Speaker 1: Lifetime, the official athletic country club of the Minnesota Vikings,
Speaker 1: has something for every member of your family. Get your
Speaker 1: family going today at Lifetime, dot Life Forward slash Kids.
Speaker 2: You know, me being a tryout guy from from way
Speaker 2: back in the day, you know, I get really excited
Speaker 2: about seeing those guys who get the called after the draft. Yeah,
Speaker 2: every single year, somebody turns, somebody, somebody's said.
Speaker 3: You have a Justin Jefferson who's going to be you know,
Speaker 3: primetime spotlighted throughout the entire league for everything. Now you've
Speaker 3: got to Jordan Edison to add to that offense. You're
Speaker 3: going to know, hopefully halfway through the season kind of
Speaker 3: what you're.
Speaker 4: Really doing with. We're one week closer to Vikings football
Speaker 4: being back as we welcome you to Egan, Minnesota for
Speaker 4: another edition of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast presented by Twin
Speaker 4: Cities Orthopedics. My name is Gabe Henderson Tatum Evert's here,
Speaker 4: Jay Nelson is here, Eric Davison is here, and it
Speaker 4: is starting to feel like football again. Guys. Not only
Speaker 4: do rookies report this week for Rooky Mini Camp, but
Speaker 4: the Vikings official schedule for the upcoming season has officially released,
Speaker 4: and I cannot wait to break it down with you guys.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna just get it right into it, just starting
Speaker 4: with week number one, the Baker Mayfield Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Speaker 4: are in town. Just the thoughts of that hosting another
Speaker 4: home game one and then two, knowing what the rest
Speaker 4: of our year is going to look like. What's the
Speaker 4: feeling for you guys?
Speaker 5: It feels great.
Speaker 1: I mean, I love the ability to start out at home.
Speaker 1: When I talked to Kevin O'Connell after the schedule release,
Speaker 1: he said that was like they're one big thing he
Speaker 1: really wanted to see. He wanted to see the Vikings
Speaker 1: open up at home at us Being Stadium and.
Speaker 5: Went so well last year.
Speaker 1: But he was very quick to point out that it's
Speaker 1: a very very short time before the next game.
Speaker 5: Jay, Yeah, very short time.
Speaker 3: Yeah, no more as far as far as we understand.
Speaker 3: At this point, it is no longer Tampa Bay. Mister
Speaker 3: Bray is no longer there. But it will be fun
Speaker 3: to be at home. I think everyone's always juiced, especially
Speaker 3: week one. I think the fans'll just be absolutely bananas
Speaker 3: there on September tenth, you know. And the one thing
Speaker 3: that I do find interesting something we haven't touched on yet.
Speaker 3: It's going to be home games leading up to that
Speaker 3: as well with preseason, so being able to kind of
Speaker 3: have almost like a month at home with some with
Speaker 3: home schedule in home cooking is going to be kind
Speaker 3: of nice there to kick off the season.
Speaker 1: Another point is that the preseason games are leading right
Speaker 1: into that season opener, so it's like almost three straight
Speaker 1: weeks of home games, two of them obviously being preseason
Speaker 1: before you kick off the season.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that first preseason game is at Seattle. We don't
Speaker 4: know the date yet for the preseason games just yet,
Speaker 4: but after Seattle, we have two straight home preseason game
Speaker 4: games against the Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals, and
Speaker 4: I'm looking forward to just seeing, you know what that
Speaker 4: looks like. Things have been tossed up about possible joint practices.
Speaker 4: We know we had one with the forty nine ers
Speaker 4: last year, so that'll be a lot of fun for
Speaker 4: Vikings fans if that is the case. That has not
Speaker 4: been confirmed yet, but it just makes me think about
Speaker 4: last year.
Speaker 3: Jay, Yeah, and I think it may make sense here
Speaker 3: that you know, you would want to do that again.
Speaker 3: I think there was a lot of valuable stuff you
Speaker 3: got out of it. I think you get to the
Speaker 3: point where guys get tired of, you know, hitting the
Speaker 3: other guys in the locker room. It's always nice to
Speaker 3: hit somebody else in a different team, and when you're
Speaker 3: trying to prove it. So for me, with the preseason
Speaker 3: schedule shaking out the way it does at Seattle Tennessee
Speaker 3: and then Arizona and both of those at home, and
Speaker 3: then leading like we were just talking about, right into Tampa,
Speaker 3: I think it's gonna be a lot of fun. You know,
Speaker 3: what are your thoughts on the Tampa feeling at this point,
Speaker 3: feeling like, you know, they're still trying to figure out
Speaker 3: who their identity is going to be.
Speaker 4: I think it's great. I think it's a sure I'm
Speaker 4: not going to say a sure rain because it's any
Speaker 4: given Sunday, but the fact that Tampa is still trying
Speaker 4: to figure out their identity outside of Baker Mayfield. I
Speaker 4: believe Devon White or kill Baird got hurt. No, Devon
Speaker 4: White got hurt last year towards the end of the year.
Speaker 4: So they're still trying to figure out what their defense
Speaker 4: is going to look like. So I think this is
Speaker 4: a really good opportunity for the Vikings to strike fast,
Speaker 4: strike really, and then strike at home and get the
Speaker 4: Vikings fans excited for I guess a few gritties Jay
Speaker 4: Jordan Addison. When I talk to them, he said it's
Speaker 4: going to be gritty all year. So I'm expecting Week
Speaker 4: one Jordan Madison and the Justin Jefferson gritty. But Justin
Speaker 4: Jefferson he's going to look to get his face back
Speaker 4: against the Philadelphia Eagles Week two, Thursday Night Football in
Speaker 4: a game where JJ only had six receptions for forty
Speaker 4: eight yards against Darius Lay last year, You guys thoughts
Speaker 4: on going to Philly again week two, but this time
Speaker 4: four days after you have your home opener.
Speaker 1: It was one of the top matchups to watch for
Speaker 1: the NFL when they do their NFL research was Jefferson
Speaker 1: versus Slay again. So they were the first ranked pass
Speaker 1: defense last season. We all watched it in action. I
Speaker 1: think that they are a very complete team. Then Nucleus
Speaker 1: is still there from last year's Super Bowl. The Super
Speaker 1: Bowl favorites runner up run and so I do think
Speaker 1: that that is going to be a massive challenge right
Speaker 1: out of the game and the only way that I
Speaker 1: see maybe an obstacle against the Bucks would be like, Okay,
Speaker 1: so we're thinking about Philly, sure, you know, and I
Speaker 1: know that's what coach O'Connell will be combating that whole
Speaker 1: entire pre offseason because I wouldn't say they game plan
Speaker 1: for both teams, but with being four days apart, you
Speaker 1: got to think they start looking ahead a tad bit.
Speaker 4: Not really. I think since you have all off season
Speaker 4: to prepare for those two games, you do have a
Speaker 4: game plan for week one, because like everyone's going to
Speaker 4: be excited for just to get back at home. But
Speaker 4: I think at the same time is you look at
Speaker 4: it and say, well, Philly is on the horizon, but like,
Speaker 4: we're not worried about it. We just want to win
Speaker 4: at home right now. So yeah, to your point, Tatum,
Speaker 4: I do think Kevin O'Connor is going to stress that.
Speaker 4: But for a player, I don't think your mind goes
Speaker 4: too far ahead since it's week two.
Speaker 3: For me, this is the most hand ringing game on
Speaker 3: the entire schedule, purely because of the timeframe playing against
Speaker 3: a team like Philly. I would love to have your
Speaker 3: full normal weekly complement of practices, getting your body healthy,
Speaker 3: all that kind of a thing. This one, to me
Speaker 3: is the one that stood out and I just kind
Speaker 3: of want, like, really like we have to do Thursday
Speaker 3: night against these guys, you know, week two. If there's
Speaker 3: any other time like later in the season, you're into
Speaker 3: your normal routine that kind of stuff. But it just
Speaker 3: means that for coach O'Connell and you know, the basically
Speaker 3: the strength and training staff and everything just trying to
Speaker 3: get their bodies right to be at Philly on a
Speaker 3: Thursday night for week two. That that to me just
Speaker 3: kind of made me grip my teeth a little bit
Speaker 3: and go, I wish it was just a little bit different.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and Tandam brought up a good point of playing
Speaker 4: the number one pass defense in the NFL with the
Speaker 4: Philadelphia Eagles. Well, JJ will play six games against top
Speaker 4: ten pass defenses in twenty twenty two, and week number
Speaker 4: three against the Chargers will be that second team that
Speaker 4: was the top ten pass defense in the NFL.
Speaker 5: And the return of Eric Kendrick and Eric Smith and
Speaker 5: Eric Smith, Yeah, you thought that's where I was going,
Speaker 5: and then I just took a left team. Yeah, I
Speaker 5: think I mean Eric is one of the I just
Speaker 5: remember him.
Speaker 1: One of the things he always talked about is the
Speaker 1: love of the crowd, the Minnesota Vikings cheering.
Speaker 5: What a home field advantage that is like.
Speaker 1: And I think it's quite fitting that he's coming back
Speaker 1: here and being on the other side of things.
Speaker 5: I do not think he'll be met with booze.
Speaker 1: I think Minnesota Vikings fans will go crazy when you know,
Speaker 1: he makes a play or they see him on the field,
Speaker 1: but you know they're going to root for him and
Speaker 1: every other game in the season except for Week three
Speaker 1: this year.
Speaker 3: I just remember when they pointed out to him that
Speaker 3: you know, they were coming back to Minnesota. It's kind
Speaker 3: of like, oh boy, you know, like, yeah, it will
Speaker 3: be a fun one. I think you will be absolutely
Speaker 3: juice to the gills on that one.
Speaker 6: It will be.
Speaker 3: Nice to get a team like the Chargers at home
Speaker 3: versus having to play on their turf.
Speaker 6: I am looking forward to.
Speaker 3: One thing I love about the schedule this year and
Speaker 3: the slate of teams is the level of quarterbacks that
Speaker 3: we're going to see. And you know, going basically from
Speaker 3: Jalen Hurts to looking at Herbert, you know, coming in
Speaker 3: the door, it'll be kind of fun. To have him
Speaker 3: on our turf and see how he reacts to it.
Speaker 4: Very interesting that we start this season off with three
Speaker 4: playoff teams from last year, Tampa Bay, Philly, the Chargers,
Speaker 4: and then Tatum just talked about revenging game for Eric
Speaker 4: Kendricks Well Week four, it's a revenge game for Adam Field.
Speaker 4: We go to North Carolina to play the Carolina Panthers. Guys,
Speaker 4: I feel like this game is going to be circled
Speaker 4: for for Adam for sure, but a lot of Vikings
Speaker 4: fans because he's like the hometown hero. So when you
Speaker 4: see that game Jay early on in the year against
Speaker 4: the Panthers, what's the first thing that comes to mind
Speaker 4: outside of bou Jingles.
Speaker 3: I was just literally going to say, Gabe going about Jangles.
Speaker 3: One of the things that has always happened in the
Speaker 3: past that's been really kind of fun in Carolina when
Speaker 3: we've been there, is fans travel well. I'm looking forward
Speaker 3: to seeing if we get another kind of a little
Speaker 3: bit of a mini home field piece to it. You know,
Speaker 3: it is a destination where those fans in the stadium
Speaker 3: and stuff. It's a lot of fun and I think
Speaker 3: again having the feel and tie to it is going
Speaker 3: to be a fun one there with you know, Week four,
Speaker 3: but hopefully I'm seeing this kind of home away, home
Speaker 3: away piece to it, and I'm hoping actually our fans
Speaker 3: would would show up again in Carolina. I know normally
Speaker 3: a place like that is happier to go to when
Speaker 3: it gets a little colder here at least. But I
Speaker 3: am looking forward to getting to that Carolina team because again,
Speaker 3: I feel like with them having the number one draft
Speaker 3: pick and then trying to figure out who they are again,
Speaker 3: there's a little bit of a theme between.
Speaker 6: Tampa and Carolina.
Speaker 3: Yeah, trying to figure out, you know, who really are they,
Speaker 3: And I think a veteran like Adam on that team
Speaker 3: is going to help with the development there. But I'm
Speaker 3: just curious to see who the heck they actually have
Speaker 3: as an identity.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, it's just it's very interesting, I think
Speaker 1: because because of obviously winning the division, the schedule stacks
Speaker 1: up really tough against the Vikings as far as like
Speaker 1: playing division champions, playing the all the conference champion teams
Speaker 1: from last year, and so you look at the Panthers
Speaker 1: and you think, Okay, maybe this is a good breather
Speaker 1: game a little bit you're still on the road, You're
Speaker 1: still able to kind of figure out your identity.
Speaker 5: Maybe they haven't yet by week four.
Speaker 1: Maybe Bryce Young isn't as comfortable as he is going
Speaker 1: to be week twelve. So I think this is a
Speaker 1: good one, I know, to go in and to really
Speaker 1: establish self.
Speaker 5: And I just always think back.
Speaker 1: To the last time they played in Carolina with the
Speaker 1: kJ Osbourne over time I walk off.
Speaker 5: I mean, it was just you know, Chef's cast. It
Speaker 5: was amazing.
Speaker 6: And that's the thing.
Speaker 3: Carolina, It's never been an easy place when they've been there.
Speaker 3: It's always been kind of these fun, crazy games, and
Speaker 3: I look forward to it. I think it's great. I
Speaker 3: think it's a fun atmosphere there. I've always liked going
Speaker 3: there whenever we would play, and that is a fun
Speaker 3: one I think for Week four.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that game should have been a blowout. A couple
Speaker 4: of years ago. We were up by like two touchdowns
Speaker 4: going to the fourth quarter.
Speaker 5: But the theme of that season though, how many times
Speaker 5: could you have said this game should have been a blowout.
Speaker 4: That's the last last two seasons. But just look at
Speaker 4: you know, October first, Like this is my favorite time
Speaker 4: of the year because Kirktober will be in full effect
Speaker 4: and we're going to need that come Week number five
Speaker 4: against the Super Bowl defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 4: They're coming to the us Being Stadium this year.
Speaker 1: For the first time, for the first time, and I
Speaker 1: love that you, says Kirk Chober. And we have five
Speaker 1: games in Kirktober this year. Wait, yeah, no, it's going
Speaker 1: to be And I think what the last time the
Speaker 1: Vikings played the Chiefs, it was Chase Daniel and it
Speaker 1: was a not great outcome.
Speaker 5: So this time you get to play the raining NFL MVP.
Speaker 1: And if you don't think that that atmosphere is going
Speaker 1: to be absolutely electric welcoming Chiefs in, I don't know.
Speaker 1: That might be the best home game of the season
Speaker 1: as far as like crowd noise.
Speaker 3: And for proximity to Kansas City is relatively close. You know,
Speaker 3: we always end up trappling a lot of people in
Speaker 3: Kansas City. I expect the same thing to happen people
Speaker 3: coming up here, and like you said, with them, with
Speaker 3: this being the first time in the stadium, there's gonna
Speaker 3: be a lot of people that are going to want
Speaker 3: to try and see that for sure. I think as
Speaker 3: far as the Vikings are concerned, they'd like to see
Speaker 3: every single seat filled with purple instead of red. But
Speaker 3: having a guy like Mahomes come into the house and
Speaker 3: kind of knowing that you're back to basically within three
Speaker 3: weeks you have Herbert and Mahomes coming in at quarterback,
Speaker 3: there's gonna be a lot of fun there. The other
Speaker 3: thing too, that's a little sneaky in there. Jerck McKinnon
Speaker 3: re signed with Kansas City, and Jet was always one
Speaker 3: of my favorite guys here with the Vikings. It will
Speaker 3: be fun to see him come back and just see,
Speaker 3: you know, guys like Harrison Smith and everybody give them
Speaker 3: a little bit of adapt It'll be fun to have.
Speaker 6: Kansas City come in here.
Speaker 3: They are literally one of the very top teams every
Speaker 3: single season now that they've got their Ragning MVP. And
Speaker 3: Kansas City's one that circled on my calendar.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I guess another one that circled on a
Speaker 4: lot of people's calendar. It's the Chicago Bears and week
Speaker 4: number six one. I guess. The only reason why is
Speaker 4: because we're not going there in December or January like
Speaker 4: we did last year. So to go to Chicago Week
Speaker 4: number six, Tatum, how excited are you to get that
Speaker 4: first divisional game out the way?
Speaker 1: Well, I feel like after the past couple of seasons,
Speaker 1: like Week six is kind of later for sure for
Speaker 1: the Vikings normally.
Speaker 5: So to kind of be able to have some tape
Speaker 5: on who the Bears are going to be, what they're
Speaker 5: going to look like.
Speaker 1: I mean, they what cleared house after this year, brought
Speaker 1: in a bunch of free agents, have all the draft picks,
Speaker 1: and so this gives you whether this is a good
Speaker 1: or bad thing, but it gives you enough time to
Speaker 1: see what they are on tape before they come before
Speaker 1: we go there. And I do like saying before we
Speaker 1: go there and not having to be in Chicago in
Speaker 1: the middle of December with no dome. The fact that
Speaker 1: we are ending the year with dome games is like, again,
Speaker 1: I how did you get this lucky?
Speaker 4: Well, I feel like when when Roberzinski talks to the
Speaker 4: schedule makers and say, hey, you guys didn't give us
Speaker 4: any of our requests last year, that's a good starting
Speaker 4: point for negotiations this year. So the fact that we
Speaker 4: don't go to Green Bay or Chicago in the minute
Speaker 4: at the end of the year like last year, beautiful.
Speaker 4: We're all happy and we we thank Roberzinski for that.
Speaker 4: I know Tatum said the Week five game is probably
Speaker 4: going to be the livest game of the of the
Speaker 4: year this year at home. But I feel like Week
Speaker 4: seven may have a word. San Francisco forty nine Ers
Speaker 4: Monday Night football at US Bank Stadium, Jay right, right,
Speaker 4: I mean, yeah, it's gonna be a lot of a
Speaker 4: lot of beer drinking that Tuesday, especially if we win.
Speaker 4: Jaed that that forty nine Ers game. I can only
Speaker 4: imagine how that's gonna be.
Speaker 3: Think about last year for those joint practices, how Chippy's
Speaker 3: things got yeah, and then just knowing there was even
Speaker 3: just a little bit of a war of words after
Speaker 3: the fact with coaches and everybody too. I think there's
Speaker 3: gonna be something extra on that one. You know, the
Speaker 3: idea of having a McCaffrey and I you can just
Speaker 3: that vaunted offense coming in. I'm more curious to see
Speaker 3: what happens with them at the quarterback position, because knowing that,
Speaker 3: you know, Party ran the way he did last year,
Speaker 3: but he's coming off timing John and the bunch of
Speaker 3: people are saying that he's not going to be ready,
Speaker 3: and he's kind of saying, now, I'll be fine. We'll
Speaker 3: find out for sure by week seven if a black
Speaker 3: party is in there, if you know something else is
Speaker 3: going on within for San Francisco. I just for me,
Speaker 3: Monday night football is always something extra. Bring in San
Speaker 3: Francisco to our house in October. It's gonna be a
Speaker 3: lot of fun.
Speaker 5: My gosh, yeah, oh no, yeah, I'm really ready for
Speaker 5: this one. I really am. Although when I said when
Speaker 5: I when I saw it and I was like.
Speaker 1: Oh man, they're coming here, I was like, dang, that's see,
Speaker 1: that's a fun road trip, right, Like granted, granted the
Speaker 1: app you know, it is an enmy territory. We don't
Speaker 1: have the greatest luck out there. I was like, gosh,
Speaker 1: that would be really cool to just go out to
Speaker 1: the West Coast for a swing, having never been before,
Speaker 1: but welcoming in, like you said, the brock Perny, whatever
Speaker 1: is going on over there, maybe Trey Lances in the mix.
Speaker 1: All that I think is I think it's one of
Speaker 1: the more obviously one of the more tough games this season,
Speaker 1: like you're going to be you have the Eagles up there,
Speaker 1: the Chiefs up there, the forty nine ers up there,
Speaker 1: like as great as all of these exciting teams coming
Speaker 1: in are at the same time, I'm thinking like there
Speaker 1: could be a lot of like else in the beginning,
Speaker 1: not in a bad way, I just mean in a
Speaker 1: way where like, Okay, so maybe you kind of have
Speaker 1: the momentum towards the end of the season and you
Speaker 1: take it in through the playoffs.
Speaker 3: I mean for me, it's it's you're going to be
Speaker 3: battle tested given that you're playing a you know, number
Speaker 3: one slot from last year because of your record, and
Speaker 3: you're going to be playing all these tough teams. We're
Speaker 3: going to know what this team is really about. You know,
Speaker 3: there really are no there aren't a ton of cupcakes
Speaker 3: on the schedule, and you're going to get everybody's best shot.
Speaker 3: Knowing that you have a justin Jefferson who is going
Speaker 3: to be you know, primetime spotlighted throughout the entire league
Speaker 3: for everything, everyone's going to give them best shot. Now
Speaker 3: you got to Jordan Edison to add to that offense,
Speaker 3: and just to see what this evolution of this team's
Speaker 3: going to be.
Speaker 6: Being able to play again. Kansas City, the Chargers.
Speaker 3: San Francisco, and a couple more teams that we haven't
Speaker 3: talked about yet, Philly. All of those are going to
Speaker 3: give you the best run that they can and you're
Speaker 3: going to know, hopefully halfway through the season, kind of
Speaker 3: what you're really dealing with.
Speaker 1: And for what it's worth, I think that people are
Speaker 1: looking at the Vikings on their schedule and saying the
Speaker 1: same thing, like this is a tough out. If this
Speaker 1: defense gets, you know, fifty percent better from last year,
Speaker 1: this team is going to be a super tough team
Speaker 1: to stop, especially when you think of all the offensive
Speaker 1: weapons like you just mentioned.
Speaker 5: That we're at it.
Speaker 1: So granted, I'm saying this ahead of time, like, oh,
Speaker 1: these really tough teas, but people are saying that about
Speaker 1: the Vikings now too.
Speaker 4: Oh for sure. I mean, especially if you saw how
Speaker 4: the Vikings entered their season last year, you would assume
Speaker 4: that this Vikings team will get better with Brian Flores
Speaker 4: as a defensive coordinator. And I'm sure this Brian Flores
Speaker 4: defense will have an identity, especially going into week number
Speaker 4: eight when they face Jordan Love and the Packers at
Speaker 4: lambeau Field. Identity. We will know what his Vikings team
Speaker 4: is made of by week number eight.
Speaker 6: Yeah, what Halloween weekend.
Speaker 3: Basically, Hopefula is not a little scary in Green Bay.
Speaker 3: Jordan Love is my biggest question mark for this entire division,
Speaker 3: trying to figure out what they've got. Like we've talked
Speaker 3: about in the past, green Bay seems to feel like
Speaker 3: they've got their guy, or at least are willing to
Speaker 3: move on from Aaron Rodgers. By that point, he's going
Speaker 3: to have two months basically under his belt. Going to
Speaker 3: Green Bay is always weird. Going to green Bay late
Speaker 3: fall is going to be literally the identity of what
Speaker 3: people say Football American is supposed to look like. So
Speaker 3: being able to to go to green Bay, you know
Speaker 3: we've talked about it, not in December, not in January,
Speaker 3: but being able to do in October, You're still going
Speaker 3: to get pristine. I you know, circumstances and everything for
Speaker 3: the game. For me, I really want to see if
Speaker 3: Flores has the defense you know, upgraded and fully integrated
Speaker 3: at that point for two months. I really want to
Speaker 3: see them tee off on a guy like Jordan Love
Speaker 3: and really make him have to work for it. So
Speaker 3: going to green Bay late October, I think it's perfect.
Speaker 5: I love it.
Speaker 4: So you basically saying all of our defensive guy is
Speaker 4: going to be in a track stance running.
Speaker 3: But here's the thing, you know, for them, I'm really
Speaker 3: curious because Lafour is going to have a complete game
Speaker 3: plan going into what he thinks this personnel is going
Speaker 3: to be. But if you really think about do they
Speaker 3: turn around and go from what they've been known for
Speaker 3: in the past and having kind of gunslinger quarterbacks to
Speaker 3: more ball control running back oriented, they you know, trying
Speaker 3: to figure out like what are they going to be?
Speaker 3: It's been thirty years of a similar thing. What are
Speaker 3: they going to be? And so for me with Green Bay,
Speaker 3: there's just so many question marks. I really want to
Speaker 3: see what we've got. So luckily they're not necessarily a
Speaker 3: Week one team that we're playing. We're playing halfway through
Speaker 3: the season. Speaking of what are they going to be?
Speaker 4: I feel like we've been saying that a lot about
Speaker 4: the Atlanta Falcons, and for the second straight week, the
Speaker 4: Vikings would be on the road playing the Falcons November fifth,
Speaker 4: and we don't know, I mean, there's no Matt Ryan,
Speaker 4: we don't know if Desmond Rider is going to be
Speaker 4: the quarterback. Marcus Mariota is not in Atlanta anymore. But however,
Speaker 4: they did sun Bejhon Robbinson this offseason, so clearly they're
Speaker 4: going to try to run the ball in the vikings.
Speaker 4: When you look at that Atlanta Falcons game, tat is
Speaker 4: there anything that stands out?
Speaker 5: Just the fact that I don't know what to what
Speaker 5: to think, what to expect. I mean, you really have
Speaker 5: no closure.
Speaker 1: There's going to be twelve teams with new starting quarterbacks,
Speaker 1: and I think whenever you have a new starting quarterback,
Speaker 1: that's kind of what we've been saying for each of
Speaker 1: these teams that has like that question mark under center,
Speaker 1: and so twelve teams and we're facing a lot of them,
Speaker 1: which is kind of exciting for a defensive guy.
Speaker 6: That's the thing.
Speaker 3: If you look at their depth chart here Desmond Ritter, Taylor, Heineke,
Speaker 3: Logan Woodside, and Felipe Franks, so like that is a
Speaker 3: giant question and none.
Speaker 1: Of them look the same. Yeah, Like they don't have
Speaker 1: a very similar self skill sets. That's really interesting.
Speaker 3: And for me with with Bijon Robinson coming in there,
Speaker 3: like how do you not make him the focal point
Speaker 3: of that offense? You know they have a Kyle Pitts
Speaker 3: still that everyone kind of felt was a little underutilized.
Speaker 6: He had so much fanfare coming in.
Speaker 3: That's the thing, Like, he's just a crazy athletic, and
Speaker 3: I think they're hoping that maybe a guy like Bijeon
Speaker 3: can help free a guy like him up a little
Speaker 3: bit as so that people aren't having a double or
Speaker 3: even you know, triple team against him. But they're so
Speaker 3: they're so weird in that you just don't know what
Speaker 3: they are. And they've always been known as kind of
Speaker 3: either the high flyers with the Julio Jones or you know,
Speaker 3: back in the day with Jamal and they were just
Speaker 3: running like crazy, but they always had a Matt Ryan
Speaker 3: style quarterback or a Michael Vick style quarterback to really
Speaker 3: be dynamic. And I think there's a lot of question
Speaker 3: marks still about Desmond Ritter. Does Taylor Heinekee supplant him
Speaker 3: within training camp, Like we don't know. I hope Taylor,
Speaker 3: And that's the thing is, you know, the Taylor Henekee
Speaker 3: factor is a possibility.
Speaker 5: But yeah, he's a good game like, he's a game manager.
Speaker 5: He wins games.
Speaker 1: He's a proven winner, and I think that that's kind
Speaker 1: of just what Atlanta needs. They don't really strike you
Speaker 1: in the face with their receivers right now, Drake London,
Speaker 1: Matt Collins, and Scottie Miller listed as the starters on here.
Speaker 1: I couldn't tell you any of these people behind him,
Speaker 1: really honestly. And so when you think about Kyle Pitts
Speaker 1: needing to be a bigger part of the offense, that's
Speaker 1: what Arthur Smith is known for, Like he was a
Speaker 1: tight ends coach before he was an offensive coordinator. So
Speaker 1: it always kind of perplexed me that Kyle Pitts was
Speaker 1: so quiet.
Speaker 5: So maybe if they have a distraction.
Speaker 1: Like Bijon in the back that everyone's accounting for, you
Speaker 1: get Desmond Rider a little bit more comfortable or Taylor hiding,
Speaker 1: you more comfortable to just not throw the game away
Speaker 1: and find Kyle Pitts. But then again, how are you
Speaker 1: not doubling Kyle Pitts when you've got those receivers.
Speaker 3: Here's the thing for them, that's the thing. They can
Speaker 3: go double tight with Kyle Pitts and John new Smith.
Speaker 4: I want to see that.
Speaker 5: Oh and you know, and they know Arthur Smith coached
Speaker 5: John new And in Tennessee.
Speaker 3: So that's the thing is so they can have Kyle
Speaker 3: Pitts and John ou Smith, and they can make it
Speaker 3: look like they're going to be running and then all
Speaker 3: of a sudden like okay, this this Bijon Robinson is
Speaker 3: probably are more important pick than a lot of people realized.
Speaker 3: They everyone knows the talent that he has. Yeah, but
Speaker 3: he given what they want to do at their offense
Speaker 3: and what they what the question marks are at quarterback,
Speaker 3: like that might be even more critical than the real.
Speaker 1: Well then, and then I think another point going to
Speaker 1: the other side of the balls, that they did really
Speaker 1: beef up their secondary, which you know, obviously we have
Speaker 1: a lot of offensive weapons that would be seeing guys
Speaker 1: like Jesse Bates, Jeff Wakuda, AJ Tarrell, like Bud Duprees
Speaker 1: on there. I'm not sure how much gas he has
Speaker 1: left in the tank. But some of these free agent
Speaker 1: guys that they've added is pretty you know, I.
Speaker 5: Mean their names yeah, so uh so, I don't know.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, they had I feel like they had
Speaker 4: a really good draft this year. They drafted some key
Speaker 4: guys and key positions, and a lot of that is
Speaker 4: to protect the quarterback, to protect whoever it is, Desmond
Speaker 4: Ritter or what's his name, Taylor Honek but Taylor Honekee
Speaker 4: reminds me a lot of Derek Carr, and the following
Speaker 4: week we played Derek Carr in the New Orleans Saints
Speaker 4: up here, New Look Minnesota. Right, we really don't know
Speaker 4: what the New Orleans Saints are going to be this year,
Speaker 4: but that that bodes well for this Minnesota Vikings team
Speaker 4: coming off of a two game road stretch back home
Speaker 4: in front of your fans.
Speaker 6: Gem they don't even know what they're going to look for.
Speaker 5: I mean, it sounds like Michael Thomas is coming back.
Speaker 6: Though, well so for how long?
Speaker 5: I'm just saying it sounds like and it's confirmed, nor
Speaker 5: did I.
Speaker 3: So you have a guy like Chris Olave, you possibly
Speaker 3: have a Michael Thomas. You don't know what's going to
Speaker 3: happen with Elvin Kamar because he's still got legal issues
Speaker 3: that are hanging over his head.
Speaker 6: He might get suspended. So like New.
Speaker 3: Orleans always brings it, we always have fits with them,
Speaker 3: especially their defense last year. Yeah, but that's the thing,
Speaker 3: like offensively, we don't know what they're going to look like.
Speaker 3: I mean, Car is a gamer. I like him getting
Speaker 3: him out of a place where it felt incredibly toxic,
Speaker 3: especially at the end where he just was basically like, yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm done with the Raiders, you know, like get me
Speaker 3: out here as fast as possible. Maybe a place like
Speaker 3: New Orleans, you know, going in as that big acquisition
Speaker 3: in the offseason. I think a guy like him is
Speaker 3: going to see that as a breath of fresh air.
Speaker 3: He's got some fun weapons there in the offense, So
Speaker 3: I'm New Orleans defense always brings it. I'm just glad
Speaker 3: we get to play them at home and don't have
Speaker 3: to go back down there in order to face this one.
Speaker 1: And so to be that was the London game less night,
Speaker 1: so we have to see the Superdome in quite some time.
Speaker 5: Was the postseason? Yeah, you know, I feel like it's
Speaker 5: always been like.
Speaker 1: A rivalry game, so this is I feel like again
Speaker 1: that's going to be another just electric atmosphere. I do
Speaker 1: think that the Saints have always responded well when they
Speaker 1: have a quarterback who has had a lot of leadership
Speaker 1: in their past, who is vocal, who has experienced, and
Speaker 1: I think that that could go a long way. I'm
Speaker 1: actually really excited about the addition of Foster Moreau as
Speaker 1: far as what their offense can do. Bringing Derek Carr
Speaker 1: and Foster Moreau back together from the Raiders. The reason
Speaker 1: I say excited is not because I'm being a Homer,
Speaker 1: but because Foster Moreau was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma recently
Speaker 1: and he's battling that.
Speaker 5: He's a New Orleans kid.
Speaker 1: He went to high school a jazz what went to LSU,
Speaker 1: and so now he's back as a Saint.
Speaker 5: So I love a little story like that.
Speaker 1: But I and I, you know, I hope that he
Speaker 1: can be good enough to play. I'm not sure when
Speaker 1: that timeline is, but to be able to have Derek
Speaker 1: Carr have a familiar target there also, I think is
Speaker 1: another key move by the Saints this offseason.
Speaker 3: One player that I was really excited about for them
Speaker 3: that they grabbed in the draft was Kendre Miller and
Speaker 3: just he's coming off he's got some injury questions and everything,
Speaker 3: you know, and they drafted him, which is probably why
Speaker 3: he slid a little bit. But I mean he could
Speaker 3: get some run depending on what happens with Kamara. They've got,
Speaker 3: you know, Kamara, Jamal Williams and then him sitting third currently,
Speaker 3: that's a name you might see him jump up like crazy.
Speaker 3: Given their situation there.
Speaker 5: But they're not afraid to play their rookies early, not
Speaker 5: at all.
Speaker 3: Look at a Lave last year. You know, they will
Speaker 3: pop those guys in there. If they feel like they
Speaker 3: can trust him, they're going to do it. And so
Speaker 3: he you might get to kind of that dual running
Speaker 3: back situation they've had in New Orleans over the years.
Speaker 5: You know, Alvin's just been quiet recently.
Speaker 3: Well, but for him, he's he's been somebody who's been
Speaker 3: so dynamic.
Speaker 6: They're just like, that's his spot.
Speaker 3: Why would you take the ball out of his hands
Speaker 3: because he can catch and run.
Speaker 6: I just think the further.
Speaker 3: You get along, especially at this point in the year,
Speaker 3: you might see him integrated into that offense a little
Speaker 3: bit more.
Speaker 4: Yeah, they got a lot of options down there in
Speaker 4: New Orleans. It's just finding ways to put it together and.
Speaker 5: Not knowing what it's going to look like. Especially you're
Speaker 5: just not sure.
Speaker 4: They haven't been good since Sean Payton.
Speaker 5: Fact.
Speaker 4: And now Sean Payton's in Denver, YEP. And we traveled
Speaker 4: to Denver the following week.
Speaker 5: I wonder why that's a Sunday night football game, guys.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that is. I know we talked about that on
Speaker 4: the schedule release show that will be on Vikings dot
Speaker 4: Com should be out there right now since his Thursday
Speaker 4: and we're releasing this and it'll be out Yeah. So
Speaker 4: long story short, we talked about that game possibly being
Speaker 4: flexed back to like a three twenty five kickoff. I
Speaker 4: just don't understand that maybe the Sean Payton or George Paton,
Speaker 4: I don't understand.
Speaker 1: Oh no, it's definitely the Sean Payton versus the Vikings
Speaker 1: narrative most like.
Speaker 4: It's yeah, I guess so, I guess that's.
Speaker 1: A peak by time right, Like there are a lot
Speaker 1: of by games going on right there, so maybe maybe
Speaker 1: this there weren't as many pickins.
Speaker 5: But for me, I think it's I think it's the
Speaker 5: Sean Payton narrative, if I'm honest, because I think about it.
Speaker 1: If it's if it's Nathaniel Hackett, is that the game
Speaker 1: that's going to be flex to Sunday Night Football that night?
Speaker 4: Now, I just think that it was Russell Wilson, I
Speaker 4: mean know, a big time quarterback. But that's as you.
Speaker 5: Have a total like stuff stir and grin on your face.
Speaker 5: Corrected myself there.
Speaker 3: I think the thing about it too, with peyton Is.
Speaker 3: You know, last year they went all in for a
Speaker 3: ton of games, primetime games for Denver because of the
Speaker 3: Russ factor. I think they're looking at Sean coming in
Speaker 3: and being able to get the best out of him
Speaker 3: within that offense. Denver's weapons as well, especially wide receiver wise,
Speaker 3: had just felt completely underutilized last year with Hackett. I
Speaker 3: just feel like, with it being Denverday night game November
Speaker 3: in Denver is going to be absolutely gorgeous. I think
Speaker 3: it's gonna be a lot of fun. I have a
Speaker 3: hard time with them flexing that one out, But at
Speaker 3: the same point, yeah, there are question marks to that. Yes,
Speaker 3: the front office is tied to us, but to me,
Speaker 3: it just feels like they're looking at it saying, there's
Speaker 3: a bunch.
Speaker 6: Of young guys.
Speaker 3: There's there's a new sheriff in town with Sean Payton
Speaker 3: there in Denver, and I think they're thinking that this
Speaker 3: might be more of a fireworks kind of game scoring wise,
Speaker 3: given what our offense and their offense are supposed to be.
Speaker 5: Patrick certain against Jefferson, the return of Javonte Williams, can
Speaker 5: the Vikings stop the run.
Speaker 4: It'd be a lot of man and man coverage, and
Speaker 4: Justin Jefferson was number one in the NFL with seven
Speaker 4: hundred and ten receiving yards versus man coverage last year,
Speaker 4: So it'd be interesting to see how that bodes for
Speaker 4: another year for JJ trying to go for two thousand
Speaker 4: receiving yards. He's got a lot of big, big time
Speaker 4: defensive backs he's going against this year. And you know
Speaker 4: that next week Monday Night Football Chicago bears back to
Speaker 4: back prime time, back to back prime time games five.
Speaker 1: I love this, It's going to be honest, and I
Speaker 1: love the fact that seven possibly seven. I love the
Speaker 1: fact that most of them are at home. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: just for selfish reasons for sure.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I just like Bikings in Prome. Tim last year
Speaker 4: weren't good at home.
Speaker 1: This is really and Ron talked a lot about this
Speaker 1: in the schedule release show. This is really going to
Speaker 1: test primetime Kirk and the and the tired narrative from
Speaker 1: the national media.
Speaker 5: Ken Kirk win primetime games.
Speaker 4: The new nightmare. I mean, that's the thing. But you
Speaker 4: want to see Kurk.
Speaker 5: The many noon games.
Speaker 6: Yeah, well, I'm just thinking about with it being primetime.
Speaker 6: You know, I was.
Speaker 3: One going into the schedule of thinking before I even
Speaker 3: saw anything, saying I don't know how many prime time
Speaker 3: we're really going to get. You know, I know you've
Speaker 3: got it justin Jefferson and you've got some other high
Speaker 3: profile people, but how much are they Is the league
Speaker 3: or the national side going to buy into what we're selling?
Speaker 3: And when I saw five primetime games here, I was like,
Speaker 3: oh boy. And then when I saw back to back
Speaker 3: at Denver and then home against Chicago, They're all in.
Speaker 3: I love it because I want this team to get
Speaker 3: as much promotion as possible, so let people understand what
Speaker 3: the heck we're working with.
Speaker 6: I love that pressure.
Speaker 3: I love the idea of being able to showcase what
Speaker 3: we've got. And I really do feel like if they're
Speaker 3: they take that jump defensively, Like this is a scary team,
Speaker 3: especially within the NFC.
Speaker 4: Jay being from Minnesota, you just made a good point.
Speaker 4: You just made me think about just the state. This
Speaker 4: is the first time that the Vikings have ever had
Speaker 4: this many prime time games in one season. Yeah, understanding that,
Speaker 4: Like is that like for for Minnesota native, like a
Speaker 4: diehard Viking fan? Like if that get you excited? Does
Speaker 4: that get you nervous?
Speaker 7: Like?
Speaker 4: What's that emotion, uh.
Speaker 3: To me, it makes me feel like you're people are
Speaker 3: they have high expectations for you. You know, in the past,
Speaker 3: you'd play your new games and stuff. I love new
Speaker 3: games because then you get the rest of your day
Speaker 3: to do whatever you gotta do. But I've always been
Speaker 3: somebody who loves primetime games because because that is the
Speaker 3: singular focus. Typically if it's not Week one and they
Speaker 3: got the doubleheader and all that kind of stuff going on.
Speaker 3: If you're the Thursday night game, the Monday night game,
Speaker 3: or the Sunday night game, the pomp and circumstance that
Speaker 3: comes with that is always fun for me. And it
Speaker 3: also means that everybody is watching. Everybody wants to see
Speaker 3: what you've got, and it means to me that you've
Speaker 3: got something special.
Speaker 6: So I'm hoping that, you.
Speaker 3: Know, given that we're set up for success that way,
Speaker 3: that we actually you know, show up and show out
Speaker 3: and have fun with it. And I hope that, like
Speaker 3: you guys are just talking about the whole narrative and
Speaker 3: all that stuff, that stuff flies out the window, because
Speaker 3: if we can rip off a bunch of wins against
Speaker 3: high profile people on these primetime games, I think it's
Speaker 3: awesome for this team.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that would be awesome. And this Chicago Bears game,
Speaker 4: I feel like it's a trap game for two reasons. Okay,
Speaker 4: on Thanksgiving is the Thursday before, so instead of us
Speaker 4: playing Thursday like we have last year, or playing Sunday,
Speaker 4: we played Monday. Sure, so I know it sounds cliche,
Speaker 4: but like, well that you know Thanksgiving hangover affect this team, right,
Speaker 4: we don't.
Speaker 5: Maybe, but there's a looming buy Then.
Speaker 4: My second, my second reason why I think it's a
Speaker 4: trap game because it's like, Okay, well we get our Thanksgiving,
Speaker 4: but we also get a bye week next week and
Speaker 4: we're at home.
Speaker 3: If it was Sunday night, maybe, but the fact that
Speaker 3: it's Monday night, you've got that extra day after the Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5: Run off, the extra turkey you ain't.
Speaker 3: But for me, it's it's the idea of even if
Speaker 3: there is quote unquote the distraction of Thanksgiving and all
Speaker 3: the other stuff, you can still be back there on Friday, Saturday,
Speaker 3: Sunday and getting that extra day and Monday knowing that
Speaker 3: you have the buye. I think that is even more
Speaker 3: of a way for the coaching staff to look at
Speaker 3: the players and go you have a week coming off
Speaker 3: of this. I need your best effort here on Monday
Speaker 3: night to knock this out and then go into the
Speaker 3: buy the correct way.
Speaker 4: I mean we went into the bye week the correct
Speaker 4: way last year, playning the Miami Dolphins and then having
Speaker 4: to buy and then planning the Arizona Cardinals. So clearly
Speaker 4: Kevin O'Connell knows how to I guess prep these guys.
Speaker 3: If you would feel if you felt nervous about it,
Speaker 3: I would feel more nervous if it wasn't away game.
Speaker 3: The fact that it's a home game at Monday on
Speaker 3: Monday night against the Bears. That place is going to
Speaker 3: be bananas that use Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4: But that week thirteen bye, I was doing some research
Speaker 4: and I believe the latest the Vikings have had to
Speaker 4: buy in franchise history was Week twelve in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 4: So Week thirteen bye, I'm a little uncertain if that's
Speaker 4: good or if that's like worry some for this Vikings team.
Speaker 4: I mean, you have five games left at the end
Speaker 4: of the year. But I don't know, like I don't know,
Speaker 4: Like I asked CJ. Ham this yesterday, who's going to
Speaker 4: be our guest on the show today and I just said, like,
Speaker 4: how does that feel? And it was like, you know,
Speaker 4: you just kind of just roll with the punches, so
Speaker 4: that I mean, it's kind of a cliche answer, But
Speaker 4: I've never seen a team with the buye this late.
Speaker 4: I know there has there has.
Speaker 5: Been, but don't they go into like fourteen?
Speaker 1: I believe so, But I mean as a fantasy football player,
Speaker 1: I think fourteen is the latest. But like, but I
Speaker 1: am drafting. I am just side note total fantasy nerd
Speaker 1: over here. I am like stocking up on Vikings offensive players.
Speaker 1: If my week, my week is thirteen?
Speaker 5: Are you kidding me? My guillotine team might all be
Speaker 5: Viking players.
Speaker 6: I think that's sound like a Homer I'm going off.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think do you have inside information?
Speaker 4: No?
Speaker 5: I don't.
Speaker 4: I just wouldn't that be great? Though? Like no, and
Speaker 4: like we want every week? I not tatum if that
Speaker 4: would be?
Speaker 1: Like okay, so how much are your earnings? Are you
Speaker 1: going over what you can actually earn? Are you playing
Speaker 1: by the roles? You know we have a gambling policy.
Speaker 1: Yes I do, Calvin Ridley.
Speaker 4: Detroit Lions for that, but yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3: I was going to say, is being a week thirteen
Speaker 3: by I think coaches tend to say, if we can
Speaker 3: get to like week ten, then we're happy, because it
Speaker 3: feels like kind of the split halfway through the season,
Speaker 3: you start leaning towards thirteen. You're just hoping that there
Speaker 3: aren't looming injury injuries or things that they would normally
Speaker 3: want people to get right. Thirteen can actually be a
Speaker 3: little advantageous because if you have a a five week
Speaker 3: run after that for the rest of the season and
Speaker 3: then hopefully playoffs after that, that actually might end up
Speaker 3: being you know, the bye to help you get healthy,
Speaker 3: and then depending on what happens playoff wise, if you're
Speaker 3: still in the hunt that way, that would be actually
Speaker 3: kind of advantageous to have that thirteen week to get
Speaker 3: fully healthy to make that final sprint for the final
Speaker 3: month for sure.
Speaker 4: So like recap in you get week ten, you get
Speaker 4: the Saints at home, and then you get an extra break,
Speaker 4: you go to Denver and get a Sunday night football game,
Speaker 4: and then you get an extra day of the following
Speaker 4: week and you get Monday night football against Chicago Bears,
Speaker 4: and week number twelve you get a bye week week
Speaker 4: number thirteen, and then week fourteen you go out to
Speaker 4: Vegas to face the Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaker 3: There's a lot of people that are circling that one
Speaker 3: on their calendars. Just get one, that's the thing. Well,
Speaker 3: and everyone was hoping that game wasn't going to be
Speaker 3: September or sometime earlier in the year. With it being
Speaker 3: December and hopefully is still nice and warm there in
Speaker 3: Vegas December tenth, I think that's going to be a
Speaker 3: fun one again. Another team that we just don't know
Speaker 3: what the heck is going to be, especially after losing
Speaker 3: their car. But Vegas is always a crazy time. That
Speaker 3: stadium is amazing. I really like Allegiant Stadium. I've done
Speaker 3: some tours there and been through it, and I know
Speaker 3: that people had a good time there with preseason last year.
Speaker 3: So hopefully December tenth, people, you're really going to start
Speaker 3: booking those flights as early as possible and getting ready
Speaker 3: to head to Vegas.
Speaker 4: I mean, you might as well book book your flight
Speaker 4: after the Chicago game, book your flight December first, and
Speaker 4: just stay out there for I guess.
Speaker 3: I'd say go to the site right now. Flight those
Speaker 3: flights are going to fill up fast, and they're going
Speaker 3: to be a little extra Price Ya the Logger.
Speaker 4: You wait, I think the best away game this year
Speaker 4: is going to be Week number fifteen. A date and
Speaker 4: a time is not determined yet, but that Cincinnati Bengals
Speaker 4: game Week fifteen at Cincinnati is going to be huge.
Speaker 4: I mean, you got.
Speaker 5: I can't just the.
Speaker 4: LSU, I mean just the LSU storylines there with Joe Burrow,
Speaker 4: Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, so on and so forth at Ing. Yeah,
Speaker 4: I mean the two rookies this year and Elllle.
Speaker 5: Collins is on the Bengals offensive.
Speaker 4: Jay Ward also Jacquelin Roy. Like, there's so many ties
Speaker 4: in this game. But I'm excited about that week Week fifteen,
Speaker 4: No date, no time, but it is the Cincinnati Bengals, Guys.
Speaker 1: I mean, I you know, I'm I love football and
Speaker 1: I think I follow players more than teams now more
Speaker 1: than ever. And obviously I have a deep love for
Speaker 1: the Vikings being in this building. I want them all
Speaker 1: to succeed and I want them to beat the Bengals.
Speaker 1: I just love Joe Burrow. I'm unabashedly and one of
Speaker 1: my favorite all time players ever for obvious reasons, and
Speaker 1: I just think that the way that he went into
Speaker 1: Cincinnati and turned things around. I wouldn't say single handedly obviously,
Speaker 1: because great coaching staff has to help turn things around.
Speaker 1: They've made so many improvements, They've put people in place
Speaker 1: to keep Joe Burrow safe back there.
Speaker 5: I mean they to me, like, first of all, they
Speaker 5: should have been Super Bowl too.
Speaker 1: I won't go there, but like I just that team
Speaker 1: is so interesting to me that that would be a
Speaker 1: signature victory late in the season that says the Vikings
Speaker 1: are here, We're going to make a playoff run, We're
Speaker 1: gonna make some noise in the postseason. You need to
Speaker 1: take us seriously, Like if no one's taking seriously up
Speaker 1: until that game, that is the game where you go
Speaker 1: out and you say we've arrived.
Speaker 3: I always want to see us play at home against
Speaker 3: top tier talent, but going to a place like Cincinnati
Speaker 3: and if you can, you know, pull the w out
Speaker 3: of that one, like you said, I think that's gonna
Speaker 3: be a lot of people unnotice And again with all
Speaker 3: the primetime games, people are gonna be paying attention to us,
Speaker 3: but that one in particular, I feel like there's gonna
Speaker 3: be something different, There's gonna be something extra and what
Speaker 3: I am curious about is the fact that it is
Speaker 3: to be determined. I know later later in the year
Speaker 3: with college football and everything being done, is that going
Speaker 3: to be a Saturday game?
Speaker 6: Would it be a Sunday? What are they gonna do?
Speaker 3: The other thing too, that's gonna be a little different
Speaker 3: this year and we haven't even touched it. Is the
Speaker 3: idea that teams could potentially play two Thursday night games
Speaker 3: because they can do the flex scheduling for Thursday. So again,
Speaker 3: like it really depends. I don't know if they would
Speaker 3: do that to us, given that it's at Las Vegas
Speaker 3: and then at Cincinnati.
Speaker 5: Back like games. Yeah, probably not.
Speaker 3: The only thing off of that then would be the
Speaker 3: following week is a home game. But still with it
Speaker 3: to be determined. I know one person that that's not
Speaker 3: going to be overly happy about outdoor December game Cincinnati
Speaker 3: who's been begging for this game, Siaminson. I would have
Speaker 3: preferred this one to be a little bit warmer. But
Speaker 3: it will be fun to see, you know, what he
Speaker 3: ends up doing out there in cinciat. I know he's
Speaker 3: really looking forward to seeing his hometown team come out
Speaker 3: to Cincinnati.
Speaker 4: That'll be fun. Yeah, that'll be for sure. The Code
Speaker 4: is Game of the Year and Vikings fans are very
Speaker 4: excited about that. But I'm gonna just rattle through these
Speaker 4: next three to round the season off. The Vikings have
Speaker 4: the Detroit Lions at home on Christmas Eve, December thirty
Speaker 4: first at home Green Bay Packers. So I guess you
Speaker 4: can watch that game and then go to your New
Speaker 4: Year's parties afterwards.
Speaker 5: If you can make it.
Speaker 4: If you can make it, hopefully, I guess yeah.
Speaker 5: I mean there's like an overtime or something. We're all
Speaker 5: ringing in the New Year together.
Speaker 4: Maybe after a win, we have fireworks and we count
Speaker 4: down and everybody stays in at US Bank State. That's
Speaker 4: a that's a great way to sell tickets.
Speaker 5: Go tell, Go tell. The third four with.
Speaker 6: The Vikings marketing needs to listen to what gave.
Speaker 1: Well, I heard that there's like a club inside the
Speaker 1: Vegas Arena, I mean stadium, Allegiant Stadium.
Speaker 5: Yeah, where like they do that.
Speaker 1: If they have like something like that, they're like, okay,
Speaker 1: so the game's over coming to the club and ring
Speaker 1: the forum.
Speaker 4: Back in the day with the Lakers, Yeah, I guess
Speaker 4: the Vegas. That's Vegas for.
Speaker 1: You, though, I know, so maybe like come parties. At
Speaker 1: the Come party with us in the Delta.
Speaker 6: Club almost said something it's going to be.
Speaker 5: Nuts, popping bottles and Medtronic.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's going to be nuts.
Speaker 3: I'm I'm happy we get those two division teams back
Speaker 3: to back, Detroit and green Bay at home. I would
Speaker 3: have liked some of those to be spaced out a
Speaker 3: little bit more, but we all know how the back
Speaker 3: end of the season gets loaded. The fact that half
Speaker 3: of our divisional games are in the final three weeks
Speaker 3: of the season, that means you're going to help control.
Speaker 6: Your own destiny.
Speaker 5: To me, it tells me that the NFL is just
Speaker 5: like all in on this Detroit Minnesota top end of
Speaker 5: the conference two out.
Speaker 4: Of three weeks and to end the season in Detroit
Speaker 4: divisions like that'll be for the divisional champion.
Speaker 6: And we've done that before.
Speaker 3: We've had this kind of scenario happen before where we
Speaker 3: needed to get a final week or final game of
Speaker 3: the year to get in and Detroit spoiled our party
Speaker 3: or whatever. Like, if Detroit is real and Detroit is
Speaker 3: going to take that next step up, those three games
Speaker 3: at the back end of the season are going to
Speaker 3: be incredibly fun and incredibly critical, and the fact that
Speaker 3: two of those are at home are going to be huge.
Speaker 3: The final one of the year at Detroit still to
Speaker 3: be determined as far as time and date. Again, they're
Speaker 3: going to try to figure out if this is a
Speaker 3: prime matchup for the division. They're going to want to
Speaker 3: flex that thing to late game or even prime, especially if.
Speaker 5: It's like winner wins the division and haven't won.
Speaker 3: Winning in kind of a thing. But having those be home, home,
Speaker 3: away against Detroit and getting them twice in essentially three games,
Speaker 3: that that's going to be a little more daunting than
Speaker 3: I think a lot of people.
Speaker 4: Think well, coming down this final stretch of the season
Speaker 4: this year, especially those last three games, Veteran leadership is
Speaker 4: going to have to be key if this Minnesota Vikings
Speaker 4: team wants to make that late playoff push. And a
Speaker 4: guy who understands what veteran leadership is and winning late
Speaker 4: in the season is our special guest of today's show,
Speaker 4: Mister c J. Hamp Or, Minnesota Vikings fullback c J.
Speaker 4: Ham is here and CJ. We we talked a little
Speaker 4: off camera about the schedule release in which we'll get into,
Speaker 4: but just being in the locker room today. I feel
Speaker 4: like everyone had the same face and same reaction after
Speaker 4: the offensive workout today. What was the workout like today?
Speaker 4: And like why is every why is everybody like? I
Speaker 4: guess sucond Win.
Speaker 7: I mean, we're really just putting it, putting in work.
Speaker 2: I mean off season training, you got you got to
Speaker 2: train through some of the soreness, lifting, running, sprinting, running
Speaker 2: long routes. So uh, just putting into work. And you
Speaker 2: know after you know, going going on our fourth day,
Speaker 2: you get a little sore, you know, and that that happens,
Speaker 2: and uh we got the we got a three day
Speaker 2: weekend to recover.
Speaker 1: You got second year with these guys now, the second
Speaker 1: off season, I guess with them, has.
Speaker 5: It has How have the relationships built? I guess from
Speaker 5: this time last year.
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's been great.
Speaker 2: Obviously having majority of the guys coming back and just
Speaker 2: being able to uh hit the ground running, you know,
Speaker 2: have having a little bit of a tune up and
Speaker 2: just reminders, but just ultimately being able to come in
Speaker 2: and not necessarily learn a new system, but just kind
Speaker 2: of remind ourselves and then go out there and be
Speaker 2: able to you know, get get ahead and get ahead quickly.
Speaker 4: Congrass on the extension. I don't think you haven't done
Speaker 4: an interview since your extension, right, I have not.
Speaker 7: I appreciate it.
Speaker 5: That's a big deal.
Speaker 7: It was.
Speaker 4: It was a big deal for to be able to
Speaker 4: start your career as a Viking and hopefully finish it
Speaker 4: as a Viking like that. That has to be rewarding, right, Like,
Speaker 4: what's that? What's that?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's a blessing, you know, just to be
Speaker 2: in the league as long as I have now going
Speaker 2: on to you know, year eight with the Vikings?
Speaker 7: Was it seven on the active roster?
Speaker 2: It's just a blessing in and of itself, you know,
Speaker 2: being able to look back and you know, see where
Speaker 2: I started from as a as a trial player, to
Speaker 2: you know, make an active to signing my first extension,
Speaker 2: to now signing another one.
Speaker 4: It's crazy, you know.
Speaker 2: I just look back at it and just just see
Speaker 2: how God has been just very faithful, and you know,
Speaker 2: He's got something doing for me here, and I'm just excited.
Speaker 7: My family's excited. We get to stay home.
Speaker 1: Not to get too into the weeds with like the
Speaker 1: negotiation process, but how was it knowing this coaching staff
Speaker 1: willing to work on it, willing to bring you back,
Speaker 1: wanting to bring you back, wanting to.
Speaker 5: Work this out with you. What was that process like
Speaker 5: and what did that mean to you?
Speaker 7: It meant a lot, you know.
Speaker 2: You know, obviously we all know how last year, last
Speaker 2: year when we won a lot of games, but you know,
Speaker 2: playing time for myself when went down, went down to
Speaker 2: tick and you know, at the end of the day,
Speaker 2: I'm trying to do whatever I can, you know, help
Speaker 2: the team, but I also want to compete. I love
Speaker 2: I love to compete, I love to play. I want
Speaker 2: to help our team win. And yeah, it showed me
Speaker 2: that they were able to look back at everything, look
Speaker 2: at the tape and you know, see something that you
Speaker 2: know they want to do more of. So it just
Speaker 2: showed me that they that they still saw value in me.
Speaker 2: And yeah, we're just really excited to be back for
Speaker 2: the next three years.
Speaker 4: I feel like even though your usage went down, your
Speaker 4: level of impact went up. Like the there's a handful
Speaker 4: of guys that I've that I've talked to that said,
Speaker 4: like you've given them tibbits for the off season. Pilates
Speaker 4: is one You've been like telling people to do pilates
Speaker 4: or take care of their body. Like where does that?
Speaker 4: I guess, where does that come from? Like what what
Speaker 4: did you What have you learned along your career that
Speaker 4: has helped you give back a little bit and give
Speaker 4: little tibbits.
Speaker 7: I mean, really, just you really got to take care
Speaker 7: of yourself.
Speaker 2: In my career, I'd say I didn't do a lot
Speaker 2: of the extra things to make sure my body was
Speaker 2: able to perform and just be at its best. I
Speaker 2: kind of just practice and take a shower and go home,
Speaker 2: you know, But over the years, talking to so many people,
Speaker 2: just learning, you know, the pilates, the the you know,
Speaker 2: spending time in the training room, the massage therapist, the acupuncture.
Speaker 2: Those are all things that I think have helped prolong
Speaker 2: my career. And as I get older, I'm feeling better
Speaker 2: and better each year too. So that just goes to
Speaker 2: show that investing in your body really does help.
Speaker 7: You know. You hear about the Lebrons and.
Speaker 2: The Russell Wilson's and how much money they invest in
Speaker 2: their body, and like, you know, you might think it's crazy,
Speaker 2: but it really does make a difference. So just trying
Speaker 2: to share that with you know, guys on the team,
Speaker 2: guys you know, my running back room. We actually do
Speaker 2: pilates every Friday morning so as a group, so we
Speaker 2: just love it and it's making us all better.
Speaker 4: That's one of the hardiest workouts.
Speaker 7: Oh man, Yeah, no joke.
Speaker 1: What what does it helped you improve upon? Like platy
Speaker 1: specifically just.
Speaker 7: Total body awareness.
Speaker 2: I mean I can definitely tell, like when I'm doing
Speaker 2: a workout, if I'm feeling it in my low back,
Speaker 2: I know, I know what I need to turn on.
Speaker 2: I know I need to, you know, tilt my pelvic
Speaker 2: my my pelvic floor, you know, forward to you know,
Speaker 2: take it, take it out on my low back and
Speaker 2: just you know, my deep ab core muscles have been
Speaker 2: able to, uh have been able to activate those and
Speaker 2: use those and when I when I sprint, when I move.
Speaker 7: So yeah, plates, it's been it's been amazing, all right.
Speaker 4: Now, it's the fun stuff. Schedule release. Man, you're you're
Speaker 4: what seventh eighth schedule? Different schedule release. I know you
Speaker 4: and I know we had a conversation yesterday and I
Speaker 4: was like, like, how excited are you for the schedule?
Speaker 4: You're like, dude, I just take it one day at
Speaker 4: a time. And I was like, dude, that's not a
Speaker 4: great way to live. Like, but at the same time,
Speaker 4: like when you look at this schedule, five primetime games
Speaker 4: possibly seven, what about this schedule gets you excited just
Speaker 4: for another year?
Speaker 7: I mean, that's that's really it.
Speaker 2: I mean, I mean, obviously just having another season is
Speaker 2: a blessing in of itself, but like you said, having
Speaker 2: five prime time games just shows that the NFL wants
Speaker 2: to see us play and they want to have people
Speaker 2: see us play.
Speaker 7: So that gets me excited.
Speaker 2: And you know, we love you know, these guys on
Speaker 2: this team who just love to shine, right, So to
Speaker 2: give us those opportunities to go out there and and
Speaker 2: and play in front of everybody, you gotta you gotta
Speaker 2: bring a little extra juice and ask competitors.
Speaker 7: That's that's what we're trying to do.
Speaker 1: What about the home opener, it's uh, the season opener
Speaker 1: being able to be at Usbank Stadium again for the
Speaker 1: second straight year.
Speaker 7: Mm hmm. I love it, love it.
Speaker 2: You know, just opening up at home is it's always
Speaker 2: it's always a blessing to be able to, you know,
Speaker 2: go from training camp to preseason and then just stay
Speaker 2: at home for that first week, not have to travel. Families,
Speaker 2: get to come get to come in, and uh, it's
Speaker 2: always it's always awesome and the US Bank is always rocking,
Speaker 2: and you know, we love our we love our fans.
Speaker 4: Man, I can't wait. Like I'm just thinking about last
Speaker 4: year Green Bay had a different effect just because it
Speaker 4: was green Bay home opener, but home openers at us
Speaker 4: Bank Stadium, Like, there's a reason why us Bank Stadium
Speaker 4: was voted the best sporting experience in sports because as
Speaker 4: a fan you can feel it. But as a player,
Speaker 4: what are home home openers like for you? When you
Speaker 4: like run out the tunnel for the first time.
Speaker 2: Man, it's there's there's not a lot of words that
Speaker 2: can explain it. But I know it's just different because
Speaker 2: every time I tell, I tell somebody, man us Bank
Speaker 2: is just different. And I talked to the other I
Speaker 2: talked to my teammates who come from different teams. I've
Speaker 2: talked to you know, other players, and just like man
Speaker 2: Us Bank is, US Bank's a really nice place. I mean,
Speaker 2: your guys' fans are amazing. The venue itself is just
Speaker 2: just top notch. So yeah, it's it's just different, man,
Speaker 2: just to have to be inside but it feels like
Speaker 2: you're playing outside. Yeah, that that field is just unmatched.
Speaker 2: I've haven't been to another another place that feels like that.
Speaker 2: You know, a lot of the indoor places just feel
Speaker 2: like you're enclosed and it's dark. And US Bank is
Speaker 2: just so bright, and you know, especially at a new
Speaker 2: and kickoff and there's nothing like it.
Speaker 5: Just so esthetically pleasing.
Speaker 7: It is it is.
Speaker 5: I really thought about it. Right, great, everything's the natural
Speaker 5: light in the building is beautiful, you all. I also
Speaker 5: wanted to.
Speaker 1: Ask you, have you ever had a week thirteen by
Speaker 1: something that late in the season.
Speaker 7: I don't think so.
Speaker 2: I mean, I know it's like if I had a
Speaker 2: week eight by or a week ten by, what do
Speaker 2: you think?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 5: What what do you think it'll be like?
Speaker 1: I guess you know, having to play those twelve straight
Speaker 1: games before you get a break really.
Speaker 7: Definitely a grind.
Speaker 2: You know, on paper, you look at it and you're like, man,
Speaker 2: that's that's that's a lot of that's a lot of
Speaker 2: football before before we get to break. But at the
Speaker 2: end of the day, once you get rolling, you're rolling,
Speaker 2: especially if you're if you're hot and things are starting
Speaker 2: to go great, man, you just want to keep playing.
Speaker 2: So yeah, well we'll see I won't really know how
Speaker 2: it feels until until until we're in it. But uh,
Speaker 2: on paper, it seems like a long time. But I'm sure.
Speaker 2: I'm sure it'll be fine.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean there's a couple of ways to build
Speaker 1: and the rest days there you got a couple Monday
Speaker 1: night football games and the Thursday night. You know, you
Speaker 1: get the two games like within four days, five days
Speaker 1: of each other.
Speaker 5: In the beginning.
Speaker 4: You get like five different like longer weeks this year,
Speaker 4: so that that helps. But I mean there's only one
Speaker 4: team in franchise history that has had to buy this late.
Speaker 4: Like technically, this is the latest buy in franchise history.
Speaker 4: Like in nineteen ninety one, there was a week fourteen by,
Speaker 4: but like that was earlier. That was like an earlier date.
Speaker 4: So this is this is I mean, you guys are
Speaker 4: experienced history for the first time.
Speaker 7: Oh that's wild. I didn't even know that.
Speaker 4: But do you do you feel like do you feel
Speaker 4: like that is advantageous having a late by, Like what
Speaker 4: about that by that late in the year makes it
Speaker 4: advantageous versus disadvantageous. Yeah, disadvantages of work. I just made
Speaker 4: it one who now, so good?
Speaker 2: You know, I feel like there's there's there's pros and
Speaker 2: cons to to to to both. You know, sometimes you
Speaker 2: have an early buy and you know, then the rest
Speaker 2: of the season feels like really long and it's a drag,
Speaker 2: but you have that late by you you always have
Speaker 2: something to look forward to.
Speaker 7: You always have something to look forward to.
Speaker 5: Wait in one of these weeks, when is it. I
Speaker 5: don't know the schedule, But then.
Speaker 4: You just take it one day at the time.
Speaker 7: I do, I do.
Speaker 2: But yeah, but then again though, like it's it's nice
Speaker 2: to get to get things rolling and just just just
Speaker 2: just to get into a rhythm.
Speaker 7: You know.
Speaker 2: I'm and you know, if we get hot during those
Speaker 2: first thirteen weeks like it, that buy is going to
Speaker 2: feel really really good too, you know. So yeah, man,
Speaker 2: we'll just see. But like you said, I I've always
Speaker 2: just taken it one day at a time. Yeah, you know,
Speaker 2: I go, I go, I go into every going to
Speaker 2: every work week.
Speaker 7: And like we got this weekend, you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think fans get a little more excited about
Speaker 1: that because then they're like, Okay, now I know what
Speaker 1: my fall.
Speaker 5: Is going to look like. I know what weekends I
Speaker 5: got to be at the stadium.
Speaker 1: I know what games I want to travel towards things
Speaker 1: like that how much when you're watching and we just
Speaker 1: obviously went through the NFL draft, and the Vikings added
Speaker 1: some pieces working minicamp against today, it's going to be
Speaker 1: early report today against tomorrow. You see a lot of
Speaker 1: fresh faces and a lot of those guys are going
Speaker 1: to be under your wing in special teams. And I
Speaker 1: know that there are a couple of guys who've already
Speaker 1: said I am pumped to play. I want them to
Speaker 1: put me in on all special team stumps. I'm ready
Speaker 1: to go have Is there a name that maybe popped
Speaker 1: out during the draft or do you pay attention to
Speaker 1: that of someone that maybe could be a real weapon
Speaker 1: for you guys on that side of the ball.
Speaker 7: You know, No, I don't really.
Speaker 5: Yeah, he wait till they get here, get to know, I.
Speaker 7: Pretty much pretty much wait did they get here?
Speaker 2: And you know, me being a tryout guy from from
Speaker 2: way back in the day too, it's a you know.
Speaker 7: I get I get really excited.
Speaker 2: I love the draft and I love the process, but
Speaker 2: I get really excited about seeing those guys who get
Speaker 2: the calls after the draft too. Yeah, and those guys
Speaker 2: who get the rookie Minnie camp invites because I know
Speaker 2: there's a lot of guys who may have not gotten
Speaker 2: the opportunities in college or didn't they didn't go to
Speaker 2: a big enough school to get the notoriety, but they
Speaker 2: deserve to be in this league and they Every single
Speaker 2: year somebody turned somebody somebody's head. And I'm sure that
Speaker 2: will happen this year too, that there there will be
Speaker 2: an undrafted guy or rook community camp guy who you
Speaker 2: know coach Hat or you know that coach Hat seasons
Speaker 2: like this guy can ball. You know, That's that's what
Speaker 2: happens every single year, and I'm excited to see, you know, see.
Speaker 7: Who that is this year.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I love that part too.
Speaker 4: Yeah. One thing I also enjoy is you being available
Speaker 4: for the next generation because when when younger kids get
Speaker 4: an opportunity to touch Mighty that's in the NFL, or
Speaker 4: like see someone actually live out their dream and your
Speaker 4: story of being an undrafted free agent and working your
Speaker 4: way onto your onto the Minnesota Vikings roster. That that
Speaker 4: only provides hope and understanding. That you're having your fourth
Speaker 4: annual football camp this year in your hometown Duluth, how
Speaker 4: does that feel? Just first and foremost having your fourth time,
Speaker 4: your fourth time doing this, but also providing an opportunity
Speaker 4: for the younger generations to be able to touch you.
Speaker 7: Yeah, first off, maybe maybe sound very old.
Speaker 4: You are you are, That's okay.
Speaker 5: Just you go, okay, But if you're trying to see
Speaker 5: you're probably come on now.
Speaker 4: But I just got to rub you know. I can't
Speaker 4: wait to like text CJ. When he's done with football
Speaker 4: like four or five years and now I'm like, yo,
Speaker 4: what you got played for the weekend? It can't be
Speaker 4: I know, it's just another day.
Speaker 7: True, I haven't eve thought that far.
Speaker 5: Yet anywhere about that right now.
Speaker 4: I just tried to like revert the conversation from calling
Speaker 4: myself for.
Speaker 2: But no, it's it's truly a blessing to be having
Speaker 2: our fourth camp in Duluth. We're actually doing our first
Speaker 2: camp in Sioux Falls here in a couple of weeks too,
Speaker 2: June fourth. But to be able to bring this back
Speaker 2: home to the Louth has always been really special to me.
Speaker 2: I feel like, you know, Duluth has a lot of
Speaker 2: great athletes, but a lot of the times, you know,
Speaker 2: not a lot of people are going to Northern Minnesota.
Speaker 2: You know, necessarily for recruiting or there's not a lot
Speaker 2: of big, big time recruits that come out of there,
Speaker 2: and you know, not a lot of schools are going
Speaker 2: there to do a lot of deep recruiting, especially for
Speaker 2: football and basketball, hockey for sure, but some of those others,
Speaker 2: especially not football. So it's just nice to be able
Speaker 2: to bring that back, have something. You know, when I
Speaker 2: was in the boys and Girls clubs growing up, you know,
Speaker 2: whenever the Vikings came to the Louth or did you
Speaker 2: and d football players didn't event at the boys and
Speaker 2: Girls club, it was it was always something really special
Speaker 2: for me to be able to look up to these
Speaker 2: people that I aspired to be someday. So for me
Speaker 2: to be able to do that now, I only want
Speaker 2: to do that because somebody did that for me.
Speaker 7: And it's always been It's always been a great success.
Speaker 2: Kids come out and have a great time and I
Speaker 2: just love being back. I love that community. They mean
Speaker 2: the world to me.
Speaker 4: If you want, if you want to feel leaving the
Speaker 4: older man, you're the you're the second longest team, You're
Speaker 4: Viking on this roster. So I'm excited for these kids
Speaker 4: to be able to to get your wisdom and your advice.
Speaker 4: Do you nember want is gotta be hairy? Yeah? Question,
Speaker 4: But yeah, man, we appreciate your time, and I'm just
Speaker 4: looking forward to seeing you work this offseason and just
Speaker 4: seeing you grow as a human being is first and
Speaker 4: foremost in my opinion, but just seeing how you've been
Speaker 4: able to impact others. Man, we're in the Vikings fans
Speaker 4: are very pleased and excited to have you back this
Speaker 4: year in Purple.
Speaker 7: I appreciate it. Mami's a lot.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're a fan favorite, and there was a lot
Speaker 1: of excited Vikings fans after you signed that deal.
Speaker 7: I love it. I love it. Thank you.
Speaker 4: Well, guys, we just had CJ. Hamm on and we,
Speaker 4: I guess just recap the schedule to start the show off,
Speaker 4: just to end it. Just overall thoughts on the schedule
Speaker 4: this year. I know Tatum thinks it's very favorable. Ron
Speaker 4: Johnson says it's not favorable.
Speaker 5: I mean, I think selfishly it's favorable.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I like that that you know, you don't have three
Speaker 1: straight home games. I like that you don't have back
Speaker 1: to back till the end. I feel like the.
Speaker 5: Balance between traveling and staying home.
Speaker 1: It's kind of there for a player, I feel like
Speaker 1: the late bye week might be helpful. I know that
Speaker 1: that might be a cold take. No one really kind
Speaker 1: of may agree with me on that one, but I
Speaker 1: think that that might be good heading into the postseason
Speaker 1: kind of feel for me personally, I do think that
Speaker 1: it is a little bit you know, like there's a
Speaker 1: couple of Monday games, there's a Thursday game. There's just
Speaker 1: like a wide range range of things for fans. So
Speaker 1: I like the fact that there's that many primetime games.
Speaker 1: I like playing the division games a little bit later
Speaker 1: in the season. I don't know, and that's that's why
Speaker 1: I think is favorable. I also just think as a fan,
Speaker 1: like I'm looking at this and I'm excited. I'm just
Speaker 1: excited about the way the layout is. I think it's
Speaker 1: better than last year's for sure.
Speaker 4: I think, well, there are five opportunities for this Minnesota
Speaker 4: Vikings team to get at least one extra day of
Speaker 4: recovery this year. So the fact that you get that
Speaker 4: that does bode well for this team. But also it
Speaker 4: keeps your guys healthy. So it'll be a tall test
Speaker 4: for this for this team. When you finish first in
Speaker 4: your division, you get the best team in the other
Speaker 4: divisions every year, so we'll get to see what this
Speaker 4: Minnesota Vikings team is made of this year.
Speaker 3: I think the three toughest road games are at Philly,
Speaker 3: the Denver one is always daunting for whatever reason, and
Speaker 3: then at Cincinnati. You know, those those three to me
Speaker 3: are going to be interesting as far as how we
Speaker 3: handle that. On the flip side, I like the idea
Speaker 3: of having the Charge, the Chiefs, the Niners, New Orleans,
Speaker 3: and then Detroit. You know, in some capacity there at home,
Speaker 3: having those kind of games that are going to be
Speaker 3: more difficult but at least favorable in your building, that's
Speaker 3: going to be more helpful. If it was reversed and
Speaker 3: we had Philly, Denver and then Cincinnati at home, you're
Speaker 3: like great, But if you had those other ones on
Speaker 3: the road, I know you're a lot more difficult. So
Speaker 3: having those those those top teams coming to your house,
Speaker 3: I think is going to be a little bit more beneficial.
Speaker 5: And you're getting the NFC South.
Speaker 1: Like if you're going to have to play the best
Speaker 1: teams in every division, YadA, YadA, YadA, because you won,
Speaker 1: at least you're getting the NFC South.
Speaker 5: They were garbage last year.
Speaker 4: We had the NFC East last year.
Speaker 1: And that was Could you imagine if you had that
Speaker 1: this year. I mean they well they got them last
Speaker 1: year and they were pretty good too.
Speaker 5: But I mean that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: Besides the Eagles, Yeah, like, thank goodness, you don't have
Speaker 1: that schedule.
Speaker 5: You don't have those teams. So I mean, it's the eighteenth.
Speaker 1: It's the eighteenth strongest schedule or tied with the Bears.
Speaker 1: So to me, I'm thinking that's pretty average. It's an
Speaker 1: NFL schedule.
Speaker 5: It's not too hard, it's not too easy, it's just right.
Speaker 3: It's always the piece of you know, typically half of
Speaker 3: the playoff teams from the year before go by the
Speaker 3: wayside and somebody jumps out. I am curious to see
Speaker 3: who that's going to be. If I had to go
Speaker 3: through any of these teams and feel like somebody that
Speaker 3: maybe somebody that would jump out. One of the teams
Speaker 3: to me is New Orleans with car at quarterback at
Speaker 3: this point. Again, they're dealing with some weird stuff in
Speaker 3: their locker room, just given Kamaras situation, but they're a
Speaker 3: team to me that if they do take the next
Speaker 3: step with a veteran quarterback at this point, they could
Speaker 3: be somebody that could be scary there in Week ten.
Speaker 4: I think it's a healthy balance, Like the NFC South
Speaker 4: isn't the strongest division, but at the same time you
Speaker 4: face the AFC West, which you know, going into twenty
Speaker 4: twenty two, everyone's saying this is the this is the
Speaker 4: best division in football. So the vikings will be battle
Speaker 4: tested for sure, but I'll would like to see what
Speaker 4: we're really made of thirteen to four. A lot of teams,
Speaker 4: or a lot of pundits or a lot of experts
Speaker 4: are saying we didn't really deserve that. Winning eleven games
Speaker 4: by one point like that, that doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 4: So let's see how that works with this same offense
Speaker 4: this year. And Brian Floor is leading to defense.
Speaker 6: And the end, your record is what you say.
Speaker 3: You know what you've earned, right you are what your
Speaker 3: record shows, and you know you did earn thirteen wins
Speaker 3: last year, albeit lots of them by the skin of
Speaker 3: your teeth at the end of a game, but the
Speaker 3: fact that you showed that you were able to prove
Speaker 3: that you could win in tight situations.
Speaker 6: Hopefully that carries off to this year.
Speaker 3: And you just instead of making all those games tight,
Speaker 3: you can get some more blowout, definitive wins and save
Speaker 3: all of our sanity.
Speaker 6: A little bit.
Speaker 1: You're looking at the defense getting just a bit better.
Speaker 1: You avoid those ones who are wins, you don't necessarily
Speaker 1: need them close. If the defense can just finish straight.
Speaker 4: Eight home games, nine row games is the task for
Speaker 4: the Minnesota Vikings this year, and we want you all
Speaker 4: to experience at least one of those Vikings home games
Speaker 4: with us. So head on over to ticketmaster dot com
Speaker 4: or go to Vikings dot com to get your tickets
Speaker 4: for the twenty twenty three Minnesota Vikings. Schedule for air Davidson, Tatum, Everett,
Speaker 4: C J. Ham, and J Notson. My name is Gabe Henderson.
Speaker 4: Thank you again for tuning into the schedule release edition
Speaker 4: of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast.