Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
And joining us in studio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now as Pa departs, PA hasn't been to sleep yet,
I don't believe. So he gave it all he could
and now he heads home to rest and in studio
Weekly Guest nine to Noon Lavelli Neil the third thanks
to Allery's Bar and Barbecue. You're home for free parking
in wild shuttles. We love all that. How you doing, Lavelle?
(00:34):
Uh doing okay?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Just you know, bummed out over how everything transpired yesterday
and sitting there with a bunch of actors fans watching
him go through the emotional roller coaster.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Were you at Allery's for this? Where were you now?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I was at I was at a place by a
closer to my house called the Boulevard Grilling taverns Okay,
you know, as as I pointed out on Twitter, it
just kind of felt bad because you know, the season
began with the there was there was, unexpected, un anticipated excellence.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Then it ends so.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Abruptly, just such an abrupt exit and the wheels fall
off and a car crashes and it's over, you know,
a playoff run that never really materialized.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So is that where you kind of start as the columnist,
where you're trying to tell the story on things and
just how again bug hits windshield eighty miles an hour
and it's over splat again two weeks ago, less than
ten days ago. In fact, you're talking about a football
game in which you have an opportunity to have the
division have the number one seed in the NFC playoffs.
(01:37):
You absolutely lay an egg in Detroit, and then eight
nine days later you are scoring nine points in a
wild card game at a neutral site in which more
than half of the fans were on your side and
the offense just unable to get out of the gates.
You're setting records for all the wrong reasons with sacks
and various things. Yea, you know, is that where you
(01:59):
start Just kind of how different it felt, how different
the conversation was just eight nine days ago.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Well from my own personal experience. The bad part is
that didn't feel different. It felt like I was watching
the Bears play basically, with the quarterback holding onto the
ball too long and the fensive line not being sturdy
enough and not getting points on the board when you.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Have opportunities to.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I saw a lot of Bears thiss going on last night,
and I was like, my goodness, Yeah, it's gonna take
it's going to detract from all the great things that
Donald did during the regular season. But the man still
threw for over four thousand yards and it had a
ridiculous run where he threw like fifteen touchdown passes that
had one pick. I mean, it's O'Connor pointed out after
(02:45):
you got to look at the entire entire body of
Sam Donald's work and just not discard him over the
last two weeks.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But it's been it's been ugly.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Eighteen points in two games, two losses to the Rams,
two losses to the Lions. At your whole season, Yeah,
you know, it's tough, and you wake up in the morning.
I turned on my cars three below and my brother
gets in. I dropped them off at work and it's
five below, you know. And then I get here and
I grabbed my my water canster here and discover that
(03:15):
it's frozen. I can't get to I can't get to
the water in here because it's all frozen.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
You know, I'm like, man, this stinks.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Day after tough loss, Vikings fan base cast away into
the frozen cornfields of Minnesota in January. Nothing to look
forward to in terms of the postseason.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Just blah, Well, let me let me ask you about that,
because it has been it has been a Sam Darnold
centric conversation from the post game fan line last night,
quite a bit of it this morning, and there are
many I mean, And that's how abruptly this thing ends
to the point where we're already talking about free agents
and you know who's in, who's out, and just kind
of the daunting task that lies ahead for the U,
(03:57):
for the general manager with some caps base and cube
into his second year in JJ McCarthy, but then Sam
Darnold out there is it is now the right time
to look at all those games, as you mentioned, the
entire body of work of Sam Darnald, or are we
still kind of in the moment of these last two performances,
(04:18):
because ultimately, whether it's the nine game win streak, it's
it's all the touchdowns and no picks, it's the mobility,
it's the terrific plays ninety seven to Justin Jefferson and
all of those things. In the end, the game that
absolutely mattered the most, the moments that were indeed the brightest,
the two with the most on the line, that in
(04:39):
some ways for a lot of people, really, including myself,
way more than beating the NFC South, beating Kirk Cousins
when he comes here. These last two really mean the
most to me. And and we didn't get it. We
didn't get a lot out of it.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
No, no, you didn't. And the unfortunately, you know, because
it's the postseason. Unfortunately, because quarterback is one of the
more important positions in sports, that everybody's gonna look at
the quarterback. But there's other things that the Vikings klokka
too as to what led to their demise, people not
executing once again, the offensive line, I mean, O'Connell said
(05:13):
after the game that the interior of the offensive.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Line probably needs to be addressed to upgrade it.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Mark Craig and The Star Tribune Today the Minnesota Star
Tribune pointed out, you know, the middle of the offensive
line that needs to be more physical, needs to play
with more force. You know, it needs to be played
nastier and get downhill more. So that's something they definitely
have to look at play calling. You know, I'm looking
(05:40):
at some of these routes and Donald's dropping back waiting
for guys to get open, and I'm like, the pass
rush is on him. Can he please have a hot read?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Please?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Can we please get someone run on the slant? Can
we throw more screens to get the pass rush off
of him? You know, scheme could be an issue. So
everybody has to, you know, do self evaluation and self
scouting on this one and figure out what should have
been a proper way to attack.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
The l A Rams.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
So, but man, I just it would have been nice
for them to just win one game and get to
the second week of the postseason.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
You know.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
It feels like they didn't even make the playoffs, you know,
so uh yeah, So I feel bad for my Viking friends.
I know that's it doesn't mean much coming from a
Bears fan because we're used to disappointment all the time.
But man, I just just going home last night, just
just with a sinking feeling for for the fan base
(06:40):
here and once again the narrative of the of the
you know, the Vikings, Twins, Wolves, and Wild to a
certain extent, the long suffering fan bases that have been
waiting for this one of these teams to break through,
you know, and it still hasn't happened. And with the Vikings,
this goes on. This is the third generation of Viking
fans that are being cultivated here, and they're they're getting
(07:03):
used to not doing anything in the postseason.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
The well, hey, first of all, the Wolves did beat
the Wizards last night. Okay, Anthony Edwards put up like
twenty in the fourth quarter, and he kind of cruised
by the worst.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Team in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That game was on. It was in the corner. We
kept looking at it. I mean, we're trying to had
to trying to keep the Gopher game mind because I'm
trying forer out when Ben's gonna win a conference game.
I'm getting nervous here that Gopher minim and now they're
in a comforts game.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
There's part of me that wonders, I mean, how you
know how much sand is left in that particular hour
glass with the way things have gone Lavelle.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
I know, you know he took a bad beat during
the offseason with the departures and Christy going to the
NBA and dudes leave the nil. You know, no one
was on Elijah Hopkins. He could found him out of
Howard and got him the average seven assisted game. And
then now he jumps ship and goes to Lubbock, Lubbock
(08:01):
Minneapolis to Lubbock. That is kind of a step down
in a living situation, but he got paid to go. Yeah,
so and Ben's gotta figure out a way through this.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
As we as we enter the offseason for the Vikings, Lavelle,
how much you know we can win? We again, we
can talk about Sam Darnold all day, but just focused
on the head coach. So he's going to get his
contract extension and Kevin Kevin O'Connell has put together a
pretty nice resume over his first three seasons here as
the Vikings head coach. But what areas would you say,
(08:37):
you know, whether it's the last two games, you're just
thinking about this team a fourteen win team, the the
areas in which because he's he said it a lot
and Pa kind of talked a bit about it during
this last hour here. Kind of the idea of, you know,
he puts stuff on me, put it on me. I
got to be better as a coach. That's kind of
the verbiage that he was using. And there's an element
(08:58):
of well, I just I can't have Sam Darnold just
getting murdered in the papers and on social media all week.
So I'm gonna put some of this on me, but
my god, was holding on to the ball too long.
He's not gonna say that, he's gonna put it on himself.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
What are areas you think that the head coach maybe
does need to have kind of that reflection moment. Here
a guy that's won thirteen plus games in two seasons,
he's zero to two in the postseason. The way these
games have transpired, specifically on the back end, has not
been good enough.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
And as much.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
As we love JJ and the explosive plays, sometimes just
the ability to get out alive and close the door
on teams that has been lacking. Like what kind of
things pop in your head when you're like, how how
can Kevin O'Connell as good as this team has produced,
at least in the regular season, how does that get better?
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Well, you gotta look at the scheme.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Yes, personnel, Donald hold on to the ball too long,
offensive line not being starting. But you also have to
look at scheme because for two consecutive games, it was
a party a backfield, there was guys meet me at
the quarterback. Yeah, and it happened against quality teams, the
Lions and the Rams. Is there something else he needs
(10:08):
to dial up to? Once again? Get him off the
pass rush. Are there shorter routes that need to be
drawn up? Is there something tricky? A screenplay? Quick hitters
receiver screen although I hate those because the Bears call
ten of them every game.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
You know, keeps your guy from getting sacked seven times?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
So yeah, what can he do to keep his quarterback
upright and not eating dirt all the time? Once again,
it could be in this day an angel collaboration, you
could look at different ways to get after this. So
and as we had to one of the more consequential
off seasons of Vikings history, I would argue that, you know,
(10:52):
personnel could be.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Just as big of the factor of scheme.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Well, the moment last night, I'm not and I'm not
excusing it.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
It's not acceptable.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
But if you're watching the game, the Vikings get that
touchdown to TJ. Hawkinson and it's like a two minute drive.
There's five minutes left in the third Yeah, bad two
point play doesn't convert, but it's twenty seven to nine,
so it's still a three possession game. I get that
run it down play at the end of the third quarter. Well,
That's where I'm going with this, because you force you
do force the Rams to punt on their ensuing possession
(11:25):
and you get the ball back, albeit you start at
your own four with two minutes left in the third,
you run Aaron Jones short past Addison, you run while
Darnold has to scramble for two. Then it's Aaron Jones
with no gain and you mentioned it. There's nearly forty
seconds left, just under in fact, and they let that
roll down. And lack of urgency it is there in
(11:48):
some ways mentally where the coach is just like, I
can't win with this guy, or this isn't going to work,
or I don't have the answers. The lack of urgency,
the lack of push and fire at the end of
the third into the early fourth, that was kind of like,
even me as a lifelong fan, since I can remember
going to training camp and Cato is like a six
(12:08):
or seven year old, that was the moment in the
game where I'm like, oh, you guys, is this a
playoff game or are you just trying to test out
the offense in the later stages of a preseason exhibition?
Speaker 1 (12:21):
What is this? I was?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I was. I become resigned to the idea of them losing,
but watching that transpire and to third into the fourth
actually angered me a bit at how that went.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Are you are you suggesting that there was a vhotinal
confidence in the quarterback and how he was playing that
Ka Kosi did not want to run another play and
kind of take the quarter break to kind of reset, regroup,
inte of a battle plan for the fourth. In some
ways it felt like that. Yeah, I still ever ran
a play. I mean, even if it's a pitch to
Aaron Jones or something, you gotta get positive, like yatis
(12:56):
because at that point the clock is your enemy.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Now.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
You know, you're down to the final fifteen to sixteen
minutes of the game and you need multiple scores, so
every second's precious. So running off the forty seconds down
I was against. I did not like that. I don't
know if he was asked about it after the game,
but I would like to kind of hear from him
how what was the train of thought or thinking or
(13:20):
do he feel like his offensive line needed a breather?
Speaker 1 (13:23):
You know, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, he's been more vocal about that, yeah, really over
the last two three weeks now it was more poignant
or at least as specific as he had been all year.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Sam got hit too much.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
That's what he said after the Lions game, and so
into this one, you know, what does that look like?
And then we're talking about Sam's footwork and decision making
and all those trips in the red zone in the
Lions game. So these as similar as these games felt like,
hope wise, they're actually a little bit different. I mean
it's you're only in the red zone once last night
and it was actually I think it was like a
(13:56):
third and long play that didn't convert and they kicked
a field goal. So you know, they were different, but
similar in the regard that Sam's footwork was a problem,
his decision making was a problem, all of those things.
But the consistency with the coach and he mentioned it
again off again too, as passes were off again he's
throwing it behind Jalen Naylor.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Oh man, did you see that?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Oh and even the easy ones, even the easy ones. Hey, guys,
Kevin O'Connell, can you throw some more screens?
Speaker 1 (14:21):
How about some quick stuff?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
He was throwing quick wide receiver screens and dumping it off.
Even those were not accurate and crisp and confidence. So
did the QB lose confidence in himself. At some point
did the head coach just mentally go, we are bleeped
and how much? Again, how much does that impact it?
At some point? What can the head coach do? And
(14:43):
so on paper, I'm thinking, I can't see a moment
where he pivoted. Where's that moment where you could tell
Kevin O'Connell was really trying something different. We're allergic to
running the ball, we know that already, and we're trying
to establish the run down three scores at the end
of the third quarter of a playoff game.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
But was there a moment he pivoted?
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I didn't see it, but that's kind of how it
felt in that stage. Is is just the QB didn't
have it, and I think the coach started to kind
of show that he was in agreement of that fact.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Yeah, I think Chlse is gonna he's gonna end up
seeing it clearly. Eventually, he's gonna look at it from
all sides. But I think in the end he's gonna
he's gonna look at himself go what could I have done?
He says, I needed to figure out a way to
slow the game down for Sam and I couldn't. Yeah, No,
I think that he's gonna come to that conclusion I
needed to do something to slow the game down.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
But I just wonder, I wonder what that looks like
because ultimately, you know, there's been a lot of talk
again the nine sacks and more than half of them.
I mean, you were you needed both hands to count
the real time seconds that Sam had in the pocket
before ultimately the pressure game, so he's holding out of
the ball too long. But there was a fourth down
play at midfield, and I would rather at that stage
(15:53):
just punt it. I know you're down fourteen at the time,
but you're getting the ball to start the third quarter.
Punt this, and he ends up taking in that sack,
and then it's first down I think inside our forty
TV to the tight end, and then now it's twenty
four three at the.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Sorry, all the sacks are a blur to me. Now
they all kind of grouped together in one big Oh.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Well, they're just ugly. I mean, it's just I mean,
it's all it's all ugliness. Nine sacks, nine nine sack
nine uh nine sacks. But but you know, just even
moments like that fourth and two, I think justin Jefferson
gets tangled up on a on a short route. He
clearly was the first read falls down. So you even
have even have stuff like that in those spots over
(16:33):
the course of games. So you know, I'm not trying
to excuse the head coach because I'm in on the pivot.
I'm in on the adjustment that I don't feel was
taking place. Head coach has to have answers, and it
can't just be that the QB didn't have it and
he turned into a pumpkin. It's got to be something else.
But there were also just kind of those moments last
couple of games where even the even the gotta even
(16:54):
even the obvious ones, the easy ones weren't easy enough
for our guy.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
No, No, they weren't, no anyway, And yeah, you're right,
two games kind of are different and the same at
the same time, because this last night's game didn't see
too many visits into the red zone for the Purple
just the one, yeah, unlike the unlike the Lions game.
So it's gonna sting. And you know, Okaylsey's probably looking
back at film right now trying to for what's going on.
(17:21):
And I'm sure Sam's playing to replaying the game in
his mind trying to for what he could have done differently. Yeah,
that's all we got left. And it's just gonna be
weeks and weeks and weeks of going over the same
old stuff, the same old things, trying to find out
what could have been done differently. In the end, it's
usually more than with just one person.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Absolutely, that's Lavelli and Neil the third. It's nor to
win for Pa. And when we return, I have some
more Vikings bits to get into with the columnist. Is
we we kind of we lament and we emote on
a Tuesday after a wild card loss, The Vikings taking
the eld of the Rams twenty seven to nine last
night in Arizona. You're listening to nine to New, But
(18:00):
before I pause, check this out. The fan wants to
give you a chance to put a grand in your
hand with the National Cash Contest. Go to kfan dot
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Speaker 4 (18:19):
I love the show, you know what a little bit
of a letdown, but we were far ahead of where
we thought we were gonna be. Just a thought do
you think maybe case thought at that point. You know what,
I don't want to take money out of Sam's pocket,
making what worse than he is? Just a thought, you know,
maybe give him a break any what's goal?
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Still a fan?
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Thanks for the talkbacks free iHeartRadio app. You just hit
that microphone, give us up to your best thirty seconds
and I screened them for any potential FCC violations. Kind
of doing double duty with the board and all of
that today. But that's all good. That's all good. Nord
to win for Pa. The final hour in Lavelli Neil
the third in studio. Let's hit another talkback and resume
this conversation.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Hey fellas, yep, sure sucks the way this season ended,
but don't lose sight of the fact that we're ahead
of schedule. This was the third season for koc He
and Harry. Quite a dumpster fire. Jeez, what's schedule. We've
got a lot of good things going for us as
long as we see the schedule. Jane us that extra
cas space on the interior of our whole line and
our d backs like we should.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Yeah, this team is on a good path. It's a
bumer the way it ended, but there's good things ahead.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
The competitive rebuild of that, the competitive rebuild, that's the schedule.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, we're supposed to win right now. Yeah, we're supposed
to never take a step back.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
See I've been, I've been, whether it was charged, and
I've seen several text messages and such that vehemently disagree
with me. But I think I think we mean the
same thing. We're just saying it different ways. Because the
way that I look at it is in the three
years with Kevin O'Connell, I think that the thirteen wins
in twenty twenty two, I think this season are both
terrific examples, and we probably would have seen some semblance
(20:00):
of it. They stumbled out of the gates, they're turning
the ball over to beat the band all year last year,
and then Kirk tears his achilles. So it's tough to
say how that would have been different if Kirk was healthy.
But I think this is a head coach, and this
is a team that has vastly overperformed an under talented roster.
And I know we have Justin Jefferson. I know we
have Jordan Addison, and when we try once in a while,
(20:23):
we actually can even utilize a fairly talented TJ.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Hawkinson.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
But in the end, ultimately, every time you hear about
this team, it ultimately and I enjoyed those talkbacks, thank
you so much. It also then there is well, yeah,
this interior offensive line is awful. Yes, the interior of
the defensive line. We haven't had a three technique that
can sack a freaking QB since Tom Johnson in like
twenty seventeen. Oh, by the way, are cornerbacks What we
(20:50):
were able to do or not do with that group
slowly playing more man throughout the year, But ultimately it
was a lot of hands off activity because we were
worried about maybe getting beaten on the back end.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
So you know, he didn't overperform with this under talented roster.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
But oh yeah, here are three super vital areas in
which we are massively deficient from a personnel standpoint. That's
what I'm getting at here. I think it was a
good roster. They had six Pro bowlers, right, six? I
think it was six.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah, yeah, So that's reflection of a talented team. I'm
not I don't know if he over delivered or not.
I just think he did a release solid coaching job
and getting things married up in Brian Floores work winners
with the defense. Here's the thing too, The big key
for this year was that, just from talking with Annie
McPhail about roster construction and building teams, you do not
(21:44):
want to give a coach or a manager a player
he does not want. And that happened two years ago
when Crazy voiced Marcus Davenport on the defense because there's
concerns that he was not going to be able to
stay on the field.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Were verified immediately.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
So this I think he was good for the Vikings
in like that one full game he played, I think
it was Carolina, he had like three sacks or something
like that.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
This offseason, uh Bflow had a list of guys that
he wanted Cuzy to go get and Quy he got
those guys ended up signing them. He gets credit for that,
but Bflow I think was a little more proactive in
how he wanted the defense to look. He knew Van
Ginko from Florida I'm sorry, Miami, and he knew some
of the other guys they brought in. So so I
(22:32):
think it was this. I think it was a It
was a solid roster that they pritty much got as
much out of it as possible. Now, you can never
you can never not keep building the trenches. So yeah,
interior to offensive line three technique, those tackles.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
But the reason I said this is one of the
more consequential offseason is because of the number of players
who were coming out of a contract that they've got
to account for. Especially damn what we don't know what
the secondary is going to look like next year. Isn't
that crazy now? And that's they've got to rebuild a
secondary they got they gotta give Harry all the time
he needs to make a decision. Tell us, yep, you
(23:10):
do have the Swiss army knife and Josh mattell Us,
tell us mattell Us, But.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
We don't have we don't have cam Binam, we don't
have Shaq Griffin, we don't have Stefan Gilmour and and
in some ways, you know, talking about this, Gilmour at
this stage of his career kind of a gun for hire,
had his moments. Certainly, is this potentially additioned by subtraction?
I mean these singular I mean the way that it's
really had to go since you know, and the measured
(23:35):
spending spree that you were talking about with Van Ginklin Bernard.
Absolutely there's talent on this team, but then you're also
filling it out, like can Jerry Tillery find that first
round draft stock from earlier in his career and bounce
back after mediocre days with the Chargers and a little
bit activity with the Raiders? Like Camu Gruge Hill who
actually had to try to not block that punt last night.
(23:58):
I don't know how he did get it, my goodness,
but it's bad. It's bad, but you're right. And then
Biron Murphy Junior, who led the team in interceptions PA.
And again that's the abruptness of this.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
The Black Hats tried to sign him last offseason, right,
and he bet on himself?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Right? Is that possible? Yeah, I guess I'd have to
go back.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
I got so many articles in my face every single
day that I have forgotten they're.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Going to have cap space.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
But that gets soaked up pretty quickly when you think about,
you know, if you're going to go after a badass
free agent guard, I haven't even looked at him yet.
That's the thing. Nine to noon, Lavelle. You know how
we operate. We're not sitting around looking at free agency.
We're not sitting around thinking about March. We're in that,
we're fascinated by the days right in front of us,
and then, like a truck, you just get run over.
(24:45):
And now suddenly we're talking about well, I wonder if
we can afford Byron Murphy because of those six picks
in the awesome year that he had.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Right.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Here's the thing too, Teams ain't letting go good off
as alignment. No, you know not, typically they're not. They're
going to figure out what to keep those guys. So
that market is gonna be tough to navigate from from
the start. That means the mediocre guys are gonna get overpaid.
You got to figure out, you know, which one of
those you actually want and how many of those you want.
So it's easier said than done. About strengthening the offensive line,
(25:15):
college football does not develop enough offensive lineman who can
adapt to NFL offenses. Yeah, so that's always a challenge
every year. So well it's and it's one of those
things too.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
I mean, you know, free agents can hit, and they
can hit well, and and we have examples of them
on this team where cash Man as good as he
was in Van Kinkle, and I thought Jonathan Grenard. Just
the spark and the speed that he plays with was
was awesome. However, like you said, you always got to
pay more later than you do when you.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Just draft effectively, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
So like the Los Angeles Rams, less Neat is a
master because all these picks are like well, like pooking
a cool It was like one hundred and seventy.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Seventh overall draft pick.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
All right, we all know about Jet Verse, who, by
the way, the Vikings past stuff. Don't take it to
take your boy, Dallas Turner. I knew you would freaking
mention that. And then the other guy is at Fisk
or Fiskey Braden, he was what a fifth round pick?
Speaker 2 (26:15):
No, I thought he was second one, second round pick.
I think so Less he's hitting on all these picks.
Man on their third rounders is starting safety. I think
they have a fourth or fifth round dB that a
fifth round pick. Yeah, he's like sixth round. And let's
not forget that's three years removed, by the way, from
less Need at a Super Bowl parade saying bleep them picks.
(26:35):
Oh now he's got his picks back and he's just
hitting home runs with all of them.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
We were mocking and ridiculing the Rams for not caring
about draft picks. Yep, but they didn't have any problem
with trading really high high picks. But they hit on
their lower picks. Yeah, and let's forget, let's not forget.
It was just a couple of years ago. Aaron Donald,
who maybe the best defensive lineman of our generation, was
still playing. That's right, and he retires and they're still effective.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Yeah, and while Kobe Turner, I think second or third year,
second year, maybe Kobe Turner say he's no Aaron Donald,
but he's uh, he's certainly making plays. I mean, we
got guys like Neville Gallimore, just a retread. He was
drafted highly with Dallas or mid rounds with Dallas. Maybe
I didn know Cardinal Lake's kid was in the league.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
He had I think he's got four sacks in his
entire career.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
He had Nevill Gallimore at his sack and a half
last night. That's a when it's bad, it's bad.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Let me do this.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I do want to I want to pause at some
point and then we'll have one segment left. If if
I can level around the around the corner. I do
want to talk about your team a bit. And maybe
the connection, of course is Brian Flores being floated and
head coaching circles your team in transition. Our my favorite
team now potentially in transition with some of those bits.
(27:50):
I want to see where your head's at on the Bears,
where your head's at on Flores, Ben Johnson and all
of that.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Can we do that next segment? Sure?
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Absolutely, that's Lavelli Neil. The third final set, nine to
noon is next on the fan.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
I can't wait. I can't wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Final segment, nine to noon, pa n from nine to
eleven Brian McKnight.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
It was one last cries.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Season is over and now we sift through the ashes,
something sadly that we are well, we're quite familiar with,
and it felt right, thanks to Allery's bar and barbecue
that we would share with our Bears loving fan level.
Because I got as soon as you jumped in studio, Levell,
I instantly got two text messages. It's good to hear
(28:37):
Lavell's voice. Makes me feel better about being a Vikings fan.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I don't know what that means. I don't know what
that means, but that's what the sentiment was.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
But there is a connection between us potentially as now
interviews and such things. I know that your team's looking
for a new head coach, and our defensive coordinator's name
didn't even get sniffed out for an interview a year ago.
Has now re emerged to the surface of these sorts
of discussions.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
What do you think about your Bears?
Speaker 2 (29:07):
What do you think about Brian Flores, and just kind of,
you know, let it all out, Lavelle.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
The Bears are talking to everybody right now. I think
their interview list is up to sixteen or seventeen.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Carthy ben there yet he was blocked by Jerry. He's
free to talk to the Mill now. He's open for business.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
That also includes Iowa state head coach Matt Campbell is
supposed to get an interview, okay, And apparently the Bears
have possibly already reached out to the Steelers about Mike
Tomlin to see if Tomlin's going to be allowed to
let go. He has no trade class in his contract,
which is.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Weird for a coach.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Well, somebody that you and I both know exceptionally well,
and he's incredibly generous and we love him. He called
me seven times within the last thirty six hours. To
tell me that he thinks that Mike Tomlin's going to
get traded to the Bears. You know exactly what I'm
talking about exactly. You've heard it from him too. Yeah,
(30:00):
I heard the same thing too. He's well connected.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
That person we were talking about is very well connected
in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
That would be interesting.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Maybe Tomlin needs a new uh needs a change of scenery.
But if it's Flora's, if it's if it's Tomlin, they
got to come in, I gotta know who is going
to be on their coaching staff. Yeah, and what the
plan is is to get to what the plan is
matters to get Caleb Williams to the next level and
further his development as a quarterback, and also means Bryan Poles,
(30:31):
the slightly embattled general manager, needs to get offensive lineman in.
So the Bears and the Vikings may be chasing the
same offensive lineman either via the draft or free agency
during the off season, because the Bears the interior offensive
lineman as well.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
So how much do you think because we've talked a
bit about it with the Lions, and if if Brian
Flores was to get a head coaching opportunity ultimately just
out of respect for him, like, go take it absolutely,
But now I'm still back here loving my favorite team, going,
how's this gonna look? How much do you think that
impacts things? I know that behind the scenes that Flores
has had a significant voice, and rightfully so in terms
(31:09):
of certain personnel and so you know, hey, check this
guy out. This is somebody maybe that I love. This
type of player is something I need for my defense.
You know, he gets a couple of years of being
the maestro and the puppeteer of sorts in that regard.
Now you take that out of the mix, that that
changes things a bit into twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
Well, you have to look at his staff too. In
one of the defensive coaches, Dronte Jones is highly thought
of now the dB coach.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Yeah, so if he.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Does not go with Flores to any new destination, he
could be the guy stepping into the Flores row next
year and that would help. That would help the continuity
in terms of system and scheme.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I believe so.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
But like I said, Durante's highly thought of, so that
may not be the worst thing in the world. Floria's
got to I think he would have to give you
that lawsuit against the league, I would imagine if you
want to.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Actually still do a job. Yeah, Pa and I were talking.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Still feels like a coin flip that he returns, but
the fact that there was no conversation about it a
year ago. He was in the cycle now and now
you're hearing it very much in the cycle. And he
did have success with the with the Dolphins as a
head coach before kind of the bottom fell out on
that similar situation, a team that struggled to get great
quarterback play and they're you know, McDaniel's coming there and
(32:23):
he's working with two of the best that he can.
But you know, the situation remains here, Ken JJ McCarthy.
You know that optimism that you guys felt in the
in the spring, in the summertime, at some point we're
going to emotionally turn the page levelle and it's it's
it's JJ season. Right.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Yeah, I'm pro JJ, as I I said weeks ago
or right before the draft, I was pro McCarthy. I
wasn't sure if the Vikers are going to have a
path to him, But only takes one team to do
something stupid, and that team was the Atlanta Falcons. When
he selected Michael PITTOCKX Junior, and that paved the way
for JJ McCarthy to be selected by the Vikings. I
(33:01):
just saw JJ in the locker room late last week.
The dude looks like he's fourteen. I was like, that's
JJ McCarthy. Are you kidding me? He really looks young.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Well, I'm curious, just because of the knee situation he
may have. You think he maybe lost weight, just the
inability to train and do some of the things. He
actually looked more slender later in the season that he
did even in training camp.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
It's possible he's got time to regain that strength now
as long as he's making progress. I know he had
to have another procedure or something like that right a
few months ago.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Maybe an injection of some sort. So but he's a
tough kid, he's a hockey player. He's a good fit
for this, for this market, and I can easily see
I think I agree with I listened to the show
earlier when Paul thought the quarterback Room would have would
have JJ and Daniel Jones in it next year, and
I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
I can see that s narrow weakon.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
That feels like and Sam, you know, we you know
kind of snarkily in some ways, but but you know,
you feel for the situation. Tremendous year, he cost himself
tens of millions of dollars the last two weeks.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
He probably will that wouldn't That won't stop the Raiders
from signing him.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
You don't think so, No, I don't. I don't cause
I don't. I don't know. Are they fired him?
Speaker 3 (34:13):
About Aiden mccon Aidan O'Connell, I don't think they are right.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Well, now that Tom Brady's part owner, how much how
much of a say does does the Great One have
to say the NFL's version of the Great One get
to say in terms of who's throwing the ball there?
Speaker 3 (34:26):
I was reading speculation that Brady will have some say so,
but I was just speculation. So I have no connections
with the Raiders or people in the NFL who could
point me in right direction on that one. I would
imagine Brady's gonna express his opon which could be a
good thing or absolutely horrible thing.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Well, how much how much of the of the team
does he own? I mean, if you know five percent? Okay,
well is five percent and you know all those rings?
Is that enough to be able to have a say.
I mean, if I'm if I'm the general manager of
the Raiders, I might, Yeah, absolutely, I'll sit down and
have lunch, But I kind of, you know, I don't
need it. You know, just because you just because you
can do, doesn't mean you can coach, doesn't mean you
(35:01):
can organize. I don't mean Tom Brady in my office
every other day telling me what he thinks just because
he owns a nickel of the franchise.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
I'm not an egomaniac.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
I will if Brady is a five percent owner of
the franchise, I'm a GM four. I will allow him
to sit in the room and join in in the discussions. Well,
you have to because he's bart owner. Now I get
that this and this is in this day and age.
We are in collaborative times. We are collaborating, but the
one guy me would have to make the final decision.
(35:30):
Thanks for hanging out with me, man.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Thanks for having me. I'm glad to help Pa get
to the crib.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
And put his feet up and mellow out after you know,
an emotional time in a late night flight, early morning
flight and very emotional And if I can.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
Fans, there will be better days ahead. Trust me. I'm
a Bears fan.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
And that's Lavelle Neil the Third Star Tribune Startribune dot com.
The column is brought to you by Allery's Bar and Barbecue,
home of free parking in wild Shuttles. Next up the
program is around the corner and you are indeed listening
to the fan.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Have a terrific afternoon.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Podcast Today's Paul Allen Show, or listen back to previous
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