March 5, 2026 • 49 mins
Some free agent/Vikings bits in the opening segment, before hearing from Wild radio voice Joe O'Donnell!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A great job with Lapanta yesterday. By the way, Oh,
thank you helped me with this. So the Wild, so
we get called and maybe I heard it the wrong
way and I should have looked it up. I'm good morning. Uh. So,
so we get Dallas or Colorado first in the I mean,
that's for sure what the round one of the postseason
(00:21):
looks like for the Minnesota Wild.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, it's it's it's all, but it's all but sewed up.
So I'm scrambling to find the standings right now. I
thought we were we were nine back of Colorado with
and then two more games played as well, So I
mean that's that's a heavy burden to try and trace,
you know, track them down at this stage. But but Dallas,
it kind of feels the way the way that we're
(00:43):
in right now. So let me see here, we're five
or six short of Dallas, so we are oh just
three excuse me, and they're six short of Colorado.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So yes, uh, the spot we're in.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Unless we win the Central we will have to play
a division rival. And so at this stage it looks
almost guaranteed whether we go to Dallas game one or
they come up here, that's yet to be determined, but
feels like us in Dallas from a points perspective, and
just not enough games left on the schedule to really chase,
chase a bigger prize.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Damn, what's play Hoggy? I especially liked how the hair
Apparent laid out the playing style it takes for the
Minnesota Wild to win in the postseason and the lower
scoring games aspect. It was off that Tampa Bay victory.
(01:34):
That was pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, no, it's and for that, you know, whether it's
it's the penalty kill, it's winning face offs and big spots,
getting the chance to learn more and we will once
he's in a sweater and playing games for us. But
like Michael McCarron, what does he bring to the mix, Well,
he's like six six, two thirties, a freaking giant on
the ice, but winning the zone, face offs, killing penalties.
(01:56):
What we saw from from Hinzi's group in the Olympics.
Can we can we capture some of that magic with
our favorite team. Special teams matter in the postseason and
for a large part really of these last seven what
is it six seven to eight postseason appearances with first
round exits, A lot of those you could sum up
with issues related to killing penalties, finding that goal with
(02:17):
the man advantage, and winning some of those closer contested games.
The special teams matter in those cases, certainly, Tinze Heinsey,
it's time to drop the pot. Yeah, the wild haven't
won a playoff series in a decade. Finchy, Finchy, the
Wolves keep getting killed a step from the NBA finals,
and the Vikings haven't won a playoff game since before
(02:39):
the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Now the Wolves. I feel comfortable in saying the Wolves
will win at least a playoff series this year. So
if that's accurate. Two witches to be scratched are the
hockey and the football teams. Caprisov obvious listud. They may
have the best six deep blue line group in the game.
(03:04):
Hughesy is amazing. You traded a lot for him, and
Boldi Baldy is winning in the postseason from edging closer
to top tennis, top fifteen ish in for players in
the league conversation, and all that just cannot get bounced
in round one. So I'm thinking all that yesterday and
(03:25):
after watching the Tampa Bay win the night before, and
then I hear hair apparent be like, well, it's gonna
be Colorado or Dallas. I'm like, damn, it feels like
we've had a dramatically better season than that that that
you should catch some team, some l from the Pacific,
that's like at the bottom of the West, you know, yeah,
and it's is this an aberration?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
It's kind of the same way anytime a you know,
whether it was a seven and nine team or a
seven and ten team or an eight and nine team
in the NFL, they make the playoffs because they're a
division winner, right, and then you have that conversation of, well,
we shouldn't have division winners anymore. That's not fair that
this eight to nine team wins their awful division they
get to host a playoff game, and some ten win
(04:08):
team that's been grinding it out for a wildcard spot
they get bounced for this.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
That's preposterous.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Well, similarly, in the NHL, I think we're in a
spot this year where seeing three of the best teams
in the NHL all vying for one division title, meaning
that the other two will have to duke it out
in round one and you're gonna leave the first round
of the postseason without I know, we're wild focused here,
We're Wild Rubes, but legitimately as an NHL fan, if
(04:37):
you bounce the Stars, the freaking Stars are one of
the elite teams in the NHL and they take the
l round one, you're thinking, well, that's not good for hockey.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Is this an aberration? Do we want to overreact.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
To this year's situation or is it potentially something we're
going to be seeing for multiple years to come, therefore
changing the way we look at the playoff format as
it is today.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Wild Joe Radio Joe Wild Joe O'Donnell, the play by
play voice on the radio for the Minnesota Wild. We
will hear him tomorrow night calling a game against the
Vegas Golden Knights from the seven oh two, and he
joins nine to noon today about twenty five minutes from now.
So help me with this. For the Vikings, it seems
(05:24):
the at least following things online, am I inaccurate when
it comes to other people's sourcing, backgrounding, opinions and things
like that. The two most probable options to join the
Covenant as a quarterback would be Kyler Murray or Kirk Cousins.
(05:45):
Talented and skilled and cheap, but maybe not as cheap
as I thought trying to get to the bottom of
this Kirk Cousins money situations like trying to break into
Fort Knox. So it is the steam from the right people.
He is the steam from the right people leading to
either Kyler or Kirk here and good morning and good morning. Yeah,
(06:08):
yes it is. There are other names as part of
that conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
But man, dude from Tuesday when we did the talker
Tuesday bit PA and it's like, hey, what if I
told you Kyler Murray is going to be added to
the squad that was timed and we had all those talkbacks.
Well maybe it was a little bit early premature. In
fact is later that day you hear from the Cardinals
they will be releasing him.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
He puts out on social media.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
His goodbye post, and then ever since then it's been
well that's I mean, everyone wants to play for Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
It's very clear. I get told at the combine, as
I told you Tuesday, by somebody who knows him, that
he wants to play for the Vikings. Yeah, and and
well he grew up. I think he grew up a
Vikings fan.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And you can even I bet you can go back
and find him they're still on X slash Formula Twitter.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
When he was a baby wearing a game warn Brett.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Far for I think he was like cheering for Adrian
Peterson and the Vit like just a cute little Kyler's
on X like.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
There go Vikings go down for twenty eight. Yeah, all day,
all day.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
But so that's been so hot. And then additionally, whether
it's it's Kirk Cousins. So my source I Ben Gessling
Star Tribune a long text that I'm not going to read,
and it's a totality right now, there's some offset dollars.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Oh, he got back with the money help for chains.
He wrote a small novella. He probably you know what
it probably what he did because he was annoyed with me.
Maybe he's like a writer.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
He just copy and pasted into the text something from
his most recent article that probably clearly explained everything.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So but thank you to Ben for reaching out.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
There are some offset dollars somewhere in there in the
ten to twelve million dollar range with the Falcons maybe,
and so you could then sign Kirk to a bit
cheaper deal as well.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
But that find a bit cheaper of Kyler Murray's league
minimum terrorism. Well, I don't. You're not going to get
cheaper than that, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And what what would what would kirk cousin at this
stage of his career demand. I mean, if he's going
to demand twenty million dollars, will you offset that?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Right?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
And I mean now you're talking eight, ten, twelve million
out of pocket. If he's going to demand anything less
than than that ten million, that would be offset then
by the Falcons effectively, then you're you're paying him league minimum.
So I wonder what that dollar amount looks like Kirka.
Kirk's always made sure that he gets market rate, so
I wonder what that costs. But in the end, all
(08:27):
of these are potential options. Yes, your steam rolling and such,
and you know, you're you're as dialed in as anybody.
You're you're very much over the target in terms of
what this conversation and what this rats nest has looked like.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
The Vikes and free agents quarterback scenario I believe could
go multiple ways. However, I believe, while believing myriad options
are in play, I've kind of settled into Kyler and Kirk,
and of course I believe they absolutely have a strike
plan and of a lot all of the free agent
(09:01):
quarterbacks for preference, but that there's nary a one. I
believe you can look at, look at and not have concerns. Now,
I mean you could have said that about Sam Darnold
too into the twenty twenty four season. But like thinking
about all of the names and looking at all of
the or perceiving or recalling positives and negatives, meshing it
(09:28):
with this team here, I mean through it all, I
kind of come back to Kirk Cousins, and he plays
the way the coach wants the quarterback to play. Arm
talent still high end, wants to be here. I would
imagine does he know the playbook? And is is? I
would think is the right one to be in the
room with the kid He's going to pass, So, I
(09:50):
mean he knows how to protect himself at the stage
of his career. So is changed the one for us?
Or I wouldn't I wouldn't limit the tenure here either
to be like just one and done for sure? So like,
is Chain's the one for nine to noon? Is it? Kyler?
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Geno was thirty to one and all the sharps betting
down to six to twenty. Surgeon on the outside is
the is the potential trade for a mac Jones by
anybody completely dead or so quiet, because it's absolutely gonna happen,
right somehow, someway somewhere with somebody has nine to noon
(10:34):
settled in on change.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
It feel it feels like the quietest one is don't
forget about mac Jones if no one's talking about it.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I mean, through all this, we're gonna hear Monday or Tuesday,
Zach Wilson's gonna come in to compete with JJ McCarthy
if if it's changed yesterday.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I just kind of framed it up when I was
filling in for you a week Togo. I'm not saying
that this is exactly what I want to happen, but
for me, it kind of fel feels like with the
steam Roll and it's Kyler or it's Gino, and these
mean different things. And you can swap out Gino with Kirk,
by the way, because I think there's there's a similar
meaning there if you go with Kirk, if you go
(11:14):
with Gino Smith. But let's let's focus on chains love
chains love Kirk same. It's a bridge to JJ McCarthy,
and whether it's one year or it's two years. As
you mentioned, I agree, it's not necessarily a one year deal,
but certainly a shorter term.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
So if it's Kyler, it ain't a bridge. It ain't
a bridge, it's something different. It's a plank. Yeah, and
it ain't Kyler walking off it. That is correct. That's
how I view it at this stage. If it's Kyler,
if the Vikings signed Kyler Murray, and if he's their
quarterback next year, ninety three percent McCarthy plays five games
(11:47):
or more.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Because of the health related brict. Okay, well, I mean
that's that's I'm spitballing. Well, he's every other year, right,
like two years ago. I think he made the dances.
He made all of them, but then that's been bookended.
Now this last season and then twenty twenty three. Maybe
played a total of thirteen games or something like that
in those seasons.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
So yes, but maybe playing style would be different. He
wouldn't run as willy nilly as he has been known
to run, which means they would be taking a quarterback
who was an incredibly high first round pick and is gifted.
They would be taking him out of his comfort zone.
Oh and putting him in the pocket and saying stay there,
(12:27):
you stay there, don't leave the pocket. And then like
September and October, we're like, well, yeah, I mean he's
still learning. He's still learning. He's still learning. Let's be patient.
He's still learning. Darris Saw and O'Neil are doing great.
The new center's doing great. This guy Donovan's second year fantastic.
But the talkbacks on the Northern Fire talkback Talker Tuesdays
(12:52):
will be free Kyler. It'll be let Kyler run. It
used to be let wac cook. Now it's like Kyler run.
So so, but I'm maybe I'm wrong here. I I
just I just this just needs to and uh yeah
no it's a it's so, I don't know how.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I don't know how drastically you can change Kyler Murray
at this stage of his career. And now I'm excited
that we have liber in because I think liber is
probably just more locked in former player. As smart as
he is, he could kind of articulate like the differences
in Kyler with a Cliff Kingsbury earlier in his career,
right tons of shotgun. It's air raid style, trying to
make college offense look good in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, why can't I do that. I always love that one.
I almost hit you early with that. I didn't like
the Kyler talkback on a Tuesday. I thought it was lazy,
but it ended up being it ended up it ended
up being prescient. I mean, because it's the it's the
fat talker right now. It's fat. Man is juicy. It
(13:52):
is the fat talking It's a juicy talker. Man. I
just I can't say I ever saw it getting to
this level. I didn't either, man. But but Kyler, now,
what what? What is?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
What did Drew Petsing do? That's where I was going
with this. What did Drew Petsing maybe do a little
bit differently in recent years? And because I don't I
if Kyler's going to succeed here, what what has to
be a part of it? Like play action, working a
little under center now you know that that's in concert
with the run game, you know, and we can talk
about that another time.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
But just interested in terms of it's.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Not old dogs new tricks, but it's kind of aging
dogs new tricks. He's twenty seven to twenty eight now,
he's been kind of set in a in a line
for for a number of years to jump in here
he would be a project. But he's going to provide
that accuracy that that Ko is gonna want in his offense.
The playmaking and the the off the cuff or off
schedule bits.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Is that going to drive the coach crazy?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Like?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
I mean, this this thing goes deep, man.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
But but I do think if if it's Kirk that
tells you it's a bridge, if it's Kyler, that's something
much different was Marathon?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
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(15:18):
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Steve's Appliances dot Com or stopping by the showroom. Marathon's
nine to Noon provided by Steve's Appliances. Well, the key
with McCarthy for me is if he seems relieved somebody
else starts that ain't cool, not saying it's going to happen,
(15:40):
but we don't want that. What we want is JJ
McCarthy jumping out of his skin and putting coaches in
a very very tough spot. It's like another year of maturation,
another year of development, and another year of growth. And
maybe it's baby Kyler, maybe it's kirkcoa change, maybe it's
Ginos Smith from under the cover of darkness, or maybe
(16:03):
it's somebody else. But the a topic for me will
be McCarthy performing better than he ever has and putting
coaches in a very difficult spot. This is the This
is not breaking news, but this is the best opportunity
of all the open or potentially open jobs, and all
the veterans know it. So I'm just I'm still trying
(16:25):
to wrap my mind around like what McCarthy slow with.
And yeah, we all watched all the games and all
the plays, and I don't read as much as other
people do because I like to formulate my own opinions
wrong or right. But there are some traits clearly that
he possesses that are giving enough pause to potentially flirt
(16:48):
with Kirk Kyler or whomever doesn't attack the middle of
the field enough play leave, play leave, play leave, play leave.
I don't know. Does does he need to see an
accomplished vetter do some things in front of him and
learn how to do it, and that's going to fix
some problems. Nine to now looks forward to the day
(17:08):
this conundrum is complete and we know the answer, then
we can formulate opinions on what it's going to look
like and get to the National Football League draft. Free
agency begins Monday. The oxymoron, it's the legal tampering Monday.
And yes, we absolutely believe. Of course they have a
(17:29):
strike plan. Of course they have aligned preferences. But then
you got the good and the bad, the positives and
the negatives.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
The.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Genuine things that you enjoy, and some legitimate concerns. So
I mean, I don't This doesn't have to be a
place where we have to say this is who we
want and this is who it will be. It's very confusing. Yeah,
it's very confusing to me. If they'll have me, I'll
call the games. If it's Kyler, Murray, Kirk, Cousins, Genus,
(18:00):
Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Max Brosmer or JJ McCarthy or
Carson Wentz or Joshua Dobbs. But nevertheless, I just think
this is, like, like I said, of course there's a plan,
and of course there's an alignment with preferences and sneaky
stuff that probably has been done in the background to
figure out exactly what it's going to look like financially,
(18:21):
what it's going to look like with key teammates and stuff.
Find a Noon just wants to know who it is
so we can subsequently move on from there. Wouldn't you
agree with you on that? Man?
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I mean again, as I was talking about it yesterday,
as we talked about it today, you know, Kirk doesn't
set my hair on fire saying we're going from nine
to fifteen wins. Gino Smith doesn't set my hair on fire.
Wrapping my head around Kyler in itself is difficult a time.
So I just need this thing to just Minnesota Vikings,
(18:54):
if so compelled next Wednesday, tell us what you're doing,
and we're going to figure out how to move forward
and find ways to games based on that.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
So, with National Football League free agency popping up on
Monday and the league year begins on Wednesday, at ESPN
dot com, it posted a couple of days ago top
one hundred NFL free agents according to those compiling the
names and the uh the statistical wherewithal in the opinions
(19:22):
and stuff like that. Pretty good list. It's a good
list if you're looking for names and like the team
for whom they played recently, what their age is, and
what they've done recently. So nine to noon today and
tomorrow is going to go one by one through this list,
recognizing we are we are working on a budget. Now.
(19:43):
That's that's another part of the confusion, another part of
the calamity, the chaos that order has become chaos. When
will it be order again? Where it's These are reports,
reports from the right people, though, like the sheefties and
guestlines and stuff like that. That that Aaron Jones I
(20:05):
think was the first one, Sharon Jones, Javon Hargrave. Yeah,
we got Seaffert, we got Guestlin, we got Chefty. I
compiled stuff from them and it was Jones Hargrave. Now
Jonathan Allen, Jonathan Allen is in the mix. It is
all right. So those are names that can be added
to this list, I guess, but not for here. And
that's the key is is letting other people do what
(20:27):
they do and finding the desires we have here with
these names on this list list is bally Hood. So
when a name emerges, if you like that name for
the purple, then say then say desire or cove It
(20:48):
or con or the Wonderful Wizard of con or juice
box or stink or stink because I didn't like get
to me because we're working on a budget here. It's
like I went through a bunch of names here and
there were some eye opening things for me. Don't know
about you, but for me there were.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Well, are we going to start? My question is are
we going to start at one? Are we going to
start at one hundred? No, we're starting at one.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Okay. Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati last year, thirty one years of age,
entering the twenty twenty sixth season. Trey Hendrickson is not
going to be in Minnesota Viking probably not. But here's
the bit. This is key for whom is he going
to play?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Like?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Who on our schedule?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yeah? And by the way, who trades Trip McDuffie. Are
you kidding me with what that move? Who trades Trip McDuffie.
It's nutty too, And you got two general managers in
Beach and Snead, and Snead and Beach and they know
how to win Super Bowls and the like. When I saw
that yesterday, I'm like, damn, so veach next level GM
movements from years ago. He pedals Tyreek Hill to the
(21:57):
Miami Dolphins because it's like, you got Patty Mahomes and
Chris Jones and Travis Kelcey, so you got your MV three,
but you got to pay all of them and others.
So they moved Tyreek Hill, which was a very bold move,
and used a draft pick from that I believe, to
(22:20):
get this corner named Trent McDuffie. Yeah. Well, then I
think they win a Super Bowl with McDuffie and McDuffie's good. Well,
less Snead. He's the one that gave away all of
his draft picks. He did and went and was making
these aggressive trades, got stat Mafford, Jared Goffs in the
NFC North, and then he wins the Super Bowl, and
(22:41):
then he goes back to the conventional way of running
a team, and it's balancing free agency and draft picks. Well,
there's draft picks in rounds three, four, five, and six.
For the bomb and they're good and they're always good.
So when you get those two merchants, I mean those
two on the phone together, Holy cow. Then you come
(23:04):
up with a top whatever corner in the NFL, Trent
McDuffie and he's going to play for the Rams. And
then they got a boatload, boatload of picks and stuff.
Yeah did the Chiefs? How did that happen?
Speaker 2 (23:18):
They're probably in a win now with Stafford, right, and
they still have By the way, the Rams still have
the thirteenth overall pick. I think they got that from
the Falcons, So the twenty ninth must have been their
own but known commodity and McDuffie for a couple of
years before maybe they have to blow the whole thing
up post Stafford. Wow, and you have a known commodity
with the twenty ninth overall pick versus a draft and
(23:40):
develop in a bleep them picks. Mindset, let's go win
another Super Bowl type of thing. The impressive thing about
these gms that you're mentioning, whether it's Veitch he got
out at the right time with Tyreek Hill Boom Snead
wins the Super Bowl in twenty twenty one. He gets
out at the right time on the Jalen Ramsey's and
(24:00):
some of those contracts.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
John Snyder just wins the Super Bowl. Well then he
drafts both those those be feeders in the middle or
fast and they're emersa Tooby Turner and they have as
a Nebraska guy or not Nebraska. They Braiden something, Yeah,
Braiden Fisk, Yes, yeah, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. They've just
completely revamped via the draft to their their bee feeders
with speed and to the point now where they can
(24:22):
go and be merchants again. Now they can go trake
those picks, I mean Diamn.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
But with the Chiefs though, it's interesting because McDuffie high
end corner. They love this cat. I think it's like
Jalen Watson or something. He's going to be on this
free agent list. I bet he needs new money. So
they just traded away one of their starting corners and
this kid they drafted in the seventh round, this Jalen
I think it's Jalen Watson. He's going to be a
free so maybe this is we gotta pay.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
That guy, yeah kind of.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You know, you sign a half billion dollar contract with
your QB, you gotta make.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Moves one by one and working on a budget. I
have four within these one hundred that I've identified that
I think makes sense here. Oh one of them I
forgot was a free agent and he's cool. He's old,
but he's cool. Really to be sweet to have him here,
To be honest with has he has he been making
(25:15):
all the dances? I'd have to look at last year, I.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Gotta I gotta admit I'm kind of flinching this time
around with free agency. One of the most one of
the first things I'm going to look at, PA, did
they at least play all the games last year?
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Debo? And Johnny Paul Debo. We gotta think about it
a little bit. We got to talk to these that
we gotta make sure, Like like Trey Hendrickson with the
Detroit Lions, Yeah, book ending Aiden Hutchinson, that's a problem. Okay,
I don't know what their cap deal is. It can't
be great. But like Trey Hendrickson ending up with the Lions, Yeah,
(25:50):
that'd be cool. That ain't cool for us, No, it's
not good for us.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
All the North teams, I believe you know, leading up
in the weeks, we were all under the cap. The
Vikings by far with the biggest fineil issues. But I
think all four teams were in some cap constraints.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
So no, yes, no juice box, no desire. Okay, yeah
with Trey Hendrix, I desire them, but it's not going
to happen. Tyler Linderbaum, Number two, tone season offensive lineman,
is a guard for the Baltimore Ravens. It's going to
be twenty six entering the twenty twenty sixth season. Yeah,
I like him a lot. Linderbaum has a tone setting
(26:25):
mentality on the interior of the front, using elite foot
speed and body control to match pass rushers or climbed
to the second level in the run game. His pass
block win rate ninety seven point two percent tied for
second among thirty one qualifying centers last season. Yeah, I mean,
but we ain't got money for talking to Fordham right.
(26:47):
Number three Jalen Phillips can't Affordham Eagles last year into
his He's gonna be twenty seven years of age. He
can play both as an edge setter and pocket disruptor.
Everybody needs edge setter. Some pocket disruptors going to be
too expensive, right, Yeah? I think so? And see this
is the number four on this list. This just continues
(27:08):
to blow me away. And this is this would be
this would be Feena Fairness and not watching much act.
But like Alec Pierce, right wide receiver for the Colts,
it's going to be twenty six when the season begins.
Six three, two eleven runs like the wind. I averaged
a league best twenty one and a half yards per
catching twenty twenty five, also top the one thousand yard
(27:30):
receiving mark and brought in six touchdowns. I mean, maybe
I need to change my face on Alec Peers. I
can't believe that he's about to get paid what he's
about to get paid when I look at him as
just a run down the field, run straight down the field,
nine route fast guy, and he's like ESPN's fourth free agent.
What's I say about.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Free agency, Well, it's it's a weird group. I honestly
don't know much about Alec Pierce. I know about him
from a fantasy standpoint, good at times productive. You see
the explosive per reception market, I think it was twenty
one and change. Yeah, I don't see what are we
gonna do? Is he gonna make twenty million dollars a year.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
ESPN has him as the fourth most coveted free agent
to start on Monday, and that just blew me away.
That blows me away as well. All right, let's pause
from the football for a second. Then we'll get into
Rashid Walker, Odafe, O Way, Braden Smith, something called John
Franklin Myers and so on. Kind of want all these guys.
(28:27):
We don't think we can afford any of them. We're walking.
We're walking our way pretty close to us. Some names
that maybe Nine to Noon covets, and we will share
those with you. Nordo produces. I'm Paul Allen Curtesy of
timber Tech and timber tech dot com. What's on Deck
nine to Noon includes radio slash audio play by play
voice for the Minnesota Wild, Joe O'Donnell around the Corner,
(28:49):
not Choe Lieber in studio at ten o'clock. Pete Bursts
joins an hour and fifteen minutes from now, analysts for
the Vikings Radio Network. He played for the late Lou Hult,
who died yesterday at the age of eighty nine. Pete
played for lew at Notre Dame. He's going to share
some stories with us. Miss Olivia King in studio on
all that is Hockey at eleven o'clock. Uh Nordo's over there.
(29:12):
I'm Paul Allen. Welcome to f M one hundred point
three k f a N. Your favorite station is in
the air, fan.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Eric sinek douget free, It's fun, loose favor favorite of
open ice.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
HiT's Capri sof hat the Red Life? How back cantd shot?
He's gone over Marion. They do franchise leader in career goals.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
His career prisof gets into the empty do for number two.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Twenty Hello wild and front five one late in the
thir Yo, what's going on there? Budsy? It's Paul Allen.
How are you pa?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
What's so?
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Buddy? Is it cool to call you Budsy? Obviously? Yeah,
well so I thought. I mean, it's a staylock creation there.
But I don't know if the nickname buged you or anything.
Maybe it's hockey, so you got heind Z and you
got fabes and you got maybe maybe it's Josie or O'donald's.
Budsy's cool.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Yeah, it's cool. I mean it's it's been some form
of Joe radio or radio for a long time. But
you know, when you meet other people across the business
or walks of life, sometimes they come up their own
nicknames for you and you roll with them. You know that.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Fucks Joe o'donald calls Wild games on the radio. We'll
hear him tomorrow night against the Las Vegas Golden Knights,
then Sunday against the Apps, both on the road. What's
the Golden tee scene like in Las Vegas.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
I'll get back to you on that. There are other
things to do out there. Really to come first is
you're probably aware a couple of big hockey games for
the Wild day off Saturday in Denver before the you know,
the early afternoons start against the Abs, And really when
you look the schedule next couple of games for the
Wild PA, it doesn't get any easier. Like they've got
(31:13):
a lot of tough opponents coming into town after this
little two game trip and just kind of like the
way the team's playing right now and hoping that they
continue to stack those points and stay healthy down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Well indeed, so, but the a topic is you saying
that you might not play Golden Ta your favorite game
in Vegas because I looked at it as an amazingly
sneaky move. In the seven oh two, you got others
chanting their luck, so to speak, a Blackjack Wraps and
pie Gal and here's buzzy here Joe O'Donnell's supplementing his
income in Las Vegas with Golden Tea. I mean it
(31:47):
has some potential brilliance to it.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
I mean it's like, I don't know, ten twelve bucks
for eighteen holes for you and your buddies, and takes
an hour plus maybe to play a couple of cold ones,
probably save some rather than hitting the tables and not
finding luck that way.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
So unless well too.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
But I tend to be uh, you know, give me
a golfer that's like, you know, top five usually, but
that often doesn't win, Like you know what, Happy Gilmore
was getting the big checks and he was finishing like yeah,
you know, on the leader board. Unfortunately, it tends to
be me when it comes to Golden Tea.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Hey, the state high school hockey tournament for the boys
is taking place right now, ladies. Last week, what what's
the Pennsylvania State hockey tournament? Like?
Speaker 3 (32:38):
So it's interesting. I got Kevin Gorgon was texting uh
with Buddsy Actually stay Lock. We were in a little
group chat yesterday and they and they mentioned this and
I said, you know when I when I played, So
this is like, you know, ninety I think it was
ninety seven, ninety eight varsity hockey out there, like it
was you had the Flyers Cup, right, So that was
(33:00):
the team that kind of came out of the Philadelphia area.
And then I'm pretty sure they used to play the
Penguins Cup winner, which would be like the western side
of the state for the state championship, but we were
never good enough to get there. I honestly couldn't tell
you that much about any type of state tournament at
stands now in Pennsylvania. Ye, not nearly as big of
a deal obviously as it is out here. And it's
(33:22):
it's been so cool for myself in our family and
even extended family that are hockey fans. My wife's cousins
grew up playing like they're like they're into the state
high school hockey tournament out here and they don't even
live here, just because of you know, what they've seen
on social media and the games are all broadcast and
obviously we've been to a few games the last couple
(33:42):
of years of the family down in Saint Paul's, So
it's awesome to see how much to embraced the game
out here.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Pennsylvania is your home state in any way known for
a hot bed for hockey talent.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
Well, Mike Richter is from Flowertown, Pennsylvania. That's name that'll
kind of show my age a little bit. You know.
There's there's certainly other guys from the Tri state area
that are in the NHL right now, but I think
for the most part, you know, the traditional markets that
you're aware of from years ago, the Boston's and some
spots in New York, obviously, Michigan, Minnesota, you name it,
(34:20):
We're we're carrying the talent for quite some time now.
Of course, the last ten plus years you're starting to
see players from all over the place. Again, not super
up to speed on who's coming out of the area,
but hockey has really grown in the in the suburbs
of Philadelphia like most other places in the States, not
that it ever wasn't big. I mean, we certainly had
prep schools and in the area that I had friends
(34:42):
that went to and when they when they thought the
hockey locally wasn't good enough for them, you know, there
were a lot of good teams that I played against
and and kids that went on to play, you know,
college hockey, et cetera. But the way it's grown now
with the programs, the club programs in particular out there,
the Triple A programs again not sort of the model here,
which again is what makes Minnesota in a lot of
(35:04):
ways unique as many of the listeners know, as far
as youth hockey and high school Hockey Association hockey, which
is cool, but you know, definitely on the rise in
so many parts of the country, including the Philly area.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Radio Joe's favorite hockey team, the Minnesota Wild, are is
two and o versus the Golden Knights this year. So
do you expect the Wild to go three and o
versus Vegas tomorrow night on KFA N or is it
a super tricky matchup?
Speaker 3 (35:32):
I don't know if it's a super tricky matchup, it's
a big one. And you know that the Golden Knights
because of that FKA, they know what's happened in the
first two meetings and overtime game and then the Wild
took it to them in Vega's hard to win in
that building. A couple of times in a row, especially
in convincing fashion, so it'll be a tough game. But
I do like Phil Gustison has looked really good since
(35:52):
coming back from the Olympics, which you might go, well,
how's that possible. We didn't have the best Olympics showing
for team Sweden. In fact, he didn't even play in
this you know, in the semi final game or choosing
the quarterfinal game against USA. But he's come back and
look really good, and I to that to me is
a unbelievably good sign for the Wild. Like I'm looking
for two things over the last twenty one games or
(36:14):
whatever it is. It's gonna be good health and it's
gonna be the goaltending. I'm not worried about anything else
for this hockey team. I think if they get you know,
if they stay healthy, the goalies are playing well and
things are looking good defensively as a group, I really
like this team's chances. But again, as you as you
look at the stretch, I think, you know, post Olympics,
the Wild had like twelve of their twenty four games
(36:34):
against current playoff teams, So you're gonna get some measuring
sticks here.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Dallas.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
A couple of times down the stretch Colorado one more time.
As we talked about on Sunday, Vegas tomorrow night, you're
gonna get some games where you're gonna go, okay, how
do we size up, you know, how this matchup look
should we see him down the line. And those are
games I know the players will get, you know, amped
up for, the coaches will have focused, and should make
for some great, meaningful regular season hockey, even though it
seems like at this point the Wild are deacine.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
For a playoff spot T Mobile Friday Ball Arena Sunday.
I mean this sounds like thousands of Minnesota Wild fans
starting in Vegas Friday, finishing in Colorado Sunday. I mean
that this is one of those trips right where like
like a ton of Wild fans go yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
And to your point, right out of the Olympics, the
back to back Denver, Salt Lake City. I talked to
folks in Salt Lake City because at Delta Center it's
not really still centerp for hockey broadcasting yet, So you're
calling the game like in the stands and the you know,
essentially the top of that lower bowl there where the
NBA guys broadcast from and you're like right there in
(37:38):
the mixer, and plenty of Wild fans there in attendance,
and several that came up to talk to Tom Reid
and I and say like, hey, yeah, we were in
Denver the other night. What a great win. So yeah,
you're right, especially with the Saturday you could travel from
Vegas to Denver. You could stay a little later if
you want, in Vegas on Saturday and make the trip
over to Denver afternoons start. You could get out after
(37:58):
the game Sunday in Denver. So a lot of things
landing up where I think, you know you're going to
see a lot of Wild fans in both those buildings.
Minnesota Wild fans travel so well. I always say that
I'm always impressed on the road how many Jerseys I
see the Wild Let's go Wild chants the other night
in Denver coming out of the break when the Wild
we're running away with that game. Love to see it,
keep it up. I know the players appreciate as well.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
With the with the dismantling of the lightning. All right,
so the Wild put Tampa Bay on its third consecutive loss.
What what? What are some things the Wild did? A
couple of Nights Ago Joe against Tampa Bay that you
just really liked.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Well, they were opportunistic. I think that's that's first and foremost.
They stayed out of the penalty box, which was key
against the Tampa Bay team. The power play for the
Wild in the Quinn Hughes eras over thirty percent clicking wise.
You know, that's just so efficient, really getting the job
done there. So I like the special teams, the discipline aspect,
(38:57):
and I think they really you know, I talked with
Caprice Off after the game he breaks the franchise record,
and I said, you know, after talking about the record
and all that sort of stuff, I was like, Hey,
this is a big game, big win for you guys,
wasn't it. And I found it interesting that he kind
of was like, yeah, you know. The coaches talked this
morning about essentially how they need to play, how their
game needed to look, how they didn't want to lose
(39:19):
stray in a row. And I really thought they went
out and for the most part controlled that hockey game
against the desperate Campa team that was you know, had
lost back to back, as you said, and prior to
that in their last twenty five games. I think they
had lost like once in regulation, so to send them
to a three game losing streak was impressive. The way
they got it done again, Gustison was good when he
had to be, and I just like the fact that
(39:40):
they seem like they were like, all right, good teams
don't lose ray in a row. We're a good team.
Let's be on our toes and go get this thing.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Do do you think they make a big deal by
the deadline tomorrow. I mean in no way of mccaren,
in no way of Fabriary. I'm talking obviously Trocheck will
be the a name. But what do you think.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
You know we could? Gould said absol two weeks ago,
I would have said without a doubt. I don't know now.
And I think I like the fact that Billy g
you know, we know he's gonna take his swings. He's
never been a GM that does anything other than try
to give this the best chance to win when he
believes they have that opportunity. I also think the guys
(40:18):
in the room believe in what they have, and so
I think if they don't go out and do something,
I don't think like maybe years past, where the core
group goes man, they don't believe in us or man,
this isn't good enough. I think this team knows they're
good enough. And so if it's gonna preclude Bill garn
and his staff from making a move this summer or
an early season move next year, a la Quinn Hughes
(40:40):
from this season, and I don't know that they're just
gonna force something to force something, to make one more move,
just to make it. I like the depth right now.
I think defensively the wild match up, if everybody's healthy,
their top six is good as anybody in the league.
And I you know, bring your arguments this way Foard
wise of McCarron now and fabric two guys to stab,
which has NHL resumes the playoff experience some grit. I
(41:04):
like what they did there, so if you're off struggling
in a playoff series, you don't have to play them now.
Essentially again, if everybody's healthy, so give Marcus Felino back
in this lineup, get the line set maybe the last
ten or so games, get guys feel good about their game.
If they don't make another move, I think I'm fine
with it. But answer your question, since they just talked
for an hour and didn't. I think another move will come,
(41:25):
but I'm not as convinced as I was that we could.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Go all right, Well, say say there is not another
move or it's not one of the ballyhood nature as
is is. If what I'm hearing is correct, and I
would agree with you, is what they have right now
good enough to advance through the postseason? Yes?
Speaker 3 (41:46):
One, Uh, there's no question in my mind. Now you're
gonna have here's the caveat Wild fans are gonna roll
their eye. You're gonna have a hell of a first
round matchup, and if you get out of that, it's
gonna be a battle in.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
The second round.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
Right like most likely you're playing Dallas right now, you'd
start in Dallas, which I don't mind at all. Games
one and two. You know that's a team that if
you can find a way to you know, score enough
goals right to beat pesky Jay Goddens, your Lakeville native,
you're gonna win that series. I really believe that. I
don't think there's a clear cut team in the division
(42:19):
or in the conference over the Minnesota whild where you
look at it on paper and go they're the younger dogs.
They might be in Vegas slightly. They might not be
the quote unquote favorite nationally, but I don't think you
look at this roster right now as it's constructed. I
don't care what anybody else does prior to the deadline
and you go, yep, they can't beat them. I just
don't see it that way. So I think Quinn Hughes
(42:39):
has given such confidence to this lineup. He brought such
offense from the back end, the wilder right around the
top of the league and goal since they acquired him.
He made his debut December the fourteenth. But again, if
they're healthy and their goaltending is dialed in, which you
know you have no reason expect it won't be at
this point With as good as Gus and Wally have
played this year, like this is a team that I think,
(43:00):
for the first time in a decade, should be a
real believer. This isn't a hope and a prayer. This
isn't a we're an underdog situation. This is a you
know the matchup is going to be tough, but there's
no reason this team shouldn't get through a first round
and on from there with the way they're currently constructed.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
My man, fucks have a great time in Vegas and Colorado.
We'll talk to you next week, all right, all right, Pee,
thanks buddy, see you man. That's Joe O'Donnell. He calls
wild games on k f A N including tomorrow night
around nine o'clock against Dem Vegas Golden Nights. This is
nine to noon, back in the flat, all right. Green
(43:41):
Bay Packers offensive tackle Rashid Walker, Green Bay, twenty six
into the next season, Number five free agent on the
ESPN list, Like both our tackles better than him in
the first place. Same number six, odafe o Way Chargers
last year, twenty seven into the season. He I don't know.
(44:03):
He had a bunch of sacks against the New England
Patriots in that in that one and done playoff scenario,
Butdfeoway edge and then we got the then we got
the Grenard trade thing. Yeah, that hit two days ago.
Like anybody double down on that yesterday or something.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
I've just seen little bits and pieces that that. Many
teams in the NFL ever since we saw that initial
report have have also now reportedly made inquiries in relation
to what it would cost to get Grenard.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
How come through the first six free agents, the wonderful
Wizard of Cohn has not said desire got it?
Speaker 2 (44:40):
Want me and yeah, well that's easy. I want Trey
Hendrickson on my team. We can't afford him. I want
Tyler Linderbaum on my team. Now the issue we need
a center. We need a center, and maybe Adafeoway come
play center. Maybe maybe he can, and that would be
uh talk about out of the box. I mean, Brazinski's creative,
but that would be something. Lennerbaum's going to be really expensive.
(45:01):
We got cap numbers on our tackles right now. I
think it's like twenty three and twenty one. Fries got
paid like that. That center spot really needs to be
solved with somebody who can make all the dances. Lennardbaum,
spend Y Man and then you get to Jalen Phillips
expensive Alec Pearce. I don't like what he's going to
be getting paid. Plus we got eighteen and three for now. Okay, Yeah,
(45:22):
so that's that's where I'm at through the first time.
Brayden Smith Indianapolis Colts. I think he played right tackle,
might have played some left.
Speaker 1 (45:29):
Going to be thirty into the season out John Franklin
Myers defensive lineman, Denver Broncos eighth on the ESPN list
for some reason, Alex Pierce is four and John Franklin
Myers is anes. That tell you about free agency. With
all due respect, Franklin Myers lacks the lateral speed and
ben to turn pressures into a bunch of sacks from
(45:50):
edge alignments.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
So nope, John Franklin Myers, you don't think so. I'd
like to know what he costs. I mean, in a
different universe, if the.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
John pick him out of a two person lineups standing
next to Carl Mecklenberg.
Speaker 2 (46:02):
But he was super like uber productive in that Broncos
defense the last two years, and he was kind of
meeting potatoes, I would say, above average during his time
with the Jets.
Speaker 1 (46:12):
You like his work at five Technique, don't you?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yeah, I've been saying that for years. So I follow
him from Afar. I'm a huge fan.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
No, the sas last year.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Who knows this thing is this thing unfolds pa. I
mean we speak of the D line the interior. If
we if we have Hargrave and Allen and then we
have Jalen Redman, just put an exclusive rights tag on
him and an LDR, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
That's a position of depth.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
If you remove Hargrave and Allen from the equation, that's
no longer a position of depth. And so so that's
a target for me just kind of paying attention. But
I think Franklin Myers would be pretty spendy too. Know
anything about New Orleans corner Alante Taylor no idea.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
I don't really either. Didn't know he was a person.
Kwai Walker Kuai Walker's number ten, Quay Walker's number ten. Well,
what would he look like in this defense? Well? He
I mean, if you have Kuway Walker, you don't have
Eric Wilson and Kway Walker. I mean it's I know
(47:12):
Quay's a lot younger than Eric, but I mean, can
Quay do what Eric did last year? We'll see him
raw talent?
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You think it's there with Walker or just he had
his shot with and he's it's just waning so much
over those first four years with with the Pack.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
That's a very good question because I've never been a
Quay Walker fan in the past. Coverage game and then
early in his career he had some penalties are bad.
His parly time penalties came at the worst time of games.
Couldn't control himself. I mean he's a yeah, tenth free agent. Nah,
but if they signed him, Hey, if they signed him,
(47:47):
game more and quays for everybody, Let's party Rik Willan's
number eleven. Yeah. See it's with Reeke he he got benched. Yeah, Okay,
then somebody got hurt and they had to And like
if Drake May was close to acceptable in the Super Bowl,
the guys he was missing were always around Rieke Wolan,
(48:12):
they were always open. So, I mean, four plays does
not a career make arms go from Malwi to Maine.
I don't know. I mean Reek Wolan man he make
I mean, he makes all the games. He's big, he
plays msical, he's I mean, from the time I think
he was a fifth or sixth round pick.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
Yeah, heck of a pick, wasn't he Rookie of the Year?
Potentially defensive play.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
Might have been. Yeah, But the bit with him, he's
like six three six four long arms, can can run
well enough, but he was like he was the sticky
man bit that messed with you with the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 2 (48:47):
And if you could add that because because right now,
again speaking about depth and things like that, Reek would
Flores could figure out how to make Reek Wollan a player,
and we do after Rogers and Murphy. I mean, it's
the island of Fabian Moreau, as you would say.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
And oh cuck cock cock kudahuda. All right, we got more.
We got plenty of time to do it. Ben Lieber
joins on to noon next
A great job with Lapanta yesterday. By the way, Oh,
thank you helped me with this. So the Wild, so
we get called and maybe I heard it the wrong
way and I should have looked it up. I'm good morning. Uh. So,
so we get Dallas or Colorado first in the I mean,
that's for sure what the round one of the postseason
(00:21):
looks like for the Minnesota Wild.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, it's it's it's all, but it's all but sewed up.
So I'm scrambling to find the standings right now. I
thought we were we were nine back of Colorado with
and then two more games played as well, So I
mean that's that's a heavy burden to try and trace,
you know, track them down at this stage. But but Dallas,
it kind of feels the way the way that we're
(00:43):
in right now. So let me see here, we're five
or six short of Dallas, so we are oh just
three excuse me, and they're six short of Colorado.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So yes, uh, the spot we're in.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Unless we win the Central we will have to play
a division rival. And so at this stage it looks
almost guaranteed whether we go to Dallas game one or
they come up here, that's yet to be determined, but
feels like us in Dallas from a points perspective, and
just not enough games left on the schedule to really chase,
chase a bigger prize.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Damn, what's play Hoggy? I especially liked how the hair
Apparent laid out the playing style it takes for the
Minnesota Wild to win in the postseason and the lower
scoring games aspect. It was off that Tampa Bay victory.
(01:34):
That was pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, no, it's and for that, you know, whether it's
it's the penalty kill, it's winning face offs and big spots,
getting the chance to learn more and we will once
he's in a sweater and playing games for us. But
like Michael McCarron, what does he bring to the mix, Well,
he's like six six, two thirties, a freaking giant on
the ice, but winning the zone, face offs, killing penalties.
(01:56):
What we saw from from Hinzi's group in the Olympics.
Can we can we capture some of that magic with
our favorite team. Special teams matter in the postseason and
for a large part really of these last seven what
is it six seven to eight postseason appearances with first
round exits, A lot of those you could sum up
with issues related to killing penalties, finding that goal with
(02:17):
the man advantage, and winning some of those closer contested games.
The special teams matter in those cases, certainly, Tinze Heinsey,
it's time to drop the pot. Yeah, the wild haven't
won a playoff series in a decade. Finchy, Finchy, the
Wolves keep getting killed a step from the NBA finals,
and the Vikings haven't won a playoff game since before
(02:39):
the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Now the Wolves. I feel comfortable in saying the Wolves
will win at least a playoff series this year. So
if that's accurate. Two witches to be scratched are the
hockey and the football teams. Caprisov obvious listud. They may
have the best six deep blue line group in the game.
(03:04):
Hughesy is amazing. You traded a lot for him, and
Boldi Baldy is winning in the postseason from edging closer
to top tennis, top fifteen ish in for players in
the league conversation, and all that just cannot get bounced
in round one. So I'm thinking all that yesterday and
(03:25):
after watching the Tampa Bay win the night before, and
then I hear hair apparent be like, well, it's gonna
be Colorado or Dallas. I'm like, damn, it feels like
we've had a dramatically better season than that that that
you should catch some team, some l from the Pacific,
that's like at the bottom of the West, you know, yeah,
and it's is this an aberration?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
It's kind of the same way anytime a you know,
whether it was a seven and nine team or a
seven and ten team or an eight and nine team
in the NFL, they make the playoffs because they're a
division winner, right, and then you have that conversation of, well,
we shouldn't have division winners anymore. That's not fair that
this eight to nine team wins their awful division they
get to host a playoff game, and some ten win
(04:08):
team that's been grinding it out for a wildcard spot
they get bounced for this.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
That's preposterous.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Well, similarly, in the NHL, I think we're in a
spot this year where seeing three of the best teams
in the NHL all vying for one division title, meaning
that the other two will have to duke it out
in round one and you're gonna leave the first round
of the postseason without I know, we're wild focused here,
We're Wild Rubes, but legitimately as an NHL fan, if
(04:37):
you bounce the Stars, the freaking Stars are one of
the elite teams in the NHL and they take the
l round one, you're thinking, well, that's not good for hockey.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Is this an aberration? Do we want to overreact.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
To this year's situation or is it potentially something we're
going to be seeing for multiple years to come, therefore
changing the way we look at the playoff format as
it is today.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Wild Joe Radio Joe Wild Joe O'Donnell, the play by
play voice on the radio for the Minnesota Wild. We
will hear him tomorrow night calling a game against the
Vegas Golden Knights from the seven oh two, and he
joins nine to noon today about twenty five minutes from now.
So help me with this. For the Vikings, it seems
(05:24):
the at least following things online, am I inaccurate when
it comes to other people's sourcing, backgrounding, opinions and things
like that. The two most probable options to join the
Covenant as a quarterback would be Kyler Murray or Kirk Cousins.
(05:45):
Talented and skilled and cheap, but maybe not as cheap
as I thought trying to get to the bottom of
this Kirk Cousins money situations like trying to break into
Fort Knox. So it is the steam from the right people.
He is the steam from the right people leading to
either Kyler or Kirk here and good morning and good morning. Yeah,
(06:08):
yes it is. There are other names as part of
that conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
But man, dude from Tuesday when we did the talker
Tuesday bit PA and it's like, hey, what if I
told you Kyler Murray is going to be added to
the squad that was timed and we had all those talkbacks.
Well maybe it was a little bit early premature. In
fact is later that day you hear from the Cardinals
they will be releasing him.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
He puts out on social media.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
His goodbye post, and then ever since then it's been
well that's I mean, everyone wants to play for Kevin O'Connell.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
It's very clear. I get told at the combine, as
I told you Tuesday, by somebody who knows him, that
he wants to play for the Vikings. Yeah, and and
well he grew up. I think he grew up a
Vikings fan.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And you can even I bet you can go back
and find him they're still on X slash Formula Twitter.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
When he was a baby wearing a game warn Brett.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Far for I think he was like cheering for Adrian
Peterson and the Vit like just a cute little Kyler's
on X like.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
There go Vikings go down for twenty eight. Yeah, all day,
all day.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
But so that's been so hot. And then additionally, whether
it's it's Kirk Cousins. So my source I Ben Gessling
Star Tribune a long text that I'm not going to read,
and it's a totality right now, there's some offset dollars.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Oh, he got back with the money help for chains.
He wrote a small novella. He probably you know what
it probably what he did because he was annoyed with me.
Maybe he's like a writer.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
He just copy and pasted into the text something from
his most recent article that probably clearly explained everything.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So but thank you to Ben for reaching out.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
There are some offset dollars somewhere in there in the
ten to twelve million dollar range with the Falcons maybe,
and so you could then sign Kirk to a bit
cheaper deal as well.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
But that find a bit cheaper of Kyler Murray's league
minimum terrorism. Well, I don't. You're not going to get
cheaper than that, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And what what would what would kirk cousin at this
stage of his career demand. I mean, if he's going
to demand twenty million dollars, will you offset that?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Right?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
And I mean now you're talking eight, ten, twelve million
out of pocket. If he's going to demand anything less
than than that ten million, that would be offset then
by the Falcons effectively, then you're you're paying him league minimum.
So I wonder what that dollar amount looks like Kirka.
Kirk's always made sure that he gets market rate, so
I wonder what that costs. But in the end, all
(08:27):
of these are potential options. Yes, your steam rolling and such,
and you know, you're you're as dialed in as anybody.
You're you're very much over the target in terms of
what this conversation and what this rats nest has looked like.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
The Vikes and free agents quarterback scenario I believe could
go multiple ways. However, I believe, while believing myriad options
are in play, I've kind of settled into Kyler and Kirk,
and of course I believe they absolutely have a strike
plan and of a lot all of the free agent
(09:01):
quarterbacks for preference, but that there's nary a one. I
believe you can look at, look at and not have concerns. Now,
I mean you could have said that about Sam Darnold
too into the twenty twenty four season. But like thinking
about all of the names and looking at all of
the or perceiving or recalling positives and negatives, meshing it
(09:28):
with this team here, I mean through it all, I
kind of come back to Kirk Cousins, and he plays
the way the coach wants the quarterback to play. Arm
talent still high end, wants to be here. I would
imagine does he know the playbook? And is is? I
would think is the right one to be in the
room with the kid He's going to pass, So, I
(09:50):
mean he knows how to protect himself at the stage
of his career. So is changed the one for us?
Or I wouldn't I wouldn't limit the tenure here either
to be like just one and done for sure? So like,
is Chain's the one for nine to noon? Is it? Kyler?
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Geno was thirty to one and all the sharps betting
down to six to twenty. Surgeon on the outside is
the is the potential trade for a mac Jones by
anybody completely dead or so quiet, because it's absolutely gonna happen,
right somehow, someway somewhere with somebody has nine to noon
(10:34):
settled in on change.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
It feel it feels like the quietest one is don't
forget about mac Jones if no one's talking about it.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I mean, through all this, we're gonna hear Monday or Tuesday,
Zach Wilson's gonna come in to compete with JJ McCarthy
if if it's changed yesterday.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I just kind of framed it up when I was
filling in for you a week Togo. I'm not saying
that this is exactly what I want to happen, but
for me, it kind of fel feels like with the
steam Roll and it's Kyler or it's Gino, and these
mean different things. And you can swap out Gino with Kirk,
by the way, because I think there's there's a similar
meaning there if you go with Kirk, if you go
(11:14):
with Gino Smith. But let's let's focus on chains love
chains love Kirk same. It's a bridge to JJ McCarthy,
and whether it's one year or it's two years. As
you mentioned, I agree, it's not necessarily a one year deal,
but certainly a shorter term.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
So if it's Kyler, it ain't a bridge. It ain't
a bridge, it's something different. It's a plank. Yeah, and
it ain't Kyler walking off it. That is correct. That's
how I view it at this stage. If it's Kyler,
if the Vikings signed Kyler Murray, and if he's their
quarterback next year, ninety three percent McCarthy plays five games
(11:47):
or more.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Because of the health related brict. Okay, well, I mean
that's that's I'm spitballing. Well, he's every other year, right,
like two years ago. I think he made the dances.
He made all of them, but then that's been bookended.
Now this last season and then twenty twenty three. Maybe
played a total of thirteen games or something like that
in those seasons.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
So yes, but maybe playing style would be different. He
wouldn't run as willy nilly as he has been known
to run, which means they would be taking a quarterback
who was an incredibly high first round pick and is gifted.
They would be taking him out of his comfort zone.
Oh and putting him in the pocket and saying stay there,
(12:27):
you stay there, don't leave the pocket. And then like
September and October, we're like, well, yeah, I mean he's
still learning. He's still learning. He's still learning. Let's be patient.
He's still learning. Darris Saw and O'Neil are doing great.
The new center's doing great. This guy Donovan's second year fantastic.
But the talkbacks on the Northern Fire talkback Talker Tuesdays
(12:52):
will be free Kyler. It'll be let Kyler run. It
used to be let wac cook. Now it's like Kyler run.
So so, but I'm maybe I'm wrong here. I I
just I just this just needs to and uh yeah
no it's a it's so, I don't know how.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I don't know how drastically you can change Kyler Murray
at this stage of his career. And now I'm excited
that we have liber in because I think liber is
probably just more locked in former player. As smart as
he is, he could kind of articulate like the differences
in Kyler with a Cliff Kingsbury earlier in his career,
right tons of shotgun. It's air raid style, trying to
make college offense look good in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, why can't I do that. I always love that one.
I almost hit you early with that. I didn't like
the Kyler talkback on a Tuesday. I thought it was lazy,
but it ended up being it ended up it ended
up being prescient. I mean, because it's the it's the
fat talker right now. It's fat. Man is juicy. It
(13:52):
is the fat talking It's a juicy talker. Man. I
just I can't say I ever saw it getting to
this level. I didn't either, man. But but Kyler, now,
what what? What is?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
What did Drew Petsing do? That's where I was going
with this. What did Drew Petsing maybe do a little
bit differently in recent years? And because I don't I
if Kyler's going to succeed here, what what has to
be a part of it? Like play action, working a
little under center now you know that that's in concert
with the run game, you know, and we can talk
about that another time.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
But just interested in terms of it's.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Not old dogs new tricks, but it's kind of aging
dogs new tricks. He's twenty seven to twenty eight now,
he's been kind of set in a in a line
for for a number of years to jump in here
he would be a project. But he's going to provide
that accuracy that that Ko is gonna want in his offense.
The playmaking and the the off the cuff or off
schedule bits.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Is that going to drive the coach crazy?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Like?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
I mean, this this thing goes deep, man.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
But but I do think if if it's Kirk that
tells you it's a bridge, if it's Kyler, that's something
much different was Marathon?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
This opening segment courtesy of Steve's Appliances, Steve's a Apliances
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learn more about the fifty year anniversary of Steve's Appliances,
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(15:18):
fifty ish years. I think it's more. You can save
up to fifty percent on select appliances by going to
Steve's Appliances dot Com or stopping by the showroom. Marathon's
nine to Noon provided by Steve's Appliances. Well, the key
with McCarthy for me is if he seems relieved somebody
else starts that ain't cool, not saying it's going to happen,
(15:40):
but we don't want that. What we want is JJ
McCarthy jumping out of his skin and putting coaches in
a very very tough spot. It's like another year of maturation,
another year of development, and another year of growth. And
maybe it's baby Kyler, maybe it's kirkcoa change, maybe it's
Ginos Smith from under the cover of darkness, or maybe
(16:03):
it's somebody else. But the a topic for me will
be McCarthy performing better than he ever has and putting
coaches in a very difficult spot. This is the This
is not breaking news, but this is the best opportunity
of all the open or potentially open jobs, and all
the veterans know it. So I'm just I'm still trying
(16:25):
to wrap my mind around like what McCarthy slow with.
And yeah, we all watched all the games and all
the plays, and I don't read as much as other
people do because I like to formulate my own opinions
wrong or right. But there are some traits clearly that
he possesses that are giving enough pause to potentially flirt
(16:48):
with Kirk Kyler or whomever doesn't attack the middle of
the field enough play leave, play leave, play leave, play leave.
I don't know. Does does he need to see an
accomplished vetter do some things in front of him and
learn how to do it, and that's going to fix
some problems. Nine to now looks forward to the day
(17:08):
this conundrum is complete and we know the answer, then
we can formulate opinions on what it's going to look
like and get to the National Football League draft. Free
agency begins Monday. The oxymoron, it's the legal tampering Monday.
And yes, we absolutely believe. Of course they have a
(17:29):
strike plan. Of course they have aligned preferences. But then
you got the good and the bad, the positives and
the negatives.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
The.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Genuine things that you enjoy, and some legitimate concerns. So
I mean, I don't This doesn't have to be a
place where we have to say this is who we
want and this is who it will be. It's very confusing. Yeah,
it's very confusing to me. If they'll have me, I'll
call the games. If it's Kyler, Murray, Kirk, Cousins, Genus,
(18:00):
Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Max Brosmer or JJ McCarthy or
Carson Wentz or Joshua Dobbs. But nevertheless, I just think
this is, like, like I said, of course there's a plan,
and of course there's an alignment with preferences and sneaky
stuff that probably has been done in the background to
figure out exactly what it's going to look like financially,
(18:21):
what it's going to look like with key teammates and stuff.
Find a Noon just wants to know who it is
so we can subsequently move on from there. Wouldn't you
agree with you on that? Man?
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I mean again, as I was talking about it yesterday,
as we talked about it today, you know, Kirk doesn't
set my hair on fire saying we're going from nine
to fifteen wins. Gino Smith doesn't set my hair on fire.
Wrapping my head around Kyler in itself is difficult a time.
So I just need this thing to just Minnesota Vikings,
(18:54):
if so compelled next Wednesday, tell us what you're doing,
and we're going to figure out how to move forward
and find ways to games based on that.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
So, with National Football League free agency popping up on
Monday and the league year begins on Wednesday, at ESPN
dot com, it posted a couple of days ago top
one hundred NFL free agents according to those compiling the
names and the uh the statistical wherewithal in the opinions
(19:22):
and stuff like that. Pretty good list. It's a good
list if you're looking for names and like the team
for whom they played recently, what their age is, and
what they've done recently. So nine to noon today and
tomorrow is going to go one by one through this list,
recognizing we are we are working on a budget. Now.
(19:43):
That's that's another part of the confusion, another part of
the calamity, the chaos that order has become chaos. When
will it be order again? Where it's These are reports,
reports from the right people, though, like the sheefties and
guestlines and stuff like that. That that Aaron Jones I
(20:05):
think was the first one, Sharon Jones, Javon Hargrave. Yeah,
we got Seaffert, we got Guestlin, we got Chefty. I
compiled stuff from them and it was Jones Hargrave. Now
Jonathan Allen, Jonathan Allen is in the mix. It is
all right. So those are names that can be added
to this list, I guess, but not for here. And
that's the key is is letting other people do what
(20:27):
they do and finding the desires we have here with
these names on this list list is bally Hood. So
when a name emerges, if you like that name for
the purple, then say then say desire or cove It
(20:48):
or con or the Wonderful Wizard of con or juice
box or stink or stink because I didn't like get
to me because we're working on a budget here. It's
like I went through a bunch of names here and
there were some eye opening things for me. Don't know
about you, but for me there were.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Well, are we going to start? My question is are
we going to start at one? Are we going to
start at one hundred? No, we're starting at one.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Okay. Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati last year, thirty one years of age,
entering the twenty twenty sixth season. Trey Hendrickson is not
going to be in Minnesota Viking probably not. But here's
the bit. This is key for whom is he going
to play?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Like?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Who on our schedule?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yeah? And by the way, who trades Trip McDuffie. Are
you kidding me with what that move? Who trades Trip McDuffie.
It's nutty too, And you got two general managers in
Beach and Snead, and Snead and Beach and they know
how to win Super Bowls and the like. When I saw
that yesterday, I'm like, damn, so veach next level GM
movements from years ago. He pedals Tyreek Hill to the
(21:57):
Miami Dolphins because it's like, you got Patty Mahomes and
Chris Jones and Travis Kelcey, so you got your MV three,
but you got to pay all of them and others.
So they moved Tyreek Hill, which was a very bold move,
and used a draft pick from that I believe, to
(22:20):
get this corner named Trent McDuffie. Yeah. Well, then I
think they win a Super Bowl with McDuffie and McDuffie's good. Well,
less Snead. He's the one that gave away all of
his draft picks. He did and went and was making
these aggressive trades, got stat Mafford, Jared Goffs in the
NFC North, and then he wins the Super Bowl, and
(22:41):
then he goes back to the conventional way of running
a team, and it's balancing free agency and draft picks. Well,
there's draft picks in rounds three, four, five, and six.
For the bomb and they're good and they're always good.
So when you get those two merchants, I mean those
two on the phone together, Holy cow. Then you come
(23:04):
up with a top whatever corner in the NFL, Trent
McDuffie and he's going to play for the Rams. And
then they got a boatload, boatload of picks and stuff.
Yeah did the Chiefs? How did that happen?
Speaker 2 (23:18):
They're probably in a win now with Stafford, right, and
they still have By the way, the Rams still have
the thirteenth overall pick. I think they got that from
the Falcons, So the twenty ninth must have been their
own but known commodity and McDuffie for a couple of
years before maybe they have to blow the whole thing
up post Stafford. Wow, and you have a known commodity
with the twenty ninth overall pick versus a draft and
(23:40):
develop in a bleep them picks. Mindset, let's go win
another Super Bowl type of thing. The impressive thing about
these gms that you're mentioning, whether it's Veitch he got
out at the right time with Tyreek Hill Boom Snead
wins the Super Bowl in twenty twenty one. He gets
out at the right time on the Jalen Ramsey's and
(24:00):
some of those contracts.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
John Snyder just wins the Super Bowl. Well then he
drafts both those those be feeders in the middle or
fast and they're emersa Tooby Turner and they have as
a Nebraska guy or not Nebraska. They Braiden something, Yeah,
Braiden Fisk, Yes, yeah, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. They've just
completely revamped via the draft to their their bee feeders
with speed and to the point now where they can
(24:22):
go and be merchants again. Now they can go trake
those picks, I mean Diamn.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
But with the Chiefs though, it's interesting because McDuffie high
end corner. They love this cat. I think it's like
Jalen Watson or something. He's going to be on this
free agent list. I bet he needs new money. So
they just traded away one of their starting corners and
this kid they drafted in the seventh round, this Jalen
I think it's Jalen Watson. He's going to be a
free so maybe this is we gotta pay.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
That guy, yeah kind of.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You know, you sign a half billion dollar contract with
your QB, you gotta make.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Moves one by one and working on a budget. I
have four within these one hundred that I've identified that
I think makes sense here. Oh one of them I
forgot was a free agent and he's cool. He's old,
but he's cool. Really to be sweet to have him here,
To be honest with has he has he been making
(25:15):
all the dances? I'd have to look at last year, I.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Gotta I gotta admit I'm kind of flinching this time
around with free agency. One of the most one of
the first things I'm going to look at, PA, did
they at least play all the games last year?
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Debo? And Johnny Paul Debo. We gotta think about it
a little bit. We got to talk to these that
we gotta make sure, Like like Trey Hendrickson with the
Detroit Lions, Yeah, book ending Aiden Hutchinson, that's a problem. Okay,
I don't know what their cap deal is. It can't
be great. But like Trey Hendrickson ending up with the Lions, Yeah,
(25:50):
that'd be cool. That ain't cool for us, No, it's
not good for us.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
All the North teams, I believe you know, leading up
in the weeks, we were all under the cap. The
Vikings by far with the biggest fineil issues. But I
think all four teams were in some cap constraints.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
So no, yes, no juice box, no desire. Okay, yeah
with Trey Hendrix, I desire them, but it's not going
to happen. Tyler Linderbaum, Number two, tone season offensive lineman,
is a guard for the Baltimore Ravens. It's going to
be twenty six entering the twenty twenty sixth season. Yeah,
I like him a lot. Linderbaum has a tone setting
(26:25):
mentality on the interior of the front, using elite foot
speed and body control to match pass rushers or climbed
to the second level in the run game. His pass
block win rate ninety seven point two percent tied for
second among thirty one qualifying centers last season. Yeah, I mean,
but we ain't got money for talking to Fordham right.
(26:47):
Number three Jalen Phillips can't Affordham Eagles last year into
his He's gonna be twenty seven years of age. He
can play both as an edge setter and pocket disruptor.
Everybody needs edge setter. Some pocket disruptors going to be
too expensive, right, Yeah? I think so? And see this
is the number four on this list. This just continues
(27:08):
to blow me away. And this is this would be
this would be Feena Fairness and not watching much act.
But like Alec Pierce, right wide receiver for the Colts,
it's going to be twenty six when the season begins.
Six three, two eleven runs like the wind. I averaged
a league best twenty one and a half yards per
catching twenty twenty five, also top the one thousand yard
(27:30):
receiving mark and brought in six touchdowns. I mean, maybe
I need to change my face on Alec Peers. I
can't believe that he's about to get paid what he's
about to get paid when I look at him as
just a run down the field, run straight down the field,
nine route fast guy, and he's like ESPN's fourth free agent.
What's I say about.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Free agency, Well, it's it's a weird group. I honestly
don't know much about Alec Pierce. I know about him
from a fantasy standpoint, good at times productive. You see
the explosive per reception market, I think it was twenty
one and change. Yeah, I don't see what are we
gonna do? Is he gonna make twenty million dollars a year.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
ESPN has him as the fourth most coveted free agent
to start on Monday, and that just blew me away.
That blows me away as well. All right, let's pause
from the football for a second. Then we'll get into
Rashid Walker, Odafe, O Way, Braden Smith, something called John
Franklin Myers and so on. Kind of want all these guys.
(28:27):
We don't think we can afford any of them. We're walking.
We're walking our way pretty close to us. Some names
that maybe Nine to Noon covets, and we will share
those with you. Nordo produces. I'm Paul Allen Curtesy of
timber Tech and timber tech dot com. What's on Deck
nine to Noon includes radio slash audio play by play
voice for the Minnesota Wild, Joe O'Donnell around the Corner,
(28:49):
not Choe Lieber in studio at ten o'clock. Pete Bursts
joins an hour and fifteen minutes from now, analysts for
the Vikings Radio Network. He played for the late Lou Hult,
who died yesterday at the age of eighty nine. Pete
played for lew at Notre Dame. He's going to share
some stories with us. Miss Olivia King in studio on
all that is Hockey at eleven o'clock. Uh Nordo's over there.
(29:12):
I'm Paul Allen. Welcome to f M one hundred point
three k f a N. Your favorite station is in
the air, fan.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Eric sinek douget free, It's fun, loose favor favorite of
open ice.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
HiT's Capri sof hat the Red Life? How back cantd shot?
He's gone over Marion. They do franchise leader in career goals.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
His career prisof gets into the empty do for number two.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Twenty Hello wild and front five one late in the
thir Yo, what's going on there? Budsy? It's Paul Allen.
How are you pa?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
What's so?
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Buddy? Is it cool to call you Budsy? Obviously? Yeah,
well so I thought. I mean, it's a staylock creation there.
But I don't know if the nickname buged you or anything.
Maybe it's hockey, so you got heind Z and you
got fabes and you got maybe maybe it's Josie or O'donald's.
Budsy's cool.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Yeah, it's cool. I mean it's it's been some form
of Joe radio or radio for a long time. But
you know, when you meet other people across the business
or walks of life, sometimes they come up their own
nicknames for you and you roll with them. You know that.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Fucks Joe o'donald calls Wild games on the radio. We'll
hear him tomorrow night against the Las Vegas Golden Knights,
then Sunday against the Apps, both on the road. What's
the Golden tee scene like in Las Vegas.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
I'll get back to you on that. There are other
things to do out there. Really to come first is
you're probably aware a couple of big hockey games for
the Wild day off Saturday in Denver before the you know,
the early afternoons start against the Abs, And really when
you look the schedule next couple of games for the
Wild PA, it doesn't get any easier. Like they've got
(31:13):
a lot of tough opponents coming into town after this
little two game trip and just kind of like the
way the team's playing right now and hoping that they
continue to stack those points and stay healthy down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Well indeed, so, but the a topic is you saying
that you might not play Golden Ta your favorite game
in Vegas because I looked at it as an amazingly
sneaky move. In the seven oh two, you got others
chanting their luck, so to speak, a Blackjack Wraps and
pie Gal and here's buzzy here Joe O'Donnell's supplementing his
income in Las Vegas with Golden Tea. I mean it
(31:47):
has some potential brilliance to it.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
I mean it's like, I don't know, ten twelve bucks
for eighteen holes for you and your buddies, and takes
an hour plus maybe to play a couple of cold ones,
probably save some rather than hitting the tables and not
finding luck that way.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
So unless well too.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
But I tend to be uh, you know, give me
a golfer that's like, you know, top five usually, but
that often doesn't win, Like you know what, Happy Gilmore
was getting the big checks and he was finishing like yeah,
you know, on the leader board. Unfortunately, it tends to
be me when it comes to Golden Tea.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Hey, the state high school hockey tournament for the boys
is taking place right now, ladies. Last week, what what's
the Pennsylvania State hockey tournament? Like?
Speaker 3 (32:38):
So it's interesting. I got Kevin Gorgon was texting uh
with Buddsy Actually stay Lock. We were in a little
group chat yesterday and they and they mentioned this and
I said, you know when I when I played, So
this is like, you know, ninety I think it was
ninety seven, ninety eight varsity hockey out there, like it
was you had the Flyers Cup, right, So that was
(33:00):
the team that kind of came out of the Philadelphia area.
And then I'm pretty sure they used to play the
Penguins Cup winner, which would be like the western side
of the state for the state championship, but we were
never good enough to get there. I honestly couldn't tell
you that much about any type of state tournament at
stands now in Pennsylvania. Ye, not nearly as big of
a deal obviously as it is out here. And it's
(33:22):
it's been so cool for myself in our family and
even extended family that are hockey fans. My wife's cousins
grew up playing like they're like they're into the state
high school hockey tournament out here and they don't even
live here, just because of you know, what they've seen
on social media and the games are all broadcast and
obviously we've been to a few games the last couple
(33:42):
of years of the family down in Saint Paul's, So
it's awesome to see how much to embraced the game
out here.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Pennsylvania is your home state in any way known for
a hot bed for hockey talent.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
Well, Mike Richter is from Flowertown, Pennsylvania. That's name that'll
kind of show my age a little bit. You know.
There's there's certainly other guys from the Tri state area
that are in the NHL right now, but I think
for the most part, you know, the traditional markets that
you're aware of from years ago, the Boston's and some
spots in New York, obviously, Michigan, Minnesota, you name it,
(34:20):
We're we're carrying the talent for quite some time now.
Of course, the last ten plus years you're starting to
see players from all over the place. Again, not super
up to speed on who's coming out of the area,
but hockey has really grown in the in the suburbs
of Philadelphia like most other places in the States, not
that it ever wasn't big. I mean, we certainly had
prep schools and in the area that I had friends
(34:42):
that went to and when they when they thought the
hockey locally wasn't good enough for them, you know, there
were a lot of good teams that I played against
and and kids that went on to play, you know,
college hockey, et cetera. But the way it's grown now
with the programs, the club programs in particular out there,
the Triple A programs again not sort of the model here,
which again is what makes Minnesota in a lot of
(35:04):
ways unique as many of the listeners know, as far
as youth hockey and high school Hockey Association hockey, which
is cool, but you know, definitely on the rise in
so many parts of the country, including the Philly area.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Radio Joe's favorite hockey team, the Minnesota Wild, are is
two and o versus the Golden Knights this year. So
do you expect the Wild to go three and o
versus Vegas tomorrow night on KFA N or is it
a super tricky matchup?
Speaker 3 (35:32):
I don't know if it's a super tricky matchup, it's
a big one. And you know that the Golden Knights
because of that FKA, they know what's happened in the
first two meetings and overtime game and then the Wild
took it to them in Vega's hard to win in
that building. A couple of times in a row, especially
in convincing fashion, so it'll be a tough game. But
I do like Phil Gustison has looked really good since
(35:52):
coming back from the Olympics, which you might go, well,
how's that possible. We didn't have the best Olympics showing
for team Sweden. In fact, he didn't even play in
this you know, in the semi final game or choosing
the quarterfinal game against USA. But he's come back and
look really good, and I to that to me is
a unbelievably good sign for the Wild. Like I'm looking
for two things over the last twenty one games or
(36:14):
whatever it is. It's gonna be good health and it's
gonna be the goaltending. I'm not worried about anything else
for this hockey team. I think if they get you know,
if they stay healthy, the goalies are playing well and
things are looking good defensively as a group, I really
like this team's chances. But again, as you as you
look at the stretch, I think, you know, post Olympics,
the Wild had like twelve of their twenty four games
(36:34):
against current playoff teams, So you're gonna get some measuring
sticks here.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Dallas.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
A couple of times down the stretch Colorado one more time.
As we talked about on Sunday, Vegas tomorrow night, you're
gonna get some games where you're gonna go, okay, how
do we size up, you know, how this matchup look
should we see him down the line. And those are
games I know the players will get, you know, amped
up for, the coaches will have focused, and should make
for some great, meaningful regular season hockey, even though it
seems like at this point the Wild are deacine.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
For a playoff spot T Mobile Friday Ball Arena Sunday.
I mean this sounds like thousands of Minnesota Wild fans
starting in Vegas Friday, finishing in Colorado Sunday. I mean
that this is one of those trips right where like
like a ton of Wild fans go yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
And to your point, right out of the Olympics, the
back to back Denver, Salt Lake City. I talked to
folks in Salt Lake City because at Delta Center it's
not really still centerp for hockey broadcasting yet, So you're
calling the game like in the stands and the you know,
essentially the top of that lower bowl there where the
NBA guys broadcast from and you're like right there in
(37:38):
the mixer, and plenty of Wild fans there in attendance,
and several that came up to talk to Tom Reid
and I and say like, hey, yeah, we were in
Denver the other night. What a great win. So yeah,
you're right, especially with the Saturday you could travel from
Vegas to Denver. You could stay a little later if
you want, in Vegas on Saturday and make the trip
over to Denver afternoons start. You could get out after
(37:58):
the game Sunday in Denver. So a lot of things
landing up where I think, you know you're going to
see a lot of Wild fans in both those buildings.
Minnesota Wild fans travel so well. I always say that
I'm always impressed on the road how many Jerseys I
see the Wild Let's go Wild chants the other night
in Denver coming out of the break when the Wild
we're running away with that game. Love to see it,
keep it up. I know the players appreciate as well.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
With the with the dismantling of the lightning. All right,
so the Wild put Tampa Bay on its third consecutive loss.
What what? What are some things the Wild did? A
couple of Nights Ago Joe against Tampa Bay that you
just really liked.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Well, they were opportunistic. I think that's that's first and foremost.
They stayed out of the penalty box, which was key
against the Tampa Bay team. The power play for the
Wild in the Quinn Hughes eras over thirty percent clicking wise.
You know, that's just so efficient, really getting the job
done there. So I like the special teams, the discipline aspect,
(38:57):
and I think they really you know, I talked with
Caprice Off after the game he breaks the franchise record,
and I said, you know, after talking about the record
and all that sort of stuff, I was like, Hey,
this is a big game, big win for you guys,
wasn't it. And I found it interesting that he kind
of was like, yeah, you know. The coaches talked this
morning about essentially how they need to play, how their
game needed to look, how they didn't want to lose
(39:19):
stray in a row. And I really thought they went
out and for the most part controlled that hockey game
against the desperate Campa team that was you know, had
lost back to back, as you said, and prior to
that in their last twenty five games. I think they
had lost like once in regulation, so to send them
to a three game losing streak was impressive. The way
they got it done again, Gustison was good when he
had to be, and I just like the fact that
(39:40):
they seem like they were like, all right, good teams
don't lose ray in a row. We're a good team.
Let's be on our toes and go get this thing.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Do do you think they make a big deal by
the deadline tomorrow. I mean in no way of mccaren,
in no way of Fabriary. I'm talking obviously Trocheck will
be the a name. But what do you think.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
You know we could? Gould said absol two weeks ago,
I would have said without a doubt. I don't know now.
And I think I like the fact that Billy g
you know, we know he's gonna take his swings. He's
never been a GM that does anything other than try
to give this the best chance to win when he
believes they have that opportunity. I also think the guys
(40:18):
in the room believe in what they have, and so
I think if they don't go out and do something,
I don't think like maybe years past, where the core
group goes man, they don't believe in us or man,
this isn't good enough. I think this team knows they're
good enough. And so if it's gonna preclude Bill garn
and his staff from making a move this summer or
an early season move next year, a la Quinn Hughes
(40:40):
from this season, and I don't know that they're just
gonna force something to force something, to make one more move,
just to make it. I like the depth right now.
I think defensively the wild match up, if everybody's healthy,
their top six is good as anybody in the league.
And I you know, bring your arguments this way Foard
wise of McCarron now and fabric two guys to stab,
which has NHL resumes the playoff experience some grit. I
(41:04):
like what they did there, so if you're off struggling
in a playoff series, you don't have to play them now.
Essentially again, if everybody's healthy, so give Marcus Felino back
in this lineup, get the line set maybe the last
ten or so games, get guys feel good about their game.
If they don't make another move, I think I'm fine
with it. But answer your question, since they just talked
for an hour and didn't. I think another move will come,
(41:25):
but I'm not as convinced as I was that we could.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Go all right, Well, say say there is not another
move or it's not one of the ballyhood nature as
is is. If what I'm hearing is correct, and I
would agree with you, is what they have right now
good enough to advance through the postseason? Yes?
Speaker 3 (41:46):
One, Uh, there's no question in my mind. Now you're
gonna have here's the caveat Wild fans are gonna roll
their eye. You're gonna have a hell of a first
round matchup, and if you get out of that, it's
gonna be a battle in.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
The second round.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
Right like most likely you're playing Dallas right now, you'd
start in Dallas, which I don't mind at all. Games
one and two. You know that's a team that if
you can find a way to you know, score enough
goals right to beat pesky Jay Goddens, your Lakeville native,
you're gonna win that series. I really believe that. I
don't think there's a clear cut team in the division
(42:19):
or in the conference over the Minnesota whild where you
look at it on paper and go they're the younger dogs.
They might be in Vegas slightly. They might not be
the quote unquote favorite nationally, but I don't think you
look at this roster right now as it's constructed. I
don't care what anybody else does prior to the deadline
and you go, yep, they can't beat them. I just
don't see it that way. So I think Quinn Hughes
(42:39):
has given such confidence to this lineup. He brought such
offense from the back end, the wilder right around the
top of the league and goal since they acquired him.
He made his debut December the fourteenth. But again, if
they're healthy and their goaltending is dialed in, which you
know you have no reason expect it won't be at
this point With as good as Gus and Wally have
played this year, like this is a team that I think,
(43:00):
for the first time in a decade, should be a
real believer. This isn't a hope and a prayer. This
isn't a we're an underdog situation. This is a you
know the matchup is going to be tough, but there's
no reason this team shouldn't get through a first round
and on from there with the way they're currently constructed.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
My man, fucks have a great time in Vegas and Colorado.
We'll talk to you next week, all right, all right, Pee,
thanks buddy, see you man. That's Joe O'Donnell. He calls
wild games on k f A N including tomorrow night
around nine o'clock against Dem Vegas Golden Nights. This is
nine to noon, back in the flat, all right. Green
(43:41):
Bay Packers offensive tackle Rashid Walker, Green Bay, twenty six
into the next season, Number five free agent on the
ESPN list, Like both our tackles better than him in
the first place. Same number six, odafe o Way Chargers
last year, twenty seven into the season. He I don't know.
(44:03):
He had a bunch of sacks against the New England
Patriots in that in that one and done playoff scenario,
Butdfeoway edge and then we got the then we got
the Grenard trade thing. Yeah, that hit two days ago.
Like anybody double down on that yesterday or something.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
I've just seen little bits and pieces that that. Many
teams in the NFL ever since we saw that initial
report have have also now reportedly made inquiries in relation
to what it would cost to get Grenard.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
How come through the first six free agents, the wonderful
Wizard of Cohn has not said desire got it?
Speaker 2 (44:40):
Want me and yeah, well that's easy. I want Trey
Hendrickson on my team. We can't afford him. I want
Tyler Linderbaum on my team. Now the issue we need
a center. We need a center, and maybe Adafeoway come
play center. Maybe maybe he can, and that would be
uh talk about out of the box. I mean, Brazinski's creative,
but that would be something. Lennerbaum's going to be really expensive.
(45:01):
We got cap numbers on our tackles right now. I
think it's like twenty three and twenty one. Fries got
paid like that. That center spot really needs to be
solved with somebody who can make all the dances. Lennardbaum,
spend Y Man and then you get to Jalen Phillips
expensive Alec Pearce. I don't like what he's going to
be getting paid. Plus we got eighteen and three for now. Okay, Yeah,
(45:22):
so that's that's where I'm at through the first time.
Brayden Smith Indianapolis Colts. I think he played right tackle,
might have played some left.
Speaker 1 (45:29):
Going to be thirty into the season out John Franklin
Myers defensive lineman, Denver Broncos eighth on the ESPN list
for some reason, Alex Pierce is four and John Franklin
Myers is anes. That tell you about free agency. With
all due respect, Franklin Myers lacks the lateral speed and
ben to turn pressures into a bunch of sacks from
(45:50):
edge alignments.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
So nope, John Franklin Myers, you don't think so. I'd
like to know what he costs. I mean, in a
different universe, if the.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
John pick him out of a two person lineups standing
next to Carl Mecklenberg.
Speaker 2 (46:02):
But he was super like uber productive in that Broncos
defense the last two years, and he was kind of
meeting potatoes, I would say, above average during his time
with the Jets.
Speaker 1 (46:12):
You like his work at five Technique, don't you?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yeah, I've been saying that for years. So I follow
him from Afar. I'm a huge fan.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
No, the sas last year.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Who knows this thing is this thing unfolds pa. I
mean we speak of the D line the interior. If
we if we have Hargrave and Allen and then we
have Jalen Redman, just put an exclusive rights tag on
him and an LDR, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
That's a position of depth.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
If you remove Hargrave and Allen from the equation, that's
no longer a position of depth. And so so that's
a target for me just kind of paying attention. But
I think Franklin Myers would be pretty spendy too. Know
anything about New Orleans corner Alante Taylor no idea.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
I don't really either. Didn't know he was a person.
Kwai Walker Kuai Walker's number ten, Quay Walker's number ten. Well,
what would he look like in this defense? Well? He
I mean, if you have Kuway Walker, you don't have
Eric Wilson and Kway Walker. I mean it's I know
(47:12):
Quay's a lot younger than Eric, but I mean, can
Quay do what Eric did last year? We'll see him
raw talent?
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You think it's there with Walker or just he had
his shot with and he's it's just waning so much
over those first four years with with the Pack.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
That's a very good question because I've never been a
Quay Walker fan in the past. Coverage game and then
early in his career he had some penalties are bad.
His parly time penalties came at the worst time of games.
Couldn't control himself. I mean he's a yeah, tenth free agent. Nah,
but if they signed him, Hey, if they signed him,
(47:47):
game more and quays for everybody, Let's party Rik Willan's
number eleven. Yeah. See it's with Reeke he he got benched. Yeah, Okay,
then somebody got hurt and they had to And like
if Drake May was close to acceptable in the Super Bowl,
the guys he was missing were always around Rieke Wolan,
(48:12):
they were always open. So, I mean, four plays does
not a career make arms go from Malwi to Maine.
I don't know. I mean Reek Wolan man he make
I mean, he makes all the games. He's big, he
plays msical, he's I mean, from the time I think
he was a fifth or sixth round pick.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
Yeah, heck of a pick, wasn't he Rookie of the Year?
Potentially defensive play.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
Might have been. Yeah, But the bit with him, he's
like six three six four long arms, can can run
well enough, but he was like he was the sticky
man bit that messed with you with the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 2 (48:47):
And if you could add that because because right now,
again speaking about depth and things like that, Reek would
Flores could figure out how to make Reek Wollan a player,
and we do after Rogers and Murphy. I mean, it's
the island of Fabian Moreau, as you would say.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
And oh cuck cock cock kudahuda. All right, we got more.
We got plenty of time to do it. Ben Lieber
joins on to noon next
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