WEBVTT - MVP: Chad Greenway Discusses Front Office Changes, What Comes Next | Episode 128 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.680 When you step into Lifetime, you won't just see the difference, 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:06.440 You'll feel it. Experience it for yourself. Visit Lifetime dot 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:09.360 Life for a complimentary guest pass, or stop by a 0:00:09.400 --> 0:00:12.680 club Lifetime the Healthy Way of Life partner for the 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:22.160 Minnesota Vikings. You know, accountability would be the number one 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:23.720 word I would kind of define with that, and if 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:25.239 he made a mistake, he would own it. He was 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:26.920 always the most prepared you could tell you about the 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:28.880 work end the time in as a head go Jen 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:32.680 is you know really the dcat for me? Feelman, I've 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:35.200 been I was with my entire career and is a 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:38.200 massively important figure in my life. I immediately think about 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:40.320 those guys and just reached out them via text and 0:00:40.600 --> 0:00:42.400 just thank them for everything. Called him, I loved him 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:46.440 and wished him nothing but the best. You're listening to 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.920 the Minnesota Vikings Podcast and this is episode one hundred 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.800 and twenty eight. I'm Tanta Meverett inside TCO Studios or 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:57.600 radio room. I've got Gabe Henderson and producer Jay Nelson 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.360 alongside me today and we have a lot to discuss. 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:03.640 After an eventful week at Twin Cities ORTHOPEDICX Performance Center, 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:07.479 plus we have a very special guest on the podcast today, 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.800 former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. But before we get to 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.360 our interview with Chad, the Vikings finished the season eight 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:19.240 and nine with no postseason birth. As a result, ownership 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:21.840 made the tough decision on Monday to part ways with 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:25.120 both general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer. 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:28.080 Vikings owner Mark Wealth spoke on Monday, said letting them 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:31.000 go was hard after Spielman had been with the organization 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.760 for sixteen years and Zimmer for eight, but that is 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.480 what had to be done, according to Wealth, to take 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:41.440 this franchise to the next level. So, Gabe, Jay, I'm 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:43.119 going to give you the floor right here, and I'll 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:45.360 start with you, Gabe in your eyes, why do you 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:48.480 think ownership made this decision? First and foremost, it's always 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:50.680 funny when people say Gabe and Jay, because I have 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:54.040 one older brother and his name is Jay. Oh wow. 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:56.320 I had no idea. So when I say Jay, I 0:01:56.400 --> 0:01:59.000 was just like, it's talking about my brothers. Calling in later, 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:05.520 you didn't know that's I'm going You've been Yeah, yes, 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:08.359 you're a big brother tv in. But um to your 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:12.200 point of ownership making this decision. Um, I do believe 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:14.360 it was a tough decision, but I remember to talking 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.600 to Mark Wilf earlier this week, and the organization just 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:19.960 needed to go in a new way. And I wouldn't 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:23.120 say overstaying you're welcome is the case. But having a 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.760 job or head coaching job in the NFL for eight years, um, 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:29.960 things can get old, and things can go one way 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:32.040 and then go the other way. You kind of it's 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:36.040 kind of like leaving milk out out for a while. 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:38.560 You can, but at the same time, sometimes that milk 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:42.239 will spoil. The expiration date the expiration date, and sometimes 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:45.720 the expert date. Expiration date is longer on certain certain cartons. 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:48.480 In the other end, Uh, this was a long expiration 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:51.320 date for Mike Zimmer. He served his time. He put 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.120 a lot of milk in the bowls of cereal and 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:55.320 a lot of people ate that bowl and was able 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:57.880 to get full in the process, but still the milk 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.200 went sour after a while, and that to mention that 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:03.200 Mike Zimmer didn't feed a lot of people. But still 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.359 in the same breath, it was one of those things 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:07.720 where you say, okay, Mike, like we appreciate what you did. 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:09.880 He laid a foundation and there were expilment on the 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:11.959 other end. He's been in part of this process since 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:14.840 two thousand and six, and that for me personally, was 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:17.400 the biggest surprise. I think a lot of people were 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:20.280 surprised by that move, but I think Mark Wolfe he 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:22.920 looks at it as Okay, well, we're not fully rebuild him, 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:24.520 but we want to get the right leaders here in 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:28.200 place to continue to build this, build the foundation moving forward. 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:30.880 I did love when he talked about the rebuild and 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:34.200 how they envisioned this team is still a contender. You 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:37.840 think of the fourteen one score games this season and 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:41.160 you think maybe the decisions would be differently if the 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.520 game outcomes had just swung a few more in the 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:47.160 right direction. But you know, it was interesting with it 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:49.840 being my first season here and kind of looking into 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:53.080 the career of Mike Zimmer, I didn't really realize heading 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:55.920 into this job that he really, if you want to 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.560 include this past season, had only been to the playoffs 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.520 three of eight seasons, and I think when you look 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:05.440 at the actual numbers itself, that to me speaks volumes 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:08.280 because I think as an organization and ownership, you want 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.360 better results than that. As a fan base. As an organization, 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:15.400 as you know anyone working within this organization, the goal 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:18.479 every season should be to be in postseason contention. And 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:21.760 I think the fact that the last four seasons you've 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:24.640 only been in the playoffs at once, and you know 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:26.680 we made the run the way we did and lost 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:30.120 in San Francisco in the divisional round, I think, ultimately 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:32.320 that's on my end what I think it comes down 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:36.080 to why ownership made this decision. Coaches come in, there's 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.080 there's a pop of excitement, there's a pop of promise 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.400 and hope for what their intentions are and what people 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.000 feel this should be. And I think the first half 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:47.960 of Zimmer's career here there was a ton of promise 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:51.080 and hope. There was playoff appearances, kind of the ups 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:55.720 and downs, winning division crowns at Green Bay, things like that, 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.120 rallying together and feeling like there's a clear vision of 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:01.240 what we're going to be for the future. I think 0:05:01.279 --> 0:05:04.320 given the way that the last half of his career 0:05:04.560 --> 0:05:06.640 as a head coach here has gone, I think the 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:09.760 ownership kind of potentially looked at this and just said, listen, 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:11.680 if we're going to do one, let's just get a 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.839 fresh start across the board, because Rick has had his 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:17.560 chance over the last sixteen years to help mold this 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:20.360 football team where they needed to be. If the head 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:22.880 coach was working with the players and talent that have 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.400 been here, if they looked at it and said, if 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:28.120 we're gonna get one brand new perspective, then let's do 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:31.440 it both positions in order to see what we can 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.560 get for the future. Because they looked at the results 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:36.240 and said, it's just not good enough at this point. 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:40.960 Like anywhere, whenever you have success early, it's hard for 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.040 fans to wane back from that. So the fact that 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:46.279 we made the playoffs in twenty fifteen, granted we didn't 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.240 win that playoff game, the bar was already set high 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:51.240 of like, okay, well this guy he missed the playoffs 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.800 his first season, and Mike zimmer okay, twenty fifteen, Oh, 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:55.279 we actually can do it. We didn't make it in 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:58.159 twenty sixteen, but twenty seventeen we go on that long run. 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:02.159 So the expectation started to rise. And that's not to 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:05.159 say that Mike zimmerdon then live up to the expectations, 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:07.400 but once you have two seasons in a role where 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:10.320 you kind of don't live up to those expectations. I 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:13.880 think that that plays into the fact of, all right, well, 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:15.840 we may have to look in a different direction. Yeah, 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:18.040 you are the third winning as coach of franchise history, 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.640 but we got to continue to have that sustained success. 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:22.920 And we appreciate you getting this there because we've tasted 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:25.680 the success, so now we want more of it. And 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:27.720 I think at this point, if you look at both 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:29.720 Zimmer and Spielman, if you would have asked them at 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:32.120 the beginning of the season, what's your goals and what 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.800 are your expectations, it'd be to win and be in 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:37.920 the playoffs and be a postseason contender. And I think 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:41.680 as as frustrating as this season was with the roller 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.000 coaster with a lack of results the way you wanted, 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:45.720 in the fact that you ended at eight to nine, 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:48.839 I think that must have been part of the decision, 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:51.760 just to say, you know, things have not worked out 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:56.400 the way we've expected and what ownership's expectations are being 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.920 championship contenders. They've said that from the moment that they 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.680 walked in the door. Yeah, And I think that along 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.800 with the fact that neither you know, the benchmarks were 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.480 not hit for the season. That had to be part 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:10.920 of the reason they were willing to part with people 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.520 that have contributed this organization in many ways besides football 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:18.040 for the last you know, almost over a decade at 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:19.720 this point with Rick, and you think about what was 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:22.080 on the line in the last three games. Yes, you 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:25.120 had the opportunity to maybe save a couple of jobs, 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:27.680 to maybe make it to the postseason and not make 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:31.320 this season an eight and nine no playoff team. I mean, 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:33.760 they had it was right there for the taking, and 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:35.600 you saw the type of team efforts that came off. 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:38.120 And I know, these guys play really hard, and they 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:40.720 try hard, and they and they try to put themselves 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:43.040 in those positions. But those last two games were just 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:45.800 so tough, or three games rather, were just so tough 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:48.000 to just sit back and know what was out there 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:50.920 for the taking, and it wasn't taken advantage of. And 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:52.840 it was a little bit of bad luck too, especially 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:55.360 at that Green Bay Packers game and then a few 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:56.880 games earlier in the year where we had a few 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.080 players down. But every team in the league's dealing with 0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:01.560 the same stuff. Legua Zeolo with the same stuff, and 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.800 I know ownership they talked about what Mark Wolfe talked 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.840 about that earlier this week. Is they have provided the 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:10.920 ample resources for these head coaches and for Rick Spilming, 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:12.960 and they're going to continue to do so. And I 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:16.120 think it showed this year with all these guys that 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:18.960 signed one year contracts from P two to well just 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:20.760 in general, all the free agents that we brought in. 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:24.880 So I do believe they're going to be very gracious 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:28.320 when providing resources, in which he said earlier this week, 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:30.880 Mark Wolfe, So it's just a fact of when we 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.080 provide these resources, we need you guys to hold them 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:35.960 to your end of the deal and provide us wins 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:38.560 if you go through and look at what the expectations are. 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:40.640 I think from ownership is the fact that we should 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:42.280 be a successful team and we should be able to 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.000 compete six of our nine losses or the playoff teams. 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.040 And I think if you expect to be in that 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:51.560 echelon of teams that can compete that way, you can't 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:53.560 have that kind of a record when it comes to 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:57.680 playing at that caliber. I just it's extremely difficult, given 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:01.880 relationships that my self and other people in this organization 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:04.520 have had with both of these people over the years, 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:08.360 to see them go. But if ownership is as strong 0:09:08.400 --> 0:09:11.440 as they are to say these are expectations, then I 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:15.160 think fans should be somewhat excited given what the goals are, 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:17.640 that they're willing to make a drastic change like this 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:20.000 in order to try to achieve their goals. Yeah. I 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:21.959 think the last thing it was that stood out to 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:24.240 me about Mark Wolfe's interview is that he said they're 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:27.920 looking for strong leaders, communicatings or communicators and collaborators who 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.760 are aligned with building a positive, winning culture. So you 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:32.920 look at that and you say, Okay, well, these guys 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:35.240 have a vision of who they want and I think 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:38.160 they'll take as much time as necessary to do so. Yeah. 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:40.320 I think that was a three words that we heard 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:44.000 not only from Mark wolf but in the exit interviews 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:48.319 from Adam Feeling, Eric Kendricks, Brian O'Neill, everyone talking about 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:53.960 needing more collaborative environment, a leader who's strong in their convictions, 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:56.120 and in a lot of ways, it sounded like the 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:59.640 players also as upset as they are about not having 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.000 the consistency and the continuity of the head coach and 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:06.560 GM they sounded like, you know, this is part of 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:08.160 the league. They're willing to deal with this, and they 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:13.240 hope that strong leadership, collaboration and communicators exactly, I think 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:17.760 is what they're hoping and looking for. I wanted to 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.520 point this out as one final point as to why 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.480 I kind of think things developed the way they did 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.320 this week is going back to when Mike Zimmer was hired. 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:29.920 He was hired to bring in to revamp this defense, 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:33.640 to make it that strong Vikings defense that you know 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:36.640 the franchise has been known for for so long, and 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.880 you hit twenty seventeen, where their first in total defense 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:43.160 and their tops in the league in several categories. You 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.400 think of twenty twenty one, it is statistically the worst 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:50.440 season that Mike Zimmer's defense has had while in Minnesota, 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.520 and the decline of the defense doesn't really help the 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:56.440 offense as well. I mean, Kirk Cousins commit comes in 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:00.760 twenty seventeen after the run, they want him continue that. 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:04.160 But while they had that strong defense, they thought they 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.040 needed a quarterbacks. They bring the quarterback in and the 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.400 defense is declined since then. So it's kind of been 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:12.640 just a recipe for where we are right now, eight 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.360 nine and no playoffs. It's a bad mix in just 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.800 that the offensive side when you would have your three 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:22.000 and outs, puts the defense in a bad position to 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:26.160 run at that point, and vice versa. If offensively things 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:29.200 aren't necessarily clicking the way they need to and you 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:31.240 need the defense just to make a stop. I mean, 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:32.800 how many games, at the end of a game or 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:34.600 at the end of a half, we're looking at the 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:37.000 defense just to make a stop and to stop them 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:39.520 from putting points on the board. And given all the 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:41.880 one score games that we lost, I just think it 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:46.280 was a bad formula all season long, between the defensive 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:50.120 drop and the offense unable to sustain drives in the 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:52.320 way that they needed. I just think it was not 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:55.439 beneficial on either sides for both of those groups. Yeah, 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:57.800 I think that you hit it right on that ghost 0:11:57.960 --> 0:11:59.600 hand in hand, like, yeah, you look at some of 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.240 the defense the stats and say, well, they didn't stop 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:05.240 the run or they didn't do this. Well, you have 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.000 two drives where a team has seventy rushing yards and 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:11.000 they ended up with one hundred and twenty. Maybe those 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:13.280 two drives where they give up seventy rushing yards the 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:15.720 offense went three and out. So there's so many things 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:18.679 as far as momentum that we weren't able to take 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:21.760 advantage of this year. Only two games stand out to 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.360 me this year that we were actually able to control 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:26.520 the momentum the first half of the Steller's game and 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.680 then the second half of this Bears game this past week. 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:31.120 And you look at that and say, well, if you 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.400 put those two games together, you got a complete season, 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.320 but you got a Super Bowl winners the case. But 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:38.200 still like that's that's one of those things where you 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:43.319 just say, well, we want a coach or a GM 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.760 or somebody that that's in leadership to come in and 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:48.800 it's an expert in helping sustain some of that momentum. 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:50.480 That's what in my opinion, I feel like that's when 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:54.120 coaching comes in. When you make a big play and 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:57.800 then you strategize something to continue to build on that momentum. 0:12:57.800 --> 0:12:59.439 And we weren't able to do that. Yeah, we did 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.360 have a lot of lash blaze. You look at the 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.520 sack totals or our third down totals on defense say like, 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:08.840 man like, we were really good, but still those momentum 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:11.559 driven moments where you look at the coaches and say, okay, 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:13.520 this is where you guys stepped in maybe add some 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:16.800 extra boost here or blitz Here's that's where you say. Okay, 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:19.839 I see what Mark Wolf and those guys were saying, 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.600 and obviously Mark Will felt as strongly enough to your point, 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.600 Gabe to go ahead and make the call on moving 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.600 forward without Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer and not many 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:32.120 people have the unique perspective in this situation, as our 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:36.080 podcast guests this week, former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:39.680 spent his entire eleven year career here in Minnesota. The 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:42.000 Vikings drafted him in the first round of the twenty 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:45.360 sixteen draft when Spielman was the newly promoted director of 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:49.400 player Personnel. Plus he spent his final three seasons as 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.960 a Viking with head coach Mike Zimmer. So we are 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.760 so excited to hear from him. Here is Chad Greenway. 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:58.280 Vikings fans, you know him and you love him. It's 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:03.880 Vikings legendary linebacker Chad Greenway. Chad, happy birthday is in order. 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:07.000 Thanks for being here on your special day. Yeah, thanks 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:09.800 for having me. I figured, I figured, why not if 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:11.439 nothing else going on? The kids are at school, it's 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.600 sunny out, it's almost forty degrees, you might as well 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.520 jump on the podcast. So it is great up vodka 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:21.360 in the giftback tonight. Oh, it's always in the bag. Yeah, 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:24.640 So I as I coach you guys off air, obviously, 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.160 I'm coaching my girls team tonight, my daughter's team, and 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.320 then after that I have a board meeting after host. 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:32.320 But it's virtual. So what happens off screen in a 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.360 virtual meeting happens off screen, and there may be some 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:37.480 cock jilks. I'm a fan. I've got my great duck 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:40.320 sitting on my bar cart right now. So looks rather 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.720 nice there, very nice. Well, it's funny though. You mentioned 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:47.280 you're mentioning sunny and forty and every I tweeted out 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:50.880 the other day about it's hitting thirty and people are saying, oh, 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.960 so warm today. I'm like, this is this isn't warm? 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.280 I have to know, are you a short sky when 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:58.840 it hits forty? Oh honey, you're so new to this? 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:03.440 When when when it goes negative ten on? Yeah, with 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:05.720 the wind at negative twenty five and you just get 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:08.360 that thirty at thirty feels like you're feeling today. Thirty 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:10.960 feels like fifty, right, thirty feels like fifty feels amazing 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:12.680 outside you could throw a little hoodie on. You might 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:14.240 have a light jacket on top of that. But for 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:16.480 the most part, you are living the dream. You get 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:18.920 to actually enjoy the outdoors instead of the negative ten 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:22.000 and you can't that I am, um. You know, I 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:23.920 grew up in South Dakota. I'm very used to the cold, 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:26.480 extreme cold, extreme wind. So you know, this is just 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:29.880 part of it. Um. You know, I don't know why 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.760 I live here. I love we love it here. We 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:35.520 love the school, we loves raising the families. There's so 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:38.080 many There's so much more to life than the weather, um, 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:40.520 And it's all about finding ways to enjoy it and uh, 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.280 you know, and live your best life in it. And 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.920 about ten degrees chat, I think you'll start to see 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:47.600 people popping the tops down on their convertibles and driving 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:51.120 their Harley's out. Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Yeah. 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:53.360 I didn't know if it was thirty seven or seventy 0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:55.200 three today. And then I looked at the car washers 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:56.760 on my drive to work and I was like, why 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.720 is every single car washing Minnesota flour right now? That's 0:15:59.720 --> 0:16:03.560 a great as a great indication of where people the 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.720 car wash line the cars are coming out of the garage, 0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:08.680 out of hibernation in order to try to try to 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:11.080 wake up this gracious you guys are killing me. I 0:16:11.120 --> 0:16:14.080 will never be a shorts person in forty degrees, just never, 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.160 never make shorts and tall Thanksgiving and then whenever it's 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:20.320 reasonable to come out of hibernation. So I'll think about it. 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.040 We're not too far off. I'll think about it. We'll see. 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.120 I do like the sun being out today, that's for sure. 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:28.720 It's nice to see the sun out after such a 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:32.360 tumultuous week over here in the Minnesota Vikings. You know, Chad, 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.320 I'm sure you know the news by now that Rick 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:39.040 Spielman and Mike Zimmer have been relieved of their duties 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:41.880 here as head coach and GM. And I know that 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:45.760 you have long relationships with Spielman as well as Zimmer 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:48.320 playing under them. What was your initial reaction of the 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:51.520 news when you heard about their departures. Yeah, I mean, 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:55.520 you know, the initial news is I guess I'm nut shocked. Obviously, 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:57.120 you've been the NFL for a long time and around 0:16:57.160 --> 0:16:59.400 the business, and yeah that you're ever shocked by decision 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:02.720 from and the organization. You start to do the mass 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:04.520 and you realize that, you know, Zam has been here 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.360 for eight and Spielman's been here for what's sixteen yea, 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:11.600 And you realize that in respect, the will giving them 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.359 enough time to really implement their plan, get the right 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:17.040 people around them, the personnel, the coaching staff, everything in 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:20.040 place to be successful, and if the will feel like 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:21.639 it's time to move on as owners, you know, you 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:23.440 feel like, okay, we gave this the best shot. You 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.720 kind of respect that decision. It wasn't like a you know, 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:27.320 maybe like the Dolphins, where it's a two or three 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:29.160 year dealing done and you don't get really a chance 0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:31.040 to really see what that coaches all about him the 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:34.560 long term. So I respect that, but the initial reactions 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:36.359 obviously just you know, it sucks. I mean, there's no 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:37.800 other way around it. If we love you know, I 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:39.520 loved him, love I love him. When he came in. 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.280 I played for him for three years. M Spielman. I've 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:44.800 been I was with my entire career and is essentially 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:48.080 a massively important figure in my life, just because he 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.520 has been so good to my family and my career 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:52.800 and everything that we stand for, and he's been a 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:55.480 massive part of that. So I immediately think about those 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:57.359 guys and just reached out to be a text and 0:17:57.640 --> 0:17:59.440 just thank them for everything, told him I loved him 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:02.000 and wish him nothing but the best. And um, you know, 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.640 the next part you feel is is all the all 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:09.400 the waves from that massive splash continue to affect others. 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:12.879 Right There's there's assistant coaches and gas and guys that 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:15.040 don't have massive buyouts that now have to find new 0:18:15.119 --> 0:18:17.919 jobs and new teams and new opportunities and you have, 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:21.040 you know, in some cases wives and girlfriends and kids 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.280 and school decisions and all sorts of just stuff, right, 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:26.520 just life stuff to hit you right away, you know. 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:29.080 And and it's tough, and um, you know, they know 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.160 what they're getting into. And a lot of people will 0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:33.800 will claim that everybody's making all this money that it 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:36.919 becomes easier, Um, but not everybody is. You know. It's 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:39.840 a it's a massive, massive thing and somebody's life to 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:43.040 lose a job like this, especially in such a public arena. Um, 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:44.800 So I just wish those guys nothing but the best. 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:47.439 They're incredible people, incredible coaches and leaders, you know, and 0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:49.280 you don't you don't stand as long as they have 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:51.520 in the NFL without being that. So I wish them 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.199 nothing but the best. Yeah, that's one thing that I 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:56.000 would say a lot of fans forget, or a lot 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.560 of people involved with this outside of the building forget, 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:01.600 is that these these guys are Humanum where there's the coaches, 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:04.040 g am front office, all these guys, like you said, 0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:06.880 a families and and more importantly, this is what they 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:08.520