Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:13] Speaker B: Hello and welcome back to the Skullcast, where we are two brothers who love talking about football and also happen to be Vikings fans. So we talk a lot of football, primarily Vikings.
And we used to, historically, we'd spend long WhatsApp messages, audio messages, back and forth, hashing things out, hashing out the Vikings, frustrations with the Vikings or frustrations with the media's perception of the Vikings. And we just decided, well, why don't we start our own podcast where we highlight Vikings and maybe some other stories that the media seems to have bias against or whatever. We did it just as a fun hobby last year and we enjoyed it and it was fun. And there were a few of you that, that joined us on that journey. And so we thought, well, let's start this year again and we're gonna add a few things to it, maybe, maybe breaking in. Instead of one longer weekly episode, do some shorter episodes, looking back on the week's games, a shorter episode kind of diving into something specific, and then another shorter episode looking ahead, making predictions about the week coming ahead.
Yeah, Christopher, it's good, it's good to be back on this with you again. How, how are you feeling as, as we dive into another season of NFL and a exciting season as a Vikings fan? Because it feels like we're finally at the stage of seeing what Kevin o' Connell and Brian Flores can do when they have their picks and the team that they shaped. How are you feeling about heading?
[00:02:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel really good. I'm excited. It feels like everything that this football administration had brought to the table should be coming to fruition. Their plans were all kind of working towards like a 20, 25, 20 sort of time frame. So I'm excited to see, see if, yeah, if they can, they can do it.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly it. As, as anybody who's watched the Vikings knows now, I don't, I don't know who all is listening to this, and maybe there's some, I know there's a couple Lions fans that listen to this, but we last year were pleasantly surprised with this fairy tale story with the Vikings. None of us thought they would win 14 games and have a fighting chance at the number one seed, but we, we knew Kevin O' Connell enough to know that they, that things were going to be good. Better than what the national media was perceiving. And sure enough, it was. And so on one hand, I'm excited about what can happen with Kevin OConnell's pick at a quarterback, on the other hand, and we're, we're going to get into this in our, in our next episode, we're going to break down how the season ended and, and some concerns that we have may coaching. So I'm not going to dive into it a whole lot right now, but. But how the season ended. As typical for Vikings fans, it's disappointment, it's frustration, even embarrassment to some degree because we felt like we actually had a really good team and everybody's kind of laughing at us, same old, same old. And then, sure enough, the Vikings lose again. And just. And it's not like they lost. Close game, you know, a fighting game. It was a royal collapse.
And so, yeah, definitely have kind of some mixed emotions heading into the new season. What are your. You know, last year, The Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy and Kevin O' Connell very early on, even before the draft, they had signed Sam Darnold.
And I can't remember specifically, and I haven't gone back to try to pull up any articles or anything, but I can't remember when he said this. I want to say it was maybe, maybe this may when OTAs happen or I forget when it was, but he made fairly clear that Sam Darnold is going to be the starter. J.J. mcCarthy has a, a intentional plan of development that he wanted to bring him on. There was always kind of this, you know, McCarthy could progress faster.
Well, as it turned out, McCarthy got injured and he. He didn't make it. Was it the first preseason game he got injured, or was it the second?
[00:04:43] Speaker A: I can't remember. Kind of thinking it was the, the, the second preseason game. Cause I, I think it was. I think he played a full preseason preseason game or like a full half, but that could have been the first. I don't, I don't remember. Yeah, it was a bit. He had been injured for a bit.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: And he threw up. I mean, he looked really, really good. You're saying by the time they actually put him on the injured last year.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: I was thinking it had been a.
[00:05:05] Speaker B: Thing where he had kind of been out of practice.
[00:05:08] Speaker A: He could very well have been injured for like a week or something like that. I was thinking like they weren't. They just weren't sure when it happened.
[00:05:17] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Well. And even now, I don't think they're terribly clear on what play it happened on, because he didn't feel it right away. There's not any real physical reaction in the, in the replays, but J.J. mcCarthy tears his meniscus, not his ACL, not anything more. He tore his meniscus that kind of got blown up over the off Season or Adam while he was out.
But the this year he's back at it. He's getting all the first team reps. There's no competition for the QB1. He has the QB1 role. What as we listen to beat reporters and you know, people who are, are there at practices every day, what, what are kind of your feelings? What are you thinking? Observing just J.J. mcCarthy observing. I guess he played in the first preseason game. He did not play any against the Patriots in week in the second preseason game. But yeah, kind of. What's your feel as we reflect on how training camp is going so far?
[00:06:17] Speaker A: I, I feel really good. I think I went into training camp really high, really positive. The vibes, the vibes were super positive and I think they have been tampered to a more realistic place.
And so it's like I'm not going into the seasons without my concerns, but I am, I'm definitely just based on like I'm, I'm just a Vikings fan living in Philly. I, I don't go to the camps, I don't go to the games.
Like I'm, I'm living my life off of.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: Yeah, just trying to survive.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: I'm living my life off of like second and third hand accounts of, of. Of what is happening at training camp and what people are seeing.
And, and the by and large, they've been very realistic, they've been very honest when JJ's having a bad camp or when he's having a bad day or whatever. But then there have just been some incredible days where they walk away and they're like, this was, this was incredible. He went 13 throws without a single miss. You know, he by all accounts like he's, he stays long after camps to sign autographs for the fans, but then on game day he's super locked in. And so it's like all of those things, like he's super intentional. He seems like a really standup guy.
His teammates seem to be like rallying around him. You know, he connected with them in the off season and was throwing, throwing to his receivers and stuff.
Last last year he was like sitting in on defensive meetings while he was injured so that he'd hear what the defense was talking about. And like just all of those things make me super confident that, that I have, I have no reason to believe jj other than my Vikings trauma, that JJ shouldn't work out.
[00:08:15] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, same. Same as you. I, I'm not in Minnesota. I'm not going to the, the camps. Um, just for context, if you're a First time listener. We grew up in Minnesota, so that's our. That's our affection for Minnesota sports. Grew up in northern Minnesota. I've. I don't. Have you ever been to a Vikings game? I've been to Minnesota Twins games. I've never been to Vikings game.
But the one. One of the things that we are doing that, you know, national media doesn't seem to be doing is paying attention to what local reporters are saying. Local journalists or podcasts are talking about who are getting eyes on not just one practice as they take their tour, you know, nationally, but they're there at every practice. And I think I've. I've had kind of this mixed challenge of, you know, at first, like, there's McCarthy seems to have the it factor. He seemed. He does well with people.
[00:09:14] Speaker A: He.
[00:09:14] Speaker B: He's doing incredibly well with his teammates. His teammates are raving about him.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: That's.
[00:09:19] Speaker B: That's a big plus to me.
Even teammates who've been in the league for a long time on several different teams. And talking about how. Who was it? Harrison Phillips, I think was like, this guy reminds me of Josh Allen, who Harrison Phillips had played with, you know, and so a young Josh Allen. Yeah.
And I don't. I don't know that he was necessarily. Maybe he was talking about his skill set. They. McCarthy's a little bit smaller at this point, I think. I think he's shorter for one thing, But.
But more like just the it factor. That kind of intangible. Hungry to grow, hungry to learn and competitive. Like, want to win. And obviously in college and high school has that track record of winning. So I kind of went into camp excited.
Absolutely did not want Rogers around. So glad they did not sign him. I am so glad they don't have any. But like, I want to see what Kevin OConnell's pick does. I don't care if he was missed a year of football. I know this may not be the. You know, last year, toward the end of it, we were saying, hey, the Vikings are a Super bowl contending kind of team based on what we were seeing. I'm not. I don't have those expectations for McCarthy necessarily. I. I would like to see them win a playoff game more. More because of Kevin OConnell's tenure. Like, I think that's his. Kevin OConnell. That's his next step. But I'm just excited to see what we've seen what KLC does with mediocre and backup and bust QBs. What does he do with the guy he picked with the Guy that he wanted, obviously, I. I think he would have picked multiple guys, but he was very happy with McCarthy. They traded up to get McCarthy. Um, but then you go into training camp and you hear how he's struggling and how the defense is just blowing him up, and you have this mixed emotion, because I think the Vikings defense could be the best in this year. Yeah, definitely going to be a top three. Last year they were top five. They're hungry. And so it's like, well, is McCarthy struggling, or is the defense just really good and have kind of had this back and forth. I think last week was the first week, the joint practice with the Patriots, where we started seeing McCarthy putting things together and like, oh, wow, this. This is coming together well. And so now I'm. I'm starting to feel hopeful again that it's like, yeah, maybe. Maybe the, you know, cousins two years ago complained about the looks he was seeing from the floors defense. McCarthy hasn't complained. He's been like, yeah, you know, I. I forget how he worded it, but essentially, he. He appreciates the challenge.
And you're not sure from a young kid, you haven't seen him play. Like, is he just talking? But to see him put up some good practices, some good competition against the Patriots, it was an encouraging sign. One of the things the Vikings declared. Kevin o'. Connell. No, no, sorry. Were you going to say more on that? Right after the collapse against both the Bears and the RA stated, we need to shore up the interior O line. And they went out and did that. They got. They poached 40% of the Colts offensive line. We did a whole episode. That was our last episode. You can go back and watch if you're interested in just seeing what the Vikings did in the off season with free agency. How are you feeling in terms of the offensive line, what we've seen so far in camp, or, you know, what people are reporting about the O line and camp, the offensive push as a whole, to do better with the run game, to do better at pocket protection, I think for myself, and maybe it's just harder to get that because you have some guys who aren't quite at full capacity yet. Dersa is starting to work in more.
I think that's a piece that I feel really nervous about. Like, because have they done any reps with the whole healthy offensive line yet?
[00:13:26] Speaker A: I. I don't know for sure. I know Derrissa was practicing without a brace. I don't know about Will Fries.
I.
I'm. I'm excited about the O line. Um, like, I think Der is probably like, people talk about Derisa and Jefferson, like, like, who's the best player? I think Jefferson's probably the best player, but Derisa could make an argument for being the best player of his position. Compare. Obviously you can't compare a tackle to a wide receiver, but like, all that to say, like, I think Derrisau is an incredible player, could be the best tackle in the NFL. Brian o' Neal is, is.
Is really good. And, and then we brought a veteran center and someone that he's played with, I think is the left guard, Will Fries from. So they have familiarity, they'll be working side by side.
And this, I mean, this general manager Kwesi and his team, they like to take gambles on people who, who the market might be underselling. So, like, people who have been injured, they'll. They'll kind of buy them low and hopefully get a bound. I think we, we did that with Van Van Ginkel last year.
I know we've done that with a couple of other people and oftentimes it's worked out for them. Like Randall Moore, it was going to work out and then he injured another piece of his part of his body.
Um, so I'm, I'm excited about this O line. Obviously there's some injury concerns, but I think between all having that full O line and a couple of really good running backs, obviously great tight ends, we should have a really good kind of offensive presence to like, run the ball and allow JJ McCarthy to have plenty of time and not. Not be getting hit all of his rookie season.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. You know, they, they. Speaking of Kwesi and just how he handles things, like, they. Not only do they take gambles on guys who've been injured, but also maybe gambles on guys who are getting a little up in age and the league is underselling them.
That's kind of where Ryan Kelly. Ryan Kelly is at a little bit.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:43] Speaker B: But the. We looked at what happened with Van Ginkel bringing in Granard. Granard was young. Like, that was actually kind of the opposite. Maybe that was a gamble in the sense of they, they felt like he could be Daniel Hunter esque, but he was, you know, hadn't quite maybe come into the. The fullness yet. And it just, it feels like they've done really well. There's been some question over his draft picks, especially when you look at the 22 draft, but in free agency, they seem to hit it on the mark. And so it's, it's exciting to see what happens. I agree I think Derrisa is likely one of the most impactful players. Maybe he's not the best, but I do wonder what. How having a healthy Derrisa would have shaped reshaped the end of the season last year. Obviously there was more than just one weak hole in the. In the online. So in the.
Can't say it right. Either O line or offensive.
Um.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: That's funny.
[00:16:50] Speaker B: So yeah, I'm ex. I'm excited about that. I think, I think what, what also intrigues me is Kevin o' Connell came in as a great offensive mind and he's proven that he's done well. I want to see them have even more explosive games. Just see that offense come alive. The first year Kevin o' Connell was here, the defense was the worst. Like the worst in the league or 30th. They were. They were bad.
[00:17:16] Speaker A: Really bad.
[00:17:16] Speaker B: And now within two years you bring them from bottom three to top five and you have. I, I forget now who it was that came out. Was it Warren Sharp that has the.
The Vikings defensive line as the best in the league? Like that's his ranking of them. I mean I believe and that that's a piece that I'm looking forward to seeing. And just how. How we we had last year we had a whole episode examining like is it actually that defenses that win championships or is it offenses And I think we had a, a just kind of firsthand account of like when. When you get comparable offenses in the super bowl it's going to be the one with the stronger defense that you're saying Chiefs and so it'll be. Yeah. So I'm excited to see how the, how the Vikings defense looks against other offenses and that's partly like. And we'll get this in our predictions episode but looking at the the Bears Vikings Week 1 the Bears just had an incredible game. Blew out the Bills second second string players, 38 to nothing. Caleb looked cool, calm and collected. I think that's something you're going to see drastically different come time to play.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:40] Speaker B: Brian Flores defense is. He's going to see looks again that he's not anticipating and so what happens with him that'll be fun to watch.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: What are your thoughts on the QB room?
[00:18:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:51] Speaker B: For just in terms of filling it out behind A.J. mcCarthy.
[00:18:55] Speaker A: Quick thought. Just. I was just looking it up. The Bears also blew out the Bills last year in pre. In preseason. So for what it's worth um, the. The QB room.
Go ahead.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: I'm not. That game really didn't sway me a whole lot in terms of what I thought about the Bears, it didn't make me concerned at all about the, the Bills just knowing that they didn't play their, their first string.
[00:19:19] Speaker A: I don't know what to think about the QB room because like there is, there is like this degree to which, you know, the Vikings have a history of quarterbacks going down and incredible teams getting washed under. We also have some history of, you know, I think that's, isn't that how the 98 season went? Wasn't there a quarterback injury there? And then, and then, then the quarterback took them, the backup took them.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Yeah, Cunningham.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: But so, so like there's, there's this thing of like we'll only, will only need a backup quarterback in like a worst case scenario.
And, and, and so like if, if McCarthy's out for the season, then there's a degree to which like I don't want to watch a crappy Vikings team for, for all season, but they're not going to go to the Super Bowl.
And yeah, can Kevin o' Connell could. Kevin o'. Connell. There's no three or four games with Sam Howell or Brosmer. I forget his first name.
Probably he survived, he survived a couple of games with Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullen. So like, I don't know, it's obviously concerning because they don't have like a season taking over backup, but most teams don't.
[00:20:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I think that's what kind of puzzles me a little bit. Um, first of all, I, I having watched about, I don't know, maybe 10 plays of, of each in. Actually I did. I missed Sam Howell completely in the second preseason. I haven't watched the full games. I just kind of hop in for a little bit when I, when I notice it's a QB change just because I'm curious what they look like. But watching Brosmer and Rippon and then hal in the first game as well as McCarthy in the first game, Hal does not look good. I was, I was kind of surprised because out of training camp the reports that Ben Howell isn't doing good, he's really struggling. But then some of those same beat reporters were positive on his week one game. And I was like, his, his practices must have been really bad because I wasn't that impressed in week one. I thought he looked jittery. It was like he wasn't quite sure where he was going. Maybe got lucky on a few, few passes or a few plays. And then in, in, in the second game he was horrible 11 for 5 and threw an interception.
A Horrible interception. Like, it wasn't, it wasn't even a close. The pocket was collapsing. He scrambles frantically and just throws the ball because he doesn't want to take.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: His sack quite make it out of bounds.
[00:21:59] Speaker B: Yeah, you know what he's known for. So maybe he's trying to like. Yeah, yeah, he was trying to throw it out of bounds, I think. But so in my opinion, I personally, for whatever my opinion's worth, don't want hal as the QB2.
But then there's. There's different fans and even some in the media who are saying like, Brosmer is not ready, Brosmer's not a. And. And they don't like, they would rather have a veteran like Hal. And I'm sitting there thinking like Brosmer. Brosmer's looked cool and calm. The, the second game wasn't as good as the first game. Partly he threw a contested or, you know, a risky throw. At the very end they were down 20 to 12 and it got intercepted three seconds left. Um, so I think some context, people just look at the stat line. It's like, well, Rosemer threw an interception. Well, the major difference is when he takes the snap, he knows where he's going. Like, his reads are clear. He's not like his head's not like doing this, trying to find. He's just very clear. He has a very good arm, as Koc likes to say. He's a good thrower of the ball.
Um, and I just think he looks really good. I understand he's a rookie, but when I look at other QB2s around the league, I'm like, maybe Cousins could be helpful just. Just because I think Cousins has a little bit more of a mentorship mentality than some, some other backup QBs. But if we're at our backup, there's not a, there's not a QB you can trade for. There's not a QB that is ready that you could have signed who's going to take you to a Super Bowl. Like, if, if you're out your starter for the season, the backup's not going to take you there. And I would almost rather see what, what a guy like Brosmer can do. Whether it's a few games, if McCarthy has to miss, whether it's a few snaps like happened with Sam Darnold last year, or whether it's a, you know, the majority of a season.
I think bro, Brosmer has, has some good potential of, of.
And. And so I guess I'm not that afraid of at this point of having two, two youngsters in the QB room, especially if Brett Rippon is also there. Kind of. He's. He's been around a little bit, but I don't know. What do you think? Do you think I'm.
[00:24:18] Speaker A: I haven't heard the negative about Brosmer.
Cause Score north and Locked On Vikings have both been positive about his, his, his play. Yeah, I think they, they are all concerned about having base essentially two rookies in the quarterback. But I've also heard like Brett Rippon, you know, he knows the system and he could function very similarly to like a, like a veteran. I think, I think it'd be nice to have an older person because I think of bros. I don't. I don't really know. Like, is he confident enough to. To stand up and tell J.J. mcCarthy like, hey, you could have. You could have done this or whatever. But also, maybe they don't need that because they have, they have Kevin O' Connell and they have Josh McCown as the quarterback's coach. And so maybe they don't need that sort of coaching presence on the, on the practice field.
But. Yeah, go ahead.
[00:25:16] Speaker B: I think that's just to jump in.
I think that's partly why I'm okay with it. Being young is. Is because yeah, this team does really well at coaching quarterbacks. But.
And that I'm not expecting if they're at their backup. I'm not expecting the Vikings to be in major games. But maybe that, maybe that's underselling it. You know, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl.
[00:25:42] Speaker A: You know, Brock Purdy was a backup and he took them to the championship game. Keski and them Case Kingdom.
But yeah, I, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm not that worried. I'm. I think I'm more worried about some of the other position groups than I am about quarterback because there is, there is a kind of we ride or die with J.J. mcCarthy to this year.
And as much as like, yeah, my Vikings history tells me quarterbacks with knee problems, like every quarterback we've ever had had any problems. But.
[00:26:22] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you, you kind of touch on. On other positions that you're nervous about. I'm assuming wide receiver is one of them. We have jj. Jj Sorry. Justin Jefferson, who has missed a large portion of practice because he's being careful with a hamstring or I think it's a hamstring. Hamstring leg tightness of some kind. And I'm not, I'm not terribly worried about that, especially since he's starting to incorporate back into practice now. He hasn't done, he hasn't participated in team activities yet at the time of this recording. But, but he is doing practices again. We do know that Jordan Addison is going to miss the first three games of the season with a suspension. We also know that Rondell Moore is out for the season with an injury.
You know. Yeah. What.
How are you feeling about the, the wide receiver? I'm, I was just looking on Twitter here and see there's a bunch of chatter from Tom Palacero. With Jordan Addison suspended multiple. In multiple injuries, the Vikings are seriously exploring veteran receivers in the trade market.
[00:27:26] Speaker A: Who.
[00:27:26] Speaker B: Yeah. How are you feeling about where they're at on the wide receiver depth chart? Who do you think they should pursue? It's a little futile. I see like 101 names. That's an exaggeration. But everybody is saying the Vikings have got to trade for this guy right now.
I think how concerned or the other option is to sign someone like Amari Cooper or so I think people like that.
[00:27:52] Speaker A: So I'm not too worried.
Like, I think there's, there is a bummer about not having Addison for three games, you know, in the totality of the season.
You know, we'll forget about that.
And so, and so it's like, yeah, those first couple games could be a slog to, to like, get to a win off of throwing it.
But like, so, so like the Jefferson injury. If you've been paying attention to how this coaching staff, this coaching staff is always super quick to put people through, like, injury regimens.
They've done that with Jefferson. Every single time he's gotten like the whisper of an injury. They're like, oh, you know, we'll take him out. We'll rest him like the, Was it last year? Was he injured last year or the year before? I think he was injured the year Kirk got injured. He was out for like eight weeks or something like that. Even when he was like, I'm ready, I'm ready to go. They kept him out for like the longest amount of time last year with J.J. mcCarthy's injury.
They, they, you know, they gave him the most care.
So I'm not really worried about the hamstring. I think, I think they're just taking care of their star.
Addison's out. Naylor again. It's like, I don't know. I, I, I don't know what to make of that.
I would be pretty.
[00:29:19] Speaker B: Is he having. Sir.
[00:29:20] Speaker A: That's what I have. Insertion.
[00:29:22] Speaker B: Koc. Get KOC got a little testy when, when asked about whether or not Naylor needs surgery. And so Purple Daily was suggesting that was a sign that. Yeah, that's on the table.
[00:29:35] Speaker A: It'd be interesting. Go. Go. See that clip of him getting testy.
I.
I think if they. So if they signed Brandon Powell, he knows the system. I think. I think they could get through with, like, some of their younger guys, Brandon Powell and Justin Jefferson. I think they could get through three games, especially if Naylor is available.
Um, I would be. I would be. I wouldn't necessarily be excited for Brandon Powell, but I. I would be like, all right, you know, they took care of it. Um, if they, like, traded for Adam Thielen, I don't know how possible that is. I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money, and I wouldn't want to spend a lot of draft capital.
But there, again, like, that veteran presence.
[00:30:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:20] Speaker A: That he's played with Jefferson, McCarthy with him.
[00:30:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:25] Speaker A: Yeah. McCarthy's practice, that would be a more exciting pickup. I don't know that I would be. That I would be more uncertain. I think. I think I would almost rather Brandon Powell than Amari Cooper because it's like, it's really only for three games, and we need someone who knows the system more than we necessarily need someone who has a lot of talent.
Because you think about it, you still have. You still have TJ Hawkinson, you still have Jefferson, you still have some of these other.
Other wide receivers. And. And you have two running backs. So the running. I think the running will be fine. And those running backs can also catch balls. So.
[00:31:07] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, I'm not. I. I do think it's a weakness. I think it's something that they should do something about, but I'm not terribly.
[00:31:15] Speaker A: I'm more. I'm more concerned about the wide receiver room than I am the quarterback room, but.
[00:31:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yeah. Well, what are you. What are you excited about? Like, as. As we look ahead, we'll have a specific episode going over predictions of the season and predictions of week one, but just to kind of close out this one.
[00:31:36] Speaker A: Like, what. Yeah, I'm.
[00:31:38] Speaker B: What's.
[00:31:39] Speaker A: I'm. I'm excited. I'm excited to see the defense. I think, like you were saying earlier, I think the defense is primed to be incredible this year.
John. John Jonathan Granada. Why can't I pronounce his name right now? Bernard. John Jonathan Granard Grenard. You know, he tweet. He tweeted last year that more is required. And that seems to have kind of become a theme among the team, and and they just seem really hungry and super competitive, and they just added some incredible people.
So I'm, I'm excited to see how that is. I think it's, it's always fun to have, like, a stifling defense.
And then, and then obviously, like, I'm, I'm always excited to see Justin Jefferson. I think he's an incredibly fun player to have on your team.
I think he's unarguably the best wide receiver in, in the NFL. Like, you look over last year, going into the season, they were like, is Tyree killer Justin Jefferson the better receiver this year? It's like, Jamar Chase or Justin Jefferson. One thing, it's always Justin Jefferson being compared to, to whoever had, like, some crazy stats.
Yeah, I, I think Justin Jefferson is indisputably the best wide receiver in the NFL. And you look over the past, like, three or four years and the narratives being told. Devonte Adams is nobody. Like, nobody right now. Tyree Kill, barely somebody. Jamar Chase is maybe has the best argument.
[00:33:22] Speaker B: But go ahead and, you know, you know what? Just to jump in, you know what? Jefferson stands head and shoulders above each of those you just named.
[00:33:30] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:33:31] Speaker B: His attitude and his team. Just the way he handles dynamics, even.
[00:33:35] Speaker A: If those are the way he handled his contract negotiations. There's, there's no drama. You know, he likes, you know, he likes candy and lives in, like, a suburban house, like, and he likes jewelry.
[00:33:50] Speaker B: You know, and he's not out complaining about when he doesn't get the ball or when they're not winning and they've done a lot of winning unless there's injury.
[00:34:00] Speaker A: He understands, obviously he's always going to want the quarterback to have confidence to throw on him because he'll come down with it. But he also understands that his talent draws defensive players, which opens other people up.
And, and so he, he, he knows that, you know, that is him providing value to the team. So he's just, he's just a lot of fun to watch. And I'm always excited because of Justin Jefferson. And then obviously, jj, I think he's going to also be fun. I can't wait. Like, I think he's developed some good rapport with his teammates. Think I'm excited to see him fired up. I'm excited to see how it throws the ball.
And even, even if we don't win as many, as many games this year, I don't think I'll be disappointed just because, yeah, it's like I'm. There's a certain degree to which it's like if we get to 2026 and we haven't even snipped the Super Bowl, I be would sad in this year. I think if we, if we didn't win a playoff game, I think that would be concerning.
But yeah, go ahead.
Right.
[00:35:10] Speaker B: Especially if we got there and we lose another one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm, I'm with you. I'm excited to see the defense. I think the defense is going to be really good. Specifically, I'm excited to see the steps Dallas Turner takes this year. I mean he's, he's been tearing up camp, doing really well and so I'm excited about that as, as well as Granard and Van Ginkel and, and some of the other proven. But there was a lot of kind of. Is Dallas Turner a bust because he didn't play a whole lot last year? I, I think the, the position that he plays was full and too Pro bowl. And I think, I think Flores is also intentional. Yeah.
And I think Flores is intentional in development and caring for young, young rookie players, which I think this whole staff is. Which makes me excited also, like you said, to see how JJ does, how McCarthy does as a QB and just how the team in general. It's a fun, it's a fun time to be a Vikings fan. Never before have we have we had a franchise QB draft quite like this in the sense that not only is it a franchise qb, I don't, I don't think anybody ever quite had the anticipation and confidence in Christian Ponder as people have in McCarthy. Also, McCarthy just acts totally different than Ponder did and so it's fun to watch him just be human. But specifically Carthy is being paired with a coach who does incredibly well at coaching QBs and so it'll be fun to see how that develops. Now there were some really, really concerning things about how the season ended and that's going to be, you know, there's, there's pieces that make it a little nerve wracking or, or anxious as we anticipate the season and that's what we're going to dive into in the next episode. We're specifically, we're going to take an episode just to specifically look at what fell apart, what concerns us and, and what we hope to see changed very quickly in, in 2025. But it's definitely going to have to be changed if they're going to win a, a playoff game. And so join us in, in the next episode here. As we kind of go over the preseason. We'll, we'll probably be spacing these out every, you know, five days to a week during the season. These episodes will come out very quickly because we'll be recapping the week's games, spending an episode doing something special like diving into something special and then looking at the the next week's games. And there's a short turnaround time between Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, so the episodes will probably come out in a quicker fashion and then maybe have long breaks between week, longer breaks between weeks. But if if you are Vikings fans or if you just enjoy some good football talk and are looking for a fun, interesting podcast to get kind of a take on some of the NFC north, go ahead and subscribe and join us. Leave a Comment we'd love to hear who you cheer for. Maybe it's not the Vikings. And we'd also love to hear what are some things you're looking forward to as you reflect on the training camp. If it's not the Vikings, we will boo you.
No, we have, we have tons of non Vikings fans. I've got a couple of Lions fans who go who I go to church with. So there's lots of space to learn how to love love everybody. Well, even when we cheer for opposing sports teams because everybody know sports is everything in life that is totally sarcastic by the way. Sports is a fantastic place to learn how to love and to not find identity in things because it's. Yeah, it's safe to fail.
All right, see you guys till next time. We'll talk to you later.
