November 4, 2025 • 43 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
The feast heads north to Buffalo Wild Wings Elk River.
This Friday, you join Pa Nordo alec Lewis. They get
you said for Sunday Showdown with the Ravens with NonStop
football talk, great food and drinks, and you're trying to
prizes all morning long. Doors open at eight am. Go
to details now k f a n dot com keyword coount.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Ben Gesline covers the Minnesota Vikings writes about football for
the Star Tribune and Star Tribune dot Com. This segment
or segments provided by Standard Heating and Air and the
Standard Heating dot Com and.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
And the scribe joins us. Now you know they're one.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I lived in southern California and my second step father
would take me to a VFW in Monrovia, California as
a sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen year old when I was
going to high school and then subsequently junior college. There
was a dice game that I learned called ship Captain
and Crewe.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
I learned a lot in VFW.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
A lot, yeah, for sure, darts and a bunch of things.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
But people in the back with phones on their tables
and stuff like this.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
It was weird.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Ship Captain and Crewe as the football team goes the
ship the proverbial ship was burning after Los Angeles. Eight
captains spoke before the Lions game and it resonated with
the crew and ship captain and crew. So in a
roundabout way, what I'm getting at here is like a
(01:50):
Viking metaphor of this whole thing too. This works on
several levels. Well, very cool gamer that you had yesterday,
and it triggered my mind to think about ship captain
and crew. Ship was on fire as it left Los
Angeles or or Long Beach Harbor. The captains were required
to speak and the crew was required to respond, and
it did. Yeah, then you wrote about the captain speaking
(02:13):
in your gamer star Tribune dot com. So from what
you know, what did those donning the seas hit on
Saturday night at Detroit's Weston Book Cadillac Hotel in Good morning.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Good morning?
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Yeah, there were I think it basically was say what
you want to say. I think the theme overall was
we need to kind of make sure that this team
can become what it what they believe it can be
kind of a we need to plant our feet a
little bit here, and JJ McCarthy talked about sleeping in
his college bed because I think his infant son has
(02:50):
not been sleeping terribly well, fussy at night. So he
said there's been a lot of times where he's trying
to just get some shut eye and he's not able
to sleep. And he said, I keep having this image
of a silver play and having an opportunity sitting on
top of the platter that the Vikings have a chance
to go grab.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
So he talked about some of those things.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
I think a number of other players, Josh Mattelis, Brian O'Neill,
you know, took it different ways, obviously, but I think
the theme was let's not let this thing pass us by,
and this can still be a team that does some
things down the stretch of the season. So I think
a lot of it, some of it was emotional. I
think some of it was probably a little fiery. Kevin
O'Connell mentioned that, and a lot of players that basically said, no,
(03:31):
this is not going the way we wanted to and
we need to do something about it now. And obviously
they responded and got it done in a game that
I was not expecting them to win. I'm not sure
how many people were. I mean, they've played all of
the graphics of everybody picking against them. But yeah, it's
it was a big win for them, especially because of
how much trouble they've had in that building mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
With without going too far down the road, and just
having everybody involved listening, and that would include mad producer
in here. Yeah, with every everybody knowing all of the
same stuff. But then for those you know who execute
their toil at this facility, and you know they go
to the press conferences and cover the team and talk
(04:12):
about this team and all that, it could be at
a different level simply because of the job aspect of it. Sure,
So with all of that known, if you believe there
was a tension related bubble that needed to burst, if
you believe there was tension related ice that needed to
(04:34):
be broken, and I am one that believes that, and
I'm speaking for you too. I think you are too.
Do you think like there was a bubble that needed
to burst?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
I think there was a lot of frustration, okay, in
terms of just the season had not gone well.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Okay, So if you believe from the captains at Weston
Detroit's Western Book Cadillac, the game bubble burst happiness, Yeah,
do you think it's dick. I think one game is
a lot to try to extrapolate. I mean, it's very
(05:08):
easy to take one game and say, hey, this is
all going to be different, and then Lamar Jackson comes
in here on Sunday and then you're right back to
four and five, and you know, and then it's you
got Caleb Williams, then you got the Packers and all
of those things can come from that.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
I do think this type of a win matters a
little more than your average division victory, just because they
I mean, they had been so bad in that building.
I looked this up and I mentioned this to Kevin
O'Connell in the press conference yesterday. They had not had
a lead in that building, which Kevin O'Connell is the coach.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So the last time they led was in the Cam
Dancel and Ross Saint Brown game.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yep, that was real.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
And I'm late too because Jared Goff brought them back
for that touchdown at the end. Was that game that
Cam Danceler, what are you doing? Call? No?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That was Seattle, DK Metcalf, Yeah, that aim for the Lions. Actually,
I actually got into a low key mini I'm not
big argumentative guy. Okay, I'll prefer to say I'm sorry,
even if I think I'm seventy five percent right, just
to diffuse the sucker so we can move on to
(06:14):
stop wasting our time here.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
But there was wisdom in that.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I got into a low key chat with somebody after
the game by the buses, simply because I wasn't as
upset about the loss as some people thought I should be.
And here's why your team is not going to the playoffs. Okay,
so our team is not going to the playoffs. This
team had not won a game in a year. The Lions,
(06:40):
their fans had not seen a victory in close to
two years because of the pandemic. So am I happy
the Vikings loss?
Speaker 6 (06:47):
No?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Am I crestfallen that this other lovable loser one or
because of it?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
No? And it's just it was.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
The machismo, every blade of grant whatever, man, come on, Yeah, yeah,
I mean that one was.
Speaker 6 (07:02):
That entire season was built on weird ones.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Just awful. That was Amanara Saint Brown's first touchdown. Yeah yeah, so.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
That was kind of the coming out party that day
for him. But yeah, that you talk about five's and
a secret man.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
That one so Baltimore's three and five, Yeah, and Lamar
Lamar's back and galloping quite well. From what we hear.
Their last win was against uh uh. I don't know
if you watched any of it. I didn't watch a
lot of it because it was putrid. It looked like
a team that I mean, I never talked like this
(07:35):
and never would cast an affront on a team where
we're not in the room. I'm not plugged into it.
I'm not juiced into any steam there. So, but it
looked like they were laying down. It looked like the
Dolphins were laying down trying to get a coach, general manager,
and everybody fired for GM got fired. Okay, so that's
Baltimore's last race. That's what we saw. Well, they're three
(07:57):
and five, their defense ain't great, and they're on the road,
and they're three and a half four point favorites in
this game, coming up against a team that got healthy,
just went on the road and beat a legitimate Super
Bowl candidate, Yeah, and now comes home. So I just
don't understand why the Vikings are closer to a touchdown
(08:21):
underdog than they are to like being a team that
could win the game minus one or something.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, I suppose. I mean, I have to think it's
the quarterback differences.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
Just McCarthy hasn't proven yet to a level of getting
the benefit of the doubt from the odds baker Jackson.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But it's the same quarterback who was just on the road,
who beat a quarterback who throws.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Better than Lamarck.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Correct, Yes, and he did so as an even bigger underdog. Yeah,
there is I think some of that. And you know,
the one game thing, I think Vegas is probably saying, okay,
we need a little more sample size, and it's Jackson
and it's Dereck Henry, but playing a team that had
struggled against the run, and you talk about, you know,
(09:01):
planting a flag on Sunday. They took Jamir Gibbs out
of that game. And the outside the numbers set too,
was really good. Well, and the thing is he had
killed them last year. I look, I had forgotten it
was this bad. He has six touchdowns, Yeah, in those
two games last year against them. Well, the biggest game
of the year, he at four right, right, I mean
that that game where it's NFC number one seed on
(09:22):
the line. He changed the whole thing. And I think
the one at us Bank Stadium too, he beats I
think it was cam Bina making a cut inside and
he gets outside and scored like a thirty four yard
touchdown early in that game. That kind of was a
pivotal moment for the Lions there as well. So for
the fact that they were able to shut him down,
(09:43):
part of it was they got ahead and they made
him pass protect, which he does not do very well,
as we saw on Sunday, and the numbers bore that out.
But if you can contain the run against that team,
you have to feel better about it. It's still a
tough matchup with Derek Henry Lamar Jackson, but they probably
have to feel little better about that than they otherwise
would because I get that they have not been good
(10:05):
against the run this year. They did well against Saquon
Barkley and then Kamani Vidal obviously has the big day
against them in LA. I think that may be part
of it as well. Where the where the odds come from?
That's unfair, I mean that that's I don't think it.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Is because those who set these lines off power power rankings,
power ratings, well, they're not in the losing money business,
so they don't overlook that Van Ginkle did not play
in that game, and and what the team is with Grenard,
Cashman and Van Ginkle. Yeah, so I you know, here
here just to land the plane on this. I just
(10:41):
what you're tell me what you think of this, because
you know how the game works behind the scenes. When
I see something like that on a Monday, a team
of the losing record that just beat crap Miami, Okay,
we're happy for lamar he. I mean, we're not talking
about Tom Brady here, all right, and you're talking about
a team that's gotten healthy, is coming home and just
(11:01):
pulled one of the two bigger upsets of the entire season,
along with Carolina and Lambeau. I wonder if agents know
that there's some Darisaan news coming that this might be
a darisol. I mean, we know as well as anybody man,
Christian darisaw is arguably the most important player on this team.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Is We've seen all these games.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Now, how O'Connell reacted when he played against Cincinnati, and
just just he's one of the best, if not he's
one of the best three left tackles in the NFL.
So him and O'Neil obviously that duo matters a ton.
Maybe somebody behind the scenes, which leads me to thinking
about agents. Maybe they know this is going to be
one of those weird Darisol weeks where it's like, you know,
(11:45):
pretend to pitch count again, you think you're gonna get
three quarters, you only get one. Or maybe it's do
you think it's behind the team and it's full throttle
Darisol moving forward?
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Well, I think they feel better about it. It will
be interesting to see what the practice plan is. I
would expect if he practices tomorrow, I wouldn't get terribly worried.
If it's nothing on Thursday. That has kind of been
the rotation of things, it'll be. I don't think we
asked about it a ton yesterday. How he came out
of it. I think there's optimism generally about him and O'Neil,
(12:18):
and I think, I mean, Kevin O'Connell said the team
overall came out of it relatively healthy. So yeah, I
mean that is the thing that you have to keep
watching because of how it's gone so far, and they're
kind of it's been a little touch and go as
they try to get him back up to full speed.
But yeah, I mean, if they have him, it changes
things a lot, and I think I think there's every
reason to believe that they will. We don't have any
(12:39):
reason to say there's not, but yeah, it does. You know,
It's one of those things that when you talk about
the line, it's worth thinking about. We'll have more info
on that tomorrow, but you might get more info on
it today between the Yeah, that's also probably true. He's
he probably will get some info on the air here
shortly about where that's going to. But yeah, it's I
think it's one of those things where if they have
(13:01):
that wine healthy. I mean, you saw it Sunday, there
was still pressure, but they had a lot Markelean pockets
operate from and that changes everything for McCarthy.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
I feel like the dam broke with that Chargers game,
and so just this patchwork and everything that went into
just trying to get Wentz upright and on the field,
and it was really the first game of the season
that they just had no shot in. And so they
come back and you guys talked about tension and potential
bubble bursting. Maybe this is dumb, but I just think
about this season through eight games Monday night Sunday night,
(13:31):
cool nooner and you blow out the Bengals. Then it's
this stupid trip to Dublin on a shorty, and then
it's London for a week.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
And all those things.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
The Vikings have four straight weeks, three of them at home,
in which it is a full week of practice, it
is a Sunday, it is a noon game, and what
they did in Detroit. Now next step is proving it
with Lamar and Derreck Henry and you laid that out,
but I just kind of wonder, is this an opportunity
for them to finally, for the first time all year
(13:59):
have rhythm in combination with getting healthier. That lends to
some optimism for me as a forty year old Rube.
I'm just thinking four straight weeks, simple noon game, full practice,
the kid QB's healthy, and we'll figure out this tackle thing,
as you guys just discussed. But there's some rhythm to
this schedule here that I think that that lends to
some more consistency from the Purple.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
I would agree with that, and I think for NFL
players and teams that is a bigger deal than fans
might realize. I mean, people say, okay, fine, whatever, play
on Thursday. Play on Monday, it's like no if you
go through the week, because everything from Sunday when they
break down the huddle in the locker room and you know,
kind of finish the celebrating players right once the cool
(14:42):
videos are done, the process toward the next one already starts,
and all of it is scripted pretty much down to
the minute, or plan down to the minute, I should say,
because there's that much to get done. It's players getting
treatment and today is the day off for players, but
treatment is still open for players to come men who
need it. Coaches are getting game plans ready. The whole
(15:03):
week kind of stacks on a predictable pattern, and when
you throw that off, whether it's travel or whether it's scheduling,
it's just everybody feels a little out of sorts and
it's harder to operate the way you want to, and
everybody has to do it. It's part of life in
the NFL. The Thursday games are big TV money that
those are not going away, no matter how much players
may want them to. But when you can get into
(15:25):
a little more of this rhythm where it's Sunday games,
your rehab schedule makes sense. It's predictable, your practice schedule
doesn't have to change all those kinds of things. I
do think that helps, and I think especially for players
like Christian Darosa coming back from something like that, just
to have that, Okay, there's a little more comfort here,
there's a little more routine here that I can be
(15:46):
comfortable with. I think that stuff helps and may help
them get past the point of kind of some of
the uncertainty that had early in the season with him.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
When you say everybody has to do it, I'm I'm
going to, respectfully, I'll agree, but always everybody has to
do the overseas thing twice right too? So what the
Viking and you and I, I mean the scribe and
the announcer, big deal, but there it's our jobs. And
remember when you walked into the box box at Ford Field,
(16:16):
first thing that I said to you was, how I mean,
it's what it's one pm Eastern? Yeah, but just think
nude Central And I'm like, how great is it to
have a Sunday noon game at a destination that's not
eight hours away, you know, just to get back at
a reasonable time and settle into a reasonable schedule. I
mean it's been That's why when you said, like everybody
(16:38):
has to do it. But but look.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
At this, man.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
I mean, you know this opening week, Monday night football
on the road. Uh, so what's next at Dublin, at London?
After that, You're at Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
That's unbelievably.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Uh the elasticity with it stretched up, it can get stretched.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Then, yeah, it's unbelievable. For now, I think, Yeah, what
I mean by that is this stuff is not slowing down.
The NFL is on a mission to take over more
and more of the available TV hours in more and
more of the large cities in the world. So I
know Roger Goodell has talked about the International Games planning
(17:22):
to grow. I mean, I think they want to double
that eventually. So you're going to have and the Vikings
were the guinea pigs for this, and I don't think
anybody in this building would be like jumping up and
down raising their hands say yeah, let's go do that
again next year.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
But the overall.
Speaker 5 (17:37):
Inconveniences of NFL routines are going to grow because there
are business opportunities, and the business opportunities ultimately make these decisions.
It's not hey, you know, we really want to go
to Australia like the Rams are gonna play in Australia
next year, So like, how are you going to do
that that doesn't disrupt everybody's schedule and routine. I don't
(17:58):
think the NFL is that canned about that. It's basically, hey,
there's money to be made here. Yeah, we can grow
the game. We're gonna be doing the flight football thing.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Figure it out. Yeah, so there's gonna be more of that.
Speaker 6 (18:08):
You know when I when I look at this game,
I look, you know, we were talking points spreads earlier, Like,
I still think they have a lack of belief in
the quarterback. Yeah in JJ McCarthy, like, I think that's
really the biggest stark contrast ye of the of the
two teams here on Sunday, And with that said, getting
to see him take two. We've waited a freaking month
and a half for this. Uh what what did you think?
(18:30):
Things that either stood out or didn't step out? We
were talking before you got on the air here. I
was watching this, uh this QB school breakdown to a solefic. Yeah, yeah,
he's great. Forty nine minutes and just just so many
cool little nuanced bits that that he provided. But but
from your standpoint from Sunday's game. The numbers don't jump
off the page from a yardage completion standpoint, et cetera.
(18:52):
But he manufactured three tds gets the win in the
weird building.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
What'd you think?
Speaker 5 (18:56):
Well, the decisiveness to me was the first thing that
suck out. You look at that first drive. He realizes
there's a zero pressure look coming from the Lions. He
checks the play, basically says, hey, we got to bring
in more protection. I think he motioned a tight end
over and then basically throws the screen to Aaron Jones
knowing the ball's got to come out right away.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
They're bringing pressure.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
I'm going to be hot on that third down on
the third and ten where Jones gets a first down
on it that I think that level of adjustment saying hey,
there's pressure coming up. And we saw him make some
of those plays earlier, make some of those reads at least,
but the fact that he hits the screen and then
they get the first down and then the very next
play is the one that goes for the Justin Jefferson touchdown.
(19:37):
And we've seen this a couple of times. We saw
Carson Wentz do it. We saw Sam darnold do it.
They have some of these plays where if they if
the corner is pressing, the receiver of this route converts
into a fade and say they say, let's take a
shot at this, let's try it, especially if it's Justin Jefferson.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
It was Jefferson in Green Bay last year.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
That bad boy you put on Twitter, right, Yes, yeah,
at Ben Gastline.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
I watched it earlier today. It's really good.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Yes, Well, they actually did this. I think the one
I put out was probably an Addison one. It was,
but Jefferson they did this too for the touchdown where
it's if you're gonna press, we're gonna throw it over
your head and for him to see it and then
throw the ball that he did. I mean, Jacs Sullivan
made this point too. That probably comes out a little hot,
But with Justin Jefferson, you can do it because I
(20:19):
mean the catch was incredible that he makes the one
hand to catch the touchdown.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
But it's unbelievable he made that catch. Yeah, that was
a heck of a catch.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
But some of the decisiveness on those things, finding the
one on one matchups and pulling the trigger, yeah, I
thought was noticeable.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Okay, Well, the video, the film breakdown that you put that,
I saw where it was the fade left early to
Addison by the pylon right and that was a great throw,
great throw and a good coverage too, and Addison almost
brought it in.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Here's the deal.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Fast forward in the game to Jefferson making a catch
on the right side where and I'm bringing this up
with O'Connell between eleven and eleven thirty, McCarthy is left
HASHMA okay, Addison because of what they did earlier, McCarthy
stares at the safety, gets the safety to go Addison's way,
(21:10):
swings back left Hash outside the numbers to Jefferson for
a first down. So they set that play up well
and not purposely, but because of that play they were
able to get justin open. But McCarthy has to make
a tough throw left Hash outside the numbers, but he
has the arm strength to do it.
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Yeah, that is some of those things you see those
throws where he can drive it to the sideline.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Yeah, the arm strength is there for those.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
The route that Jefferson ran on that play, by the way,
was unfreaking believable. I don't know who was in coverage
on him no chance, and it was a perfect throw.
Part of one thing that I noticed on in this game.
He was breaking the huddle five six seconds. It felt
like faster than he was earlier in the season. And
(21:57):
so I'm complete outsider guy. It matters, though total fan
and rube I was always of the mind. I'm just
I've always wondered, like, was Ko in his headset, like
right up to the bitter end where that thing turned off?
I think probably if that was a thing potentially early
when we got to see him against the Bears and Falcons,
But on Sunday he had at least it felt like
(22:18):
most plays four or five real time seconds to survey
the field.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
I think that helped a lot. I do too there,
and there was a lot of there were a lot
more checks where you see him tapping his helmet going
can can can. I mean there was some of that early.
I think a number of the first plays on that
on that initial drive was initial two touchdown drives, he's
checking at the line. You have more time to do
that if the operation is better. And this stuff seems
minute or may seem boring, but this stuff matters a
(22:46):
lot to how the position gets played. We don't see
it all the time on TV because the announcers are
talking and there's replays and you're not seeing what's happening
between plays. But yes, getting the operation set, getting up
to the line, even doing it fast enough that the
headset can still be going when McCarthy is at the
line if it's before fifteen seconds, like, they can use
that as a hack too. So yeah, I think all
(23:07):
that stuff matters. I think there were some moments where
he was a little amped up. I thought in the
second quarter when he kind of got in that run
where he's outside the pocket, there's some throws that probably
came out a little hot.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I thought there would have been some chance.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
To Yamamoto fastball he saw what Jefferson about two feet
over his head.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
Yeah, there was one to Hockinson two that Hockinson dropped
I think on like a third and long from their
own four.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
That was a bullet.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
I think Hockinson almost was surprised that it came in
that hot, but well.
Speaker 6 (23:33):
And that was the play after he almost just gives
up at the goal line, it's gonna be get out,
but then he doesn't get rid of the ball, and
I think it was Barnes who tracked him down.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Yeah, he was trying. He was trying to run rather
than just throwing it away. So yeah, there are those
little things you think, Mason, Do you think.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Jordan Mason buys JJ McCarthy some launch this week after
a couple of those pass protection related.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Issues and maybe needs for a little bit of that.
Miss Aaron Jones in that regard in CJ ham two
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Speaker 3 (24:55):
Foul clipping.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Viking, you lucky suckers. Nine to noon with the scribe
and the head coach here twenty five minutes from now.
Speaker 6 (25:16):
We got to see Van Ginkel on Sunday. We've been waiting,
my bad, we've been waiting for Van Ginkle. We got
to see Van Ginkel. Pa was actually showing me a
highlight of Khalif Raymond trying to take a shot at
Van Ginkle during that game.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Heated rivalry as it is.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
The ability to have most of the right names back
defensively certainly part of the story with Flores in his
own right, the way we've struggled against the kiddies, Flores
has struggled against Goff and i'men Ross Saint Brown and
Gibbs and all these things. And to see them handle
business the way they did, specifically with forty three back
(25:52):
on the.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Field, that was sweet. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:54):
And I thought the linebacker blitzes and it was Van Ginkle,
it was Cashman, it was Harrison Smith coming off the
edge at times, Ben Ginkle dropping into coverage. I mean,
they ran enough of those things. I thought that changed
the game because they got home a lot against Golf,
and the thing with Golf over the years has been
if you can pressure him, he struggles against it. Now
that has changed a little bit with the Lions. I
(26:15):
think they came up with some protection answers for the
vikings last year. Ben Johnson has a lot to do
with that. Ben Johnson's not there anymore in that line
is not as strong without Frank rag Now and some
injury things, so they were able to pressure him. I
thought the fact that they kept Gibbs in the backfield.
I think Gibbs had more pass protection snaps than he'd
ever had in his career. On Sunday he was in
(26:37):
the backfield at fifteen times. Number one, he gave up
a lot of pressures and number two, if he's in
the backfield, he's not an option. So like I asked
O'Connell about that yesterday and he said, yeah, we certainly
prefer to not have him out in space getting the ball.
So I think the plan was to pressure Golf and
bring a lot of pressure regardless, but that was probably
(26:59):
a nice benefit to it that when you have all
of your people back, you have all your chess pieces.
They don't know where it's coming from they have to
max protect more often, and it plays things in your
favor because it takes one of the more dynamic players
in the NFL out of.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
It a little more often as a receiving option.
Speaker 6 (27:15):
Going above and beyond just picking at the box score,
do you feel like Javon Hargrave was noticed more on
something maybe than he has at any other point since
he joined the Vikings.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
Yes, you felt the presence there. I think it looked
closer to what we saw in training camp, where he
I thought was pretty forceful. He was a lot of
those days, Yeah, he was, and I think they got
closer to that. I think the level of disruption that
he provided was a noticeable difference. I mean, that's a
lot when you can bring pressure up the middle. They
(27:46):
had a lot of those linebacker twists on the stunts,
and then if you have him and Jonathan Allen in there,
I mean, quarterbacks do not like pressure in their face,
and they have a lot of different ways to force
quarterbacks to deal with that. You have to have those
guys making play to kind of build that to the
degree that you want. I think him doing what he
did was noticeable. Jalen Redmond continues to provide some pressure
(28:08):
as well.
Speaker 6 (28:09):
Yeah, that's not kind of that's not even really flash
in the pan at this point that Jalen Redmond might
just be a really good player and a nice fine.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
He's Yes, it's happened enough that it's harder to discount it.
And I think he's I mean, his snap counts certainly
make you think that they believe in it. Because he's
getting a lot more run, has gotten more run throughout
the course of the season. I think they believe pretty
strongly in what he can do. I think it's part
of the reason they traded Harrison. Phillips is saying, we
think Jalen Redmond and the depth we have with him
(28:36):
and leeby Drake Rodriguez gives them enough. But you need
Hargrave than Allen to be a bigger part of that.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Certainly. Hargrave was on Sunday, is.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
The NFC North wide open? Has it become wide open?
With the leaders at Green Bay five two and one,
Viking's still in last at four and four, and we
have the Lions right in front of him at five
and three.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
I make that the Bears at five and three.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Yes, it is very interesting and I think the Packers
losing on Sunday. I mean they have been capable of
those types of games. It seems like under Mount Lafleur,
where it's just every once in a while they play
down to an opponent they should beat. I mean you
mentioned the upsets they were I think thirteen point favorites
or something like that against the Panthers. And then they
lose Tucker Kraft for the season. Who I think that
(29:19):
is a big loss because it's no big deal. Eagles
around the corner too.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's the next game, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
I think so night maybe yep, So it's it is
one of those things. Yes, it's one of those things
where if you lose him, they have struggled to find,
like who's Jordan Love's number one option? It had become
Tucker Craft, I think in a lot of ways. And
you know, Kristian Watson when he's healthy. You know, they
have Romeo Dobbs, some of these other receivers, but they've
(29:46):
not had the guy that seems to be when everything is,
when the house is burning, this is the guy that
we know can make a play. I think that had
become Tucker Craft. So him being out for the year.
I think changes their offense quite a bit, and and
it makes me a little more uncertain if they're going
to be at the top of this thing. So yeah,
I do think it's pretty wide open, you know, the Bears.
(30:08):
It's hard to know how much of this is for real,
how much of this is still going to just be
a little herky jerky. I think it may just beat
a lot of that. But yeah, there's a lot that
can happen in these next couple of weeks here after
the Ravens for the Vikings, it's two in a row
in the division that's gonna have a lot to say
about where this goes.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
I'm not going to grandstand and say green Bay will
win that game against Philly. Yeah, but if I'm spotting up,
I'm playing green Bay.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
And here's why they lose to Cleveland, they lose to
Bryce Young, they beat Jared Goff, they beat Jade and Dan,
they beat they play that.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
It is the level. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
The civil servant Johnny Kay said it yesterday sending a
text that, and he's a Packers fan and he really
pointed some things out to Nine to Noon that Yeah,
we kind of knew this, but there was some context
to it about how they're playing up and down to
teams levels. Yea, and they'll play up to the level
of this team at home nationally televised game.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
If Green Bay won that game, I'm zero surprised.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Yeah, there does seem to be some of that with
them where they will great. Yeah, they'll look great against
better opponents, and then it's some of those games that
you say, Okay, they should win this handily, they never
seem to. So yeah, that is it's going to be
interesting to see where that goes with them. I just
think the craft, the loss of Craft, I think changes
(31:30):
a lot of things for that offense.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
To our favorite team.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
Speaking of a loss, potentially we'll see is how productive
Aaron Jones was in the run And I kind of
made that fleeting joke to you before we went to
break Jordan Mason some tough moments on Sunday and pass protection.
Now we're sweating a shoulder and a toe like as
you go throughout the week. Is that kind of the
a topic for you in terms of from a health perspective,
(31:53):
we want to see Christian Dearris, we want to see
the plan moving forward and all that. But but how serious.
Is this or not serious? Is this based on your
vibes with Ko talking yesterday?
Speaker 5 (32:04):
Yeah, Jones, I think Andrew Kramer caught up with him
in the locker room on Sunday while I was going
to O'Connell's press conference, and Jones didn't sound that concerned
about it. And the shoulder, he said, is an ac
joints brain and he said, that's one of those that
you put some paddic on it, you basically stabilize that.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I mean you see a lot of guys played through
the dirt on it.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yeah, we're good to go, exactly something like that. So yes,
I think he feels like that won't be something that
keeps him out on Sunday. And he certainly played through
things throughout the course of his career, so yeah, I mean,
I think he had more burst on Sunday than I
was necessarily expecting. He was going to be fresh coming
back from that injury. But I think the fact that
(32:44):
he did what he did was a big reason why
they won that game. They they needed to run the
ball effectively. I mean they ran for one hundred and
forty two yards. I think it was so well. Let
me ask the fact that he did that. It has
a lot to do with him.
Speaker 6 (32:55):
Dumb, dumb question again and something that I could have
just searched on the internet for.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Why was that catch and run ruled a rush?
Speaker 3 (33:02):
Well?
Speaker 5 (33:02):
I think it must have been pass Yeah, let's see,
why would they have I mean, if they must have
said it wasn't afford.
Speaker 3 (33:10):
That would be the only you can throw backwards passes.
And there's still completions. Yeah, why did Why did that
end up being a run?
Speaker 2 (33:16):
And there were two sacks definitely won by Derek Barnes
for the Lions. I couldn't believe they were sacks. Yeah,
I thought they were either tackles for loss or or
zero's you know, for just like just running.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Yeah. Yeah, the one McCarthy scrambled out. I think they
called that a sack. Yeah, that.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
We need that, we need to put that thirty one
back on the stat line for number nine.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Yeah, that is.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Kind of odd that that ended up being a run.
I mean O'Connell pointed out yesterday. I think that was
a little perplexing to him as well. So maybe he'll
get into that with you guys on eleven. I appreciate you, buddy.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Have a good day, all right, you too, thanks Ben
Gasoline courtesy of Standard Heating and their Standard Heating dot com.
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
The afore mentioned Kevin is a Kevin O'Connell, the head
coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and he joins of this
radio show fifteen minutes ish from now. We call it
x's and o's and that's that's at eleven News to
Nords around the corner.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Hi rooms.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
This football season, Bell Bank is giving one KFA and
listener each week one thousand dollars to pay it forward
to a charity of their choice. Just it over to
KFA dot com keywreck contest to learn more at KFA
n dot com keywer Contest.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Welcome back.
Speaker 6 (34:38):
It's News de Nord brought to you by the casino.
Not a casino, but the casino. It's in Shakopee, Minnesota.
It's at Canterbury Park, and you can feel the felt.
You're playing poker, blackjack and table games all year round.
You're having SIPs at Chips and you're tipping Derek Allen.
You're watching live racing spring and summer, and on Thursdays
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(35:01):
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you got to do on Thursdays you jump down to
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Quick Trips got you hooked up for an entire year.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
So that's sweet. Thank you Canterbury.
Speaker 6 (35:30):
Thank you Minnesota Wild by the way for trying to
make something out of this six game homestand as a
team broke, I believe a five lost streak with a
win over Vancouver the other night. Well before you head
out on the road, why don't you just go ahead
and beat the Predators. That's at seven pm this evening
right here on your home for Wild Hockey the Fan.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
The Predators, by the way, are oh and two of
this year on back to backs. They played last night
at home and lost to the Cove, so they they're
rowing two on back to backs this year. This is
a back to back with travel the while the Wild
should beat Bruno's bunch tonight.
Speaker 6 (36:06):
To the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were in Brooklyn last evening.
They beat the Nets one twenty five one oh nine,
a nice shooting percentage performance. I believe well above fifty
percent for the Howl forty percent for the Nets. The
reason I bring that up is the Nets are awful.
They're winless. But the Wolves were kind of messing around
with them a little bit last night. I don't know
(36:26):
how much. I mean, maybe it's just winless nets.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
They're terrible.
Speaker 6 (36:30):
Even though we don't have ANT, we're gonna find their
way to a victory. I don't know if the team's
in the spot where they can think like that. But
Cam Thomas at one point looked like he was going
to go off for forty. He just ended with twenty five.
How about Julius Randall. Though Julius Randall, you know without
ANT now, but even with ANT in the mix earlier in.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
The season, PA, he's been absolutely terrific.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
Last night, he bleeped around, he got a triple double
nineteen eleven and ten dimes with a couple of steels,
and he found himself at the free throw line of
fair amount.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
So they handle business.
Speaker 6 (37:00):
You get twenty five out of Dante, and just in
terms of I mean when Ant comes back, who, by
the way, reported yesterday I saw this from from day
Moore that Ant has been cleared for contact and just
kind of going through a return to play process. Probably
you know, we'll see it maybe a week from now,
hope looking forward to it. I know CON's LFL team
(37:20):
is looking forward to the return of Ant in a
big way. But just kind of until they get Ant back,
you're not really going to know how this whole thing
looks defensive intensity and just figuring out the mix of
Conley getting Dillingham in there with the mask. Everyone's nose
is broken apparently the Vincenzo. But figuring out how this
thing looks, how it works still part of Finchy's process
(37:43):
as we get underway in twenty five twenty six.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Yeah, the Timberwolves game last night was of the Slugger
Lee variety, just wasn't wasn't really exciting to watch.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
It was on Fandel.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
So yesterday we had some peacock terrorism and that's why
I actually got to watch them.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Say me too, I don't have peacock.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
But nevertheless, it was just kind of just kind of
a It was a game that looked like you have
Cam Thomas. Okay, now you have Nick Klaxton, who occasionally
can have decent games. But Randall, we and McDaniels, we
have the best two players in the game. So eventually
we're going to utilize those two players and there's no
(38:23):
chance you can beat us. So we're going to push
the button when we need to push the button, and
Brooklyn go crazy.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
So that's what they did. Julius Randall and Jaden McDaniels.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Do you think Rudy showed a little bit of life
last night? I don't mean the klompot.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Early in the game when I was watching, he was dominating.
I didn't watch much of the second half.
Speaker 6 (38:40):
Because the thing with me with Rudy and I already read.
I mean, we're what seven games in the season, but
just kind of okay, so you know, you put some
more money in Rudy's pocket.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You love him.
Speaker 6 (38:51):
Rudy's always been a polarizing conversation topic, specifically the last
two years with the playoffs. Of course, yeah, but kind
of the idea that you know, when this thing starts
to go down hill for Rudy, a guy in his
thirties and just being the seventh footter that he is
and all that that this is going to be some
sort of cliff like drop off, and so I don't
see that. Well, that's the thing is is first few
(39:11):
games you're seeing, Okay, you know, how's he how's he
working himself into the mix and just kind of you know,
what his productivity was. Early on, I was I was
starting to see a little bit of that that like
we're staring into the Grand Canyon and it looks like
big Man's about to fall off. I thought last night
he had a ton of jump and juice. You mentioned
it early and I saw that too, And I really
loved Rudy's game last night.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Well there for me team, but all it doesn't I
mean certainly doesn't mean it's right. This is my opinion
off a question. I didn't know what was coming. So
I'm just going to stream my consciousness and take it
back to the postseason. I think Rudy is a game
shape player. So certain games are going to shape up
that they fit go Bear really really well.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
Certain games aren't.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
Certain series, see the Golden State or the Golden State
War are going to shape up into a series where Wow,
he's gonna have twenty four and twenty four certain series
cookc are not.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Yeah, and he's not gonna play much.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
So I think it's a game by game deal with
him where they're gonna start with him. You're gonna try
some things, but not every game shapes up of the
way go Bear needs it to strive.
Speaker 6 (40:23):
That makes sense. Last thing for you, Monday Night Football.
There are probably many listeners who have YouTube TV who
didn't get the chance to watch it unless they went
in and paid the thirty bucks or whatever it is
for the ESPN app.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
I don't know what that means.
Speaker 6 (40:37):
Oh well, YouTube TV and ESPN Slash Disney are in
a financial dispute wow, in terms of offering.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
So although the reason I bring it up is it
plays off what we said yesterday is holy cow, you're
having to pay so many different entities to watch so
many different things.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
I mean when we got to hit yesterday with that
peacock thing with the wolves, and I'm like, bro, really,
I mean they got that now this YouTube thing that
you just said, Okay, Thursday's paramount plus Thursdays on Amazon Prime, Okay,
that's fine, man. I mean I'm not against people making
money or but it's just coming from all angles. And
then then the local situation with with fan duel, yeah
(41:18):
you know, and just map whatever.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Well, no, that's that's the thing.
Speaker 6 (41:22):
And I think a lot of people are looking at
the precarious timing of this is YouTube suddenly can't get
a deal done with ESPN.
Speaker 4 (41:29):
At a very very.
Speaker 6 (41:30):
Similar time that ESPN is trying to launch basically their
own media, their own peacock. I didn't even know YouTube
was part of Disney, and I think it's like, not,
YouTube's not ESPN is Yeah, I know that, right, but
so they have to So ESPN Disney has to negotiate
with YouTube TV for all of their products if you
want to show our bits, right, So ABC's not in
the mix either. So get an antenna is really the
(41:52):
a topic here? Or pay I think it's like thirty
bucks a month for the ESPN app. I don't have
the specifics, and I'm definitely not paying that. But some
people did watch the game. Back to a Monday night football,
how about the Cardinals on the road twenty seven to
seventeen over the Cowboys Jacoby Brissett for two sixty and two.
They were able to run the ball against that hideous
Eberflus defense. Marvin Harrison Junior gets a touchdown, so his
(42:14):
dad's happy. And Dak Prescott, you know, touchdown and a pick.
And Jamonte Williams still kind of, you know, resurrecting his career,
certainly based after some awful performances in Denver and now
he's run it in Dallas.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
But man, the Cowboys can't get out of their own way.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
Man, three five and one.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
It's ugly.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
They did trade.
Speaker 6 (42:32):
I think Logan Wilson is the linebacker's name they just
plucked from the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
I don't know how much of a difference that it's making.
Speaker 6 (42:38):
But we have two non playoff teams on a Monday
night that many people didn't see because they don't want
to pay ESPN.
Speaker 3 (42:43):
And I had the opportunity to watch it and shows
not to and I do have ESPN.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
So that's that's kind of what I thought of that game.
When we return, Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings,
joins nine to noon for his weekly stop in the Covenant.
We call it X's and O's and that that should
take place sometime right around the corner on k f
A n
The feast heads north to Buffalo Wild Wings Elk River.
This Friday, you join Pa Nordo alec Lewis. They get
you said for Sunday Showdown with the Ravens with NonStop
football talk, great food and drinks, and you're trying to
prizes all morning long. Doors open at eight am. Go
to details now k f a n dot com keyword coount.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Ben Gesline covers the Minnesota Vikings writes about football for
the Star Tribune and Star Tribune dot Com. This segment
or segments provided by Standard Heating and Air and the
Standard Heating dot Com and.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
And the scribe joins us. Now you know they're one.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I lived in southern California and my second step father
would take me to a VFW in Monrovia, California as
a sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen year old when I was
going to high school and then subsequently junior college. There
was a dice game that I learned called ship Captain
and Crewe.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
I learned a lot in VFW.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
A lot, yeah, for sure, darts and a bunch of things.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
But people in the back with phones on their tables
and stuff like this.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
It was weird.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Ship Captain and Crewe as the football team goes the
ship the proverbial ship was burning after Los Angeles. Eight
captains spoke before the Lions game and it resonated with
the crew and ship captain and crew. So in a
roundabout way, what I'm getting at here is like a
(01:50):
Viking metaphor of this whole thing too. This works on
several levels. Well, very cool gamer that you had yesterday,
and it triggered my mind to think about ship captain
and crew. Ship was on fire as it left Los
Angeles or or Long Beach Harbor. The captains were required
to speak and the crew was required to respond, and
it did. Yeah, then you wrote about the captain speaking
(02:13):
in your gamer star Tribune dot com. So from what
you know, what did those donning the seas hit on
Saturday night at Detroit's Weston Book Cadillac Hotel in Good morning.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Good morning?
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Yeah, there were I think it basically was say what
you want to say. I think the theme overall was
we need to kind of make sure that this team
can become what it what they believe it can be
kind of a we need to plant our feet a
little bit here, and JJ McCarthy talked about sleeping in
his college bed because I think his infant son has
(02:50):
not been sleeping terribly well, fussy at night. So he
said there's been a lot of times where he's trying
to just get some shut eye and he's not able
to sleep. And he said, I keep having this image
of a silver play and having an opportunity sitting on
top of the platter that the Vikings have a chance
to go grab.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
So he talked about some of those things.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
I think a number of other players, Josh Mattelis, Brian O'Neill,
you know, took it different ways, obviously, but I think
the theme was let's not let this thing pass us by,
and this can still be a team that does some
things down the stretch of the season. So I think
a lot of it, some of it was emotional. I
think some of it was probably a little fiery. Kevin
O'Connell mentioned that, and a lot of players that basically said, no,
(03:31):
this is not going the way we wanted to and
we need to do something about it now. And obviously
they responded and got it done in a game that
I was not expecting them to win. I'm not sure
how many people were. I mean, they've played all of
the graphics of everybody picking against them. But yeah, it's
it was a big win for them, especially because of
how much trouble they've had in that building mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
With without going too far down the road, and just
having everybody involved listening, and that would include mad producer
in here. Yeah, with every everybody knowing all of the
same stuff. But then for those you know who execute
their toil at this facility, and you know they go
to the press conferences and cover the team and talk
(04:12):
about this team and all that, it could be at
a different level simply because of the job aspect of it. Sure,
So with all of that known, if you believe there
was a tension related bubble that needed to burst, if
you believe there was tension related ice that needed to
(04:34):
be broken, and I am one that believes that, and
I'm speaking for you too. I think you are too.
Do you think like there was a bubble that needed
to burst?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
I think there was a lot of frustration, okay, in
terms of just the season had not gone well.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Okay, So if you believe from the captains at Weston
Detroit's Western Book Cadillac, the game bubble burst happiness, Yeah,
do you think it's dick. I think one game is
a lot to try to extrapolate. I mean, it's very
(05:08):
easy to take one game and say, hey, this is
all going to be different, and then Lamar Jackson comes
in here on Sunday and then you're right back to
four and five, and you know, and then it's you
got Caleb Williams, then you got the Packers and all
of those things can come from that.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
I do think this type of a win matters a
little more than your average division victory, just because they
I mean, they had been so bad in that building.
I looked this up and I mentioned this to Kevin
O'Connell in the press conference yesterday. They had not had
a lead in that building, which Kevin O'Connell is the coach.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So the last time they led was in the Cam
Dancel and Ross Saint Brown game.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yep, that was real.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
And I'm late too because Jared Goff brought them back
for that touchdown at the end. Was that game that
Cam Danceler, what are you doing? Call? No?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That was Seattle, DK Metcalf, Yeah, that aim for the Lions. Actually,
I actually got into a low key mini I'm not
big argumentative guy. Okay, I'll prefer to say I'm sorry,
even if I think I'm seventy five percent right, just
to diffuse the sucker so we can move on to
(06:14):
stop wasting our time here.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
But there was wisdom in that.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I got into a low key chat with somebody after
the game by the buses, simply because I wasn't as
upset about the loss as some people thought I should be.
And here's why your team is not going to the playoffs. Okay,
so our team is not going to the playoffs. This
team had not won a game in a year. The Lions,
(06:40):
their fans had not seen a victory in close to
two years because of the pandemic. So am I happy
the Vikings loss?
Speaker 6 (06:47):
No?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Am I crestfallen that this other lovable loser one or
because of it?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
No? And it's just it was.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
The machismo, every blade of grant whatever, man, come on, Yeah, yeah,
I mean that one was.
Speaker 6 (07:02):
That entire season was built on weird ones.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Just awful. That was Amanara Saint Brown's first touchdown. Yeah yeah, so.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
That was kind of the coming out party that day
for him. But yeah, that you talk about five's and
a secret man.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
That one so Baltimore's three and five, Yeah, and Lamar
Lamar's back and galloping quite well. From what we hear.
Their last win was against uh uh. I don't know
if you watched any of it. I didn't watch a
lot of it because it was putrid. It looked like
a team that I mean, I never talked like this
(07:35):
and never would cast an affront on a team where
we're not in the room. I'm not plugged into it.
I'm not juiced into any steam there. So, but it
looked like they were laying down. It looked like the
Dolphins were laying down trying to get a coach, general manager,
and everybody fired for GM got fired. Okay, so that's
Baltimore's last race. That's what we saw. Well, they're three
(07:57):
and five, their defense ain't great, and they're on the road,
and they're three and a half four point favorites in
this game, coming up against a team that got healthy,
just went on the road and beat a legitimate Super
Bowl candidate, Yeah, and now comes home. So I just
don't understand why the Vikings are closer to a touchdown
(08:21):
underdog than they are to like being a team that
could win the game minus one or something.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, I suppose. I mean, I have to think it's
the quarterback differences.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
Just McCarthy hasn't proven yet to a level of getting
the benefit of the doubt from the odds baker Jackson.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
But it's the same quarterback who was just on the road,
who beat a quarterback who throws.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Better than Lamarck.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Correct, Yes, and he did so as an even bigger underdog. Yeah,
there is I think some of that. And you know,
the one game thing, I think Vegas is probably saying, okay,
we need a little more sample size, and it's Jackson
and it's Dereck Henry, but playing a team that had
struggled against the run, and you talk about, you know,
(09:01):
planting a flag on Sunday. They took Jamir Gibbs out
of that game. And the outside the numbers set too,
was really good. Well, and the thing is he had
killed them last year. I look, I had forgotten it
was this bad. He has six touchdowns, Yeah, in those
two games last year against them. Well, the biggest game
of the year, he at four right, right, I mean
that that game where it's NFC number one seed on
(09:22):
the line. He changed the whole thing. And I think
the one at us Bank Stadium too, he beats I
think it was cam Bina making a cut inside and
he gets outside and scored like a thirty four yard
touchdown early in that game. That kind of was a
pivotal moment for the Lions there as well. So for
the fact that they were able to shut him down,
(09:43):
part of it was they got ahead and they made
him pass protect, which he does not do very well,
as we saw on Sunday, and the numbers bore that out.
But if you can contain the run against that team,
you have to feel better about it. It's still a
tough matchup with Derek Henry Lamar Jackson, but they probably
have to feel little better about that than they otherwise
would because I get that they have not been good
(10:05):
against the run this year. They did well against Saquon
Barkley and then Kamani Vidal obviously has the big day
against them in LA. I think that may be part
of it as well. Where the where the odds come from?
That's unfair, I mean that that's I don't think it.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Is because those who set these lines off power power rankings,
power ratings, well, they're not in the losing money business,
so they don't overlook that Van Ginkle did not play
in that game, and and what the team is with Grenard,
Cashman and Van Ginkle. Yeah, so I you know, here
here just to land the plane on this. I just
(10:41):
what you're tell me what you think of this, because
you know how the game works behind the scenes. When
I see something like that on a Monday, a team
of the losing record that just beat crap Miami, Okay,
we're happy for lamar he. I mean, we're not talking
about Tom Brady here, all right, and you're talking about
a team that's gotten healthy, is coming home and just
(11:01):
pulled one of the two bigger upsets of the entire season,
along with Carolina and Lambeau. I wonder if agents know
that there's some Darisaan news coming that this might be
a darisol. I mean, we know as well as anybody man,
Christian darisaw is arguably the most important player on this team.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Is We've seen all these games.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Now, how O'Connell reacted when he played against Cincinnati, and
just just he's one of the best, if not he's
one of the best three left tackles in the NFL.
So him and O'Neil obviously that duo matters a ton.
Maybe somebody behind the scenes, which leads me to thinking
about agents. Maybe they know this is going to be
one of those weird Darisol weeks where it's like, you know,
(11:45):
pretend to pitch count again, you think you're gonna get
three quarters, you only get one. Or maybe it's do
you think it's behind the team and it's full throttle
Darisol moving forward?
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Well, I think they feel better about it. It will
be interesting to see what the practice plan is. I
would expect if he practices tomorrow, I wouldn't get terribly worried.
If it's nothing on Thursday. That has kind of been
the rotation of things, it'll be. I don't think we
asked about it a ton yesterday. How he came out
of it. I think there's optimism generally about him and O'Neil,
(12:18):
and I think, I mean, Kevin O'Connell said the team
overall came out of it relatively healthy. So yeah, I
mean that is the thing that you have to keep
watching because of how it's gone so far, and they're
kind of it's been a little touch and go as
they try to get him back up to full speed.
But yeah, I mean, if they have him, it changes
things a lot, and I think I think there's every
reason to believe that they will. We don't have any
(12:39):
reason to say there's not, but yeah, it does. You know,
It's one of those things that when you talk about
the line, it's worth thinking about. We'll have more info
on that tomorrow, but you might get more info on
it today between the Yeah, that's also probably true. He's
he probably will get some info on the air here
shortly about where that's going to. But yeah, it's I
think it's one of those things where if they have
(13:01):
that wine healthy. I mean, you saw it Sunday, there
was still pressure, but they had a lot Markelean pockets
operate from and that changes everything for McCarthy.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
I feel like the dam broke with that Chargers game,
and so just this patchwork and everything that went into
just trying to get Wentz upright and on the field,
and it was really the first game of the season
that they just had no shot in. And so they
come back and you guys talked about tension and potential
bubble bursting. Maybe this is dumb, but I just think
about this season through eight games Monday night Sunday night,
(13:31):
cool nooner and you blow out the Bengals. Then it's
this stupid trip to Dublin on a shorty, and then
it's London for a week.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
And all those things.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
The Vikings have four straight weeks, three of them at home,
in which it is a full week of practice, it
is a Sunday, it is a noon game, and what
they did in Detroit. Now next step is proving it
with Lamar and Derreck Henry and you laid that out,
but I just kind of wonder, is this an opportunity
for them to finally, for the first time all year
(13:59):
have rhythm in combination with getting healthier. That lends to
some optimism for me as a forty year old Rube.
I'm just thinking four straight weeks, simple noon game, full practice,
the kid QB's healthy, and we'll figure out this tackle thing,
as you guys just discussed. But there's some rhythm to
this schedule here that I think that that lends to
some more consistency from the Purple.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
I would agree with that, and I think for NFL
players and teams that is a bigger deal than fans
might realize. I mean, people say, okay, fine, whatever, play
on Thursday. Play on Monday, it's like no if you
go through the week, because everything from Sunday when they
break down the huddle in the locker room and you know,
kind of finish the celebrating players right once the cool
(14:42):
videos are done, the process toward the next one already starts,
and all of it is scripted pretty much down to
the minute, or plan down to the minute, I should say,
because there's that much to get done. It's players getting
treatment and today is the day off for players, but
treatment is still open for players to come men who
need it. Coaches are getting game plans ready. The whole
(15:03):
week kind of stacks on a predictable pattern, and when
you throw that off, whether it's travel or whether it's scheduling,
it's just everybody feels a little out of sorts and
it's harder to operate the way you want to, and
everybody has to do it. It's part of life in
the NFL. The Thursday games are big TV money that
those are not going away, no matter how much players
may want them to. But when you can get into
(15:25):
a little more of this rhythm where it's Sunday games,
your rehab schedule makes sense. It's predictable, your practice schedule
doesn't have to change all those kinds of things. I
do think that helps, and I think especially for players
like Christian Darosa coming back from something like that, just
to have that, Okay, there's a little more comfort here,
there's a little more routine here that I can be
(15:46):
comfortable with. I think that stuff helps and may help
them get past the point of kind of some of
the uncertainty that had early in the season with him.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
When you say everybody has to do it, I'm I'm
going to, respectfully, I'll agree, but always everybody has to
do the overseas thing twice right too? So what the
Viking and you and I, I mean the scribe and
the announcer, big deal, but there it's our jobs. And
remember when you walked into the box box at Ford Field,
(16:16):
first thing that I said to you was, how I mean,
it's what it's one pm Eastern? Yeah, but just think
nude Central And I'm like, how great is it to
have a Sunday noon game at a destination that's not
eight hours away, you know, just to get back at
a reasonable time and settle into a reasonable schedule. I
mean it's been That's why when you said, like everybody
(16:38):
has to do it. But but look.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
At this, man.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
I mean, you know this opening week, Monday night football
on the road. Uh, so what's next at Dublin, at London?
After that, You're at Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
That's unbelievably.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Uh the elasticity with it stretched up, it can get stretched.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Then, yeah, it's unbelievable. For now, I think, Yeah, what
I mean by that is this stuff is not slowing down.
The NFL is on a mission to take over more
and more of the available TV hours in more and
more of the large cities in the world. So I
know Roger Goodell has talked about the International Games planning
(17:22):
to grow. I mean, I think they want to double
that eventually. So you're going to have and the Vikings
were the guinea pigs for this, and I don't think
anybody in this building would be like jumping up and
down raising their hands say yeah, let's go do that
again next year.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
But the overall.
Speaker 5 (17:37):
Inconveniences of NFL routines are going to grow because there
are business opportunities, and the business opportunities ultimately make these decisions.
It's not hey, you know, we really want to go
to Australia like the Rams are gonna play in Australia
next year, So like, how are you going to do
that that doesn't disrupt everybody's schedule and routine. I don't
(17:58):
think the NFL is that canned about that. It's basically, hey,
there's money to be made here. Yeah, we can grow
the game. We're gonna be doing the flight football thing.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Figure it out. Yeah, so there's gonna be more of that.
Speaker 6 (18:08):
You know when I when I look at this game,
I look, you know, we were talking points spreads earlier, Like,
I still think they have a lack of belief in
the quarterback. Yeah in JJ McCarthy, like, I think that's
really the biggest stark contrast ye of the of the
two teams here on Sunday, And with that said, getting
to see him take two. We've waited a freaking month
and a half for this. Uh what what did you think?
(18:30):
Things that either stood out or didn't step out? We
were talking before you got on the air here. I
was watching this, uh this QB school breakdown to a solefic. Yeah, yeah,
he's great. Forty nine minutes and just just so many
cool little nuanced bits that that he provided. But but
from your standpoint from Sunday's game. The numbers don't jump
off the page from a yardage completion standpoint, et cetera.
(18:52):
But he manufactured three tds gets the win in the
weird building.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
What'd you think?
Speaker 5 (18:56):
Well, the decisiveness to me was the first thing that
suck out. You look at that first drive. He realizes
there's a zero pressure look coming from the Lions. He
checks the play, basically says, hey, we got to bring
in more protection. I think he motioned a tight end
over and then basically throws the screen to Aaron Jones
knowing the ball's got to come out right away.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
They're bringing pressure.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
I'm going to be hot on that third down on
the third and ten where Jones gets a first down
on it that I think that level of adjustment saying hey,
there's pressure coming up. And we saw him make some
of those plays earlier, make some of those reads at least,
but the fact that he hits the screen and then
they get the first down and then the very next
play is the one that goes for the Justin Jefferson touchdown.
(19:37):
And we've seen this a couple of times. We saw
Carson Wentz do it. We saw Sam darnold do it.
They have some of these plays where if they if
the corner is pressing, the receiver of this route converts
into a fade and say they say, let's take a
shot at this, let's try it, especially if it's Justin Jefferson.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
It was Jefferson in Green Bay last year.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
That bad boy you put on Twitter, right, Yes, yeah,
at Ben Gastline.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
I watched it earlier today. It's really good.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Yes, Well, they actually did this. I think the one
I put out was probably an Addison one. It was,
but Jefferson they did this too for the touchdown where
it's if you're gonna press, we're gonna throw it over
your head and for him to see it and then
throw the ball that he did. I mean, Jacs Sullivan
made this point too. That probably comes out a little hot,
But with Justin Jefferson, you can do it because I
(20:19):
mean the catch was incredible that he makes the one
hand to catch the touchdown.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
But it's unbelievable he made that catch. Yeah, that was
a heck of a catch.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
But some of the decisiveness on those things, finding the
one on one matchups and pulling the trigger, yeah, I
thought was noticeable.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Okay, Well, the video, the film breakdown that you put that,
I saw where it was the fade left early to
Addison by the pylon right and that was a great throw,
great throw and a good coverage too, and Addison almost
brought it in.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Here's the deal.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Fast forward in the game to Jefferson making a catch
on the right side where and I'm bringing this up
with O'Connell between eleven and eleven thirty, McCarthy is left
HASHMA okay, Addison because of what they did earlier, McCarthy
stares at the safety, gets the safety to go Addison's way,
(21:10):
swings back left Hash outside the numbers to Jefferson for
a first down. So they set that play up well
and not purposely, but because of that play they were
able to get justin open. But McCarthy has to make
a tough throw left Hash outside the numbers, but he
has the arm strength to do it.
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Yeah, that is some of those things you see those
throws where he can drive it to the sideline.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Yeah, the arm strength is there for those.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
The route that Jefferson ran on that play, by the way,
was unfreaking believable. I don't know who was in coverage
on him no chance, and it was a perfect throw.
Part of one thing that I noticed on in this game.
He was breaking the huddle five six seconds. It felt
like faster than he was earlier in the season. And
(21:57):
so I'm complete outsider guy. It matters, though total fan
and rube I was always of the mind. I'm just
I've always wondered, like, was Ko in his headset, like
right up to the bitter end where that thing turned off?
I think probably if that was a thing potentially early
when we got to see him against the Bears and Falcons,
But on Sunday he had at least it felt like
(22:18):
most plays four or five real time seconds to survey
the field.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
I think that helped a lot. I do too there,
and there was a lot of there were a lot
more checks where you see him tapping his helmet going
can can can. I mean there was some of that early.
I think a number of the first plays on that
on that initial drive was initial two touchdown drives, he's
checking at the line. You have more time to do
that if the operation is better. And this stuff seems
minute or may seem boring, but this stuff matters a
(22:46):
lot to how the position gets played. We don't see
it all the time on TV because the announcers are
talking and there's replays and you're not seeing what's happening
between plays. But yes, getting the operation set, getting up
to the line, even doing it fast enough that the
headset can still be going when McCarthy is at the
line if it's before fifteen seconds, like, they can use
that as a hack too. So yeah, I think all
(23:07):
that stuff matters. I think there were some moments where
he was a little amped up. I thought in the
second quarter when he kind of got in that run
where he's outside the pocket, there's some throws that probably
came out a little hot.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I thought there would have been some chance.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
To Yamamoto fastball he saw what Jefferson about two feet
over his head.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
Yeah, there was one to Hockinson two that Hockinson dropped
I think on like a third and long from their
own four.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
That was a bullet.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
I think Hockinson almost was surprised that it came in
that hot, but well.
Speaker 6 (23:33):
And that was the play after he almost just gives
up at the goal line, it's gonna be get out,
but then he doesn't get rid of the ball, and
I think it was Barnes who tracked him down.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Yeah, he was trying. He was trying to run rather
than just throwing it away. So yeah, there are those
little things you think, Mason, Do you think.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Jordan Mason buys JJ McCarthy some launch this week after
a couple of those pass protection related.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Issues and maybe needs for a little bit of that.
Miss Aaron Jones in that regard in CJ ham two
Guestling Star Tribune, Star Tribune dot com. Excess Vikings is
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Speaker 1 (24:16):
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Speaker 3 (24:55):
Foul clipping.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Viking, you lucky suckers. Nine to noon with the scribe
and the head coach here twenty five minutes from now.
Speaker 6 (25:16):
We got to see Van Ginkel on Sunday. We've been waiting,
my bad, we've been waiting for Van Ginkle. We got
to see Van Ginkel. Pa was actually showing me a
highlight of Khalif Raymond trying to take a shot at
Van Ginkle during that game.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Heated rivalry as it is.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
The ability to have most of the right names back
defensively certainly part of the story with Flores in his
own right, the way we've struggled against the kiddies, Flores
has struggled against Goff and i'men Ross Saint Brown and
Gibbs and all these things. And to see them handle
business the way they did, specifically with forty three back
(25:52):
on the.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Field, that was sweet. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:54):
And I thought the linebacker blitzes and it was Van Ginkle,
it was Cashman, it was Harrison Smith coming off the
edge at times, Ben Ginkle dropping into coverage. I mean,
they ran enough of those things. I thought that changed
the game because they got home a lot against Golf,
and the thing with Golf over the years has been
if you can pressure him, he struggles against it. Now
that has changed a little bit with the Lions. I
(26:15):
think they came up with some protection answers for the
vikings last year. Ben Johnson has a lot to do
with that. Ben Johnson's not there anymore in that line
is not as strong without Frank rag Now and some
injury things, so they were able to pressure him. I
thought the fact that they kept Gibbs in the backfield.
I think Gibbs had more pass protection snaps than he'd
ever had in his career. On Sunday he was in
(26:37):
the backfield at fifteen times. Number one, he gave up
a lot of pressures and number two, if he's in
the backfield, he's not an option. So like I asked
O'Connell about that yesterday and he said, yeah, we certainly
prefer to not have him out in space getting the ball.
So I think the plan was to pressure Golf and
bring a lot of pressure regardless, but that was probably
(26:59):
a nice benefit to it that when you have all
of your people back, you have all your chess pieces.
They don't know where it's coming from they have to
max protect more often, and it plays things in your
favor because it takes one of the more dynamic players
in the NFL out of.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
It a little more often as a receiving option.
Speaker 6 (27:15):
Going above and beyond just picking at the box score,
do you feel like Javon Hargrave was noticed more on
something maybe than he has at any other point since
he joined the Vikings.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
Yes, you felt the presence there. I think it looked
closer to what we saw in training camp, where he
I thought was pretty forceful. He was a lot of
those days, Yeah, he was, and I think they got
closer to that. I think the level of disruption that
he provided was a noticeable difference. I mean, that's a
lot when you can bring pressure up the middle. They
(27:46):
had a lot of those linebacker twists on the stunts,
and then if you have him and Jonathan Allen in there,
I mean, quarterbacks do not like pressure in their face,
and they have a lot of different ways to force
quarterbacks to deal with that. You have to have those
guys making play to kind of build that to the
degree that you want. I think him doing what he
did was noticeable. Jalen Redmond continues to provide some pressure
(28:08):
as well.
Speaker 6 (28:09):
Yeah, that's not kind of that's not even really flash
in the pan at this point that Jalen Redmond might
just be a really good player and a nice fine.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
He's Yes, it's happened enough that it's harder to discount it.
And I think he's I mean, his snap counts certainly
make you think that they believe in it. Because he's
getting a lot more run, has gotten more run throughout
the course of the season. I think they believe pretty
strongly in what he can do. I think it's part
of the reason they traded Harrison. Phillips is saying, we
think Jalen Redmond and the depth we have with him
(28:36):
and leeby Drake Rodriguez gives them enough. But you need
Hargrave than Allen to be a bigger part of that.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Certainly. Hargrave was on Sunday, is.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
The NFC North wide open? Has it become wide open?
With the leaders at Green Bay five two and one,
Viking's still in last at four and four, and we
have the Lions right in front of him at five
and three.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
I make that the Bears at five and three.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Yes, it is very interesting and I think the Packers
losing on Sunday. I mean they have been capable of
those types of games. It seems like under Mount Lafleur,
where it's just every once in a while they play
down to an opponent they should beat. I mean you
mentioned the upsets they were I think thirteen point favorites
or something like that against the Panthers. And then they
lose Tucker Kraft for the season. Who I think that
(29:19):
is a big loss because it's no big deal. Eagles
around the corner too.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's the next game, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
I think so night maybe yep, So it's it is
one of those things. Yes, it's one of those things
where if you lose him, they have struggled to find,
like who's Jordan Love's number one option? It had become
Tucker Craft, I think in a lot of ways. And
you know, Kristian Watson when he's healthy. You know, they
have Romeo Dobbs, some of these other receivers, but they've
(29:46):
not had the guy that seems to be when everything is,
when the house is burning, this is the guy that
we know can make a play. I think that had
become Tucker Craft. So him being out for the year.
I think changes their offense quite a bit, and and
it makes me a little more uncertain if they're going
to be at the top of this thing. So yeah,
I do think it's pretty wide open, you know, the Bears.
(30:08):
It's hard to know how much of this is for real,
how much of this is still going to just be
a little herky jerky. I think it may just beat
a lot of that. But yeah, there's a lot that
can happen in these next couple of weeks here after
the Ravens for the Vikings, it's two in a row
in the division that's gonna have a lot to say
about where this goes.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
I'm not going to grandstand and say green Bay will
win that game against Philly. Yeah, but if I'm spotting up,
I'm playing green Bay.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
And here's why they lose to Cleveland, they lose to
Bryce Young, they beat Jared Goff, they beat Jade and Dan,
they beat they play that.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
It is the level. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
The civil servant Johnny Kay said it yesterday sending a
text that, and he's a Packers fan and he really
pointed some things out to Nine to Noon that Yeah,
we kind of knew this, but there was some context
to it about how they're playing up and down to
teams levels. Yea, and they'll play up to the level
of this team at home nationally televised game.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
If Green Bay won that game, I'm zero surprised.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Yeah, there does seem to be some of that with
them where they will great. Yeah, they'll look great against
better opponents, and then it's some of those games that
you say, Okay, they should win this handily, they never
seem to. So yeah, that is it's going to be
interesting to see where that goes with them. I just
think the craft, the loss of Craft, I think changes
(31:30):
a lot of things for that offense.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
To our favorite team.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
Speaking of a loss, potentially we'll see is how productive
Aaron Jones was in the run And I kind of
made that fleeting joke to you before we went to
break Jordan Mason some tough moments on Sunday and pass protection.
Now we're sweating a shoulder and a toe like as
you go throughout the week. Is that kind of the
a topic for you in terms of from a health perspective,
(31:53):
we want to see Christian Dearris, we want to see
the plan moving forward and all that. But but how serious.
Is this or not serious? Is this based on your
vibes with Ko talking yesterday?
Speaker 5 (32:04):
Yeah, Jones, I think Andrew Kramer caught up with him
in the locker room on Sunday while I was going
to O'Connell's press conference, and Jones didn't sound that concerned
about it. And the shoulder, he said, is an ac
joints brain and he said, that's one of those that
you put some paddic on it, you basically stabilize that.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I mean you see a lot of guys played through
the dirt on it.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yeah, we're good to go, exactly something like that. So yes,
I think he feels like that won't be something that
keeps him out on Sunday. And he certainly played through
things throughout the course of his career, so yeah, I mean,
I think he had more burst on Sunday than I
was necessarily expecting. He was going to be fresh coming
back from that injury. But I think the fact that
(32:44):
he did what he did was a big reason why
they won that game. They they needed to run the
ball effectively. I mean they ran for one hundred and
forty two yards. I think it was so well. Let
me ask the fact that he did that. It has
a lot to do with him.
Speaker 6 (32:55):
Dumb, dumb question again and something that I could have
just searched on the internet for.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Why was that catch and run ruled a rush?
Speaker 3 (33:02):
Well?
Speaker 5 (33:02):
I think it must have been pass Yeah, let's see,
why would they have I mean, if they must have
said it wasn't afford.
Speaker 3 (33:10):
That would be the only you can throw backwards passes.
And there's still completions. Yeah, why did Why did that
end up being a run?
Speaker 2 (33:16):
And there were two sacks definitely won by Derek Barnes
for the Lions. I couldn't believe they were sacks. Yeah,
I thought they were either tackles for loss or or
zero's you know, for just like just running.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Yeah. Yeah, the one McCarthy scrambled out. I think they
called that a sack. Yeah, that.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
We need that, we need to put that thirty one
back on the stat line for number nine.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Yeah, that is.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Kind of odd that that ended up being a run.
I mean O'Connell pointed out yesterday. I think that was
a little perplexing to him as well. So maybe he'll
get into that with you guys on eleven. I appreciate you, buddy.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Have a good day, all right, you too, thanks Ben
Gasoline courtesy of Standard Heating and their Standard Heating dot com.
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
The afore mentioned Kevin is a Kevin O'Connell, the head
coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and he joins of this
radio show fifteen minutes ish from now. We call it
x's and o's and that's that's at eleven News to
Nords around the corner.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Hi rooms.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
This football season, Bell Bank is giving one KFA and
listener each week one thousand dollars to pay it forward
to a charity of their choice. Just it over to
KFA dot com keywreck contest to learn more at KFA
n dot com keywer Contest.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Welcome back.
Speaker 6 (34:38):
It's News de Nord brought to you by the casino.
Not a casino, but the casino. It's in Shakopee, Minnesota.
It's at Canterbury Park, and you can feel the felt.
You're playing poker, blackjack and table games all year round.
You're having SIPs at Chips and you're tipping Derek Allen.
You're watching live racing spring and summer, and on Thursdays
you're doing the NFL Pro Pick Them Challenge, which is
(35:01):
super sweet. You're already there you're having a blast. All
you got to do on Thursdays you jump down to
shack and you put in the winners of the weekend.
At football, you're an elite football mind right, and each
week a little walking around money weekly winners. But at
the end of the season, somebody is going to get
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Speaker 4 (35:19):
Year courtesy a Quick Trip, So don't worry about gas prices.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
Just go win the NFL Pro Pick Them Challenge and
Quick Trips got you hooked up for an entire year.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
So that's sweet. Thank you Canterbury.
Speaker 6 (35:30):
Thank you Minnesota Wild by the way for trying to
make something out of this six game homestand as a
team broke, I believe a five lost streak with a
win over Vancouver the other night. Well before you head
out on the road, why don't you just go ahead
and beat the Predators. That's at seven pm this evening
right here on your home for Wild Hockey the Fan.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
The Predators, by the way, are oh and two of
this year on back to backs. They played last night
at home and lost to the Cove, so they they're
rowing two on back to backs this year. This is
a back to back with travel the while the Wild
should beat Bruno's bunch tonight.
Speaker 6 (36:06):
To the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were in Brooklyn last evening.
They beat the Nets one twenty five one oh nine,
a nice shooting percentage performance. I believe well above fifty
percent for the Howl forty percent for the Nets. The
reason I bring that up is the Nets are awful.
They're winless. But the Wolves were kind of messing around
with them a little bit last night. I don't know
(36:26):
how much. I mean, maybe it's just winless nets.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
They're terrible.
Speaker 6 (36:30):
Even though we don't have ANT, we're gonna find their
way to a victory. I don't know if the team's
in the spot where they can think like that. But
Cam Thomas at one point looked like he was going
to go off for forty. He just ended with twenty five.
How about Julius Randall. Though Julius Randall, you know without
ANT now, but even with ANT in the mix earlier in.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
The season, PA, he's been absolutely terrific.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
Last night, he bleeped around, he got a triple double
nineteen eleven and ten dimes with a couple of steels,
and he found himself at the free throw line of
fair amount.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
So they handle business.
Speaker 6 (37:00):
You get twenty five out of Dante, and just in
terms of I mean when Ant comes back, who, by
the way, reported yesterday I saw this from from day
Moore that Ant has been cleared for contact and just
kind of going through a return to play process. Probably
you know, we'll see it maybe a week from now,
hope looking forward to it. I know CON's LFL team
(37:20):
is looking forward to the return of Ant in a
big way. But just kind of until they get Ant back,
you're not really going to know how this whole thing
looks defensive intensity and just figuring out the mix of
Conley getting Dillingham in there with the mask. Everyone's nose
is broken apparently the Vincenzo. But figuring out how this
thing looks, how it works still part of Finchy's process
(37:43):
as we get underway in twenty five twenty six.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Yeah, the Timberwolves game last night was of the Slugger
Lee variety, just wasn't wasn't really exciting to watch.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
It was on Fandel.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
So yesterday we had some peacock terrorism and that's why
I actually got to watch them.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Say me too, I don't have peacock.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
But nevertheless, it was just kind of just kind of
a It was a game that looked like you have
Cam Thomas. Okay, now you have Nick Klaxton, who occasionally
can have decent games. But Randall, we and McDaniels, we
have the best two players in the game. So eventually
we're going to utilize those two players and there's no
(38:23):
chance you can beat us. So we're going to push
the button when we need to push the button, and
Brooklyn go crazy.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
So that's what they did. Julius Randall and Jaden McDaniels.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Do you think Rudy showed a little bit of life
last night? I don't mean the klompot.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Early in the game when I was watching, he was dominating.
I didn't watch much of the second half.
Speaker 6 (38:40):
Because the thing with me with Rudy and I already read.
I mean, we're what seven games in the season, but
just kind of okay, so you know, you put some
more money in Rudy's pocket.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You love him.
Speaker 6 (38:51):
Rudy's always been a polarizing conversation topic, specifically the last
two years with the playoffs. Of course, yeah, but kind
of the idea that you know, when this thing starts
to go down hill for Rudy, a guy in his
thirties and just being the seventh footter that he is
and all that that this is going to be some
sort of cliff like drop off, and so I don't
see that. Well, that's the thing is is first few
(39:11):
games you're seeing, Okay, you know, how's he how's he
working himself into the mix and just kind of you know,
what his productivity was. Early on, I was I was
starting to see a little bit of that that like
we're staring into the Grand Canyon and it looks like
big Man's about to fall off. I thought last night
he had a ton of jump and juice. You mentioned
it early and I saw that too, And I really
loved Rudy's game last night.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Well there for me team, but all it doesn't I
mean certainly doesn't mean it's right. This is my opinion
off a question. I didn't know what was coming. So
I'm just going to stream my consciousness and take it
back to the postseason. I think Rudy is a game
shape player. So certain games are going to shape up
that they fit go Bear really really well.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
Certain games aren't.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
Certain series, see the Golden State or the Golden State
War are going to shape up into a series where Wow,
he's gonna have twenty four and twenty four certain series
cookc are not.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Yeah, and he's not gonna play much.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
So I think it's a game by game deal with
him where they're gonna start with him. You're gonna try
some things, but not every game shapes up of the
way go Bear needs it to strive.
Speaker 6 (40:23):
That makes sense. Last thing for you, Monday Night Football.
There are probably many listeners who have YouTube TV who
didn't get the chance to watch it unless they went
in and paid the thirty bucks or whatever it is
for the ESPN app.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
I don't know what that means.
Speaker 6 (40:37):
Oh well, YouTube TV and ESPN Slash Disney are in
a financial dispute wow, in terms of offering.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
So although the reason I bring it up is it
plays off what we said yesterday is holy cow, you're
having to pay so many different entities to watch so
many different things.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
I mean when we got to hit yesterday with that
peacock thing with the wolves, and I'm like, bro, really,
I mean they got that now this YouTube thing that
you just said, Okay, Thursday's paramount plus Thursdays on Amazon Prime, Okay,
that's fine, man. I mean I'm not against people making
money or but it's just coming from all angles. And
then then the local situation with with fan duel, yeah
(41:18):
you know, and just map whatever.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Well, no, that's that's the thing.
Speaker 6 (41:22):
And I think a lot of people are looking at
the precarious timing of this is YouTube suddenly can't get
a deal done with ESPN.
Speaker 4 (41:29):
At a very very.
Speaker 6 (41:30):
Similar time that ESPN is trying to launch basically their
own media, their own peacock. I didn't even know YouTube
was part of Disney, and I think it's like, not,
YouTube's not ESPN is Yeah, I know that, right, but
so they have to So ESPN Disney has to negotiate
with YouTube TV for all of their products if you
want to show our bits, right, So ABC's not in
the mix either. So get an antenna is really the
(41:52):
a topic here? Or pay I think it's like thirty
bucks a month for the ESPN app. I don't have
the specifics, and I'm definitely not paying that. But some
people did watch the game. Back to a Monday night football,
how about the Cardinals on the road twenty seven to
seventeen over the Cowboys Jacoby Brissett for two sixty and two.
They were able to run the ball against that hideous
Eberflus defense. Marvin Harrison Junior gets a touchdown, so his
(42:14):
dad's happy. And Dak Prescott, you know, touchdown and a pick.
And Jamonte Williams still kind of, you know, resurrecting his career,
certainly based after some awful performances in Denver and now
he's run it in Dallas.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
But man, the Cowboys can't get out of their own way.
Speaker 4 (42:29):
Man, three five and one.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
It's ugly.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
They did trade.
Speaker 6 (42:32):
I think Logan Wilson is the linebacker's name they just
plucked from the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
I don't know how much of a difference that it's making.
Speaker 6 (42:38):
But we have two non playoff teams on a Monday
night that many people didn't see because they don't want
to pay ESPN.
Speaker 3 (42:43):
And I had the opportunity to watch it and shows
not to and I do have ESPN.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
So that's that's kind of what I thought of that game.
When we return, Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings,
joins nine to noon for his weekly stop in the Covenant.
We call it X's and O's and that that should
take place sometime right around the corner on k f
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