VikingsTerritory Breakdown - A Minnesota Vikings Radio Show

VikingsTerritory Breakdown - A Minnesota Vikings Radio Show

Welcome to the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, where co-hosts Joe Oberle and Mark Craig offer their unique insider’s opinion and analysis on the latest Purple news and happenings emanating from TCO Performance Center, U.S. Bank Stadium and beyond. The Minnesota Vikings are a constant source of exciting, enervating and, oftentimes, confounding news, and Craig and Oberle illuminate and explain it all from a perspective of experience and hard-earned insight.

Episodes

August 7, 2025 55 mins
The preseason got serious this week, as the Minnesota Vikings held their annual night practice (which used to be a scrimmage) on Monday to prepare for their first exhibition against the Houston Texans on Saturday, August 9. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was announced as the starter in the Texans game, was featured in the night practice, where are all the anxious eyes of Purple Nation were focused
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The injury has been called a mild strain, and the Vikings are taking no chances. But that means it opens up opportunities for a young and eager wide receiver group to take advantage of the additional reps in practice. And when you consider that wideout Jordan Addison will be watching from the sidelines as the season begins (due to an off-field incident that will likely result in a suspension by the league), players such as Jalen Na...
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The Vikings returned to TCO Performance Center for the 2025 Training Camp this week, and, thus far, it is mostly good news coming out of Eagan, Minn. Where many feared the Vikings’ offensive line would be missing two players fans are counting on this season, both veteran left tackle Christan Darrisaw and recent free agent addition right Matt Fries will not start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Fries will ...
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There is a little news trickling out of TCO Performance Center, such as the fact that Swiss Army knife-like defender Josh Metellus is still not signed and wide receiver Jordan Addison had a court date this week. Hopefully there will be resolution on both accounts, and everyone will report to Eagan on time for camp.
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Training camp is coming—and it could be one of most consequential in Minnesota Vikings history. The powers that be (general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell) have spent the offseason upgrading the roster to put the best team possible around second year pro (and first year starter) quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
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It’s July in Minnesota, where it has been alternately rainy and blistering hot—which always make for some sweltering Vikings football practices. But the Vikings aren’t in camp—in fact they aren’t even in that summer furnace of Mankato (as in days gone by), either. There are a couple more weeks before camp begins in Eagan, and the roster change speculation persists amidst Viking Nation.
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And so we shall, first with a recap of what we learned at minicamp. Who shined, who rusted and, most importantly, how did starting quarterback JJ McCarthy do? Once again, there are some undrafted rookies to talk about (particularly this year, as the Vikings only had five draft picks), so those names are worth a look as the camp nears and ultimately, the roster begins to be trimmed.
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It all begins in earnest. The Vikings mandatory minicamp commenced at TCO Performance Center this week, and the news is already spilling out regarding who is there and who is there but not practicing. Thus far, the Vikings have good numbers in attendance, including left tackle Christian Darrisaw (who injured his knee last season) taking part in individual drills. Certainly, TE Josh Oliver is there, as he inked a contract extension ...
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NFL organized team activities (yes, that’s what OTA stands for—not offseason training actions—which they are—or over-technical assessments—which may happen--or overtly tubular algorithms—which won’t, since we don’t think they are a thing) began this week. The Vikings players assembled at TCO Performance to reacquaint with each other and get to know the new faces while trying to orient to the Purple way of life.
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Minnesota was the epicenter of the NFL this week! Why? Did the Vikings win the Super Bowl or secure the first overall pick of the next NFL Draft? No, neither of those things happened. Rather, Minneapolis hosted the NFL Meetings this week in which the owners voted on a few issues.
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The state of Minnesota experienced temperatures north of 90 degrees this past week, so that must mean it is the dead days of August and training camp begins, right? Well, not exactly. It is May and has been unseasonably warm and the Vikings have assembled—but it’s just the rookies and their minicamp at TCO Performance Center. Still, the new football year has begun. We haven’t had too many headlines yet as the Rookie Minicamp is jus...
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The NFL sent an email explaining that the schedule release is “almost here!” Not that it was released, but that it is almost released. (It’s almost like the email saying the Draft was almost here.) You can register and “be the first to know when the 2025-26 schedule drops.” Well, this NFL observer is all atwitter.
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With an eye toward protecting their sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings put a major emphasis on the offensive line during free agency (Matt Fries and Ryab Kelly) and continued that with the Jackson pick. There will likely be a competition at left guard, but the versatile and intelligent Jackson could step in and start and solidify a formerly middling line.
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But the NFL Draft is a crapshoot. A first overall pick can get the call from the Hall (Peyton Manning, 1998) or flame out in epic fashion (JaMarcus Russell, 2007). Then again, Tom Brady can go in the sixth round and become the best QB ever to play, or Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, can take a team to the Super Bowl and have folk rethinking that moniker for the last person taken in the draft.
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Will the Vikings, who have only four picks (plus a compensatory pick) in the draft stay put at 24 and select a player who can impact the 2025 season, or will they trade down, as been general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah’s MO in the past, and acquire more picks to fill out the draft class.
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One of the most persistent Purple queries this offseason is who will start at QB and who will be his backup.
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The Vikings have other needs that they could address in free agency (or in the NFL Draft), but what are those needs and who is left to grab? The fellas at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast—Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com—are on hand to dissect and discuss all that. In addition, they will take on some of the new rul...
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The Free Agency ride continues for Vikings GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and the Purple. After a huge opening salvo in FA, the Vikings were on the move again last weekend. Kwesi had a busy first week of FA, when he made some big signings to the offensive and defensive lines, and finished up the week by making two big trades to help the Purple.
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The Vikings (along with the 31 other NFL teams) launched headlong into the legal tampering portion of free agency and boy did they tamper. When it looked like the Vikings were going to sit out Day 1 on the sidelines, suddenly things started cracking the morning of Day 2. Their biggest Day 1 headlines were the loss of quarterback Sam Darnold to Seattle and the resigning of running back Aaron Jones—but Day 2 in the morning resulted i...
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Thus begins in earnest the Vikings’ QB questions, regarding what to do with Sam, do you bring back Daniel Jones and is JJ McCarthy physically ready to become the new starting signal caller.
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