that aspect of it.
Speaker 8 (35:41):
Coach grat you be back with you, Parker Fox here, Darius
Taylor back last week looked healthy against Northwestern? How is
important is it to establish the run with DT and
then kind of vice versa Northwestern around the ball twenty
five plus times? Where do you feel like your run
defense is right now?
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yeah, We've got to continue to grow, that's for sure.
We're playing a really good team that's really physical in
northwesterns knowing for their mindset and their attitude and how
hard they play, and they've got a lot of really
good players, and they set the tone with their mentality,
and we're going to have to play our best football
game of the year. We need to be playing complimentary football.
It's not just about the run game, but it's about
complimentary football, about being balanced and doing what's going to
(36:19):
take to win that football game and setting that early
and playing our best game.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Of the year.
Speaker 6 (36:23):
You guys played Oregon quite tough in that second half.
What building blocks potentially were established not only off that game,
but kind of the way you guys played them in
the second half, Well.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
There's a lot of good to take from the game.
I know the score is not going to necessarily make
anybody really happy, neither with us. Nobody's work disappointed than
our football team because we went there to win the
football game. That's what I love about this team. They've
got no problem going in any place and thinking they're
going to win, now knowing and doing or two different things.
And that's where we've got to close the gap. And
we've got to do the things that are required to
win the games. Do the things that are required to
(36:57):
start fast, accelerate mental, and finish strong. But that was
a really good football team we played. You got to
give them credit. I'm not taking anything away from them,
but they played pretty flawless and their athletes made incredible plays,
some contested, some not contested. But the quarterback had a
special night, and when he's hot, he's hard to beat.
And they played really, really well on defense. They're one
(37:17):
of the top five teams after probably tonight or tomorrow,
the probably one of the top five teams in the country,
and that's a tremendous challenge for us, and we're going
to have to play as good as we've ever played
to be the team like that with them playing flawlessly
and we weren't able to do that. So lots to
learn from about what we can do as we move forward.
And I think our guys came in yesterday and accepted
(37:38):
that type of challenge and responded really well. P J.
Speaker 6 (37:41):
Fleck from Chicago Gophers and Northwestern this weekend at rig
Lee Field. Just a couple of close here for the
head coach Parker.
Speaker 8 (37:49):
Yeah, coach, you know, this is a type of you know,
type of the time in the season where a lot
of guys start looking forward, right, You're looking to get
a certain amount of wins.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
They try to play in a bowl game. How much
is that is on your mind?
Speaker 8 (37:59):
And the message that you preach the team versus a
week to week basis, Hey, let's go to Wrigleyfield and
play Northwestern and final way to get one and all
this week.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
I think becoming bow eligible a tremendous accomplishment in twenty
twenty five, especially when you're in the Power two conferences
and there's gonna be a lot of teams who aren't
be eligible who might be used to being b eligible,
whether in the SEC or the Big Ten. And that's
what you get when you have eighteen teams in the
Big ten and sixteen in the SEC. I think it
definitely changes, and you can feel that change of expectation
(38:30):
based on records of fan bases. That's really difficult. So
obviously one of our big goals was to be itcome
go eligible. We're able to do that for the ninth game,
which is a tremendous feat for us, but we're not
done playing and that would we handle that after Michigan State.
We check that box and now we need to be
one to know in every game that we play, and
you continue to elevate your bullstock and bull status, but
(38:51):
we want to be the best team we can possibly
be and play our best football as the season winds
down here in November, because that's what you want to do.
This trains you to play champion ship football come November
when it becomes the most important.
Speaker 6 (39:02):
Hey, PJ, I appreciate the text. Middle of the afternoon
yesterday I shared. I'm seeing some of the context earlier
nine to noon about JJ McCarthy, the Vikings quarterback. And
you know you can't skip the steps part of the
equation which you've shared here and I'm sure other places,
but you've shared here about Drake Lindsay and about other
inexperienced situations.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
So you know, the reason I texted you.
Speaker 6 (39:25):
When I got to my car outside of US Bank
Stadium was because I stole your bit. You just can't
skip the steps if you think somebody is going to
be really, really good. I stole it in the Vikings
locker room and ran it by Aaron Jones and TJ.
Howkinson and others, and they were in lockstep with it,
you know. And these are private conversations, were not private
(39:46):
but off the microphone, and they see all the bad
and good in a way we as fans, don't. They
believe in McCarthy and recognize no matter to be really good.
You indeed can't skip the steps. So as a co
coach when you scheme them open and they keep getting missed,
yet there's absolutely good in the early part of the
(40:07):
equation for this quarterback, Well, how do you handle it,
you know, with the grimy part of not being able
to skip the steps?
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Yeah, I think that. You know, a lot of people
want to live in an ideal world. In a perfect world.
Football is not a perfect game nor an ideal game.
There's there's a real piece of that. And if you
talk to anyone who's really successful and has become successful,
they're going to start with all the things they fail.
That that's why we define failing as growth. The only
way you're going to grow the most is by your
(40:39):
scars and your failing. I played football, I have I've
had multiple shoulder surgeries. I mean, the scars on my
shoulder show a lot of hardship and show what I
have been through, what I overcame. And I think that's
where the not skipping steps is necessary. Anybody successful, you're
going to hear all their negatives. You're gonna hear all
their adverse situations. You're going to hear all the doubt
(41:03):
and the fear and that they overcame. And that's what
I mean about you can't skip the steps. And because
anybody successful unless they were just handed everything and it
was generationally handed down. Nobody has had it perfect, nobody's
had an ideal. And I think the harder you work
through the adverse situations and the better you respond to
(41:23):
those things make you the player you're going to become
and will create success down the road, not promised, but
give you the best chance. And at the end of
the day. When you look at it, the two drives
to go down the field, there are two touchdown drives, right,
that's pretty impressive to respond that way as a quarterback.
That's hard to do. To get anybody to even do that,
let alone do everything perfect. So taking the next right steps,
(41:45):
not skipping any steps in that process can be frustrating
from an ideal perfect world helicopter view. But the ability
and the resolve and the response and the resiliency to
just keep moving forward and to keep growing the learning,
that's the key to success in my opinion.
Speaker 6 (42:03):
Thanks my brother, tear it up this weekend. We'll talk
next week.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
You bet real the bust game. I'm go go for Skulvites. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Yep, see you about p J Fleck nine to noon.
It's eleven o three.
Speaker 6 (42:13):
We'll keep p Fox around chats and basketball and football
after this
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