1
00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:07,760
Speaker 1: The time for x's and o's with Minnesota Vikings head

2
00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:11,920
Speaker 1: coach Kevin O'Connell on the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network now

3
00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:15,280
Speaker 1: from the TCO studios at Egan. Here is the voice

4
00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:17,200
Speaker 1: of the Vikings, Paul Allen.

5
00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,000
Speaker 2: Welcome into X's and o's with Kevin O'Connell, presented by

6
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,800
Speaker 2: Ken Moore. Minnesota needed a go to source for everything

7
00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,440
Speaker 2: high school sports. That's why the Minnesota Starts being created

8
00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,840
Speaker 2: strib Varsity sign up now at startsubute dot com slash

9
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,360
Speaker 2: strib Varsity Kevin O'Connell, X and O starts now.

10
00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,240
Speaker 3: The talkback that we that we have chosen today is

11
00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:37,880
Speaker 3: a perfect way to start festivities.

12
00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:38,440
Speaker 4: And here it is.

13
00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,960
Speaker 5: Hey, coach Mike from Sal Saint Paul here, Thanks for

14
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,360
Speaker 5: having me. Just wondering what does an NFL head coach

15
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,320
Speaker 5: of your ILK do on a buye week for some

16
00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,240
Speaker 5: old rest and relaxation, the ol R and R.

17
00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:54,520
Speaker 1: What do you do?

18
00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,600
Speaker 5: KOs? Thanks, I'll hang up and listen.

19
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,040
Speaker 4: Well, Mike, that is a great question, and you're so

20
00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:02,160
Speaker 4: relaxed right now.

21
00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,160
Speaker 6: It is a Well that's because I'm about to tell

22
00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,800
Speaker 6: you why. So the beauty of the bye week is

23
00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,320
Speaker 6: our players get rest and recovery. I get quite a

24
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,880
Speaker 6: bit of time to still come into a quiet building

25
00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,960
Speaker 6: and get quite a bit of work done with myself

26
00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,120
Speaker 6: and some of the coaches. I like to get those

27
00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,120
Speaker 6: guys out of here as well. But I did. Let's see,

28
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,120
Speaker 6: last week, I did three or four days of school

29
00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:33,080
Speaker 6: drop off in the morning, which I was not prepared for,

30
00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:38,080
Speaker 6: you know, either the stress, the decision making, the timing,

31
00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:40,520
Speaker 6: the rhythm, there's a lot of things that coincide with,

32
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,040
Speaker 6: you know, my day job here. But I did that,

33
00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,360
Speaker 6: and then I did pick up a few times. And

34
00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,200
Speaker 6: you're not necessarily rewarded for being early for school pickup

35
00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,720
Speaker 6: when you've been beaten out by thirty or so cars

36
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,560
Speaker 6: to get in line, as they like to say so.

37
00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,160
Speaker 6: And then you know, we had some great weather. I

38
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,280
Speaker 6: got to take my son golfing one day, and then

39
00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:05,640
Speaker 6: we had a lot of sports to get to. So

40
00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,080
Speaker 6: I was driving around all weekend doing that and stressed

41
00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:09,560
Speaker 6: out watching flag football and.

42
00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,360
Speaker 4: Girls volleyball and geez, all of those things. But it

43
00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:13,160
Speaker 4: was fantastic.

44
00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,960
Speaker 6: My You know, the thing that you always have in

45
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,240
Speaker 6: the back of your mind throughout every season is just

46
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,440
Speaker 6: the idea of the time we are away from our

47
00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,520
Speaker 6: families and to sacrifice our families make and I love

48
00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,919
Speaker 6: being a dad more than anything, and being a good

49
00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,160
Speaker 6: husband and all those things. You just don't always get

50
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,080
Speaker 6: to be totally present to do that. Yeah, and puts

51
00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,600
Speaker 6: a lot on the family. So these these moments that

52
00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,880
Speaker 6: you do find, you know, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, getting that time,

53
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,200
Speaker 6: totally uninterrupted time.

54
00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:45,800
Speaker 4: To just go do that.

55
00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:50,799
Speaker 6: It's it's very therapeutic for me to come back and

56
00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,320
Speaker 6: you know, hopefully have you know, a great run here,

57
00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:56,520
Speaker 6: knowing that how blessed and fortunate I am to have

58
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,000
Speaker 6: the family I do have, and getting the time that

59
00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,560
Speaker 6: I did get with them and being able to come back.

60
00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,480
Speaker 6: And I will say this much, after all those stresses,

61
00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:05,880
Speaker 6: I was ready to come back to Egan.

62
00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,680
Speaker 4: Yes, Monday morning, I could tell they were ready for

63
00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:09,440
Speaker 4: me to go too.

64
00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,680
Speaker 3: So yeah, it's it's it's you know, whether that final

65
00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,280
Speaker 3: Friday press conference you had at Hanbury manor into the

66
00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,800
Speaker 3: Browns game, whether you knew about the Addison stuff at

67
00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,800
Speaker 3: that stage or not, it's you know, I mean, you

68
00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,920
Speaker 3: and I do this weekly. We we record the pregame interviews,

69
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,440
Speaker 3: sometimes in hotel rooms or field houses. I've gotten to

70
00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:32,679
Speaker 3: know you in press conference and interview type settings quite well,

71
00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,120
Speaker 3: and and when you said two more sleeps, thank God,

72
00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,840
Speaker 3: I was like, Holy cow, this the duration of this

73
00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:41,720
Speaker 3: whole thing, you know, I don't want to say has

74
00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,120
Speaker 3: gotten to you, but it's it. Clearly it was a

75
00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:48,720
Speaker 3: long time. And you know, then the Addison situation, which

76
00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,600
Speaker 3: was self inflicted, kind of piles on top of some

77
00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,720
Speaker 3: other injury related things with which you were dealing. So

78
00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,080
Speaker 3: it you know, I just wonder if the NFL is

79
00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,600
Speaker 3: going to give the Vikings a one year respite or

80
00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,120
Speaker 3: break from the worldly escapades next year?

81
00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:03,600
Speaker 6: What do you think, between you and I do a

82
00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,360
Speaker 6: lot more than wonder if you understand what I'm saying

83
00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,600
Speaker 6: there the year though, very much looking forward to hopefully

84
00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,560
Speaker 6: those nine home games next year at us Bank Stadium.

85
00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,080
Speaker 6: But you never know, you absolutely never know. And I

86
00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,920
Speaker 6: will say we've you know, it felt like we've been

87
00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:27,120
Speaker 6: the road team twice now at Tottenham Stadium, and both

88
00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:28,800
Speaker 6: times it felt like we were the home team. Now,

89
00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,720
Speaker 6: compliments to all the Vikings fans who made that trip

90
00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,800
Speaker 6: and then our you know, our fans there abroad that

91
00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,479
Speaker 6: show up in great numbers for US when we do

92
00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,800
Speaker 6: go over there, it always feels we've had a lot

93
00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,039
Speaker 6: of success there and our players have a lot of

94
00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,120
Speaker 6: confidence playing you know, in that stadium, known the environment

95
00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,359
Speaker 6: it's going to be, and we always love seeing the

96
00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:49,120
Speaker 6: purple when we go.

97
00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,440
Speaker 3: Well, and you know, I mean it's a twenty four

98
00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,920
Speaker 3: hour business, as you guys will say. So, so say

99
00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,800
Speaker 3: you be Cleveland, Well you can feel good about it

100
00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,040
Speaker 3: or celebrate usay had a game the next week twenty

101
00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,600
Speaker 3: four hours orley speaking, then we got to move on

102
00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,200
Speaker 3: to the next one. Well that that's great to say

103
00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,320
Speaker 3: and here, but you've heard me say it before. Human

104
00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,280
Speaker 3: nature gets to win too. So I mean you're a

105
00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,440
Speaker 3: week and a half away from the family, facetiming, got

106
00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,320
Speaker 3: kids events going on. Time difference is weird and everything,

107
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,760
Speaker 3: so you probably miss some things which might eat at

108
00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:19,880
Speaker 3: you because I know how much you care about your

109
00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:24,440
Speaker 3: family and your kids. But the the ass as the

110
00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:29,440
Speaker 3: situation rolls on, you will look back at like say

111
00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:31,800
Speaker 3: the Pittsburgh game. I mean, I'm like, you know, I

112
00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:33,560
Speaker 3: think I said it to you just in passing, because

113
00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,120
Speaker 3: that's how we chat. If oh Neil plays the game,

114
00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,240
Speaker 3: you win the game, and that's no disrespect to the replacement.

115
00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,760
Speaker 3: It's just so much change has taken place during these games,

116
00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:46,120
Speaker 3: so the ones you have lost. The Falcons game was

117
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,600
Speaker 3: antithetical to really anything offensively that you've done here in

118
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,400
Speaker 3: three years and change, and then the Steelers game out

119
00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:55,719
Speaker 3: of nowhere, the sucker comes down to the wire. Yeah,

120
00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,279
Speaker 3: you know, so do do do you let those eat

121
00:05:58,320 --> 00:05:59,880
Speaker 3: at you a little bit? Or are you able to

122
00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,080
Speaker 3: it easy to move on? I think the because when

123
00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:04,640
Speaker 3: you're away from home it can be worse.

124
00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:05,360
Speaker 4: That's the yeah.

125
00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,080
Speaker 6: And I think the biggest thing with you know, really

126
00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,640
Speaker 6: both those both those games is it's been the in game,

127
00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:15,960
Speaker 6: you know, level of trying to figure it out and

128
00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,520
Speaker 6: find enough plays to try to give ourselves a chance

129
00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,920
Speaker 6: to win. You know, you lose Brian and the Steeler game,

130
00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,560
Speaker 6: you know, we're preparing all week long, Like you know,

131
00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:27,520
Speaker 6: we've got Brian O'Neil playing right tackle, and we've got

132
00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,000
Speaker 6: some issues that we've got to make sure personnel wise.

133
00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,640
Speaker 6: On the other side, we account for, whether it's t J.

134
00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,080
Speaker 6: Watt or Hayward or any of those guys along that front.

135
00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,200
Speaker 6: They had some good blitzing linebackers as well, so a

136
00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,440
Speaker 6: lot of the time leading into the game, where we

137
00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,920
Speaker 6: spend so much time planning and trying to articulate to

138
00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,400
Speaker 6: our players how we're going to need to play a

139
00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,120
Speaker 6: lot of those things get thrown out the window, and

140
00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,280
Speaker 6: when we lost to Linemen against Atlanta.

141
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:52,520
Speaker 4: In that game.

142
00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,520
Speaker 6: It's almost easier sometimes when you have a situation like

143
00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,960
Speaker 6: we had playing Cleveland, where yes, maybe the best defensive front,

144
00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,719
Speaker 6: if not defense in the whole NFL. But we had

145
00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:08,520
Speaker 6: the benefit of knowing our circumstances going into the game,

146
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,280
Speaker 6: because it's not like you can have these two hundred

147
00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,280
Speaker 6: plays if you stay healthy, and these one hundred and

148
00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:14,280
Speaker 6: fifty plays.

149
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:14,520
Speaker 4: If you don't.

150
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,600
Speaker 6: It's not really how it works, especially with the moving

151
00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,119
Speaker 6: parts of you know, some new players and some younger

152
00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,360
Speaker 6: players at certain critical positions and things like that.

153
00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,560
Speaker 4: But all of that being said, like nobody's gonna feel

154
00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:27,080
Speaker 4: sorry for us.

155
00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,080
Speaker 6: We still get the same sixty minutes that everybody gets

156
00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:31,560
Speaker 6: to try to figure it out. And I thought we

157
00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,920
Speaker 6: came pretty darn close to doing something really unique and

158
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,160
Speaker 6: special considering the circumstances in Dublin. But guess what, that

159
00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:40,880
Speaker 6: clock ran out. We had less points than our opponents.

160
00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,000
Speaker 6: So you can throw all that out the window too,

161
00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:44,040
Speaker 6: and it still eats.

162
00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:44,360
Speaker 4: Away at you.

163
00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,880
Speaker 6: I've shared with you before the joy of victories compared

164
00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,720
Speaker 6: to the misery of losses. And that's just the way

165
00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,720
Speaker 6: that my chair is, with my role here with this

166
00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,320
Speaker 6: team is it's always going to be more when it's

167
00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,520
Speaker 6: you know, when it's not that set celebratory time for

168
00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,120
Speaker 6: all of our players. I put it on myself as

169
00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,040
Speaker 6: much as anybody to try to lead from a place

170
00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:13,160
Speaker 6: of a place of overcoming my own adversity to you know,

171
00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,520
Speaker 6: make sure I portray the vision for our team and

172
00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,000
Speaker 6: our organization that you need to do through times like that.

173
00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:19,480
Speaker 4: And I thought us winning that.

174
00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,560
Speaker 6: Game against Cleveland was a great example of a lot

175
00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,480
Speaker 6: of people, you know, not their not at their home circumstances,

176
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:28,760
Speaker 6: not sleeping in their own bed, not eating the food

177
00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:30,840
Speaker 6: that they like to eat, and just finding a way

178
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,280
Speaker 6: to count the sleeps, make the sleeps matter when you could,

179
00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,880
Speaker 6: and ultimately have good preparation.

180
00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,000
Speaker 4: Days and go find a way to win a game,

181
00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:38,560
Speaker 4: which we did.

182
00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:40,960
Speaker 6: And all of that seems like it was six months

183
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,120
Speaker 6: ago now, and now we move on to a heck

184
00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:45,079
Speaker 6: of a challenge this week.

185
00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,679
Speaker 3: Close circuit to the Vikings Entertainment Network, we need a

186
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:52,559
Speaker 3: solo shop for a minute on yours truly regrettably for

187
00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,199
Speaker 3: those watching the Vikings dot Com. Okay, we're settled. We

188
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,880
Speaker 3: can go back to the two Kevin O'Connell x's and

189
00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,120
Speaker 3: o's each and every week.

190
00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,000
Speaker 4: Nine to no man.

191
00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:02,880
Speaker 3: There's so much of what you just said, only cow,

192
00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,319
Speaker 3: I mean, because wentz. All right, so we we have

193
00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,120
Speaker 3: a bad shoulder, the left shoulder, but it's still probably hurt.

194
00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,640
Speaker 3: At the end of the Cleveland game, yep, nine for nine, Yeah,

195
00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,040
Speaker 3: including the final three to Addison. So like I'm calling

196
00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:18,800
Speaker 3: the game and I'm thinking to myself, all right, well,

197
00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:20,920
Speaker 3: what's gonna happen here? Jordan wins it? So I said,

198
00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,520
Speaker 3: touchdown Vikings, Jordan Addison, he's the man of the match.

199
00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:26,079
Speaker 3: Give it a little England flair.

200
00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:26,480
Speaker 4: Yep.

201
00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,400
Speaker 3: Almost said went from the outhouse to the penthouse, because

202
00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,600
Speaker 3: that's kind of what happened in that. But wentz nine

203
00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,240
Speaker 3: for nine with that, with that wounded wing, that's crazy.

204
00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:35,640
Speaker 1: Yeah.

205
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,400
Speaker 6: He he did a phenomenal job of really, you know,

206
00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:41,760
Speaker 6: putting the ball in play, throwing a bunch of completions.

207
00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,520
Speaker 6: We had some great yards after catch, you know, during

208
00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,000
Speaker 6: the uh. During the different unique plays that came up

209
00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:49,839
Speaker 6: in that drive. We we tried to have a plan

210
00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,480
Speaker 6: for Miles Garrett and some of the pressure looks that

211
00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:54,280
Speaker 6: we were getting. There was a lot of football going

212
00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,000
Speaker 6: on in a short amount of time that you know,

213
00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:59,360
Speaker 6: our guys executed and we had some guys make some

214
00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,640
Speaker 6: big time play and Carson just making it come to life.

215
00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,840
Speaker 6: From a standpoint of the power of completions, I've talked

216
00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:06,760
Speaker 6: to you about this before.

217
00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:08,400
Speaker 4: We talk to our team about it a lot.

218
00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:13,199
Speaker 6: Every completion will have a negative impact on the other

219
00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,400
Speaker 6: side as long as we continue to just not force

220
00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,719
Speaker 6: the ball and try to find find those completions with

221
00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,160
Speaker 6: some we call them runners balls where you've got a

222
00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:23,920
Speaker 6: chance to do something with it after the catch, and

223
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,679
Speaker 6: I thought Hockinson had some big catch and runs on

224
00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,520
Speaker 6: some underneath catches on that drive. We had some big

225
00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,520
Speaker 6: third down conversions. And then once you get a defense

226
00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,160
Speaker 6: like that that's used to kind of dictating the terms,

227
00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,320
Speaker 6: you get them on their heels. For the tail end

228
00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:41,840
Speaker 6: of that drive, we're not really thinking field goal anymore.

229
00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:43,199
Speaker 6: We're thinking of trying to put the ball on the

230
00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:43,640
Speaker 6: end zone.

231
00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,959
Speaker 2: Hey, Vikings fans pick up a commemorative Pepsi Vikings Cup

232
00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,959
Speaker 2: at us Bank Stadium, or participating High V, Fast and

233
00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,920
Speaker 2: Fresh and Buffalo Wild Wing's locations for a chance to

234
00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:58,120
Speaker 2: win Victor's Ride. Vikings Fans deserve Pepsi Skull More X

235
00:10:58,160 --> 00:10:59,839
Speaker 2: and O's around the corner. This is x's and O

236
00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:05,680
Speaker 2: on the Minnesota Vikings Audio Network. Football Fans Meet Pays

237
00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,920
Speaker 2: a convenient new online checkout offered by banks and credit unions.

238
00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,120
Speaker 2: Learn more at pays dot com, p a z pays

239
00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:14,439
Speaker 2: dot com, morexidos with Kevin O'Connell.

240
00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,280
Speaker 3: Is there a chance you don't like share who your

241
00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:19,480
Speaker 3: quarterback is going to be with the public before the

242
00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:20,120
Speaker 3: game Sunday?

243
00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,400
Speaker 6: No, I don't think so, just because, look, we haven't

244
00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,719
Speaker 6: been We got out on the practice field yesterday and

245
00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,360
Speaker 6: it was, you know, a lighter workload compared to what

246
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,559
Speaker 6: it'll do be tomorrow when we put the pads on

247
00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,360
Speaker 6: and have a you know, a full session, you know,

248
00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,760
Speaker 6: working game plan plays on you know against the Philadelphia

249
00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,640
Speaker 6: Eagles and our defense, working against the the looks from

250
00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:44,040
Speaker 6: their offense. And then we'll have Thursday and Friday. You're

251
00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:48,360
Speaker 6: you're talking a significant amount of time as we prepare

252
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,199
Speaker 6: our team, but also you know, work through, you know,

253
00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,920
Speaker 6: allowing these guys to get the reps that they need,

254
00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,960
Speaker 6: both JJ and Carson to get them both ready from

255
00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,679
Speaker 6: a standpoint of also understanding they're both still not one

256
00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:06,080
Speaker 6: hundred percent healthy and they're both working through their individual things.

257
00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:08,280
Speaker 6: And that's part of the NFL season as well.

258
00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:10,719
Speaker 3: Javon Hargrave gets doubled a lot, doesn't he.

259
00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:12,599
Speaker 4: Well, I think he, you know he is.

260
00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,800
Speaker 6: He is such a force from a standpoint if he

261
00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:17,880
Speaker 6: does get those individual rushes, even on those early downs

262
00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,199
Speaker 6: those you know, I'm defending the run, but then it's

263
00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,240
Speaker 6: a play action pass or drop back pass and I

264
00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:24,200
Speaker 6: can transition and go sack the quarterback.

265
00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,240
Speaker 4: They need to have two bodies on them then.

266
00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:29,079
Speaker 6: But in the run game, you know a lot of

267
00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:32,480
Speaker 6: core principles of these good run games that we've played, uh,

268
00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,560
Speaker 6: they're trying to get two bodies on them and move

269
00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:35,960
Speaker 6: the line of scrimmage.

270
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,000
Speaker 4: And that's where we've got to be a.

271
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,679
Speaker 6: Little bit more connected as a group of eleven to

272
00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,280
Speaker 6: you know, get back to what we do really well,

273
00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,439
Speaker 6: which is a year ago, we stopped the run. We

274
00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,480
Speaker 6: got people in long yarded situations and then the turnovers started,

275
00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,880
Speaker 6: whether it was Grenard getting to the quarterback, whether it

276
00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,040
Speaker 6: was you know, uh, you know, one of our guys

277
00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:54,959
Speaker 6: getting their hands on a ball and intercepting it and

278
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,280
Speaker 6: changing the game. We've got to give ourselves more opportunities

279
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:02,040
Speaker 6: to turn the football over or as a defense, you know,

280
00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,160
Speaker 6: against who we're playing, by generating more ops where the

281
00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,560
Speaker 6: scales are tipping in our favor and the lounge flow

282
00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:09,440
Speaker 6: and his group to call the game in a way

283
00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,959
Speaker 6: where we can be the aggressor and not so much

284
00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:15,920
Speaker 6: playing a lot of manageable downs for the other side.

285
00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:17,160
Speaker 4: And that's one of the things we got to try

286
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:17,360
Speaker 4: to do.

287
00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,480
Speaker 3: But I mean, to a certain extent, discretion has to

288
00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:22,920
Speaker 3: be the better part of valor two at times. In

289
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,520
Speaker 3: other words, if you're down Van Ginkel and Cashman arguably

290
00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,719
Speaker 3: two of your three maybe four best run stoppers period. Yep,

291
00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:33,040
Speaker 3: they both blitz very well. The assumption from Afar I'm

292
00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,160
Speaker 3: not an e laite football mind you are, but if

293
00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,480
Speaker 3: those two are out, well, we're probably going to double

294
00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:40,959
Speaker 3: fifty eight, probably take care of ninety seven and figure

295
00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,120
Speaker 3: to like start there. So it I mean when I

296
00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,120
Speaker 3: say discretion has to be the better part of valor.

297
00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:47,640
Speaker 3: You're like, well, we want to do it the way

298
00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,800
Speaker 3: Flow wants it done. But if you get overly aggressive

299
00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:53,679
Speaker 3: with backups, I would guess who have now played seventy

300
00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,400
Speaker 3: one and one hundred and fifty snaps, you get a

301
00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:57,440
Speaker 3: little vulnerable, right.

302
00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:01,000
Speaker 6: Yeah, you're just exposing yourself to you know, problems and

303
00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,360
Speaker 6: some things where the strength of your opponent can then

304
00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,560
Speaker 6: you know, take precedent over even what you know all

305
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,280
Speaker 6: eleven of your guys are trying to do as a

306
00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:11,640
Speaker 6: team defensive group.

307
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:13,600
Speaker 4: One of the things we've done.

308
00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,760
Speaker 6: Really well here is tackle as well, Pa, and I

309
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,120
Speaker 6: think there's been some mistackles, and there's been some opportunities

310
00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,720
Speaker 6: to get a guy on the ground for a game

311
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:23,800
Speaker 6: of three or four and force that third and six

312
00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,200
Speaker 6: instead it's seven or eight, and it's third and two,

313
00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,000
Speaker 6: and then the whole playbook at that point is open

314
00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,920
Speaker 6: and you're not dealing with as much stress of having

315
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,360
Speaker 6: to play against Flow's defense as you possibly could be

316
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,640
Speaker 6: in some of those longer yarded situations. So it's it's

317
00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,760
Speaker 6: a combination of a lot of things, but certainly getting

318
00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,400
Speaker 6: cash back and Van gink will working his way back.

319
00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:43,880
Speaker 4: In there as well.

320
00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:48,720
Speaker 6: Hopefully will give us, you know, just continued examples of

321
00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:52,040
Speaker 6: the intent of what we put our roster together to

322
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:53,040
Speaker 6: feel like this year.

323
00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,280
Speaker 3: Just a few more for Kevin o'connolex As and O's Tuesdays,

324
00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,240
Speaker 3: Twin Cities Orthopedics, Performance Center, KFA and dot Com. Good morning,

325
00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,120
Speaker 3: uh Saquon. He's yet to explode in a game this year?

326
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:07,200
Speaker 4: Why, you know, I don't know.

327
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,040
Speaker 6: I think they're you know, I think they've got one

328
00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,320
Speaker 6: of the best O line coaches in football, and in

329
00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,480
Speaker 6: Jeff Stoutlin, they've they've you know, had one of the

330
00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,320
Speaker 6: premier rushing attacks for a long time since he's been there.

331
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:21,520
Speaker 6: And I think they're going to try to run the football.

332
00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,000
Speaker 6: I think they're going to try to run the football

333
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,520
Speaker 6: to establish the line of scrimmage, get into those efficient

334
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,360
Speaker 6: kind of staying ahead of the chains type of down

335
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,600
Speaker 6: in distances. And that doesn't change the fact that they've

336
00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,680
Speaker 6: got those weapons on the outside. And I know they

337
00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,320
Speaker 6: haven't quite been able to unlock the same level of

338
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,360
Speaker 6: passing game that they had a year ago, but it's

339
00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,040
Speaker 6: always available to them, and we've got to make sure

340
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,200
Speaker 6: we don't give them any easy paths to getting back

341
00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:48,640
Speaker 6: to where they want to be offensively, and that's where

342
00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,320
Speaker 6: the x's and o's and all those things have to

343
00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:53,960
Speaker 6: be in alignment with what we go out in there

344
00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,560
Speaker 6: and do from a play style standpoint, against a team

345
00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:58,640
Speaker 6: that wants to play physical, they want to it's not

346
00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:01,920
Speaker 6: just the tush push they you know, they have some

347
00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,160
Speaker 6: pretty elite players up front and the ability to win

348
00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:06,960
Speaker 6: the line of scrimmage. And if you give them angles

349
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,360
Speaker 6: and you give them easy access to space, you know,

350
00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,440
Speaker 6: sakuwon Barkley's the best in the league at going to

351
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:11,760
Speaker 6: find it.

352
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,640
Speaker 3: Two to close, Chris Cooper, your offensive line coach, was

353
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,160
Speaker 3: he was here to start the show at nine o'clock.

354
00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,080
Speaker 3: Great to chat with a coach, Coop, and I was

355
00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,640
Speaker 3: really excited to share with him that, you know, I

356
00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:26,640
Speaker 3: will watch some practice occasionally. You guys are kind enough

357
00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:27,040
Speaker 3: to let.

358
00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:27,320
Speaker 1: Me do that.

359
00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,160
Speaker 3: I don't exactly know what I'm watching, but like you know,

360
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,280
Speaker 3: when we were in London and or Dublin to a

361
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,920
Speaker 3: certain extent, I mean it's the most I've ever watched,

362
00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,120
Speaker 3: and I found myself morphine to where the offensive line was.

363
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,600
Speaker 3: With Cooper and Keith Carter as assistant, I mean it

364
00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:46,520
Speaker 3: was unbelievable. Watching those guys last week, it's like like

365
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,880
Speaker 3: they're moving Joe Huber by themselves, putting him in a

366
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,680
Speaker 3: spot doing a drill. Then one of them leaves and

367
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,360
Speaker 3: they're like with Brandell and they're working on head nods.

368
00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,840
Speaker 3: It's just the nuance and what must have gone into

369
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,800
Speaker 3: that week to get all those guys ready. And you

370
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:03,840
Speaker 3: don't know School is going to flip spots during the game,

371
00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:06,080
Speaker 3: but Ralse knows he's playing, but he doesn't know like

372
00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,320
Speaker 3: when or what the game situation is going to be.

373
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,560
Speaker 3: To watch those guys work individually with all it was

374
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:14,239
Speaker 3: a work of art. It was fantastic, man.

375
00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:16,760
Speaker 6: Yeah, and then you see that across our entire team.

376
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,040
Speaker 6: You know, the the beauty of the game of football

377
00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,440
Speaker 6: is it is it does take people. Hear me say

378
00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,520
Speaker 6: it a lot, all eleven guys doing their job, but

379
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,000
Speaker 6: within each one of those jobs there is you know

380
00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:34,480
Speaker 6: a massive level of detail fundamentals, techniques, understanding how footwork

381
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:38,720
Speaker 6: and hand placement and your your aiming points, and it

382
00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,240
Speaker 6: really is along the line of scrimmage. It's like, you know,

383
00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,440
Speaker 6: you're watching basically five to six separate UFC fights going

384
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,800
Speaker 6: on at one time. Where everything's tactical and everything's you know,

385
00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,240
Speaker 6: the is a leverage thing. And and we we've tried

386
00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,840
Speaker 6: to build that O line group not only just the starters,

387
00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,840
Speaker 6: but the depth players as well as as guys that

388
00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:01,320
Speaker 6: are powerful and guys that are strong and can handle

389
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,200
Speaker 6: themselves not only working in combination, but a one on

390
00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:05,800
Speaker 6: one as well.

391
00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:06,800
Speaker 4: And that's how you're able to.

392
00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,800
Speaker 6: Get through a situation like that, as guys rising to

393
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,280
Speaker 6: the level of what is required in that moment, and

394
00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,440
Speaker 6: then Carson being able to kind of run the show.

395
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,520
Speaker 6: And one thing I know for sure is our receivers

396
00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:19,479
Speaker 6: have played out standing.

397
00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:21,320
Speaker 4: I think what TJ.

398
00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,640
Speaker 6: Hockinson and Josh Oliver have done, maybe not necessarily blowing

399
00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,080
Speaker 6: up the statue, but they're doing so many little things

400
00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,479
Speaker 6: that have helped us kind of sustain especially over these

401
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,160
Speaker 6: last three weeks where we've really been you know, three

402
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,040
Speaker 6: fifty plus yards and gotten a little bit more plays,

403
00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:38,760
Speaker 6: gotten a little bit more of a rhythm at times.

404
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,720
Speaker 6: And really the only thing and that we have to

405
00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:45,880
Speaker 6: continue to try to have our finger on is the penalties,

406
00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,840
Speaker 6: the self inflicted things that move your backwards where the

407
00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:49,960
Speaker 6: defense had nothing.

408
00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:50,240
Speaker 1: To do with it.

409
00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,920
Speaker 4: And that's where our scoring.

410
00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,720
Speaker 6: Rate and our successful rate of drives when we don't

411
00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,320
Speaker 6: have a negative play and or penalty, we're right up

412
00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:00,600
Speaker 6: there at the top of the league. And that's what

413
00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,760
Speaker 6: we've got to continue to search for, is how many

414
00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:04,399
Speaker 6: of our drives can be like that?

415
00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,159
Speaker 3: And I'm glad you mentioned wide receivers last one. I

416
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:12,960
Speaker 3: promise has Jefferson elevated himself even more as a team

417
00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,720
Speaker 3: leader and and and here here's it's like he handles

418
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:19,800
Speaker 3: business differently than maybe in the past when the ball's

419
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:24,159
Speaker 3: not coming his way and he seems calmer. He just

420
00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,960
Speaker 3: seems more, you know, and and and young men are

421
00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,919
Speaker 3: going to mature naturally, but it seems like he's elevated

422
00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,000
Speaker 3: his already solid leadership role.

423
00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:35,520
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think he's been fantastic.

424
00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:37,680
Speaker 6: It goes back to training camp even when he was

425
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,080
Speaker 6: you know, taking you know, had to take a few

426
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,879
Speaker 6: days there in training camp to get healthy early on,

427
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,879
Speaker 6: and his role changed a little bit. It wasn't the

428
00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,560
Speaker 6: daily igniter on the field by the plays he was making.

429
00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,399
Speaker 6: It was his leadership and in that huddle and stepping

430
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,520
Speaker 6: in and talking to JJ McCarthy or talking to.

431
00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:58,920
Speaker 4: Jalen Naylor or letting TJ.

432
00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,399
Speaker 6: Know, when TJ made a bunch of plays in training

433
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,439
Speaker 6: camp Lake, he was as much of a leader as

434
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:06,639
Speaker 6: I've ever seen him in those moments, and that's carried

435
00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:07,439
Speaker 6: over to the season.

436
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,879
Speaker 4: And then I think the other part of it is,

437
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:11,400
Speaker 4: you know, we've we've spent.

438
00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:14,359
Speaker 6: Some time together over these seasons, and Justin has a

439
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,000
Speaker 6: bunch of confidence in what we're going to do, what

440
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,200
Speaker 6: the plan is going to be. Obviously, we want to

441
00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,199
Speaker 6: make him a featured focal point of our offense.

442
00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:24,879
Speaker 4: Every week. He knows that there he is.

443
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:27,840
Speaker 2: Kevin O'Connell with PA for XES and O's. X and

444
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,240
Speaker 2: O's presented by Ken Moore and is an official production

445
00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:32,119
Speaker 2: of the Minnesota Vikings Audio Network