November 4, 2025 • 38 mins
#92Noon! KOC
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A fan.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Work perfect.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Here comes Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings
for x'es and O. The Minnesota Vikings hosts the Baltimore
Ravens at US Bank Stadium Sunday at noon. Ravens are
three and five and more on the Ravens coming up
soon because the Lamar Jackson's back. They've won two consecutive
(01:16):
and it's the National Football League, which means National Football
League Trade deadline day today, and the head coach of
the Minnesota Vikings joins us.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Now, guys working on any whoppers up.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
There in the old second floor, Mister O'Connell, I would say,
the whoppers are more on the whiteboard right now with
the coaching staff drawn some plays, more so than me
being involved.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Directly right now with any of that stuff.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
But I know there's a lot of calls going on.
Quacy and his staff do a great job with that.
And see where the day.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Goes all done.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
The locker room after the Alliance win, wild, loud and joyous,
and it reminded me it's like you got four wins.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Locker room after the Bengals game.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Cool after the Browns game everybody's tired, wants to get home.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Cool.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
But after the Bears win and after this win kind
of reminded me of each other there, and you know,
with the joyous nature of the locker room after that victory,
you could just tell that those guys worked really, really
hard during the week and during the day to win
that game, didn't they.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
It really started the Monday after we got back from
you know, played on Thursday, gave the guys the weekend off,
and then when they came in on Monday, you know,
I was I'd spent a lot of time thinking about
the direction we needed to go last week, and I
was pretty direct, and I told them exactly what where
I thought we were at and where we needed to go,
(02:46):
and how wildly capable we were to do the things
required to win the football game last Sunday, And just
so proud of the guys, proud of our leadership. It's
just one game in this league, you know, obviously, the
NFC North battles always seem to mean a little bit more,
especially on the road, and we're two and zero on
the road this year in the division, right, and we've
(03:07):
got we've got to keep having many of the same
principles that we were able to kind of put in
play and really envision for this team, you know, many
many days and months ago, we got to put it
into action every single week.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
In this league.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
The hardest thing, the true measure of teams is their
ability once they find their rhythm, once they're through some
of the adversity that we went through early on in
the season injury wise, can you be consistent?
Speaker 1 (03:34):
That's the hardest thing.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
Is week in and week out, teams are game planning
coaching at a high level. You're playing against another great
quarterback this week, and a team that has really found
themselves again. And when they have, you know, their team
built the way they want around that quarterback and a
defense flying around with a bunch of talent. This is
one of the best teams in football. So we're gonna
have to make sure that we don't just you know,
(03:58):
expect that feeling that locker room postgame.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
A lot goes into it.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Players deserve all the credit, and now I'm going to
put it on them to try to make sure we
can repeat well, I'll repeat those performances well. Also, I
think there's a lot of things we can still do better. Pa,
you know, as we continue to grow. And it sounds
crazy to say that after playing eight games, but it
does feel like in many ways a new season for
our team, just the feeling of, you know, wanting to
(04:25):
continue to grow through getting guys back on the field,
really finding that formula of what the twenty twenty five
vikings are going to be when it's all said and done.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Kevin, I'm really glad you said that about the division,
the NFC North, because into that game, okay, it's you
guys were either perceived underdogs or pointspread underdogs into that
game on the okay.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Right off place to go play.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
However, I'm rarely stunned when a perceived underdog wins a
division game, yep, because of the familiarity, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, and you just I mean, you know them well,
they know us. Well.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
There's a there was new coordinators on that side, but
obviously Dan's done a heck of a job, you know,
building a staff that can kind of transition from losing
both coordinators and kind of keep guys that we're very
much aware of how they've had a lot of their
success on offense and on defense.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
So but yeah, it's.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
They always mean a little bit more, but it also
means a little bit more because in both the Chicago
and Detroit wins, we know we're going to see these
guys again, and we're going to see them at US
Bank Stadium, but that doesn't mean we're gonna let one
get away from.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Us today and just try to play good football.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
And it helps to have a team that you know
well and you know some of the big cast of
characters that you've got to basically, you know, try to
win matchups against and see if you can win enough
of the one on ones across the field throughout the
game in all three phases that they add up.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, division wins are the bomb, and really the underdog
status kind of gets thrown out the window no matter
the records, because they know each other so well, not
all the time, but sometimes. Now to the meat and
potatoes and McCarthy portion of the way, and from a
meat and potatoes standpoint, and I'm gonna have to read
this because I don't want to mess it up. Is
(06:06):
they get down there, Laporter goes three sixty six and one,
all right, places loud.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
They're up seven zero.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yep, you get that kick return, which so well timed
to like get people to sit down for a second.
Ford Field's become a place that said this during the
radio broadcast, where the fans are always up. I mean
they're just really really into it. The stands are close
to the field, so it can be a really really
daunting home environment. Miles gets that sixty one, But on
(06:33):
that play with that kick return after Laporter scored, Baddie
and Felton, I mean, what wonderful meat and potatoes work
they did to help free him. And then you get
Eric Wilson, all right, the same Eric Wilson who's tied
for the team lead in sacks, messing with a guy
late where Miles price that gave him a chance to
(06:54):
get clear. I was just so impressed by that, the
meat and potatoes aspect of Baddie and Felton, but then
leading sacks guy out there trying to free him for
a touchdown.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Yeah, no, it was a It was a huge play
for Miles, who's a guy that we think every time
he touches the ball's got a chance to do something
with it, especially because of those guys he's had on
that unit in front of him. And really we've had
some really, really good execution, specifically in the kick return
phase and punt return phase. But many of those opportunities
(07:24):
you've seen that yellow flag come flying on the field.
Just as guys it's a different play. Guys are a
lot closer together. There's a lot bigger bodies out there.
The change of direction with all those bodies clumped together
basically five yards apart, you've got to know when, as
we learned on the touchdown later in the game, you
got to go know when to let go. But you
win those one on ones in those in those blocking
(07:46):
battles with guys like Baddie, you know Felton and then
obviously he will it will give you a chance to
very at the very least flip the field, at the
very least give us a little shot of life there
after they did score, and then what I loved about
that is the offense getting the ball in the end
zone and then the defense going out and getting to
stop and we go right back. And for the first
(08:08):
time and since I've been the head coach here, it
really felt like we had total control the football game early. Obviously,
against a really good team like that, you can lose
it in a heartbeat, but it just felt like our
teams kept on stacking plays when we needed them to
have them happen to maintain the momentum pay that we
had in the game, and then that allowed us to
play things like field position that still matters in twenty
(08:30):
twenty five in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
I think a lot of people have lost sight of
what it's like to.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Win that battle, Ryan, right, you know, keeping those guys
inside the ten and then obviously us being able to
have short fields coming back for a variety of different reasons.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
And at meet and Potatoes than McCarthy more Meet and potatoes.
The Jones long one, the one that they took from
a pass to a run. Nice floater by McCarthy. You
hit on that at your press conference yesterday. It was
a really nice touch floater. Hockinson did enough with Branch,
all right, so that was fine. Jordan Addison, Yeah, demolished
(09:05):
Arthur Mallett, the cornerback, legally demolished him. And I think
Terry and Arnold wanted to fight Jordan Addison during the
play until he saw Jones whipping down the side up
the sideline. Hey, I got to go get him, but
you know, you know what I'm talking about. Addison crushes
Mallett and uh then like Terry and Arnold took umbrage
(09:28):
to it right there, and.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I thought he was going to go after Jordan.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Yeah, it was. It was a play we we We
didn't have.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
A lot of plays up in the game with both
Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones on the field, So when
I called that personnel grouping, everybody knew what play was coming.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
But it was the execution. We got the exact look
we wanted.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
Jordan actually was being covered by Terry on Arnold on
the play, so he gets you know, he trails Jordan
down in there as he's blocking Mallet and when he
makes that block and puts him on the ground, you're right, Terry.
I didn't know whether to you know, stick up for
his guys, go try to run down the play. And
I did think that was a big time throw by JJ.
Not an easy one, not for you know, to get
(10:08):
that up and over the defensive end right there and
give Aaron a chance to.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Be out the gate for what was a huge play
in the moment. Thought it was pass yards.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
You know, JJ's would have been in the one seventies
if that was past yards.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
But I helped the yards for attempt the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
I watched it. I watched it really cold stand, I
watched it really close. It is as as close as
you can possibly be. So whoever was scoring the play
on the day, I think they were more of an
Aaron Jones or maybe not a JJ McCarthy fan who
knows well.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Keeping momentum obviously is key.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
And we have a talk back each and every Tuesday
for Viking's head coach, Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
And here's this weakes good morning order on PA. It's
Mike from Tampa.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
This is for the head coach koc person and foremost
congrats on a great win, a great team effort from
coaching on down, firing on all cylinders. A couple of
things for improvements where we can tighten up. I think
the biggest question that fans and myself have is how
do you keep the team on a high off a
great win like that at Ford Field with a strong
Baltimore team coming in and keep them focused so that
(11:16):
they keep firing on all cylinders upcoming.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Yeah, Mike, I think it's a great question, and you
think a lot about those things as many times as
in minutes and hours.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
You plan.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
Like I mentioned of having the team back after that
long weekend where we had some time off, you spend
a lot of time thinking about what is the direction
that I need to make sure I present, and then
actively hold our.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Guys too throughout the week.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
After a win like that, you absolutely have to give
it the same amount of care and concern. But what
I would say is the journey we've been on this
year has been filled with many, many moments where it'd
be easy for these guys to just say, you know,
maybe it's not our year.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
There's a lot of things going wrong.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
There's a lot of things injury wise where we just
need that guy or this guy and we just don't
have him, maybe in game, losing linemen, right tackle, left, haack,
whatever it is. We've kind of taken a journey up
until this point that I think has kind of calcified
us as a team to know, uh, these guys are
really it's a different kind of it's a different kind
(12:21):
of vibe in a good way, where hey, we get
off to a five and oh start. Last year, we
lose two in a row and it's hey, let's rite
this ship and get back to where we were. We
really never felt, you know, outside of you know, beating
Chicago in the opener, and even then we didn't play
a good game in the first half, specifically on offense.
We never have really felt like we have earned the
right to feel like we've arrived. And through that time
(12:44):
we've had to really look inward and have a little
grit and and and a different kind of feel to
how we go about our business and persevering through some
adversity directly starting you know, the season where it hasn't
really been like that always for us. I know we
started zero and three a couple of years ago, but Pa,
what I mean by that is, I think these guys
are showing back up in the building with kind of
(13:06):
a workmanlike approach now of understanding the margin of error
is razor thin and we need to do everything in
our power to prepare for every every game each week
like it is the only thing that matters, and then
do it with our same culture and guys having an
absolute you know blast competing daily and getting better and
all those things that we do around here.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
But in the end, there is a level of edge
to this team.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Now that I think Vikings fans, you know, hopefully can
appreciate because of the journey we've been on that we
have not been happy about up until this point in
the season. But nine games left and I feel like
this team is now prepared to do a lot of
the things required and have the personality.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Of a football team that can go do those things. Well.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
That's beautiful because you, like, I don't know if what
I'm about to say is exactly why Bira Murphy Junior
might have been having a rough time in the locker
room after the game wheneverbody else was jumping around, but
with all due respect, because I love him. He had
some rough moments in that game, specifically with open field tackling,
and the team won and everybody's going nuts. But I
(14:11):
just got the feeling with him because I've gotten to
know him pretty well since he got here, that he's like,
I got one or two things I could do here.
I A'm going to be jumping up and down and
stuff like that, because there are things on I may
have almost messed this thing up a couple of times,
but he was just in his feelings, is what the
kids would say. Was just introspective about the game he
(14:32):
played compared to how the whole thing worked.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Out. That's leadership in my opinion.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Yeah, And I think it also goes to a lot
of the things that the leadership talked about throughout the
week and the night before the game, where it was
about doing your job every single play to the best
of your ability and beyond from a standpoint of the
expectation that we have for each guy on each call.
And there's a thousand layers to all that, but the
(14:58):
moral of all that message was do it for the
guy next to you, do it so that somebody else.
If you're not going to make the play, do your
job so well that somebody else can. Jordan Addison didn't.
You don't necessarily have a big statistical game, but he was.
It wasn't just that Aaron Jones throw. I mean he
was blocking all night long. He was first level, second level.
(15:18):
Jalen Naylor didn't have a catch until the very end
of the game, but you should see Jalen Naylor throughout
that film and and tape winning against one on ones,
blocking in the run game. That is how our team
has kind of continued to forge together. And I think
that's what you probably felt from Byron, and it's just
an eagerness to completely get another opportunity to even be
(15:40):
in better because he had some quality.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
He had some really good plays as well.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
He had some competitive coverage reps, you know, tying that
Russian coverage together. But that's what these guys are striving for.
They're not striving for just being Okay, we're trying to
take this in some times where not very many people
maybe think we're capable of it. But we're trying to
get to what we believe the potential of this team
can be. And it's kind of the days and in
(16:05):
times of talking about it, Pa even No, that's my
contractual responsibility with my good friend here this morning, I'm
kind of done talking about everything, and I just really
want our and I think our team is as well,
and it's time to just go put plans into action
and go play football with the type of urgency and
focus that this talented team is capable of doing.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
And Jordan Addison is I mean, that's an entire seventeen
minute segment talker if we had time. Yeah, you know,
we talked about the block on the corner on the
Jones what ended up being a run. How about his run?
I mean it took an army to bring him down.
It took Aiden Hutchinson. You know, Aiden, he's so smart
and those three who got through and they're like, hey,
(16:46):
there's nobody here, probably a runner, a screeners, and so
he sprinted down and ended up getting him, but Jordan
would not go down. It's as tenacious as I've seen
Jordan Addison Black.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Yeah, you know, Jordan is pretty dynamic with the football
in his hands when he can have that kind of
space and that kind of running start and the move
he made, you know it might have been Arnold chasing
him across the field. Yeah, the move he made putting
that foot down and really you know, avoiding two lines
DB's and almost I mean he was a shoe stringer too,
(17:19):
or maybe an Aiden Hutchinson chasing the play down from
walking that ball in the end zone and on what
was you know, a long yard situation in a big
moment in the game that allowed us to continue to
most importantly eat clock in that moment, and we didn't
ultimately punch it in for seven, but you could feel
that play was a huge moment and play where it
could shift right back the other way. You're in a
(17:40):
third and long maybe a longer field goal opportunity and
those are the things that the Lions needed in that
moment not to happen, to kind of capitalize and be
able to come back in the game.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
And to me, with that first touchdown you scored. What
makes Jefferson's one handed catch touchdown so not good?
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Not very good? Elite? Is McCarthy fired that sucker in there?
Speaker 5 (18:03):
I was just gonna say, Kelly, it's probably the velocity
of that football. You know, it was on Justin pretty
quick now, and we you know, we work on throwing,
you know a lot of those different types of throws,
especially down in the red zone where our guys have
an opportunity to make the play on the football. Justin
got the one hand on it, and he was He
spent some time with me yesterday just in my office,
(18:24):
and I was asking.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Him, did you did you even need the other hand.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Because he basically caught the ball clean with that kind
of velocity on it.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
And these guys have gotten used to the fact.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
When number nine stone the ball, it's probably gonna have
some revolutions and some and some juice on it.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
So he was ready for it. And that was a
huge play where.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
You know, anytime we can get a one on one.
You know, no matter what the play is, what you know,
run pass screen, whatever it may be, is we we
continue to try to find ways of making sure that
he's getting his one on one opportunities when they present
themselves up.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Well.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
So with McCarthy moving forward, is adding a change up
to the fastball heart of the growing process.
Speaker 5 (19:01):
Oh it has been, and the way I would look
at it is not necessarily a change up, but I
look at look at it as the throw required to
give our guys the best possible chance to not only
make the catch by being accurate, but make yards after
the catch. And there was a few plays, even some
of our better completions the other days the other day
(19:21):
were our guys.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Even JJ himself said it.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
He felt like he was making the guys work a
little bit too much and maybe limited some of our
chances for some big explosives with some run after catch
or possibly touchdowns. And and I think that's all part
of it, but it's he had some other moments that
throw to Justin on the right sideline to the field,
kind of a two man.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Show there and drum the left Hash Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
From the left, Hash moving to his left, keeps his
base as much as he can, and it almost forced
him to have to layer that ball and tempo it
because he just couldn't step into it. But that's why
JJ McCarthy was a first.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Pick, and that's the champion quarterback.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
I mean, he's got those throws in his bag. It's
just a matter of how do we make the throw
to Naylor. You know, at the end of the second
quarter when speed he's got a step or two on
that on that corner chasing him. I think it's not
as much of a fastball as let's make sure we
just throw it right down the middle and make it
make sure it's a strike with some touch, and we
call it a runners ball, whether it's a shallow cross,
(20:24):
a high cross like Jalen Naylor was on on that play,
or down the field. How many times can you deliver
long handoffs that are runners balls? Because Addison, Jefferson, Naylor, Hockinson,
these guys can all be pretty elite with the ball
in their hands after the catch.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
A few to close here for Kevin O'Connell, Lex's and
O's per nine to noon at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
Good morning, the same five with the Moving Company played
all sixty two snaps Darrin saw with O'Neill. It just
changes everything, doesn't it.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
I Mean, there's these guys. It's hard to put into
words just what they mean to our offense in the combination,
to both those guys together, I thought Christian had one
of his, you know, one of his best games he's
had this season.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And and just the fight.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
I mean, he's he's he's still in a position, PA
where you know, the reps as they stack up and
and and he gets into a game where it is
a mental test for him, you know, every single week,
but he's passing it and and he is continuing. I
love the way he handled himself from the football game.
He was one of the first on the field out
(21:28):
in the huddle, set in the tone for those guys.
And then I thought Brian O'Neill, you know, had a
really tough matchup ended up having Hutchinson on him quite
a bit on that right side, and he fought a
heck of a battle against what you know.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
As now, I don't know whether he is or not.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
I haven't done the math on it, but feels like
they made him a pretty well compensated pass rusher last week.
But somehow about the block on the early screen against
the zero pressure, Yeah, where he gets out on the corner,
and just some of the other things he did.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Uh, those guys are so so or to what we do.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
And and also you know, Donovan Jackson played a really
great game having seventy one in there right next to him,
and then Will Fries with bo and just how the
Nick Finett's blocking in the run game at stepping in
for Josh Oliver and next to those tackles.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
They have a lot to do with a lot of
our success.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
All right, Ravens to close here with By the way,
did Christian Christian exit the game?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yes, Garrisaw came out of it. Okay, good the Ravens.
What does the number five fifty two mean?
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Do you? Five fifty two Ravens.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
It's the combined weight of Derek Henry and Patrick Ricard,
which means that's a two man jumbo package runner right at.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
You, right right. Yeah, we're gonna see it. We're gonna
see it.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
We've seen bigger droopings from people just about in every
game we've played this year. You hear the official announcing
either somebody as an eligible, an extra linement as an eligible,
or you've got you know, some of the big fullbacks
and tight ends, you know, washing from Pittsburgh, who I
think is you know, if he's not close to three
(23:04):
hundred pounds, I'd like to see the scale, you know.
And then just some of the people are choosing to
try to get bigger with our defense and try to
play that kind of game to avoid some of the
risk factors that you know very well, Pa. When you
play against Brian Flores and you want to spread him
out with a bunch of skilled people on the field,
you know, you know you're signing up for some potential problems.
(23:25):
And so people are going the other way. They're trying
to get bigger, they're trying to play physical. That's why
I love the fact that we had the type of
knockback we had won the line of scrimmage in the
interior of the D line. The edges were set by
Grenard and Turner and Van Ginkel, and then obviously Cashman
and Eric were flying all over the place, making a
lot of tackles and many.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Of them for loss.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Oh you mean Eric Wilson, who has four sacks, one
of your leading sackers, so super important on kick return.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Oh that fifty five Cole Redford, Michigan, twenty minutes away
from Detroit talk to his mom before every game. I
say him, Shehanna's her name, I believe, And they had
about twenty five people there. They were super excited. That
was really cool. I don't know who the best player
in the Ravens defense is at this time of the week.
Rokwan Switz Smith, I've looked at that. Kyle Hamilton, just
the Notre Dame safety. How does he play like Kyle Hamilton?
(24:13):
What do you think about him?
Speaker 5 (24:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (24:14):
I think you know, they've kind of throughout the season.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
You know, he really was playing a lot more of
the safety position.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Early on in the year.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
They make a trade for a third safety, Gilman from
the Chargers, who is a very good player, and that's
really allowed Kyle Hamilton almost Josh Mattelis like to get
down near the box a little bit more and be
a major factor as a blitzer, major factor around the
line of scrimmage. You know, they want to get him
closer to the ball. Derwin James like that we saw
(24:44):
a couple of weeks ago, because he's that kind of impact.
I think he's one of the best defensive players in
the National Football League right now when you really think
about his impact at all levels of the defense, running pass,
affecting the quarterback as a pressure player, but then matching
up with the like of you know, Puka Nakua or
DeVante Adams when they played the Rams, and you look
at him against the Bears receivers and we know those guys, well,
(25:08):
you just see a guy that's got a total complete
skill set football IQ off the charts and a physicality
to how he plays as a big, old, long, you know,
strong player in the middle of the defense. Now that
we've got to know where he is at all times.
Rokwan's obviously a very very good player, and I think
they've got some really good corners. They're very big and
physical in the interior. Their d line challenge for sure,
(25:31):
and I think they're doing a really good job figuring
out exactly who they want to be. They've been a
lot better against the run the last two three weeks,
and they can always turn the ball over with the
type of scheme they play if you're not really tight
with your operation and how.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
You're playing dan. Lastly, Lamar Jackson his rookie year. All right.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
He played sixteen games his rookie year through for just
twelve hundred yards fifty eight percent on the completions. Six
years later, last year, four and seventy two yards sixty
six and a half. Where has he grown as a
passer over the half decade, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
It's been I was on the field when he worked
out as a quarterback at the combine. I was on
the field working out, you know, some of the other quarterbacks,
and then watching the workout up close, and I remember
that day vividly and talking to him after that workout.
What you knew about Lamar Jackson has been proven to
be correct, which is this guy is an ultimate competitor,
(26:25):
one of the most gifted quarterbacks you know in our
league right now, both as a runner, clearly in the
way he dynamically changes the game.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
But he is making.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Throw after throw from the pocket in rhythm, great fundamentals,
seeing coverage, seeing the field. They do a really good
job of marrying things all together with a pretty elite
run game with him included in that. That makes it
very hard constantly putting defenders in pass run conflict. And
then they've got flowers and obviously a whole cast of really,
(26:57):
really good skilled players.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
It's gonna be a challenge.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
I know talking to Flow yesterday, you know everything you
know starts with obviously Lamar Jackson, but then Dereck Henry
is a guy that at any point in time you
give him any kind of space, he's proven to be
able to take at the distance. So we've got to
have our sharpest, most impactful defensive game of the season
with them coming to US Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Thank you for the time, Appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Appreciate it man Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings,
and I'm Paul Allen.
Speaker 7 (27:24):
That's x's and no's back. After this, I remember that
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So just made learning fun. Well, now your chance to
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Speaker 8 (27:39):
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Speaker 3 (27:58):
John Hines, coach of the Minnesota Wild, joins nine to
Noon tomorrow about eleven o'clock. I expect Finchy Finchy Chris
finch a, head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, somewhere over
the next couple of days nine to noon and later
this week the Friday Football Feast, Buffalo Wild Wings, Elk River.
(28:18):
Elk River gets all the money this week with a
yours truly Nordo and alec Lewis from the Athletic and
Theathletic dot Com. That's part of what the week looks
like nine to noon, you.
Speaker 9 (28:30):
Know, listening to your conversation with Ko, and I mean,
there's so many positive things to pluck from the type
of win you get it at Detroit, and we were
talking earlier just kind of you know, I framed it
up the damn kind of broke at SOFI against those
Chargers first game of the year, where it's just so
many patchwork aspects of the team and you just didn't
(28:51):
have a shot in that game, and then you do
what you do ten days later at Ford Field, loving
that and I had also talked a bit about prior
to this week, just kind of the adversity that the
coach had had really been experiencing, given the health of
the situation and what was at stake, and making the
decision to put JJ McCarthy on a platter to begin
(29:12):
the twenty twenty five season. You know, I just listening
to him talk about JJ during your chat was interesting
to me because if there was a deep breath or
a moment of celebration in the locker room after that game,
I just wonder what the like how the coach handled
it where you know, we mentioned him getting out of
the huddle a little bit quicker, which meant that communication
(29:34):
was a little more specific static concise. Kid goes out,
he's checking out a plays. You see the decision making
you waited seven weeks to put this kid back on
the field. He's taking heat over how you know the
Carson thing ends at so far and then he goes
out and does that Like it's just you know, in
some ways, whether it's a moment of we want to
(29:55):
keep the team on a high as that talkback said
to go forward with with ball Baltimore around the corner.
I just wonder how if the coach might be on
some form of high as man. Weird ass season, weird schedule,
weird travel, Everything that I anticipated had gone wrong.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I just need this kid to kind of take a
step and look the part at Ford Field and not
get my team blown out. And then he goes out
and plays the way he does.
Speaker 9 (30:23):
I mean, ko, it's not you know, he's not in
the business of taking time mid game planning week to celebrate.
But there has to be an aspect where even the
coach maybe Sunday night he allowed himself.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
To just go no chance. I mean you what you're saying.
It happens in normal walks of life. Okay, you finish
your work week. It's Friday five, five oh five. Yeah,
you got Isaac and three others for a happy hour
that's going to start into the weekend. Okay, and Saturday,
(30:56):
this Sunday, that back at it on Monday. But there
was accomplishment along the way, maybe bonuses were hit or
things like that. This is not a normal walk of life.
The hours aren't normal, the pay is not normal. There's
nothing normal about this walk of life compared to to
normal walks of life. And that would include even giving
(31:20):
yourself a fifteen second moment to smell a rose off.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
You know.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
I mean, McCarthy wasn't great, but he was, but he
took a positive step.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
So the.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
Only way to answer it is is no, I don't
believe that he would do that, because I don't believe
any coach does that.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I believe they're wired that way.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
If but after the Chargers game, that sucker is going
to stick around ninety six hours. That's human nature. Well,
that is of normal walks of life.
Speaker 9 (31:55):
Where the loss is in some ways hurt or they
remain or takes more feeling than even great wins.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
So if if somebody loses a job and goes on
the grind, in outside of football, if somebody loses a
job goes on the grind to find one, well that's
going to provide consternation, anxiety, and hurt more so than
celebration when you get the next one. Yeah, yes, honey,
(32:25):
blah blah blah, great, Hey, this let's add on here
gone in a week. You see what I'm saying. I think,
so there's some human nature side of it. Two, where
the negatives and the losses and things like that stick
with with people generally longer than the successes.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
But with coaches.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
I mean, it's this is the super Bowl winning coach
we're talking about here, and I think I think he said,
you know, nine to noon or said at some point
on this radio show that you know, because of when
they won the Super Bowl at so far and then
the comb and then free agency, you know, oh by
the way, no head coach, new head coach. So yeah,
(33:05):
So he immediately was yes, Sky you mob, this is fantastic.
High five Sean, Bill, Suzanne and Leah. I got to
empty out my office and now.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I gotta go.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
So now it's to the this is great. I'm here
to give my best. One of my best is required. Yeah,
all right, how much money we got spending free agent?
Just all that, you know what I mean, So that
that would speculatively and just guessing the answer would be no.
On McCarthy's progress and actually allowing yourself to appreciate all
(33:40):
the work you've put into it and you're starting to
see some of the fruit of the labor. But secondly,
here is Kevin O'Connell. Is Kevin O'Connell is one of
the most detail oriented, organized people with no stone unturned
(34:07):
I've ever met in my life. Personally or professionally, And
I don't need to say that comes with all due
respect to everybody else involved. He is now coming into
that Lion's game. I wouldn't be surprised if you've got
Kevin to open a vain and if you were sitting there,
you know, talking with him the night before the game.
(34:29):
We are up, yeah, night before the game, about what
to expect the next day. If he were to be like,
I have no freaking idea, No, that would be too far.
I'm trying to think in the middle from the most
detail oriented squared away all eyes or dotted teaser cross too.
(34:49):
I have no idea what's coming If somewhere in there
is the right answer where I don't really know, but
it could be this, it could be that, it could
be this, be that. So there could be joy out
that because there was a w associated with it and
the quarterback had a lot to do with it. But
why I would say no to your first answer about
(35:10):
even spending half a day one playing flight back smelling
a single rows of accomplishment is not because Lamar's on
the horizon, Not because John Harbaugh is on the horizon,
Not because you're still coming from behind in the Land
of Opportunity Classic at four and four. It's because now
(35:31):
what's next. Okay, we did this. I don't worry about this,
this hockey kid being the one who's gonna get too
much of a fat head because you know, people are
on his jock and he did quite well. No, that's
not the concern. Well, the concern is now the Ravens
have tape off of it. So now you know that
I know that, you know that, I know that you
know that, I know that you know that I know
(35:52):
that you know that I know that just doesn't stop.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
So now you've got to work around it.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
So it's another Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's gonna work
this way, and I'm pretty sure this should go this way,
But you don't know. With Darnold or with cousins, against
certain teams, you most likely knew what you could get,
when you could get it, and how you were going
to get it. With a twenty two year old making
his fourth start against a Super Bowl winning coach and
(36:17):
and a quarterback who can change, can hold the ball
thirteen minutes of one quarter and manipulate games, yeah, so
that's it's fascinating. It's fascinating. What's happening here with this
young quarterback, and like the consistency that is expected, the
best that is required because the next one you got
(36:38):
to have your best when your best is required or
Lamar is going to run all over you.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Well, and it's got to be part of the way
that we framed it up.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
Sorry to go so a long winded there, but it's
all good. Question you answered, you asked was outstanding.
Speaker 9 (36:50):
Yeah, just you know, the inability maybe to take a breath,
and that plays into busy week.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
It also plays into the idea of what we talked.
Speaker 9 (36:57):
About yesterday and earlier today is now you got to
go do it again, right, So it's you know, maybe
for the first time all season, he felt like, Okay,
there's signs of life from the QB.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
I'm basically as healthy as of it in the O line.
Speaker 9 (37:09):
And we just handled this division rival on the road.
We're now two and zero on the road in the division.
Loving all of that. But the kid did trip up
the following Sunday night at home against the Falcons.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
And I have not seen this team really play two
games in a row.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Right.
Speaker 9 (37:28):
Every week it's been good times and then bad times,
and good times and then bad times and then ultimately
the dam broke it. So far the inability to take
a breath must be exhausting at times.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
But see we but no daris On, no Addison in
the win at Chicago or the loss against Atlanta. Yeah, now,
plenty of Darisa On, plenty of Addison, plenty of it
at and McCarthy for.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
The full game.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
He just played his best full game in his National
Football League career. He did that fourth quarter at Soldier
Field may be the best moment moments that he's had.
You won the game, but this was a full game
where he constantly came through. So that was a great
question you asked. And we'll be right back all right.
(38:15):
Sorry for the truncated segment, but thank you very much
for listening to nine to Noon today. Thank you Brett
Blake Moore for the production, and we thank Eric Nordquist
for producing. And I'm Paul Allen. John Hines, coach of
the Minnesota Wild joins US tomorrow and quite likely Finchy
at nine am tomorrow. I can't wait talk to you then,
(38:37):
have a wonderful, wonderful day, God bless all of you.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
But podcast Today's Paul Allen Show we're listening back to
previous show and interviews, so I go into the iHeartRadio
app for kfan dot com
A fan.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Work perfect.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Here comes Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings
for x'es and O. The Minnesota Vikings hosts the Baltimore
Ravens at US Bank Stadium Sunday at noon. Ravens are
three and five and more on the Ravens coming up
soon because the Lamar Jackson's back. They've won two consecutive
(01:16):
and it's the National Football League, which means National Football
League Trade deadline day today, and the head coach of
the Minnesota Vikings joins us.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Now, guys working on any whoppers up.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
There in the old second floor, Mister O'Connell, I would say,
the whoppers are more on the whiteboard right now with
the coaching staff drawn some plays, more so than me
being involved.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Directly right now with any of that stuff.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
But I know there's a lot of calls going on.
Quacy and his staff do a great job with that.
And see where the day.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Goes all done.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
The locker room after the Alliance win, wild, loud and joyous,
and it reminded me it's like you got four wins.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Locker room after the Bengals game.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Cool after the Browns game everybody's tired, wants to get home.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Cool.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
But after the Bears win and after this win kind
of reminded me of each other there, and you know,
with the joyous nature of the locker room after that victory,
you could just tell that those guys worked really, really
hard during the week and during the day to win
that game, didn't they.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
It really started the Monday after we got back from
you know, played on Thursday, gave the guys the weekend off,
and then when they came in on Monday, you know,
I was I'd spent a lot of time thinking about
the direction we needed to go last week, and I
was pretty direct, and I told them exactly what where
I thought we were at and where we needed to go,
(02:46):
and how wildly capable we were to do the things
required to win the football game last Sunday, And just
so proud of the guys, proud of our leadership. It's
just one game in this league, you know, obviously, the
NFC North battles always seem to mean a little bit more,
especially on the road, and we're two and zero on
the road this year in the division, right, and we've
(03:07):
got we've got to keep having many of the same
principles that we were able to kind of put in
play and really envision for this team, you know, many
many days and months ago, we got to put it
into action every single week.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
In this league.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
The hardest thing, the true measure of teams is their
ability once they find their rhythm, once they're through some
of the adversity that we went through early on in
the season injury wise, can you be consistent?
Speaker 1 (03:34):
That's the hardest thing.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
Is week in and week out, teams are game planning
coaching at a high level. You're playing against another great
quarterback this week, and a team that has really found
themselves again. And when they have, you know, their team
built the way they want around that quarterback and a
defense flying around with a bunch of talent. This is
one of the best teams in football. So we're gonna
have to make sure that we don't just you know,
(03:58):
expect that feeling that locker room postgame.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
A lot goes into it.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Players deserve all the credit, and now I'm going to
put it on them to try to make sure we
can repeat well, I'll repeat those performances well. Also, I
think there's a lot of things we can still do better. Pa,
you know, as we continue to grow. And it sounds
crazy to say that after playing eight games, but it
does feel like in many ways a new season for
our team, just the feeling of, you know, wanting to
(04:25):
continue to grow through getting guys back on the field,
really finding that formula of what the twenty twenty five
vikings are going to be when it's all said and done.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Kevin, I'm really glad you said that about the division,
the NFC North, because into that game, okay, it's you
guys were either perceived underdogs or pointspread underdogs into that
game on the okay.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Right off place to go play.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
However, I'm rarely stunned when a perceived underdog wins a
division game, yep, because of the familiarity, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, and you just I mean, you know them well,
they know us. Well.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
There's a there was new coordinators on that side, but
obviously Dan's done a heck of a job, you know,
building a staff that can kind of transition from losing
both coordinators and kind of keep guys that we're very
much aware of how they've had a lot of their
success on offense and on defense.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
So but yeah, it's.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
They always mean a little bit more, but it also
means a little bit more because in both the Chicago
and Detroit wins, we know we're going to see these
guys again, and we're going to see them at US
Bank Stadium, but that doesn't mean we're gonna let one
get away from.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Us today and just try to play good football.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
And it helps to have a team that you know
well and you know some of the big cast of
characters that you've got to basically, you know, try to
win matchups against and see if you can win enough
of the one on ones across the field throughout the
game in all three phases that they add up.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, division wins are the bomb, and really the underdog
status kind of gets thrown out the window no matter
the records, because they know each other so well, not
all the time, but sometimes. Now to the meat and
potatoes and McCarthy portion of the way, and from a
meat and potatoes standpoint, and I'm gonna have to read
this because I don't want to mess it up. Is
(06:06):
they get down there, Laporter goes three sixty six and one,
all right, places loud.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
They're up seven zero.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yep, you get that kick return, which so well timed
to like get people to sit down for a second.
Ford Field's become a place that said this during the
radio broadcast, where the fans are always up. I mean
they're just really really into it. The stands are close
to the field, so it can be a really really
daunting home environment. Miles gets that sixty one, But on
(06:33):
that play with that kick return after Laporter scored, Baddie
and Felton, I mean, what wonderful meat and potatoes work
they did to help free him. And then you get
Eric Wilson, all right, the same Eric Wilson who's tied
for the team lead in sacks, messing with a guy
late where Miles price that gave him a chance to
(06:54):
get clear. I was just so impressed by that, the
meat and potatoes aspect of Baddie and Felton, but then
leading sacks guy out there trying to free him for
a touchdown.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Yeah, no, it was a It was a huge play
for Miles, who's a guy that we think every time
he touches the ball's got a chance to do something
with it, especially because of those guys he's had on
that unit in front of him. And really we've had
some really, really good execution, specifically in the kick return
phase and punt return phase. But many of those opportunities
(07:24):
you've seen that yellow flag come flying on the field.
Just as guys it's a different play. Guys are a
lot closer together. There's a lot bigger bodies out there.
The change of direction with all those bodies clumped together
basically five yards apart, you've got to know when, as
we learned on the touchdown later in the game, you
got to go know when to let go. But you
win those one on ones in those in those blocking
(07:46):
battles with guys like Baddie, you know Felton and then
obviously he will it will give you a chance to
very at the very least flip the field, at the
very least give us a little shot of life there
after they did score, and then what I loved about
that is the offense getting the ball in the end
zone and then the defense going out and getting to
stop and we go right back. And for the first
(08:08):
time and since I've been the head coach here, it
really felt like we had total control the football game early. Obviously,
against a really good team like that, you can lose
it in a heartbeat, but it just felt like our
teams kept on stacking plays when we needed them to
have them happen to maintain the momentum pay that we
had in the game, and then that allowed us to
play things like field position that still matters in twenty
(08:30):
twenty five in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
I think a lot of people have lost sight of
what it's like to.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Win that battle, Ryan, right, you know, keeping those guys
inside the ten and then obviously us being able to
have short fields coming back for a variety of different reasons.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
And at meet and Potatoes than McCarthy more Meet and potatoes.
The Jones long one, the one that they took from
a pass to a run. Nice floater by McCarthy. You
hit on that at your press conference yesterday. It was
a really nice touch floater. Hockinson did enough with Branch,
all right, so that was fine. Jordan Addison, Yeah, demolished
(09:05):
Arthur Mallett, the cornerback, legally demolished him. And I think
Terry and Arnold wanted to fight Jordan Addison during the
play until he saw Jones whipping down the side up
the sideline. Hey, I got to go get him, but
you know, you know what I'm talking about. Addison crushes
Mallett and uh then like Terry and Arnold took umbrage
(09:28):
to it right there, and.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I thought he was going to go after Jordan.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Yeah, it was. It was a play we we We
didn't have.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
A lot of plays up in the game with both
Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones on the field, So when
I called that personnel grouping, everybody knew what play was coming.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
But it was the execution. We got the exact look
we wanted.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
Jordan actually was being covered by Terry on Arnold on
the play, so he gets you know, he trails Jordan
down in there as he's blocking Mallet and when he
makes that block and puts him on the ground, you're right, Terry.
I didn't know whether to you know, stick up for
his guys, go try to run down the play. And
I did think that was a big time throw by JJ.
Not an easy one, not for you know, to get
(10:08):
that up and over the defensive end right there and
give Aaron a chance to.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Be out the gate for what was a huge play
in the moment. Thought it was pass yards.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
You know, JJ's would have been in the one seventies
if that was past yards.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
But I helped the yards for attempt the whole thing.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
I watched it. I watched it really cold stand, I
watched it really close. It is as as close as
you can possibly be. So whoever was scoring the play
on the day, I think they were more of an
Aaron Jones or maybe not a JJ McCarthy fan who
knows well.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Keeping momentum obviously is key.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
And we have a talk back each and every Tuesday
for Viking's head coach, Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
And here's this weakes good morning order on PA. It's
Mike from Tampa.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
This is for the head coach koc person and foremost
congrats on a great win, a great team effort from
coaching on down, firing on all cylinders. A couple of
things for improvements where we can tighten up. I think
the biggest question that fans and myself have is how
do you keep the team on a high off a
great win like that at Ford Field with a strong
Baltimore team coming in and keep them focused so that
(11:16):
they keep firing on all cylinders upcoming.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Yeah, Mike, I think it's a great question, and you
think a lot about those things as many times as
in minutes and hours.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
You plan.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
Like I mentioned of having the team back after that
long weekend where we had some time off, you spend
a lot of time thinking about what is the direction
that I need to make sure I present, and then
actively hold our.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Guys too throughout the week.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
After a win like that, you absolutely have to give
it the same amount of care and concern. But what
I would say is the journey we've been on this
year has been filled with many, many moments where it'd
be easy for these guys to just say, you know,
maybe it's not our year.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
There's a lot of things going wrong.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
There's a lot of things injury wise where we just
need that guy or this guy and we just don't
have him, maybe in game, losing linemen, right tackle, left, haack,
whatever it is. We've kind of taken a journey up
until this point that I think has kind of calcified
us as a team to know, uh, these guys are
really it's a different kind of it's a different kind
(12:21):
of vibe in a good way, where hey, we get
off to a five and oh start. Last year, we
lose two in a row and it's hey, let's rite
this ship and get back to where we were. We
really never felt, you know, outside of you know, beating
Chicago in the opener, and even then we didn't play
a good game in the first half, specifically on offense.
We never have really felt like we have earned the
right to feel like we've arrived. And through that time
(12:44):
we've had to really look inward and have a little
grit and and and a different kind of feel to
how we go about our business and persevering through some
adversity directly starting you know, the season where it hasn't
really been like that always for us. I know we
started zero and three a couple of years ago, but Pa,
what I mean by that is, I think these guys
are showing back up in the building with kind of
(13:06):
a workmanlike approach now of understanding the margin of error
is razor thin and we need to do everything in
our power to prepare for every every game each week
like it is the only thing that matters, and then
do it with our same culture and guys having an
absolute you know blast competing daily and getting better and
all those things that we do around here.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
But in the end, there is a level of edge
to this team.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Now that I think Vikings fans, you know, hopefully can
appreciate because of the journey we've been on that we
have not been happy about up until this point in
the season. But nine games left and I feel like
this team is now prepared to do a lot of
the things required and have the personality.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Of a football team that can go do those things. Well.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
That's beautiful because you, like, I don't know if what
I'm about to say is exactly why Bira Murphy Junior
might have been having a rough time in the locker
room after the game wheneverbody else was jumping around, but
with all due respect, because I love him. He had
some rough moments in that game, specifically with open field tackling,
and the team won and everybody's going nuts. But I
(14:11):
just got the feeling with him because I've gotten to
know him pretty well since he got here, that he's like,
I got one or two things I could do here.
I A'm going to be jumping up and down and
stuff like that, because there are things on I may
have almost messed this thing up a couple of times,
but he was just in his feelings, is what the
kids would say. Was just introspective about the game he
(14:32):
played compared to how the whole thing worked.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Out. That's leadership in my opinion.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Yeah, And I think it also goes to a lot
of the things that the leadership talked about throughout the
week and the night before the game, where it was
about doing your job every single play to the best
of your ability and beyond from a standpoint of the
expectation that we have for each guy on each call.
And there's a thousand layers to all that, but the
(14:58):
moral of all that message was do it for the
guy next to you, do it so that somebody else.
If you're not going to make the play, do your
job so well that somebody else can. Jordan Addison didn't.
You don't necessarily have a big statistical game, but he was.
It wasn't just that Aaron Jones throw. I mean he
was blocking all night long. He was first level, second level.
(15:18):
Jalen Naylor didn't have a catch until the very end
of the game, but you should see Jalen Naylor throughout
that film and and tape winning against one on ones,
blocking in the run game. That is how our team
has kind of continued to forge together. And I think
that's what you probably felt from Byron, and it's just
an eagerness to completely get another opportunity to even be
(15:40):
in better because he had some quality.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
He had some really good plays as well.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
He had some competitive coverage reps, you know, tying that
Russian coverage together. But that's what these guys are striving for.
They're not striving for just being Okay, we're trying to
take this in some times where not very many people
maybe think we're capable of it. But we're trying to
get to what we believe the potential of this team
can be. And it's kind of the days and in
(16:05):
times of talking about it, Pa even No, that's my
contractual responsibility with my good friend here this morning, I'm
kind of done talking about everything, and I just really
want our and I think our team is as well,
and it's time to just go put plans into action
and go play football with the type of urgency and
focus that this talented team is capable of doing.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
And Jordan Addison is I mean, that's an entire seventeen
minute segment talker if we had time. Yeah, you know,
we talked about the block on the corner on the
Jones what ended up being a run. How about his run?
I mean it took an army to bring him down.
It took Aiden Hutchinson. You know, Aiden, he's so smart
and those three who got through and they're like, hey,
(16:46):
there's nobody here, probably a runner, a screeners, and so
he sprinted down and ended up getting him, but Jordan
would not go down. It's as tenacious as I've seen
Jordan Addison Black.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Yeah, you know, Jordan is pretty dynamic with the football
in his hands when he can have that kind of
space and that kind of running start and the move
he made, you know it might have been Arnold chasing
him across the field. Yeah, the move he made putting
that foot down and really you know, avoiding two lines
DB's and almost I mean he was a shoe stringer too,
(17:19):
or maybe an Aiden Hutchinson chasing the play down from
walking that ball in the end zone and on what
was you know, a long yard situation in a big
moment in the game that allowed us to continue to
most importantly eat clock in that moment, and we didn't
ultimately punch it in for seven, but you could feel
that play was a huge moment and play where it
could shift right back the other way. You're in a
(17:40):
third and long maybe a longer field goal opportunity and
those are the things that the Lions needed in that
moment not to happen, to kind of capitalize and be
able to come back in the game.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
And to me, with that first touchdown you scored. What
makes Jefferson's one handed catch touchdown so not good?
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Not very good? Elite? Is McCarthy fired that sucker in there?
Speaker 5 (18:03):
I was just gonna say, Kelly, it's probably the velocity
of that football. You know, it was on Justin pretty
quick now, and we you know, we work on throwing,
you know a lot of those different types of throws,
especially down in the red zone where our guys have
an opportunity to make the play on the football. Justin
got the one hand on it, and he was He
spent some time with me yesterday just in my office,
(18:24):
and I was asking.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Him, did you did you even need the other hand.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Because he basically caught the ball clean with that kind
of velocity on it.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
And these guys have gotten used to the fact.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
When number nine stone the ball, it's probably gonna have
some revolutions and some and some juice on it.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
So he was ready for it. And that was a
huge play where.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
You know, anytime we can get a one on one.
You know, no matter what the play is, what you know,
run pass screen, whatever it may be, is we we
continue to try to find ways of making sure that
he's getting his one on one opportunities when they present
themselves up.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Well.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
So with McCarthy moving forward, is adding a change up
to the fastball heart of the growing process.
Speaker 5 (19:01):
Oh it has been, and the way I would look
at it is not necessarily a change up, but I
look at look at it as the throw required to
give our guys the best possible chance to not only
make the catch by being accurate, but make yards after
the catch. And there was a few plays, even some
of our better completions the other days the other day
(19:21):
were our guys.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Even JJ himself said it.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
He felt like he was making the guys work a
little bit too much and maybe limited some of our
chances for some big explosives with some run after catch
or possibly touchdowns. And and I think that's all part
of it, but it's he had some other moments that
throw to Justin on the right sideline to the field,
kind of a two man.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Show there and drum the left Hash Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
From the left, Hash moving to his left, keeps his
base as much as he can, and it almost forced
him to have to layer that ball and tempo it
because he just couldn't step into it. But that's why
JJ McCarthy was a first.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Pick, and that's the champion quarterback.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
I mean, he's got those throws in his bag. It's
just a matter of how do we make the throw
to Naylor. You know, at the end of the second
quarter when speed he's got a step or two on
that on that corner chasing him. I think it's not
as much of a fastball as let's make sure we
just throw it right down the middle and make it
make sure it's a strike with some touch, and we
call it a runners ball, whether it's a shallow cross,
(20:24):
a high cross like Jalen Naylor was on on that play,
or down the field. How many times can you deliver
long handoffs that are runners balls? Because Addison, Jefferson, Naylor, Hockinson,
these guys can all be pretty elite with the ball
in their hands after the catch.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
A few to close here for Kevin O'Connell, Lex's and
O's per nine to noon at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
Good morning, the same five with the Moving Company played
all sixty two snaps Darrin saw with O'Neill. It just
changes everything, doesn't it.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
I Mean, there's these guys. It's hard to put into
words just what they mean to our offense in the combination,
to both those guys together, I thought Christian had one
of his, you know, one of his best games he's
had this season.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And and just the fight.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
I mean, he's he's he's still in a position, PA
where you know, the reps as they stack up and
and and he gets into a game where it is
a mental test for him, you know, every single week,
but he's passing it and and he is continuing. I
love the way he handled himself from the football game.
He was one of the first on the field out
(21:28):
in the huddle, set in the tone for those guys.
And then I thought Brian O'Neill, you know, had a
really tough matchup ended up having Hutchinson on him quite
a bit on that right side, and he fought a
heck of a battle against what you know.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
As now, I don't know whether he is or not.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
I haven't done the math on it, but feels like
they made him a pretty well compensated pass rusher last week.
But somehow about the block on the early screen against
the zero pressure, Yeah, where he gets out on the corner,
and just some of the other things he did.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Uh, those guys are so so or to what we do.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
And and also you know, Donovan Jackson played a really
great game having seventy one in there right next to him,
and then Will Fries with bo and just how the
Nick Finett's blocking in the run game at stepping in
for Josh Oliver and next to those tackles.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
They have a lot to do with a lot of
our success.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
All right, Ravens to close here with By the way,
did Christian Christian exit the game?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yes, Garrisaw came out of it. Okay, good the Ravens.
What does the number five fifty two mean?
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Do you? Five fifty two Ravens.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
It's the combined weight of Derek Henry and Patrick Ricard,
which means that's a two man jumbo package runner right at.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
You, right right. Yeah, we're gonna see it. We're gonna
see it.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
We've seen bigger droopings from people just about in every
game we've played this year. You hear the official announcing
either somebody as an eligible, an extra linement as an eligible,
or you've got you know, some of the big fullbacks
and tight ends, you know, washing from Pittsburgh, who I
think is you know, if he's not close to three
(23:04):
hundred pounds, I'd like to see the scale, you know.
And then just some of the people are choosing to
try to get bigger with our defense and try to
play that kind of game to avoid some of the
risk factors that you know very well, Pa. When you
play against Brian Flores and you want to spread him
out with a bunch of skilled people on the field,
you know, you know you're signing up for some potential problems.
(23:25):
And so people are going the other way. They're trying
to get bigger, they're trying to play physical. That's why
I love the fact that we had the type of
knockback we had won the line of scrimmage in the
interior of the D line. The edges were set by
Grenard and Turner and Van Ginkel, and then obviously Cashman
and Eric were flying all over the place, making a
lot of tackles and many.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Of them for loss.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Oh you mean Eric Wilson, who has four sacks, one
of your leading sackers, so super important on kick return.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Oh that fifty five Cole Redford, Michigan, twenty minutes away
from Detroit talk to his mom before every game. I
say him, Shehanna's her name, I believe, And they had
about twenty five people there. They were super excited. That
was really cool. I don't know who the best player
in the Ravens defense is at this time of the week.
Rokwan Switz Smith, I've looked at that. Kyle Hamilton, just
the Notre Dame safety. How does he play like Kyle Hamilton?
(24:13):
What do you think about him?
Speaker 5 (24:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (24:14):
I think you know, they've kind of throughout the season.
Speaker 5 (24:18):
You know, he really was playing a lot more of
the safety position.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Early on in the year.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
They make a trade for a third safety, Gilman from
the Chargers, who is a very good player, and that's
really allowed Kyle Hamilton almost Josh Mattelis like to get
down near the box a little bit more and be
a major factor as a blitzer, major factor around the
line of scrimmage. You know, they want to get him
closer to the ball. Derwin James like that we saw
(24:44):
a couple of weeks ago, because he's that kind of impact.
I think he's one of the best defensive players in
the National Football League right now when you really think
about his impact at all levels of the defense, running pass,
affecting the quarterback as a pressure player, but then matching
up with the like of you know, Puka Nakua or
DeVante Adams when they played the Rams, and you look
at him against the Bears receivers and we know those guys, well,
(25:08):
you just see a guy that's got a total complete
skill set football IQ off the charts and a physicality
to how he plays as a big, old, long, you know,
strong player in the middle of the defense. Now that
we've got to know where he is at all times.
Rokwan's obviously a very very good player, and I think
they've got some really good corners. They're very big and
physical in the interior. Their d line challenge for sure,
(25:31):
and I think they're doing a really good job figuring
out exactly who they want to be. They've been a
lot better against the run the last two three weeks,
and they can always turn the ball over with the
type of scheme they play if you're not really tight
with your operation and how.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
You're playing dan. Lastly, Lamar Jackson his rookie year. All right.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
He played sixteen games his rookie year through for just
twelve hundred yards fifty eight percent on the completions. Six
years later, last year, four and seventy two yards sixty
six and a half. Where has he grown as a
passer over the half decade, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
It's been I was on the field when he worked
out as a quarterback at the combine. I was on
the field working out, you know, some of the other quarterbacks,
and then watching the workout up close, and I remember
that day vividly and talking to him after that workout.
What you knew about Lamar Jackson has been proven to
be correct, which is this guy is an ultimate competitor,
(26:25):
one of the most gifted quarterbacks you know in our
league right now, both as a runner, clearly in the
way he dynamically changes the game.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
But he is making.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Throw after throw from the pocket in rhythm, great fundamentals,
seeing coverage, seeing the field. They do a really good
job of marrying things all together with a pretty elite
run game with him included in that. That makes it
very hard constantly putting defenders in pass run conflict. And
then they've got flowers and obviously a whole cast of really,
(26:57):
really good skilled players.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
It's gonna be a challenge.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
I know talking to Flow yesterday, you know everything you
know starts with obviously Lamar Jackson, but then Dereck Henry
is a guy that at any point in time you
give him any kind of space, he's proven to be
able to take at the distance. So we've got to
have our sharpest, most impactful defensive game of the season
with them coming to US Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Thank you for the time, Appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Appreciate it man Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings,
and I'm Paul Allen.
Speaker 7 (27:24):
That's x's and no's back. After this, I remember that
one teacher made a difference. Believe it has challenged us.
So just made learning fun. Well, now your chance to
say thank you in a big way with iheartradios. Thank
it teacher. It'spired by donors Shoes.
Speaker 8 (27:39):
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us say thank you. That is educators shaping our future.
Dominate your favorite teacher now. iHeartRadio dot com slash Teachers.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
John Hines, coach of the Minnesota Wild, joins nine to
Noon tomorrow about eleven o'clock. I expect Finchy Finchy Chris
finch a, head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, somewhere over
the next couple of days nine to noon and later
this week the Friday Football Feast, Buffalo Wild Wings, Elk River.
(28:18):
Elk River gets all the money this week with a
yours truly Nordo and alec Lewis from the Athletic and
Theathletic dot Com. That's part of what the week looks
like nine to noon, you.
Speaker 9 (28:30):
Know, listening to your conversation with Ko, and I mean,
there's so many positive things to pluck from the type
of win you get it at Detroit, and we were
talking earlier just kind of you know, I framed it
up the damn kind of broke at SOFI against those
Chargers first game of the year, where it's just so
many patchwork aspects of the team and you just didn't
(28:51):
have a shot in that game, and then you do
what you do ten days later at Ford Field, loving
that and I had also talked a bit about prior
to this week, just kind of the adversity that the
coach had had really been experiencing, given the health of
the situation and what was at stake, and making the
decision to put JJ McCarthy on a platter to begin
(29:12):
the twenty twenty five season. You know, I just listening
to him talk about JJ during your chat was interesting
to me because if there was a deep breath or
a moment of celebration in the locker room after that game,
I just wonder what the like how the coach handled
it where you know, we mentioned him getting out of
the huddle a little bit quicker, which meant that communication
(29:34):
was a little more specific static concise. Kid goes out,
he's checking out a plays. You see the decision making
you waited seven weeks to put this kid back on
the field. He's taking heat over how you know the
Carson thing ends at so far and then he goes
out and does that Like it's just you know, in
some ways, whether it's a moment of we want to
(29:55):
keep the team on a high as that talkback said
to go forward with with ball Baltimore around the corner.
I just wonder how if the coach might be on
some form of high as man. Weird ass season, weird schedule,
weird travel, Everything that I anticipated had gone wrong.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I just need this kid to kind of take a
step and look the part at Ford Field and not
get my team blown out. And then he goes out
and plays the way he does.
Speaker 9 (30:23):
I mean, ko, it's not you know, he's not in
the business of taking time mid game planning week to celebrate.
But there has to be an aspect where even the
coach maybe Sunday night he allowed himself.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
To just go no chance. I mean you what you're saying.
It happens in normal walks of life. Okay, you finish
your work week. It's Friday five, five oh five. Yeah,
you got Isaac and three others for a happy hour
that's going to start into the weekend. Okay, and Saturday,
(30:56):
this Sunday, that back at it on Monday. But there
was accomplishment along the way, maybe bonuses were hit or
things like that. This is not a normal walk of life.
The hours aren't normal, the pay is not normal. There's
nothing normal about this walk of life compared to to
normal walks of life. And that would include even giving
(31:20):
yourself a fifteen second moment to smell a rose off.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
You know.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
I mean, McCarthy wasn't great, but he was, but he
took a positive step.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
So the.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
Only way to answer it is is no, I don't
believe that he would do that, because I don't believe
any coach does that.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I believe they're wired that way.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
If but after the Chargers game, that sucker is going
to stick around ninety six hours. That's human nature. Well,
that is of normal walks of life.
Speaker 9 (31:55):
Where the loss is in some ways hurt or they
remain or takes more feeling than even great wins.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
So if if somebody loses a job and goes on
the grind, in outside of football, if somebody loses a
job goes on the grind to find one, well that's
going to provide consternation, anxiety, and hurt more so than
celebration when you get the next one. Yeah, yes, honey,
(32:25):
blah blah blah, great, Hey, this let's add on here
gone in a week. You see what I'm saying. I think,
so there's some human nature side of it. Two, where
the negatives and the losses and things like that stick
with with people generally longer than the successes.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
But with coaches.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
I mean, it's this is the super Bowl winning coach
we're talking about here, and I think I think he said,
you know, nine to noon or said at some point
on this radio show that you know, because of when
they won the Super Bowl at so far and then
the comb and then free agency, you know, oh by
the way, no head coach, new head coach. So yeah,
(33:05):
So he immediately was yes, Sky you mob, this is fantastic.
High five Sean, Bill, Suzanne and Leah. I got to
empty out my office and now.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I gotta go.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
So now it's to the this is great. I'm here
to give my best. One of my best is required. Yeah,
all right, how much money we got spending free agent?
Just all that, you know what I mean, So that
that would speculatively and just guessing the answer would be no.
On McCarthy's progress and actually allowing yourself to appreciate all
(33:40):
the work you've put into it and you're starting to
see some of the fruit of the labor. But secondly,
here is Kevin O'Connell. Is Kevin O'Connell is one of
the most detail oriented, organized people with no stone unturned
(34:07):
I've ever met in my life. Personally or professionally, And
I don't need to say that comes with all due
respect to everybody else involved. He is now coming into
that Lion's game. I wouldn't be surprised if you've got
Kevin to open a vain and if you were sitting there,
you know, talking with him the night before the game.
(34:29):
We are up, yeah, night before the game, about what
to expect the next day. If he were to be like,
I have no freaking idea, No, that would be too far.
I'm trying to think in the middle from the most
detail oriented squared away all eyes or dotted teaser cross too.
(34:49):
I have no idea what's coming If somewhere in there
is the right answer where I don't really know, but
it could be this, it could be that, it could
be this, be that. So there could be joy out
that because there was a w associated with it and
the quarterback had a lot to do with it. But
why I would say no to your first answer about
(35:10):
even spending half a day one playing flight back smelling
a single rows of accomplishment is not because Lamar's on
the horizon, Not because John Harbaugh is on the horizon,
Not because you're still coming from behind in the Land
of Opportunity Classic at four and four. It's because now
(35:31):
what's next. Okay, we did this. I don't worry about this,
this hockey kid being the one who's gonna get too
much of a fat head because you know, people are
on his jock and he did quite well. No, that's
not the concern. Well, the concern is now the Ravens
have tape off of it. So now you know that
I know that, you know that, I know that you
know that, I know that you know that I know
(35:52):
that you know that I know that just doesn't stop.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
So now you've got to work around it.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
So it's another Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's gonna work
this way, and I'm pretty sure this should go this way,
But you don't know. With Darnold or with cousins, against
certain teams, you most likely knew what you could get,
when you could get it, and how you were going
to get it. With a twenty two year old making
his fourth start against a Super Bowl winning coach and
(36:17):
and a quarterback who can change, can hold the ball
thirteen minutes of one quarter and manipulate games, yeah, so
that's it's fascinating. It's fascinating. What's happening here with this
young quarterback, and like the consistency that is expected, the
best that is required because the next one you got
(36:38):
to have your best when your best is required or
Lamar is going to run all over you.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Well, and it's got to be part of the way
that we framed it up.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
Sorry to go so a long winded there, but it's
all good. Question you answered, you asked was outstanding.
Speaker 9 (36:50):
Yeah, just you know, the inability maybe to take a breath,
and that plays into busy week.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
It also plays into the idea of what we talked.
Speaker 9 (36:57):
About yesterday and earlier today is now you got to
go do it again, right, So it's you know, maybe
for the first time all season, he felt like, Okay,
there's signs of life from the QB.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
I'm basically as healthy as of it in the O line.
Speaker 9 (37:09):
And we just handled this division rival on the road.
We're now two and zero on the road in the division.
Loving all of that. But the kid did trip up
the following Sunday night at home against the Falcons.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
And I have not seen this team really play two
games in a row.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Right.
Speaker 9 (37:28):
Every week it's been good times and then bad times,
and good times and then bad times and then ultimately
the dam broke it. So far the inability to take
a breath must be exhausting at times.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
But see we but no daris On, no Addison in
the win at Chicago or the loss against Atlanta. Yeah, now,
plenty of Darisa On, plenty of Addison, plenty of it
at and McCarthy for.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
The full game.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
He just played his best full game in his National
Football League career. He did that fourth quarter at Soldier
Field may be the best moment moments that he's had.
You won the game, but this was a full game
where he constantly came through. So that was a great
question you asked. And we'll be right back all right.
(38:15):
Sorry for the truncated segment, but thank you very much
for listening to nine to Noon today. Thank you Brett
Blake Moore for the production, and we thank Eric Nordquist
for producing. And I'm Paul Allen. John Hines, coach of
the Minnesota Wild joins US tomorrow and quite likely Finchy
at nine am tomorrow. I can't wait talk to you then,
(38:37):
have a wonderful, wonderful day, God bless all of you.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
But podcast Today's Paul Allen Show we're listening back to
previous show and interviews, so I go into the iHeartRadio
app for kfan dot com
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