November 25, 2025 • 38 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome back final hour nine to noon, awaiting the arrival
of head coach Kevin O'Connell. Weekly show of course, x'es
and o's with head coach Kevin O'Connell for your Vikings
as they head out for a mid afternoon affair in Seattle.
We're going to get to see that defense, We're going
to get to see an eight and three squad, we
get to see former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, and a
(00:31):
lot to a lot to discuss this morning nine to noon,
right Pa.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Indeed, as the head coach Kevin O'Connell assumes his spot
for x'es and o's on this Tuesday, Hey, we have
a new camera for Vikings dot com, so we want
to welcome those watching through our new camera to x'es
and o's at Vikings dot com, those listening at FM
one hundred point three KFAM, and most importantly, we want
to welcome the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Kevin O'Connell,
(00:58):
to the Equation and begin by wishing you Leah, Bill,
Suzanne and everybody in your covenant and early happy Thanksgiving.
Four and seven makes it look to some like there's
not much for which we can be thankful, but really
there is and this collaboration with X's and O's our
friendship work that I've done at a Veil Academy because
(01:21):
of your family, I just want to give you publicly,
give you thanks.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Happy Thanksgiving to you and obviously everybody at KFA, N.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
NORDO, the gang.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
You know, we very much appreciate the relationship we have
and Pa, you know how I feel about you. You're
very Yeah, You're a very special friend of mine and
somebody I really enjoy working with.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
The we have the If Kevin weren't here, we'd call
them the super Chickens, but we're going to call them
the Seattle Seahawks. Three oh five for the boom f
M one hundred point three k F a M KF
an Audio Network free game at one with Muss and
through it all, through it all, through these eleven games
and nineteen offensive line combinations, whatever we're up to. Multiple
(02:05):
quarterback stuff like that, Old Jalen Redman continues to help
Old Jalen Redmond. Just guys like that, sticking out when
things may not be at their best.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
You know, yeah, and I think you get to this
time of year and you start getting some of the
documentation for the Pro Bowl and things like that, and
you just hope Jalen Redman gets his due for the
type of season he's had. And I know there's a
lot of great players in the D line position in
the NFL, but I would argue his tape and his
play to play impact that he's had for us this
(02:37):
year is right up there with a lot of the
players you know that maybe have a little bit larger
name recognition. And obviously Jalen's got a lot of great
football out in front of him, so those things will
come his way. But can't say enough about what he's
meant to our team this year.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And Jalen had as what Kevin would call it a
blocked shot in the game at lambeau Field, a pass
defense to buy a defensive lineman. Yep, those are just
I mean, I know you want more, I know everybody
wants more, but those are so important but not really
that easy to come by, right.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
It depends.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I mean, it depends the type of the thrower you're
going against, and you know, release points. And I will
say Jordan Love has done a really nice job over
the years of he's got a high release point. Every
once in a while he'll get leaning backwards a little
bit depending on the rush, and he's still got the
ability to make some really nice throws over the middle
even when that happens. So the block shot is a
huge thing, and we're going to continue to preach. I'm
(03:34):
trying to force those tips and get some of those
overthrows where maybe the turnover ops will come our way,
because I know it's been they just haven't come like
they have in previous years, all those extra possessions, and
I know our defense is doing everything in their power
to try to force those things.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
The pump returned to backle that led to Green Bay
second touchdown. It was ten to six when that happened.
So like yesterday at your press conference, no excuse me,
this was after the game Sunday. When you say paraphraising
the way things currently are constructed, the margin for air
is razor thin. That's a high end example. Right, When
(04:12):
something like that happens, then they score, make it a
two score game.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Yeah, and the whole the way we finished the second
quarter and Will making the fifty nine yarder and making
that a ten to six game, a lot of the
messaging at halftime was defense is gonna get a stop,
and then we're gonna put together the drive that we
need offensively off of the momentum of the end of
the first half. The stop the defense is going to get,
(04:37):
and then we're going to find a way to put
the ball in the end zone and see what this
looks like the rest of the way if we're able
to do that, and you know, the offense is gearing up,
getting ready to you know, kind of make the second
part of that plan come together. Defense got the stop
we needed, got him into a third and long, and
got off the field, and then you just have a
mistake made, you know, by a rookie that has had
(04:59):
such an impact on our team from a return standpoint,
both the kick return phase and the punt return phase.
And he's trying to do what he believes is the
right thing. And I think what we have to you know,
take a look at is just clean clearing up and
cleaning up some of the some of the do a
little bit more.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
You know. It's I thought he did made a nice decision.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
He's been a great decision maker back there, specifically on
those sky punts. You know, knowing when to kind of
you know, Deek the the gunners out and actly he's
catching the ball, but we're gonna let that thing bounce.
And what I told him and and our coaching staff was,
you know, if they end up downing that ball at
the one yard line, you know, more power to them.
But what we can't possibly have happened in a game
(05:42):
like that where we kind of went into it knowing, Hey,
we're gonna we're gonna run the football, We're gonna keep
this thing close. I feel like our defense will play well,
maybe make this thing stay where we want it. Forced
the Packers to expose themselves to a little bit more risk.
Possibly they ran the ball a lot. They were playing
very similar and a lot of ways throughout the early
part of that game as we were, and it was
(06:04):
it was a ball control kind of game. The time
of possession was very close throughout the first half. We
had no turnovers in the first half, very limited penalties
by really either side. And uh, you know that one
play in a game like that, especially on the road
in the NFC North, all of a sudden you're down
eleven and you're it feels a lot greater. Uh, you know,
(06:25):
of circumstances against you just on one play, one bounce
of the ball. But what did we do to avoid
the negative in that moment by you know, playing smart football?
And that's what I've got to do a better job
of making sure our entire team feels that.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Kevin O'Connell x's and O's per nine to now and
the KFA Minnesota Vikings Audio Network also Vikings dot Com. Uh,
Kevin and I, well, well we'll chat after his press
conferences pretty much each and every Friday, sometimes recording a
pregame interview, sometimes just chatting. And uh, this week we
chatted right before you spoke to the Dinah High School
(07:01):
football team and they went out won the title that night.
How did that go and what did you guys talk about?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Well, it was the first thing I noticed was it
had been a long time since I had been in
a high school kind of locker room setting. Yeah, they're
not washing the football pants and pads as much as
they probably should be.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
You know, my son Kate and I walked in and
it was noticeable really right away.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
But I told the fellas, I said, this takes me
back right here, just that that aura, if you will,
that they had the stench. Yeah, the stench that's a
better word, but it was it was fun talking to
those guys. I mean they were in they were already
kind of suited up and in their uniforms, getting ready
to get on the bus to head the US Bank
Stadium and you know, getting a chance to talk to
(07:47):
some of the individual players and ask them some questions
and you know a funny story though, I kept on
talking to them about sixty minutes and you know, really
in a football game, what separates our our game is
you know, really when you look at it, the players
that play the most, you're probably only looking at about
ten to twelve minutes of actual activity, you know, between
(08:10):
all the play clock going and the huddle calls and
all those things. So I kept telling them if I
if I told you had ten to twelve minutes for
a possibility to hoist a state championship trophy tonight on
the field at US Bank Stadium, what would you be
willing to do?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And it circled back to sixty minutes.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
In sixty minutes, and every time I said that, the
you know, the fellas on the team would kind of
smirk a little bit, and I was like, what am
I saying that, you know, is it some.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Pop culture reference?
Speaker 4 (08:37):
I'm making six seven whatever it is, and they're laughing
at me. Or and then I get to the game,
had a blast, took my two boys and wanted to
make sure they got to feel such an unbelievable atmosphere
both sides. And I look up at the clock and
there's twelve minutes on the clock to start the game.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, and I best for forty eight minutes.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
And I said I might have been asking them for
twelve minutes too much, and nobody was willing to tell
me in the moment.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
But congrats to those guys. What a season.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
And you could feel a lot of special things with
that team and their journey throughout the year. And once, yeah,
you know, you're just so happy to this game is
such a wonderful game. It can be it can be
tough sometimes like we felt this season, but make no
mistake about it, this game has provided so many moments
in our lives to all of us, and moments of
triumph and moments of overcoming adversity. And that's what we're
(09:28):
going to attempt to do right now on a daily,
minute a minute.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Basis around this building.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
But anytime you can see a collection of guys go
accomplish something like that, it was special.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Well, what if you slip in the pregame talk Saturday
night in Seattle's like guys, I need your best forty
eight minutes here, and then like somebody doesn't play hard
for five minutes, Like, well, you only said you need
it forty eight.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
I told our team the story and everybody, of course,
you know, they were laughing at me, just like the
Dina Hornets were.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
And the Hornets had a running back in the game
named Chase Bjorgard, who I've known his father Eric for
many years. Yeah, General manager Metropolitan Ford. I've known Chase
since he started middle school and it's just been great
to watch him mature and get bigger and stuff like that.
My man had six touchdowns in three hundred and fifty
one total yards. Now, Chase and his dad were in
(10:18):
studio on my radio show with Nordo yesterday. Nice little
father son, fun off the state championship and stuff like that,
and so talking to Chase, you know, he shared that
he also plays baseball and he's a goalie for the
Dinah High School hockey team. Did you play multiple sports
in high school when you were when you were growing up.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
I did.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
I played basketball and football were my my main sports.
But I really I always played baseball, you know, in
the springtime, and say a pitcher, I was, And my
problem was, unlike football, I threw it right down the
middle at a very tempoed pace every single time. So
as the hitter started to get better and better, the
ball went further and further, and I started to feel
(11:00):
little bit more like batting practice.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And this is so too right. Oh yeah, so CAW
High School baseball, cal State Fullerton for college up there.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
It's unbelievable, no question, but but yeah, so I and
then you get into the spring football and the year
round aspect of some things which I am.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Highly highly four kids.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Uh, you know, my kids are playing everything that they
could possibly imagine. I think they need to play everything,
they need to try everything.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Why.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
I just think every sport has a positive effect in
some way on on on the other and whether it's
change of direction, long speed, hand eye coordination, uh, you know,
depending on if you're a thrower or baseball versus a
football versus anything else. And you know, and I think
the different dynamics of five man sports, you know, there's
nine guys on the field on baseball, eleven in the
(11:49):
huddle on in football, and they're just different dynamics of
team building and teamwork and then the individual aspect of
growth and development from a from a standpoint of for
I think we all forget at times as we start
to see high school kids making nil money and we
are finding a way to turn a lot of this
into a business, when really the most important thing is
(12:11):
is you know, learning about yourself and the passion you
have to do something for reasons greater than yourself in
many ways is what makes sports so special and helps
you grow as a human being long you know, outside,
you know, much further outside the lines than.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Just playing those games.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
And I you know, I told the guys the other
day some of my I still talk to some of
my high school football teammates, you know, on you know, weekly, monthly,
whatever it is, because those bonds will last a lifetime.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
So so let the place in Florida McCarthy whin I
AMG academy. Yep, you know a lot of people have gone,
They're gone to the NFL stuff Like that stupid question
is is I AMG strictly football?
Speaker 3 (12:51):
They well, know they do. They have a lot of
I think they have a lot of like Olympic, Yeah, athlete.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
I'm not saying it eliminates what you just said, but
like Carlsbad, Glendora, Mancato, Topeka, Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, no matter where, Chicago,
no matter where you're growing up, it's like when you
get shipped off to something like that, it just has
a factory feel to it.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
I'm not saying it's bad and that you can't have
bonds that last forever, but I'm just never going to
forget the story JJ McCarthy told into the season about
when he was at IMG Academy and COVID hit and
he couldn't get home and like depression set in and
it was significant. I mean, I'm not over sharing. He
has shared him now.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
I've talked to him a lot about that time and
it was a difficult time, and I think I think
it was a difficult time for a lot of people,
you know, at a lot of levels of not only
sports but school as well, just being disconnected from you know,
some of the best parts of being a young person
growing up as those relationships you make in person around
people not necessarily over a computer screen.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
In neighborhoods with Billy Johnny and that whole thing growing
up and stuff Christy Susie to make Antwan twenty twenty.
Your best friend was the person in the bio reference van.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Let's see on a daily basis, all right, Kevin O'Connell
x's and o's best and never expanding KFA and Audio network.
Do you or do you guys have anybody who chats
with players about time they spend on social media? And
you know, I know it's a tough guy game, and
(14:29):
mental tenacity is required, so let's be tough here mentally especially,
but sometimes that stuff can just overwhelm people, specifically in
their low twenties, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I learned going on about eighteen years ago from my
first coach in the National Football League, Bill Belichick used
to it said, in big words, right on the doors
you walked in, ignore the noise.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
And the noise has changed over the years.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
And I was talking a little bit about this with
Harrison a few weeks back, Harrison Smith on Friday mornings
and I get together, uh, and it's kind of old
guy talk, you know, all things considered and just the
way the dynamic of it has changed. But I say
this as all the time as well. You can't have
the popularity of our game, the great fan base that
(15:15):
we have, uh here in in Minnesota for for the
Minnesota Vikings, and then not take both sides of it.
It's it's part of it. It's part of what we
all signed up for.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
That passion that our fan base has is something that
I always want to feel. And it's not always going
to be positive, but uh, you know, part of what
we signed up is being able to overcome that. But
I think the younger player is a little bit more
tied to it than than maybe at times they should.
So we talk about is it really worth engaging? Is
(15:48):
it really worth you know, uh finding uh, you know,
finding it in yourself to give responses to things when
either you're being personally attacked.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Or you know, some of those things cross the line. Sometimes.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
We've had examples of that with some of our players.
And that's what I care about more than anything, is
you know, the times where things cross the line a
little bit and then you really kind of have to
hit the reset button a little bit of what's important
and that's all part of it. And that's part of what,
like I said, we all have to understand that with
how much this game has provided to us, both professionally
(16:21):
and personally, that the passion fans have for it is
what makes our game in our league so special.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Well well, said McCarthy with the concussion related news yesterday.
Outside of the concussion, it's it's with JJ. Do you
ever feel he cares so much, he puts too much
pressure on himself and even feels he needs to carry
the burden of like the entire team.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
I you know, I think what I have felt from
him at times is a previous play where maybe he
had the possibility of making a play and for whatever
reason sometimes not you know, not anything having to do
with his doing on the play. The play's not made,
the throw is not made, maybe the completion's not there,
(17:07):
the yards don't come, and then he will, you know,
kind of circle back on that play in the execution
of maybe something similar, maybe something different later on in
the game. And that's when you've seen some of the
you know, kind of second half forced throws where all
were attempting to do every single snap is treat each
snap as its own, obviously acquiring experience and applying the
(17:31):
techniques and fundamentals and the do your job mentality of
what playing the quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings is
all about, and really any offense for that matter, but
really trying to at times do a little bit too
much based upon some things that he thinks are the
you know, the right way to go about things. But
it all circles back to those little details of it
(17:53):
might not be the same exact look. It might not
be worth predetermining throwing this ball down the middle on
this look just because maybe Jaalen Naylor was running down
the middle open in the second quarter. Each thing in
this league has a way of circling back. But you
got to do it with the right principles, and you
got to do it the right way. And if if
you're ever forcing things or trying to force something to happen,
(18:14):
many many times it'll come back to get you.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
And I love when you say, not only with JJ
McCarthy who's twenty two years of age, but when you,
like you'll say at press conferences are here. You know,
I talked with the guy that Sunday night, and I'm like,
got my phone in my hand. Lee is like the
kids are running around and stuff. But it was important,
you know, at that moment to especially when you're that young,
in that inexperience, because as the absolute leader of this
(18:41):
football team with what takes place specifically in the season
off the season too, off season two is when they leave.
I mean you got to kind of have it in
the back of your mind, like how do they feel,
how hard are they going to be on themselves? What
are they looking at? What are they thinking about? It
just never stops, you know, to who much is given
much as an expected, no doubt about it, and certainly
(19:02):
not painting you with some kind of martyr or.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Anything, please don't.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
But like on a Sunday night when you're like I
talked to JJ or homever it was until eleven o'clock.
That's all part of it, right.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Yeah, And there's there's fifty three guys just like that.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
It's obviously the twenty two year old quarterback somebody that
I'm going to be trying to, you know, be there
for as much as possible.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
He needs to feel my support, he.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Needs to feel obviously the purpose of that coach the
player relationship, but also it also fuels what takes what
takes place Monday through Saturday, as we lead into another
opportunity and the growth and although you know, right now
there is a and rightly so, there's a magnifying glass
(19:43):
on him, our team, where we're at in our season,
and as we get further and further away from you know,
that win in Detroit or going back even for you know,
further than that, you know, the opener in Chicago, it
starts to be a question of consistency and take those
next steps of you know, elevating his own personal game
(20:04):
for the greater good and purpose of our team. And
he's right in the thick of that right now and
working through some things. He's doing well, he's working through
some things that we've got to continue to improve on,
and that is that is the life of a young
quarterback on this journey in the National Football League.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Well, as Kevin shared to this press conference yesterday, Max Brosmer,
the undrafted rookie from Minnesota, he's going to get the
first team reps until JJ is out of concussion protocol.
We'll see how along that last. During the course of
the week. Our talkback for Kevin O'Connell, head coach of
the Minnesota Vikings, I understand involves Max Brosmer and here
(20:39):
it is.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Good morning, nine to noon coach. This has been he
from Monts View.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Say, if Max is a starter this week, how does his.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Skill set differ from jjson even Carson's And are you
going to have to tweak the preparations at all to
match his skills set?
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You guys have a happy Thanksgiving. Thanks Bob. Good question.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah, I don't know if you tweak the preparation as
much as maybe some of the things that we know
Max does well. And I think I heard the turn
signal or the hazard lights in the background clicking there
from our talk back question.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
But the details that matter.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yeah, why he pulled off to the side, he didn't.
We always preach don't talk back and drive.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
It's very very smart speaking of you know, you can
carry over that analogy to playing quarterback and what it's
going to be for Max this week is keeping it
laser focused like he's done throughout this season. And really
he's been a snap away now going on three four
five weeks or so, and his preparation has been fantastic,
his questions, his dialogue.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
He is wise beyond his years.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
He obviously has some experience at a couple of different
schools in college, different offenses, different levels of play. And
what really caught Ori I in training camp is his
ability to do things, you know, at a pretty high
level without getting a lot of time on task or
reps to build into that. You know, watching JJ take reps,
(22:11):
watching the other quarterbacks take reps, and when he got
his his opportunities, he always made the most of it.
And what I've challenged Max to do throughout this week is,
you know, whether he ends up playing or not, let's
have that same level consistency. Let's envision not having to
do anything more then go in there and execute each.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Play as its own.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
You know, what's my what's my footwork and where's my uh,
where are my completions? And what Max has shown as
a twitchy, quick release with you know, the ability to
be pretty accurate not only underneath but in the intermediate
part of the field. And I think there's you know,
gonna be some opportunities for who's ever playing quarterback in
this game to just hunt completions all day long. Really
(22:53):
good pass rush athleticism. You're going to notice it up
in the booth. You and Pete will the speed at
which their defense plays with if Mike McDonald's got them
flying around. So we really need to be disciplined when
we are throwing the ball, whether no matter what.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Level or phase of our offense.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
That is, we have to be air tight with getting
the ball out of our hands, throwing completions and really
getting Justin and Jordan Speedy and obviously TJ Aaron Jones
and the rest of the group involved in the game
by getting the football in their hands.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
And how many times can we do that?
Speaker 4 (23:24):
Stack those plays without the negatives that really doomed us
in the second half the other day, and we didn't
give ourselves any chance whatsoever, regardless of the fumble punt,
regardless of what took place on the other side of
the ball, And that's got to be the starting point
against a good football team on the road.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Well, I mean with Brosmer, I just you know, the
recall is back to things you said in the offseason
about processing quickly and just the voluminous amount of study,
the scholarly natured things, always walking around with a laptop
looking at something or the micro the surface pad, whatever
you call looking and stuff, and that came to fruition.
(24:00):
I think it was the Tennessee game. Yep, Birstich and
I were walking out with Max. He threw a touchdown
back left of the end zone. Just asked about it,
you know, preseason, asked about the touchdown. It took him
thirty seconds to explain, well, something with cover two when
it was actually manned. And then you do this and
then you put the green dot here and you push
the red button and just kept going and it's like
(24:22):
it's it's like we look at each other like wow,
holy cow. I mean, that's some pretty good dissecting right there.
All right, Topeka, Kansas is telling me that we need
to go. I got to get in one or two more.
If you mentioned getting to a tack mode yesterday, and
clearly that's been a calling card of yours since you arrived.
(24:42):
What are some keys to returning to, as you would say,
attack mode. Well, we'll make that the last one.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
I think a lot of times you know that mentality
and that mode can be something where it can you know,
you're trying to be a little bit more conservative, maybe
you're trying to run the football more. All your doing
in those situations is hopefully setting up opportunities to get
a little bit more bang for your buck in the
play action game in some of the phases of our offense,
(25:09):
and I thought we missed some opportunities in the game.
There was a play where, you know, Michael Parsons goes
out of the game. You know, we've we've kind of
had something teed up and might have been early on
in the game, and we end up bobbling the snap
coming away from center and ending up on the turf
for a minus three yard loss. But that play, when
you're calling the game and you're operating as a team
(25:30):
the way we are right now, trying to navigate your
way to you know, at the very least a stalemate
in the turnover battle, the very least running the football
for the sake of staying efficient for some of the
third downs that have caused us problems when we get
into those longer yardage dn ds, okay, and then when
you don't make those plays, you know, those are wasted
(25:50):
opportunities that in many ways they're still happening. There's still
the defense is still having to go over and talk
about some of those things, whether the play was made
or not. We just aren't making enough of those plays
to complement the rest of the way we're trying to
play as a football team. And as we continue to
progress forward and we continue to learn more about this
(26:10):
year's team, we're gonna have to find those plays because
the best parts of our team in many ways are
our guys named Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and TJ. Hockinson,
and they have to have an impact on the football
game to go along offensively with our ability to run
the ball, our ability to control the football, the clock
and hopefully the time of possession and field position.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Oh oh, John, look over there is Jackson Smith and
jigbas still strictly a slot guy, and no he's not
not anymore, but he was like last year, right he is.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
He is a fantastic player.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I mean really watching him and and you know, I
you know, speaking to I remember a few weeks back
when they they played the Rams and leading into that game,
I got a chance to talk to Sean McVeagh a
little bit about, you know, their preparation and it was
going to be obviously a big game for them in
the division, and he was just blown away by the
player and what he's you know, obviously grown and and
(27:04):
kind of you know, continued to progress forward in his
career early on here. But you're seeing an explosive guy
that can win outside, win, inside, run after catch, making
some of the most dynamic catches in the league. And uh,
you know he's finding his ops because you know Sam's want.
Of Sam's great qualities is that intermediate to deeper passing
game and really activating the intermediate to deep part of
(27:27):
the field with his arm. And we saw it a
year ago and he's picked up right where he left off.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Good Thanksgiving, man, we'll see out here for practice this week.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
From Toddy all right, Happy Thanksgiving to everybody.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
I appreciate you. Kevin Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the
Minnesota Vikings. That's EXAs and O's back after this, ladies
(28:12):
and gentlemen. Nine to Noon has learned. Sam Darnold's quarterback
for the Seattle Super Chickens. He has ten interceptions, five fumbles,
he's lost four of them. Amazingly, he has fourteen giveaways
for an eight and three team. Maybe even more amazing
the Seattle Seahawks are minus seven in the take given
they're eight and three, that's just incredible. But their offense
(28:35):
can be high powered with Kenneth Walker and Jackson Smith
and Jigba who the coach just talked about. Let's hear
Brian Flores up share a little bit of what it
may be like going against Sammy d and this defense
in this offense.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
Almost rackus stadiums in a league. So looking forward to.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
What have you seen about how they've may ably get
Jason open?
Speaker 5 (28:59):
Feed him some volume.
Speaker 6 (29:01):
They're not like a huge passing volume off as you say,
but like and he's obviously the big target.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
And how do they do that? Oh well, I mean
they do it in a number of ways.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
I think it's schematically every you know he moves, you know,
is he's a Z or the X, Well he moves,
he's Z and the X and he plays. Uh, they
move him quite a bit. And you know, let's just
talk about him. He does a great job of getting
himself open, you know, understanding the coverage, understanding leverage of
(29:35):
the receivers, understanding where the soft spots are on zones.
Sam's obviously looking for him and knows that he's gonna
find an opening.
Speaker 5 (29:45):
If it's man coverage.
Speaker 6 (29:47):
You know, he not necessarily beat the leverage, but you
know Sam will put it in a spot where he
can only he can catch it. You know, They've got
you know, Cup and they just got Shaheed who opens
things up from a speeds endpoint and uh, you know,
Shaheed taking the top off of it and just creating
some space from in you know, in the intermediate to
(30:10):
you know, short passing game if you want to call that.
But he's also a deep threat, So I think there's
layers within the offense that allow him to be a
short you know, receiver. When I might I say that,
I mean catch passes in the short range, the intermediate
part of the field, and the deep part of the field.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
They've got other players who.
Speaker 6 (30:35):
Can you know, help him, uh create you know, I'm
thinking about Shahat, who you know takes the top of
the defense, you know, and then creates boys an intermediate
and short part of the field. And you know, they
just do a really good job schematically. And then when
you tie that in with the run game, it's, you know,
you bring a guy down in the run game, there's
(30:56):
more space in the back end.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
So they do a lot of those things. They've got
to you know, uh a good plan.
Speaker 6 (31:02):
It's obviously thoughtfully designed and constructed and uh, you know,
he's done a great job.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
He really has be a great challenge for us. How
was Sam grown since he left her? I mean, you know,
Sam's one of my favorites. You know, how great dialogue
when he was here.
Speaker 6 (31:18):
And I thought he grew tremendously when he was here,
for sure, just from a leadership standpoint. From a obviously
he's played was what it was, pro bowl level, pro
Bowl level last year, but you know, his his leadership,
I mean, it's his routines. You know, I'm sure he's
(31:41):
still in the same routine. And I walk up there,
he's in there, breakfast, the coiler, quarterbacks at.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
You know, this time, the meeting at this time, and.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
He's, uh, he did a lot of great things and
he's here and clearly those things are continuing to show
up for him.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
Out there in Seattle, he's doing a great job. You know,
he's throwing throwing the ball, he's leading the Team's got
command of the offense. He's getting the men and out
of plays.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
And what I mean by that is just checking plays
that they're in something that's not you know, the greatest
look for them. And and I think he's just he's
he's being who he is, he's being himself and you
know he's he's he's doing well.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
What were the circumstances when you guys chat.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
And it was just like I'm put into a morm
ups kind of thing or more structured one on one
talks that you have with Yeah, oh here's you know,
the cafeteria, locker room, training room. Uh, you know, talking defense,
talking offense.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
Yeah, you know, we had a great rapport friendship. So
I'm happy for him, But we will blitz him this week,
That's for sure.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
We will. Yeah, kay, Ken, you're familiarity with him, show
up on game day at all or that any advantages.
Speaker 6 (32:58):
You know, I think I think every year is different.
I think, you know, there's some things that you know,
I think we could we could say may have bothered
him a year ago, but maybe they don't this year.
You know, I think based on you know, having seen
it several times, getting more reps at and getting more
familiarity with you know, a front or coverage. So a
(33:22):
year later, it's hard to know, but you try it
out and see if you know that still bothers them
or that still bothers them, and you know, if it
doesn't bother him anymore, you move on to something else
and if it does, you keep running it.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
And so.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
But it's not just just Sam. He's got a lot
of other people, you know, to lean on the run game.
You know, schematically it's a little bit different. So but
it'll be fun to be great to see him and
compete against him and that. Then again, they got a
great team, so it'd be great environment and looking forward
to it.
Speaker 3 (33:58):
Brian, what have you noticed about Cash means grown bis
the Green Dot New Defense.
Speaker 6 (34:03):
Cash is you know, one of our uh, one of
the leaders of the defense uh as far as just
my my, uh, you know, daily conversations with him, and
the thing is that you know we're asking of him
and from a check ball system or from a front
(34:25):
standpoint or from a leadership standpoint, he's been fantastic.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
He's growing in that role, that leadership role.
Speaker 6 (34:32):
He's obviously playing at a you know, a very good level.
Speaker 5 (34:38):
There's still plays there.
Speaker 6 (34:39):
That you know, we're sitting there going, hey, you know,
you can make this one, this one and this one
and then you know, so there's still improvement there.
Speaker 5 (34:46):
But that's for every player.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
That's defensive coordinator for the Minnesota. He's we're gonna and
I had to had to break. But for Brian Flores,
you could tell when he was done with the Sam
Darnold part conversation when he said, yeah, we're happy for
him and we will be blitzing him. They moved on
to different players. I love that. All right, We'll be
(35:07):
right back. Shadoor Sanders, the ballyhooed rookie quarterback from Colorado.
And I say ballyhood because he's Shadoor Sanders. I mean
(35:28):
he's polarizing, whether he's as I think it was Jackson State,
you know where they did. They they did the Netflix bit,
which was really really good. Then Colorado and Boulder couple
of years took like ninety eight sacks, ninety six sacks
in two years. But you know, still helped play a
part with his father Dion and Travis Hunter and certainly
(35:49):
some other good players to fill folsome stadium. I've told
the story before where when when my daughter started at
the University of Colorado, we went to a Colorado Buffalo's game,
sat on the forty yard line. Each ticket was like
fifteen dollars. It's like thirty dollars, man, It's awesome. Thing
was sixty percent full then Dion rolls in and and
(36:12):
I mean those same tickets probably were two fifty up
to three seventy five and long lines to get in
to watch those teams. And they've had a bad season
this year, but they're still selling out and the Dion
factors still really good. Shador had a lot to do
with that. So Shador plays against the Raiders, has a
pretty good game, and they win the game. Stefanski announces
(36:35):
he'll be the quarterback in the next one. I can't
remember who they're taking on, hosting the Niners. They're hosting
the Niners. Okay, so he gets a home game. But
after the game, Shador said said, I am what they
have been waiting for. Okay, Well, I love that because
if I'm a Browns fan, I'm like, what what I'm
(36:57):
excited for the next game? All of us, And I'm
a Browns fan. But from a radio show standpoint, or
maybe a columnist standpoint, what I love most about it
It establishes a line of delineation where I'm what they've
been waiting for. So now we will see if he's
what they've been waiting for, or if he was bloviating
(37:22):
and he was just being like overly confident or cocky.
Some would say I thought that was pretty cool man,
So I found myself pulling for Shador from Afar. Thank
you very much for listening to nine to Noon today
for Eric north Quistam Brett Blake Moore, I'm Paul Allen.
Thanks to everybody here at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center
for the accommodations join us tomorrow. Chris Finch, coach of
(37:42):
the Timberwolves, joins it right out of the gate at nine.
That's nine to noon. Coming up next PJ Fleck on kfa.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
N podcast Today's Paul Allen Show and listen back to
previous show and interviews. I going to the iHeartRadio app
for kfan dot com.
Welcome back final hour nine to noon, awaiting the arrival
of head coach Kevin O'Connell. Weekly show of course, x'es
and o's with head coach Kevin O'Connell for your Vikings
as they head out for a mid afternoon affair in Seattle.
We're going to get to see that defense, We're going
to get to see an eight and three squad, we
get to see former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, and a
(00:31):
lot to a lot to discuss this morning nine to noon,
right Pa.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Indeed, as the head coach Kevin O'Connell assumes his spot
for x'es and o's on this Tuesday, Hey, we have
a new camera for Vikings dot com, so we want
to welcome those watching through our new camera to x'es
and o's at Vikings dot com, those listening at FM
one hundred point three KFAM, and most importantly, we want
to welcome the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Kevin O'Connell,
(00:58):
to the Equation and begin by wishing you Leah, Bill,
Suzanne and everybody in your covenant and early happy Thanksgiving.
Four and seven makes it look to some like there's
not much for which we can be thankful, but really
there is and this collaboration with X's and O's our
friendship work that I've done at a Veil Academy because
(01:21):
of your family, I just want to give you publicly,
give you thanks.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Happy Thanksgiving to you and obviously everybody at KFA, N.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
NORDO, the gang.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
You know, we very much appreciate the relationship we have
and Pa, you know how I feel about you. You're
very Yeah, You're a very special friend of mine and
somebody I really enjoy working with.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
The we have the If Kevin weren't here, we'd call
them the super Chickens, but we're going to call them
the Seattle Seahawks. Three oh five for the boom f
M one hundred point three k F a M KF
an Audio Network free game at one with Muss and
through it all, through it all, through these eleven games
and nineteen offensive line combinations, whatever we're up to. Multiple
(02:05):
quarterback stuff like that, Old Jalen Redman continues to help
Old Jalen Redmond. Just guys like that, sticking out when
things may not be at their best.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
You know, yeah, and I think you get to this
time of year and you start getting some of the
documentation for the Pro Bowl and things like that, and
you just hope Jalen Redman gets his due for the
type of season he's had. And I know there's a
lot of great players in the D line position in
the NFL, but I would argue his tape and his
play to play impact that he's had for us this
(02:37):
year is right up there with a lot of the
players you know that maybe have a little bit larger
name recognition. And obviously Jalen's got a lot of great
football out in front of him, so those things will
come his way. But can't say enough about what he's
meant to our team this year.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And Jalen had as what Kevin would call it a
blocked shot in the game at lambeau Field, a pass
defense to buy a defensive lineman. Yep, those are just
I mean, I know you want more, I know everybody
wants more, but those are so important but not really
that easy to come by, right.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
It depends.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I mean, it depends the type of the thrower you're
going against, and you know, release points. And I will
say Jordan Love has done a really nice job over
the years of he's got a high release point. Every
once in a while he'll get leaning backwards a little
bit depending on the rush, and he's still got the
ability to make some really nice throws over the middle
even when that happens. So the block shot is a
huge thing, and we're going to continue to preach. I'm
(03:34):
trying to force those tips and get some of those
overthrows where maybe the turnover ops will come our way,
because I know it's been they just haven't come like
they have in previous years, all those extra possessions, and
I know our defense is doing everything in their power
to try to force those things.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
The pump returned to backle that led to Green Bay
second touchdown. It was ten to six when that happened.
So like yesterday at your press conference, no excuse me,
this was after the game Sunday. When you say paraphraising
the way things currently are constructed, the margin for air
is razor thin. That's a high end example. Right, When
(04:12):
something like that happens, then they score, make it a
two score game.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Yeah, and the whole the way we finished the second
quarter and Will making the fifty nine yarder and making
that a ten to six game, a lot of the
messaging at halftime was defense is gonna get a stop,
and then we're gonna put together the drive that we
need offensively off of the momentum of the end of
the first half. The stop the defense is going to get,
(04:37):
and then we're going to find a way to put
the ball in the end zone and see what this
looks like the rest of the way if we're able
to do that, and you know, the offense is gearing up,
getting ready to you know, kind of make the second
part of that plan come together. Defense got the stop
we needed, got him into a third and long, and
got off the field, and then you just have a
mistake made, you know, by a rookie that has had
(04:59):
such an impact on our team from a return standpoint,
both the kick return phase and the punt return phase.
And he's trying to do what he believes is the
right thing. And I think what we have to you know,
take a look at is just clean clearing up and
cleaning up some of the some of the do a
little bit more.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
You know. It's I thought he did made a nice decision.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
He's been a great decision maker back there, specifically on
those sky punts. You know, knowing when to kind of
you know, Deek the the gunners out and actly he's
catching the ball, but we're gonna let that thing bounce.
And what I told him and and our coaching staff was,
you know, if they end up downing that ball at
the one yard line, you know, more power to them.
But what we can't possibly have happened in a game
(05:42):
like that where we kind of went into it knowing, Hey,
we're gonna we're gonna run the football, We're gonna keep
this thing close. I feel like our defense will play well,
maybe make this thing stay where we want it. Forced
the Packers to expose themselves to a little bit more risk.
Possibly they ran the ball a lot. They were playing
very similar and a lot of ways throughout the early
part of that game as we were, and it was
(06:04):
it was a ball control kind of game. The time
of possession was very close throughout the first half. We
had no turnovers in the first half, very limited penalties
by really either side. And uh, you know that one
play in a game like that, especially on the road
in the NFC North, all of a sudden you're down
eleven and you're it feels a lot greater. Uh, you know,
(06:25):
of circumstances against you just on one play, one bounce
of the ball. But what did we do to avoid
the negative in that moment by you know, playing smart football?
And that's what I've got to do a better job
of making sure our entire team feels that.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Kevin O'Connell x's and O's per nine to now and
the KFA Minnesota Vikings Audio Network also Vikings dot Com. Uh,
Kevin and I, well, well we'll chat after his press
conferences pretty much each and every Friday, sometimes recording a
pregame interview, sometimes just chatting. And uh, this week we
chatted right before you spoke to the Dinah High School
(07:01):
football team and they went out won the title that night.
How did that go and what did you guys talk about?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Well, it was the first thing I noticed was it
had been a long time since I had been in
a high school kind of locker room setting. Yeah, they're
not washing the football pants and pads as much as
they probably should be.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
You know, my son Kate and I walked in and
it was noticeable really right away.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
But I told the fellas, I said, this takes me
back right here, just that that aura, if you will,
that they had the stench. Yeah, the stench that's a
better word, but it was it was fun talking to
those guys. I mean they were in they were already
kind of suited up and in their uniforms, getting ready
to get on the bus to head the US Bank
Stadium and you know, getting a chance to talk to
(07:47):
some of the individual players and ask them some questions
and you know a funny story though, I kept on
talking to them about sixty minutes and you know, really
in a football game, what separates our our game is
you know, really when you look at it, the players
that play the most, you're probably only looking at about
ten to twelve minutes of actual activity, you know, between
(08:10):
all the play clock going and the huddle calls and
all those things. So I kept telling them if I
if I told you had ten to twelve minutes for
a possibility to hoist a state championship trophy tonight on
the field at US Bank Stadium, what would you be
willing to do?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And it circled back to sixty minutes.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
In sixty minutes, and every time I said that, the
you know, the fellas on the team would kind of
smirk a little bit, and I was like, what am
I saying that, you know, is it some.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Pop culture reference?
Speaker 4 (08:37):
I'm making six seven whatever it is, and they're laughing
at me. Or and then I get to the game,
had a blast, took my two boys and wanted to
make sure they got to feel such an unbelievable atmosphere
both sides. And I look up at the clock and
there's twelve minutes on the clock to start the game.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, and I best for forty eight minutes.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
And I said I might have been asking them for
twelve minutes too much, and nobody was willing to tell
me in the moment.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
But congrats to those guys. What a season.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
And you could feel a lot of special things with
that team and their journey throughout the year. And once, yeah,
you know, you're just so happy to this game is
such a wonderful game. It can be it can be
tough sometimes like we felt this season, but make no
mistake about it, this game has provided so many moments
in our lives to all of us, and moments of
triumph and moments of overcoming adversity. And that's what we're
(09:28):
going to attempt to do right now on a daily,
minute a minute.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Basis around this building.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
But anytime you can see a collection of guys go
accomplish something like that, it was special.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Well, what if you slip in the pregame talk Saturday
night in Seattle's like guys, I need your best forty
eight minutes here, and then like somebody doesn't play hard
for five minutes, Like, well, you only said you need
it forty eight.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
I told our team the story and everybody, of course,
you know, they were laughing at me, just like the
Dina Hornets were.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
And the Hornets had a running back in the game
named Chase Bjorgard, who I've known his father Eric for
many years. Yeah, General manager Metropolitan Ford. I've known Chase
since he started middle school and it's just been great
to watch him mature and get bigger and stuff like that.
My man had six touchdowns in three hundred and fifty
one total yards. Now, Chase and his dad were in
(10:18):
studio on my radio show with Nordo yesterday. Nice little
father son, fun off the state championship and stuff like that,
and so talking to Chase, you know, he shared that
he also plays baseball and he's a goalie for the
Dinah High School hockey team. Did you play multiple sports
in high school when you were when you were growing up.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
I did.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
I played basketball and football were my my main sports.
But I really I always played baseball, you know, in
the springtime, and say a pitcher, I was, And my
problem was, unlike football, I threw it right down the
middle at a very tempoed pace every single time. So
as the hitter started to get better and better, the
ball went further and further, and I started to feel
(11:00):
little bit more like batting practice.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And this is so too right. Oh yeah, so CAW
High School baseball, cal State Fullerton for college up there.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
It's unbelievable, no question, but but yeah, so I and
then you get into the spring football and the year
round aspect of some things which I am.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Highly highly four kids.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Uh, you know, my kids are playing everything that they
could possibly imagine. I think they need to play everything,
they need to try everything.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Why.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
I just think every sport has a positive effect in
some way on on on the other and whether it's
change of direction, long speed, hand eye coordination, uh, you know,
depending on if you're a thrower or baseball versus a
football versus anything else. And you know, and I think
the different dynamics of five man sports, you know, there's
nine guys on the field on baseball, eleven in the
(11:49):
huddle on in football, and they're just different dynamics of
team building and teamwork and then the individual aspect of
growth and development from a from a standpoint of for
I think we all forget at times as we start
to see high school kids making nil money and we
are finding a way to turn a lot of this
into a business, when really the most important thing is
(12:11):
is you know, learning about yourself and the passion you
have to do something for reasons greater than yourself in
many ways is what makes sports so special and helps
you grow as a human being long you know, outside,
you know, much further outside the lines than.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Just playing those games.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
And I you know, I told the guys the other
day some of my I still talk to some of
my high school football teammates, you know, on you know, weekly, monthly,
whatever it is, because those bonds will last a lifetime.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
So so let the place in Florida McCarthy whin I
AMG academy. Yep, you know a lot of people have gone,
They're gone to the NFL stuff Like that stupid question
is is I AMG strictly football?
Speaker 3 (12:51):
They well, know they do. They have a lot of
I think they have a lot of like Olympic, Yeah, athlete.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
I'm not saying it eliminates what you just said, but
like Carlsbad, Glendora, Mancato, Topeka, Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, no matter where, Chicago,
no matter where you're growing up, it's like when you
get shipped off to something like that, it just has
a factory feel to it.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
I'm not saying it's bad and that you can't have
bonds that last forever, but I'm just never going to
forget the story JJ McCarthy told into the season about
when he was at IMG Academy and COVID hit and
he couldn't get home and like depression set in and
it was significant. I mean, I'm not over sharing. He
has shared him now.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
I've talked to him a lot about that time and
it was a difficult time, and I think I think
it was a difficult time for a lot of people,
you know, at a lot of levels of not only
sports but school as well, just being disconnected from you know,
some of the best parts of being a young person
growing up as those relationships you make in person around
people not necessarily over a computer screen.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
In neighborhoods with Billy Johnny and that whole thing growing
up and stuff Christy Susie to make Antwan twenty twenty.
Your best friend was the person in the bio reference van.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Let's see on a daily basis, all right, Kevin O'Connell
x's and o's best and never expanding KFA and Audio network.
Do you or do you guys have anybody who chats
with players about time they spend on social media? And
you know, I know it's a tough guy game, and
(14:29):
mental tenacity is required, so let's be tough here mentally especially,
but sometimes that stuff can just overwhelm people, specifically in
their low twenties, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I learned going on about eighteen years ago from my
first coach in the National Football League, Bill Belichick used
to it said, in big words, right on the doors
you walked in, ignore the noise.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
And the noise has changed over the years.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
And I was talking a little bit about this with
Harrison a few weeks back, Harrison Smith on Friday mornings
and I get together, uh, and it's kind of old
guy talk, you know, all things considered and just the
way the dynamic of it has changed. But I say
this as all the time as well. You can't have
the popularity of our game, the great fan base that
(15:15):
we have, uh here in in Minnesota for for the
Minnesota Vikings, and then not take both sides of it.
It's it's part of it. It's part of what we
all signed up for.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
That passion that our fan base has is something that
I always want to feel. And it's not always going
to be positive, but uh, you know, part of what
we signed up is being able to overcome that. But
I think the younger player is a little bit more
tied to it than than maybe at times they should.
So we talk about is it really worth engaging? Is
(15:48):
it really worth you know, uh finding uh, you know,
finding it in yourself to give responses to things when
either you're being personally attacked.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Or you know, some of those things cross the line. Sometimes.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
We've had examples of that with some of our players.
And that's what I care about more than anything, is
you know, the times where things cross the line a
little bit and then you really kind of have to
hit the reset button a little bit of what's important
and that's all part of it. And that's part of what,
like I said, we all have to understand that with
how much this game has provided to us, both professionally
(16:21):
and personally, that the passion fans have for it is
what makes our game in our league so special.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Well well, said McCarthy with the concussion related news yesterday.
Outside of the concussion, it's it's with JJ. Do you
ever feel he cares so much, he puts too much
pressure on himself and even feels he needs to carry
the burden of like the entire team.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
I you know, I think what I have felt from
him at times is a previous play where maybe he
had the possibility of making a play and for whatever
reason sometimes not you know, not anything having to do
with his doing on the play. The play's not made,
the throw is not made, maybe the completion's not there,
(17:07):
the yards don't come, and then he will, you know,
kind of circle back on that play in the execution
of maybe something similar, maybe something different later on in
the game. And that's when you've seen some of the
you know, kind of second half forced throws where all
were attempting to do every single snap is treat each
snap as its own, obviously acquiring experience and applying the
(17:31):
techniques and fundamentals and the do your job mentality of
what playing the quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings is
all about, and really any offense for that matter, but
really trying to at times do a little bit too
much based upon some things that he thinks are the
you know, the right way to go about things. But
it all circles back to those little details of it
(17:53):
might not be the same exact look. It might not
be worth predetermining throwing this ball down the middle on
this look just because maybe Jaalen Naylor was running down
the middle open in the second quarter. Each thing in
this league has a way of circling back. But you
got to do it with the right principles, and you
got to do it the right way. And if if
you're ever forcing things or trying to force something to happen,
(18:14):
many many times it'll come back to get you.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
And I love when you say, not only with JJ
McCarthy who's twenty two years of age, but when you,
like you'll say at press conferences are here. You know,
I talked with the guy that Sunday night, and I'm like,
got my phone in my hand. Lee is like the
kids are running around and stuff. But it was important,
you know, at that moment to especially when you're that young,
in that inexperience, because as the absolute leader of this
(18:41):
football team with what takes place specifically in the season
off the season too, off season two is when they leave.
I mean you got to kind of have it in
the back of your mind, like how do they feel,
how hard are they going to be on themselves? What
are they looking at? What are they thinking about? It
just never stops, you know, to who much is given
much as an expected, no doubt about it, and certainly
(19:02):
not painting you with some kind of martyr or.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Anything, please don't.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
But like on a Sunday night when you're like I
talked to JJ or homever it was until eleven o'clock.
That's all part of it, right.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Yeah, And there's there's fifty three guys just like that.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
It's obviously the twenty two year old quarterback somebody that
I'm going to be trying to, you know, be there
for as much as possible.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
He needs to feel my support, he.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Needs to feel obviously the purpose of that coach the
player relationship, but also it also fuels what takes what
takes place Monday through Saturday, as we lead into another
opportunity and the growth and although you know, right now
there is a and rightly so, there's a magnifying glass
(19:43):
on him, our team, where we're at in our season,
and as we get further and further away from you know,
that win in Detroit or going back even for you know,
further than that, you know, the opener in Chicago, it
starts to be a question of consistency and take those
next steps of you know, elevating his own personal game
(20:04):
for the greater good and purpose of our team. And
he's right in the thick of that right now and
working through some things. He's doing well, he's working through
some things that we've got to continue to improve on,
and that is that is the life of a young
quarterback on this journey in the National Football League.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Well, as Kevin shared to this press conference yesterday, Max Brosmer,
the undrafted rookie from Minnesota, he's going to get the
first team reps until JJ is out of concussion protocol.
We'll see how along that last. During the course of
the week. Our talkback for Kevin O'Connell, head coach of
the Minnesota Vikings, I understand involves Max Brosmer and here
(20:39):
it is.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Good morning, nine to noon coach. This has been he
from Monts View.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Say, if Max is a starter this week, how does his.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Skill set differ from jjson even Carson's And are you
going to have to tweak the preparations at all to
match his skills set?
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You guys have a happy Thanksgiving. Thanks Bob. Good question.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah, I don't know if you tweak the preparation as
much as maybe some of the things that we know
Max does well. And I think I heard the turn
signal or the hazard lights in the background clicking there
from our talk back question.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
But the details that matter.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yeah, why he pulled off to the side, he didn't.
We always preach don't talk back and drive.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
It's very very smart speaking of you know, you can
carry over that analogy to playing quarterback and what it's
going to be for Max this week is keeping it
laser focused like he's done throughout this season. And really
he's been a snap away now going on three four
five weeks or so, and his preparation has been fantastic,
his questions, his dialogue.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
He is wise beyond his years.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
He obviously has some experience at a couple of different
schools in college, different offenses, different levels of play. And
what really caught Ori I in training camp is his
ability to do things, you know, at a pretty high
level without getting a lot of time on task or
reps to build into that. You know, watching JJ take reps,
(22:11):
watching the other quarterbacks take reps, and when he got
his his opportunities, he always made the most of it.
And what I've challenged Max to do throughout this week is,
you know, whether he ends up playing or not, let's
have that same level consistency. Let's envision not having to
do anything more then go in there and execute each.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Play as its own.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
You know, what's my what's my footwork and where's my uh,
where are my completions? And what Max has shown as
a twitchy, quick release with you know, the ability to
be pretty accurate not only underneath but in the intermediate
part of the field. And I think there's you know,
gonna be some opportunities for who's ever playing quarterback in
this game to just hunt completions all day long. Really
(22:53):
good pass rush athleticism. You're going to notice it up
in the booth. You and Pete will the speed at
which their defense plays with if Mike McDonald's got them
flying around. So we really need to be disciplined when
we are throwing the ball, whether no matter what.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Level or phase of our offense.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
That is, we have to be air tight with getting
the ball out of our hands, throwing completions and really
getting Justin and Jordan Speedy and obviously TJ Aaron Jones
and the rest of the group involved in the game
by getting the football in their hands.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
And how many times can we do that?
Speaker 4 (23:24):
Stack those plays without the negatives that really doomed us
in the second half the other day, and we didn't
give ourselves any chance whatsoever, regardless of the fumble punt,
regardless of what took place on the other side of
the ball, And that's got to be the starting point
against a good football team on the road.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Well, I mean with Brosmer, I just you know, the
recall is back to things you said in the offseason
about processing quickly and just the voluminous amount of study,
the scholarly natured things, always walking around with a laptop
looking at something or the micro the surface pad, whatever
you call looking and stuff, and that came to fruition.
(24:00):
I think it was the Tennessee game. Yep, Birstich and
I were walking out with Max. He threw a touchdown
back left of the end zone. Just asked about it,
you know, preseason, asked about the touchdown. It took him
thirty seconds to explain, well, something with cover two when
it was actually manned. And then you do this and
then you put the green dot here and you push
the red button and just kept going and it's like
(24:22):
it's it's like we look at each other like wow,
holy cow. I mean, that's some pretty good dissecting right there.
All right, Topeka, Kansas is telling me that we need
to go. I got to get in one or two more.
If you mentioned getting to a tack mode yesterday, and
clearly that's been a calling card of yours since you arrived.
(24:42):
What are some keys to returning to, as you would say,
attack mode. Well, we'll make that the last one.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
I think a lot of times you know that mentality
and that mode can be something where it can you know,
you're trying to be a little bit more conservative, maybe
you're trying to run the football more. All your doing
in those situations is hopefully setting up opportunities to get
a little bit more bang for your buck in the
play action game in some of the phases of our offense,
(25:09):
and I thought we missed some opportunities in the game.
There was a play where, you know, Michael Parsons goes
out of the game. You know, we've we've kind of
had something teed up and might have been early on
in the game, and we end up bobbling the snap
coming away from center and ending up on the turf
for a minus three yard loss. But that play, when
you're calling the game and you're operating as a team
(25:30):
the way we are right now, trying to navigate your
way to you know, at the very least a stalemate
in the turnover battle, the very least running the football
for the sake of staying efficient for some of the
third downs that have caused us problems when we get
into those longer yardage dn ds, okay, and then when
you don't make those plays, you know, those are wasted
(25:50):
opportunities that in many ways they're still happening. There's still
the defense is still having to go over and talk
about some of those things, whether the play was made
or not. We just aren't making enough of those plays
to complement the rest of the way we're trying to
play as a football team. And as we continue to
progress forward and we continue to learn more about this
(26:10):
year's team, we're gonna have to find those plays because
the best parts of our team in many ways are
our guys named Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and TJ. Hockinson,
and they have to have an impact on the football
game to go along offensively with our ability to run
the ball, our ability to control the football, the clock
and hopefully the time of possession and field position.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Oh oh, John, look over there is Jackson Smith and
jigbas still strictly a slot guy, and no he's not
not anymore, but he was like last year, right he is.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
He is a fantastic player.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I mean really watching him and and you know, I
you know, speaking to I remember a few weeks back
when they they played the Rams and leading into that game,
I got a chance to talk to Sean McVeagh a
little bit about, you know, their preparation and it was
going to be obviously a big game for them in
the division, and he was just blown away by the
player and what he's you know, obviously grown and and
(27:04):
kind of you know, continued to progress forward in his
career early on here. But you're seeing an explosive guy
that can win outside, win, inside, run after catch, making
some of the most dynamic catches in the league. And uh,
you know he's finding his ops because you know Sam's want.
Of Sam's great qualities is that intermediate to deeper passing
game and really activating the intermediate to deep part of
(27:27):
the field with his arm. And we saw it a
year ago and he's picked up right where he left off.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Good Thanksgiving, man, we'll see out here for practice this week.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
From Toddy all right, Happy Thanksgiving to everybody.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
I appreciate you. Kevin Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the
Minnesota Vikings. That's EXAs and O's back after this, ladies
(28:12):
and gentlemen. Nine to Noon has learned. Sam Darnold's quarterback
for the Seattle Super Chickens. He has ten interceptions, five fumbles,
he's lost four of them. Amazingly, he has fourteen giveaways
for an eight and three team. Maybe even more amazing
the Seattle Seahawks are minus seven in the take given
they're eight and three, that's just incredible. But their offense
(28:35):
can be high powered with Kenneth Walker and Jackson Smith
and Jigba who the coach just talked about. Let's hear
Brian Flores up share a little bit of what it
may be like going against Sammy d and this defense
in this offense.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
Almost rackus stadiums in a league. So looking forward to.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
What have you seen about how they've may ably get
Jason open?
Speaker 5 (28:59):
Feed him some volume.
Speaker 6 (29:01):
They're not like a huge passing volume off as you say,
but like and he's obviously the big target.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
And how do they do that? Oh well, I mean
they do it in a number of ways.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
I think it's schematically every you know he moves, you know,
is he's a Z or the X, Well he moves,
he's Z and the X and he plays. Uh, they
move him quite a bit. And you know, let's just
talk about him. He does a great job of getting
himself open, you know, understanding the coverage, understanding leverage of
(29:35):
the receivers, understanding where the soft spots are on zones.
Sam's obviously looking for him and knows that he's gonna
find an opening.
Speaker 5 (29:45):
If it's man coverage.
Speaker 6 (29:47):
You know, he not necessarily beat the leverage, but you
know Sam will put it in a spot where he
can only he can catch it. You know, They've got
you know, Cup and they just got Shaheed who opens
things up from a speeds endpoint and uh, you know,
Shaheed taking the top off of it and just creating
some space from in you know, in the intermediate to
(30:10):
you know, short passing game if you want to call that.
But he's also a deep threat, So I think there's
layers within the offense that allow him to be a
short you know, receiver. When I might I say that,
I mean catch passes in the short range, the intermediate
part of the field, and the deep part of the field.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
They've got other players who.
Speaker 6 (30:35):
Can you know, help him, uh create you know, I'm
thinking about Shahat, who you know takes the top of
the defense, you know, and then creates boys an intermediate
and short part of the field. And you know, they
just do a really good job schematically. And then when
you tie that in with the run game, it's, you know,
you bring a guy down in the run game, there's
(30:56):
more space in the back end.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
So they do a lot of those things. They've got
to you know, uh a good plan.
Speaker 6 (31:02):
It's obviously thoughtfully designed and constructed and uh, you know,
he's done a great job.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
He really has be a great challenge for us. How
was Sam grown since he left her? I mean, you know,
Sam's one of my favorites. You know, how great dialogue
when he was here.
Speaker 6 (31:18):
And I thought he grew tremendously when he was here,
for sure, just from a leadership standpoint. From a obviously
he's played was what it was, pro bowl level, pro
Bowl level last year, but you know, his his leadership,
I mean, it's his routines. You know, I'm sure he's
(31:41):
still in the same routine. And I walk up there,
he's in there, breakfast, the coiler, quarterbacks at.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
You know, this time, the meeting at this time, and.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
He's, uh, he did a lot of great things and
he's here and clearly those things are continuing to show
up for him.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
Out there in Seattle, he's doing a great job. You know,
he's throwing throwing the ball, he's leading the Team's got
command of the offense. He's getting the men and out
of plays.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
And what I mean by that is just checking plays
that they're in something that's not you know, the greatest
look for them. And and I think he's just he's
he's being who he is, he's being himself and you
know he's he's he's doing well.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
What were the circumstances when you guys chat.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
And it was just like I'm put into a morm
ups kind of thing or more structured one on one
talks that you have with Yeah, oh here's you know,
the cafeteria, locker room, training room. Uh, you know, talking defense,
talking offense.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
Yeah, you know, we had a great rapport friendship. So
I'm happy for him, But we will blitz him this week,
That's for sure.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
We will. Yeah, kay, Ken, you're familiarity with him, show
up on game day at all or that any advantages.
Speaker 6 (32:58):
You know, I think I think every year is different.
I think, you know, there's some things that you know,
I think we could we could say may have bothered
him a year ago, but maybe they don't this year.
You know, I think based on you know, having seen
it several times, getting more reps at and getting more
familiarity with you know, a front or coverage. So a
(33:22):
year later, it's hard to know, but you try it
out and see if you know that still bothers them
or that still bothers them, and you know, if it
doesn't bother him anymore, you move on to something else
and if it does, you keep running it.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
And so.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
But it's not just just Sam. He's got a lot
of other people, you know, to lean on the run game.
You know, schematically it's a little bit different. So but
it'll be fun to be great to see him and
compete against him and that. Then again, they got a
great team, so it'd be great environment and looking forward
to it.
Speaker 3 (33:58):
Brian, what have you noticed about Cash means grown bis
the Green Dot New Defense.
Speaker 6 (34:03):
Cash is you know, one of our uh, one of
the leaders of the defense uh as far as just
my my, uh, you know, daily conversations with him, and
the thing is that you know we're asking of him
and from a check ball system or from a front
(34:25):
standpoint or from a leadership standpoint, he's been fantastic.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
He's growing in that role, that leadership role.
Speaker 6 (34:32):
He's obviously playing at a you know, a very good level.
Speaker 5 (34:38):
There's still plays there.
Speaker 6 (34:39):
That you know, we're sitting there going, hey, you know,
you can make this one, this one and this one
and then you know, so there's still improvement there.
Speaker 5 (34:46):
But that's for every player.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
That's defensive coordinator for the Minnesota. He's we're gonna and
I had to had to break. But for Brian Flores,
you could tell when he was done with the Sam
Darnold part conversation when he said, yeah, we're happy for
him and we will be blitzing him. They moved on
to different players. I love that. All right, We'll be
(35:07):
right back. Shadoor Sanders, the ballyhooed rookie quarterback from Colorado.
And I say ballyhood because he's Shadoor Sanders. I mean
(35:28):
he's polarizing, whether he's as I think it was Jackson State,
you know where they did. They they did the Netflix bit,
which was really really good. Then Colorado and Boulder couple
of years took like ninety eight sacks, ninety six sacks
in two years. But you know, still helped play a
part with his father Dion and Travis Hunter and certainly
(35:49):
some other good players to fill folsome stadium. I've told
the story before where when when my daughter started at
the University of Colorado, we went to a Colorado Buffalo's game,
sat on the forty yard line. Each ticket was like
fifteen dollars. It's like thirty dollars, man, It's awesome. Thing
was sixty percent full then Dion rolls in and and
(36:12):
I mean those same tickets probably were two fifty up
to three seventy five and long lines to get in
to watch those teams. And they've had a bad season
this year, but they're still selling out and the Dion
factors still really good. Shador had a lot to do
with that. So Shador plays against the Raiders, has a
pretty good game, and they win the game. Stefanski announces
(36:35):
he'll be the quarterback in the next one. I can't
remember who they're taking on, hosting the Niners. They're hosting
the Niners. Okay, so he gets a home game. But
after the game, Shador said said, I am what they
have been waiting for. Okay, Well, I love that because
if I'm a Browns fan, I'm like, what what I'm
(36:57):
excited for the next game? All of us, And I'm
a Browns fan. But from a radio show standpoint, or
maybe a columnist standpoint, what I love most about it
It establishes a line of delineation where I'm what they've
been waiting for. So now we will see if he's
what they've been waiting for, or if he was bloviating
(37:22):
and he was just being like overly confident or cocky.
Some would say I thought that was pretty cool man,
So I found myself pulling for Shador from Afar. Thank
you very much for listening to nine to Noon today
for Eric north Quistam Brett Blake Moore, I'm Paul Allen.
Thanks to everybody here at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center
for the accommodations join us tomorrow. Chris Finch, coach of
(37:42):
the Timberwolves, joins it right out of the gate at nine.
That's nine to noon. Coming up next PJ Fleck on kfa.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
N podcast Today's Paul Allen Show and listen back to
previous show and interviews. I going to the iHeartRadio app
for kfan dot com.
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