Speaker 1: Rain track for self years of pencil Bad and it's
Speaker 1: a great outset of mine. I put earth you, running rouletes,
Speaker 1: running guys off, trying to use that to my advantage.
Speaker 1: You know. For me, it's just been about taking it
Speaker 1: one day at a time, controlling what I can control
Speaker 1: and just going out and competing every day and let
Speaker 1: all that other stuff to your itself out and sort
Speaker 1: it out. Hey, everybody, Welcome to the Minnesota Vikings Podcast,
Speaker 1: Episode fifty seven. I'm your hosts. I Amindson, joined by
Speaker 1: Chris Corso and Jay Nelson from Vikings dot Com. Today's
Speaker 1: podcast is brought to you by Verizon, the network more
Speaker 1: people rely on, gives you more and Jay and Chris.
Speaker 1: Verizon Vikings training camp is coming up on its final
Speaker 1: weeks year. We're about to get reacclimated to our downtown home,
Speaker 1: US Bank Stadium. We got a few things to go over. Obviously,
Speaker 1: the news has come down about fans for the first
Speaker 1: two weeks at US Bank Stadium. Let's get into that
Speaker 1: a little bit. Corso has an interview with Vikings Undrafted
Speaker 1: wide Out Dan Cesena and ESPN's first NFL Power Rankings
Speaker 1: list is out, so we'll show you where the Vikings
Speaker 1: are at. And I will complain about that a bunch
Speaker 1: because I think it's garbage where they got ranked. But
Speaker 1: that is what we in the business call a teaser.
Speaker 1: Let's start with the news that everybody's talking about. Guys,
Speaker 1: the Vikings have officially announced that there will be no
Speaker 1: fans in attendance at least our first two home games
Speaker 1: during the month of September. And before we kind of
Speaker 1: go about breaking that down, what I want to do
Speaker 1: is I'd like to read the official statement from the team,
Speaker 1: just so everybody knows where this is coming from. This
Speaker 1: is the official team statement. Over the past several months,
Speaker 1: we have collaborated with US Bank Stadium Partners, the NFL,
Speaker 1: the State of Minnesota, and the City of Minneapolis to
Speaker 1: determine the best way to safely and responsibly host a
Speaker 1: limited number of fans at Viking home games. We have
Speaker 1: sought to balance the opportunity to provide fan access with
Speaker 1: the responsibility to adhere to public health and medical guidance
Speaker 1: in order to maintain the health and safety of fans, players,
Speaker 1: staff members, and the broader community. Ultimately, public health is
Speaker 1: our top priority. Based on our conversations and the current
Speaker 1: Minnesota Department of Health guidelines that specify an indoor venue
Speaker 1: capacity of two hundred and fifty. We have determined it
Speaker 1: is not the right time to welcome fans back to
Speaker 1: US Bank Stadium. As a result, the first two Viking
Speaker 1: home games, Sunday September thirteenth and Sunday September twenty seventh,
Speaker 1: will be closed to the public. We will continue to
Speaker 1: work with the appropriate officials on our plans with the
Speaker 1: hope of bringing fans back in a safe manner later
Speaker 1: this season. So there it is. That's the official team statement.
Speaker 1: Not unexpected, you know. I think to this point, sixteen
Speaker 1: teams have announced that they won't have fans in attendance
Speaker 1: at least at the beginning of the season. Six teams
Speaker 1: have announced that there will be fans week one. I
Speaker 1: know there's also six teams that have announced there won't
Speaker 1: be fans at all all season. So everybody's kind of
Speaker 1: all over the map here. But the Vikings, I think
Speaker 1: doing the responsible thing, adhering to state guidelines and playing
Speaker 1: it by ear. It sounds like Chris, you know, the
Speaker 1: first two games, let's do what's right and then let's
Speaker 1: reassess the situation. Yes, I think watching other sports and
Speaker 1: what's going on in the world today, you wouldn't at
Speaker 1: all expect the fact that the Vikings would have fans
Speaker 1: on Opening Night when they take on the Packers at
Speaker 1: US Bank Stadiums. So I think this is the way
Speaker 1: to go. It keeps it open for the future, which
Speaker 1: is probably a little sense of hope, which is awesome.
Speaker 1: But yeah, definitely upsetting to see that there will be
Speaker 1: no fans Week one. Mike Zimmer is not happy about
Speaker 1: it because he knows the home field advantage. Each Friday
Speaker 1: during the regular season, he'll be like, well, it's here
Speaker 1: that skull chant going on at the stadium. So Mike
Speaker 1: Zimmer made it clear this week he's not happy about
Speaker 1: the no fans at the stadium. Now I should clarify.
Speaker 1: I think he understands the gravity of the situation. I
Speaker 1: think what he was saying was, we have such a
Speaker 1: tremendous home field advantage, it's a disappointment. I'll go on
Speaker 1: other podcasts and I was on a podcast with an
Speaker 1: Eagles fan and a Giants fan, and we were breaking
Speaker 1: down the Vikings schedule, and just listening to those guys,
Speaker 1: you forget that this is the pinnacle of stadiums currently
Speaker 1: in the NFL. We are number one with a bullet
Speaker 1: It's like US Bank Stadium is like a space ship
Speaker 1: from the future that people play football and the energy
Speaker 1: and the environment is incredible and whatever it takes to
Speaker 1: have football, That's where I'm at. I want to see
Speaker 1: week one and two. So if this is how it goes,
Speaker 1: this is how it goes, but it will be different.
Speaker 1: It will be odd to see that giant, beautiful building
Speaker 1: without the fans energy. Jay. I think the biggest bummer
Speaker 1: for me is the fact not only that there won't
Speaker 1: be fans, but who it's against, because the environment at
Speaker 1: Viking Packer games are always off the charts, and I
Speaker 1: think what Zimmer is really alluding to here is just
Speaker 1: the disappointment knowing that when you have that many fans
Speaker 1: in attendance, you have them that loud, that boisterous, especially
Speaker 1: on defense against a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who you know,
Speaker 1: we can take all the help we can get at
Speaker 1: this point, I think not having fans for those first
Speaker 1: two games will potentially be a detriment, especially defensively, but
Speaker 1: that just means, as Zimmer likes to say, they'll figure
Speaker 1: it out. They just have to play. Nobody's gonna feel
Speaker 1: sorry for them, and I really wish they could be
Speaker 1: there in attendance and to feel that energy. But you're
Speaker 1: going to do whatever you can to get these games
Speaker 1: come hell a high water. I mean, the truth is,
Speaker 1: eight times a year you have to prepare to play
Speaker 1: a team well at a crowd noise disadvantage. So these
Speaker 1: guys know how to do it. It's a bummer that
Speaker 1: they don't get to have that in their in their
Speaker 1: back pocket. You still get to sleep in your home bed,
Speaker 1: you still get to not travel, you still get to
Speaker 1: have some of the advantages of being the home team.
Speaker 1: But you know, like you said, it's nice to have
Speaker 1: people screaming when Aaron Rodgers is making mistakes. That's that's
Speaker 1: what you want. I get why it's going this way,
Speaker 1: but it's a little hard to come to terms with
Speaker 1: as a fan. Is leaving it up to communities and teams.
Speaker 1: That's that's where you go. Okay, so six teams, I
Speaker 1: think it's Kansas City is at twenty five percent capacity,
Speaker 1: Miami twenty percent, Indianapolis twenty five, Jacksonville twenty five, and
Speaker 1: the Cowboys fifty percent, which has been permitted by their governor.
Speaker 1: I believe right, Jay, it's basically the Yeah, it's it's
Speaker 1: the maximum amount allowed by the governor's edict down in Texas.
Speaker 1: I'm curious. It's it can become an interesting and this
Speaker 1: is a one time season, it's a once in a
Speaker 1: century pandemic. It's all these things. But there's there's the aspect.
Speaker 1: I think you have a lot of fans. I saw
Speaker 1: a lot of pieces written today. I'm seeing a lot
Speaker 1: of comments online. One of my good friends who's on
Speaker 1: one of my shows constantly is harping on the competitive balance.
Speaker 1: You know, how do you suss out the fact that
Speaker 1: each team in each state if you happen to be
Speaker 1: a team in a state that has different rules and
Speaker 1: another team in a state, Uh, it's it's an interesting factor,
Speaker 1: and it's it just gets tacked onto the long line
Speaker 1: of interesting things about this season where I've I've said
Speaker 1: this before. I think the team that takes health the
Speaker 1: most serious, whoever seriously approaches that aspect the most. That
Speaker 1: was not a great sentence, whoever does hail the hardest
Speaker 1: with the biggest smart brain. But you guys know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying, Like, whoever approaches that the best you know
Speaker 1: is going to be in an advantage. So it just
Speaker 1: throws another piece into this pile of interesting aspects of
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty NFL season. The biggest thing for the
Speaker 1: Vikings is that this is being harped on from the
Speaker 1: top down, and it seems like the players are actually
Speaker 1: sticking to it. And it's not just the players, it's
Speaker 1: not just the coaches, it's everybody in the entire organization,
Speaker 1: because that is exactly what we've been told is if
Speaker 1: we take this serious and we at here to these
Speaker 1: rules and these standards, it's something that we're all willing
Speaker 1: to do if it means it's going to give the
Speaker 1: team an edge and it means that we might have
Speaker 1: a little bit more success than other people. It's just
Speaker 1: frustrating not to have fans and everybody else get to
Speaker 1: enjoy it that way. But listen, at this point, it's
Speaker 1: turned into, however, we can get football done on a
Speaker 1: field and make it happen for the entire season and
Speaker 1: get to an end of a season. People are willing
Speaker 1: to do it, and I think that's what's most encouraging
Speaker 1: working with this team and seeing how it's being handled.
Speaker 1: Behind the scenes at this point, absolutely, and I'm not
Speaker 1: going to get you know, there's enough arguing on Facebook
Speaker 1: to fill a thousand a thousand worlds. You know, I
Speaker 1: don't want to sit here and have a discussion about
Speaker 1: whether or not you know about the mandates and different
Speaker 1: governments and the health you know, and how all these
Speaker 1: things are laid out. I'm not interested in that. The
Speaker 1: only thing that I'm interested in is one what you said, Jay,
Speaker 1: I think the major advantage that the Vikings have going
Speaker 1: into this very strange season is consistency from the top down.
Speaker 1: The Wills have owned the team this long. Their staff
Speaker 1: has been in place this long. Spielman has been in
Speaker 1: place this long, Zimmer has been in place this long.
Speaker 1: So many assistance a shug has been in place this long.
Speaker 1: You have such cohesion, You have veteran leaders all over
Speaker 1: the team that have been in their positions for so long.
Speaker 1: And when you have that, it's easy to get people
Speaker 1: to buy in down the ladder and get everybody focused
Speaker 1: on a mission, a singular mission that we know could
Speaker 1: be beneficial for us. And to go back to what
Speaker 1: I was saying about arguments, I just I'm not going
Speaker 1: to sit here and say whether or not I think
Speaker 1: fans and stadiums are going to affect the ability for
Speaker 1: there to be games in week seven and eight and nine.
Speaker 1: But if these are the decisions that are made, these
Speaker 1: are the decisions that are made. What I want to do.
Speaker 1: I love this football team and I want to watch
Speaker 1: them on Sunday, and guys like us, we get to
Speaker 1: we get to go down on the field. So you know,
Speaker 1: that is a big part of our lives and something
Speaker 1: we really love, and I think we definitely can empathize
Speaker 1: with fans who want to be in that stadium. You know,
Speaker 1: I remember I remember my growing up. My cousin Al
Speaker 1: and his friends bought one of those shorter school buses
Speaker 1: and they painted it into a Vikings bus and every
Speaker 1: Sunday for years, he and his idiot friends would roll
Speaker 1: up to the stadium, tailgate and fly back down. And
Speaker 1: you know, that's part of the wonderful, you know, reality
Speaker 1: of being a sports fan. You get to be involved
Speaker 1: in that environment, but just to sit down and watched
Speaker 1: the games on TV. Given how these past six months
Speaker 1: have gone, I'm very much looking forward to that. So
Speaker 1: whatever it takes. Chris absolutely and the Vikings were hit
Speaker 1: with an obstacle this week. A few players were given
Speaker 1: the positive test, and we don't know if it's a
Speaker 1: false positive or not, and a bunch of we don't know.
Speaker 1: I thought we did know. It's it's it's a false positive,
Speaker 1: isn't it Wasn't it a lab lab issue? Right? So
Speaker 1: the lab in New Jersey had some sort of issue
Speaker 1: where famous home of Chris Corso, New Jersey native Chris Corso.
Speaker 1: Keep going with your point in New York. Chris is
Speaker 1: from New Jersey. He might as well be from New Jersey.
Speaker 1: There's I need to let listeners of this podcast understand
Speaker 1: that it is not uncommon for Chris Corso to finish
Speaker 1: an episode of this show and then look me in
Speaker 1: the eyes like it's a normal thing to say and go,
Speaker 1: I've got some sauce on the stove that i gotta
Speaker 1: go work on. There is a nice Corso is Chris
Speaker 1: Corso is New Jersey. So you can stay long island.
Speaker 1: You are New Jersey, Chris. But keep going, keep going
Speaker 1: with your with your lab talk. There's a nice there's
Speaker 1: a nice body of ra there's a nice river that
Speaker 1: separates uh New Jersey from where I'm from. But it's
Speaker 1: just the sauce you spilled. That's for another that's for
Speaker 1: another time. But uh, yeah, the Vicers were hit with
Speaker 1: this big time. I guess fluke of false tests that
Speaker 1: that a lot of teams had to deal with. And
Speaker 1: and you heard it from Andre Patterson this week like
Speaker 1: he's like, you know what, a couple guys are gonna
Speaker 1: set out of practice today maybe the next few days,
Speaker 1: but we have ten guys behind him that I cannot
Speaker 1: wait to see compete every day in practice. And and
Speaker 1: for him it's a DJ one them or uh some
Speaker 1: of these draft picks that the Vikings have on the
Speaker 1: defensive line, Hercules Mataafa, who you got to see being
Speaker 1: put in these bigger spots this week. So uh, just
Speaker 1: an example of what you were talking about, the cohesion
Speaker 1: and everyone being ready to go. That was that was
Speaker 1: shown in the press conference from Andre Patterson this week. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: and you know, to go back to those tests, I
Speaker 1: think a to have something like that happened in the
Speaker 1: preseason and give the league a chance to react to it.
Speaker 1: I would rather it happened there than Week eight, you know,
Speaker 1: So I and I also you know, I'm fortunate my
Speaker 1: dad is a biology professor. My brother and my nephew
Speaker 1: are pharmacists, and you know, I listening to them talk,
Speaker 1: you know, there's no world where this sort of testing,
Speaker 1: regardless of which version of a test you're using, is
Speaker 1: going to be one hundred percent on the nose. You know,
Speaker 1: if you talk to somebody who works in like, for example,
Speaker 1: large animal veterinary work, like like population, like with cattle
Speaker 1: and stuff like that, you know you're always going to
Speaker 1: run into situations like this when you're testing large populations.
Speaker 1: So it wasn't a huge surprise to me that happened.
Speaker 1: That the positives that I took out of it are
Speaker 1: I think it gives the league a chance to react
Speaker 1: to it when there aren't real games on the line,
Speaker 1: And I think exactly what you said, I mean, the
Speaker 1: Vikings were one of the harder hit teams. Was it
Speaker 1: eleven players, Chris, that's eacent amount. It was like eight
Speaker 1: to ten players. We don't have the specific exact number,
Speaker 1: but right in that area. And so look at and
Speaker 1: then like you said, they reacted to it, they dealt
Speaker 1: with it. Young guys got a chance to step up,
Speaker 1: and that keeps feeding into my set of beliefs for
Speaker 1: the season. One, Depth is going to be very important.
Speaker 1: In depth is going to be challenged, and this team
Speaker 1: having that cohesion and leadership will be an important thing.
Speaker 1: Jay well, as we've talked about for the last what
Speaker 1: three to four weeks, especially the depth question that this
Speaker 1: roster has is going to be tested not only from
Speaker 1: the fact internally and trying to figure out what cuts
Speaker 1: and who you're going to have on this roster, but
Speaker 1: like you just said, you know, given these kind of tests,
Speaker 1: you know what happens during the season if all of
Speaker 1: a sudden a guy test positive. I think they're carrying
Speaker 1: extra guys in the roster for potential fill ins when
Speaker 1: it comes to traveling and even home. But it means
Speaker 1: that from the top down, you're going to have to
Speaker 1: have everybody in all of these different groups, in all
Speaker 1: of these different positions working together. And you heard that
Speaker 1: from guys like you know, Dan Chasena coming up here
Speaker 1: saying the wide receiver group and the wide receiver room
Speaker 1: is working really well together. Same thing, but the secondary
Speaker 1: guys with a lot of the young guys are saying
Speaker 1: talking to Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are helping get
Speaker 1: these young guys up to speed and it's going to
Speaker 1: be more crucial than ever this season, given everything else
Speaker 1: they're going to have to face, let alone, what's on
Speaker 1: a football field. Well, you know, I want to talk
Speaker 1: about They're they're going to conduct a practice at US
Speaker 1: Bank Stadium and try to get acclimated to the unique situation,
Speaker 1: which I think is a really, really, really smart move.
Speaker 1: But you know, before we do that, since we kind
Speaker 1: of stumbled our way into the depth question, you know,
Speaker 1: one thing I wanted to talk about. We're now we're
Speaker 1: over a week of full padded practices, right, guys are
Speaker 1: really getting into it, and storylines are starting to emerge,
Speaker 1: and some players are starting to surprise us. And some
Speaker 1: of those guys have been talked about a little bit
Speaker 1: more on v N and on our programs and on
Speaker 1: k Fan, and some of them, you know, haven't really
Speaker 1: gotten the discussion publicly yet that you know, the first
Speaker 1: guy we're going to talk about, Cameron Dancler. Everybody's talking
Speaker 1: about him. But I kind of identified five guys here
Speaker 1: that I think have stepped into stepped out of the
Speaker 1: shadows into the forefront in a surprising way, and I
Speaker 1: want to just bounce them off of you guys and
Speaker 1: have you tell me what you think about that, and
Speaker 1: tell me where you think our expectations should be with
Speaker 1: these individuals as as they, you know, surprise people here
Speaker 1: in camp. Let's start with the one that everybody's talking about,
Speaker 1: Cameron Danceler. You know we've talked about him before on
Speaker 1: the podcast. Everyone everyone who owns anything the color purple
Speaker 1: seems to be talking about Cameron Danceler. But Chris will
Speaker 1: start with you. I think the most unique thing about
Speaker 1: Cameron Danceler is his size and length. And while he
Speaker 1: ran a short, slower combine forty than you would expect
Speaker 1: at four or five or whatever it might be, he
Speaker 1: makes up for it with these long arms and this
Speaker 1: tall body frame that that is pretty much the reason
Speaker 1: why we drafted him. So I think that is the
Speaker 1: thing that's has stood out so far in practice. It
Speaker 1: stood out when he's guarding at him feeling every day
Speaker 1: in and out, and he stands out over the first
Speaker 1: round draft pick cornerback and Jeff Gladney for this exact reason.
Speaker 1: One of the things that you just brought up there
Speaker 1: is the thing that I was encouraged by, especially looking
Speaker 1: through social media Vikings dot com and our social platforms
Speaker 1: had posted yesterday Adam Feeland making a great catch around
Speaker 1: Cameron Danceler, but Danceler's reaction to it was essentially, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm working with the best and he's going to make
Speaker 1: me better. And I think that is a great attitude
Speaker 1: to have, especially as a rookie where you're getting a
Speaker 1: lot of praise. At the same point, you're going up
Speaker 1: against some of the best in the NFL, let alone
Speaker 1: best in the world. And I think if guys like
Speaker 1: Adam Feeling and going against him every day, you're learning
Speaker 1: from him and trying to figure out what's this going
Speaker 1: to feel like, or what's it like to go against
Speaker 1: a guy of his caliber. When you start to face
Speaker 1: week one against the Packers and you're looking at some
Speaker 1: pretty top notch guys across from there and you have
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers thrown to him. He's one of those guys
Speaker 1: that I think is going to learn exponentially as the
Speaker 1: season continues, week by week by week, as long as
Speaker 1: he keeps an open mind like that, you know, and
Speaker 1: I had to hammer home on that Adam Feeling thing.
Speaker 1: You know, Adam Feeling walking up to Zimmer and telling
Speaker 1: him number twenty seven is going to be good, you know,
Speaker 1: And that's my favorite part of camp. I remember it
Speaker 1: with Randy Moss, and there will never be an example
Speaker 1: like Randy Moss, but I remember just hearing them even
Speaker 1: as a kid, hearing the buzz like on the news
Speaker 1: and in player interviews, the way players reacted to the
Speaker 1: way Randy Moss looked in camp. So every year at
Speaker 1: training camp, I always listened to hear stuff like that,
Speaker 1: like Feeling going up to Zimmer and telling him he
Speaker 1: thinks Danceler is gonna be very good. And you know,
Speaker 1: it kind of looks like we don't know what the
Speaker 1: depth chart exactly is going to look like, but dancler
Speaker 1: clearly is playing nearer above guys like Chris Boyd, like
Speaker 1: you said, Corso Gladney and you know, and we don't
Speaker 1: know where Holton Hill. And if Hughes decides to play Nicol,
Speaker 1: there's gonna there might be an opportunity for him. And
Speaker 1: I'm just really, really really excited because the other thing
Speaker 1: is it's not he hasn't flashed on a day and
Speaker 1: then kind of been silent, and then flashed on a
Speaker 1: day and then kind of been silent. He's kind have
Speaker 1: made plays every single day I'm not saying he's had
Speaker 1: the best day every single day, but he's a guy
Speaker 1: that's getting talked about every single day because he seems
Speaker 1: to be making plays every single day. Let's go from Danceler,
Speaker 1: a guy everybody's talking about, to a guy that I
Speaker 1: think everybody should be talking about. Dakota Dozer is busting
Speaker 1: heads and making noise on the offensive line. Chris. Yeah.
Speaker 1: He has the connection with the Vikings run game coordinator
Speaker 1: Rico Dennison, who came from the Jets two years ago.
Speaker 1: He was with the Jets dacoded Dozer, and clearly mister
Speaker 1: Dennison has something for Dacoded Dozer to say. He needs
Speaker 1: to be taking the first team reps at the guard position.
Speaker 1: And the Vikings lose Josh Klein at that right guard
Speaker 1: spot in free agency this year, and Pat Elfine moves
Speaker 1: from left guard over to right guard, so that leaves
Speaker 1: a big spot in the middle of this Vikings offensive line.
Speaker 1: And it's been the veteran and Dakota Dozer who's been
Speaker 1: taking those first team reps. And you also hear a
Speaker 1: guy like Aviante Collins who is also taking the first
Speaker 1: team reps at that spot. So two guys you wouldn't
Speaker 1: really expect. I really have the backing of coach Kubiak
Speaker 1: in Dennison. I think the best part on my end
Speaker 1: is the fact, like you said, he is a veteran,
Speaker 1: he knows what he's getting into. You can trust a
Speaker 1: guy like that that's been around the league this long.
Speaker 1: He's in his seventh season coming out of Furman, and
Speaker 1: I think a guy like Dakota Dojer understands that he's
Speaker 1: getting to the point where he has to make a move,
Speaker 1: especially if he wants to be a starter on a
Speaker 1: weekend and week out basis. And for me, seeing a
Speaker 1: guy like Dakota got Dozer taking that next step and
Speaker 1: basically just running with it, it's the best thing that
Speaker 1: we could have had happened, because you can trust him.
Speaker 1: He's in the system, he knows how to play, he
Speaker 1: knows what to expect. It's not going to be too
Speaker 1: big for him. And if that's the case, and you
Speaker 1: can get a veteran like Dakota to step up and
Speaker 1: help solidify that line for the season, it's fantastic. Well,
Speaker 1: let me hammer on two things that I hammer on
Speaker 1: over and over and over on this show. One, you know,
Speaker 1: I think alf Line moving to the right I think
Speaker 1: will give him a chance to be more successful. And
Speaker 1: I'm going to continue to be a big elf line
Speaker 1: believer going into this season. Well, being a big ELF
Speaker 1: line defender and believer, I can very much acknowledge his
Speaker 1: struggles on the left side last year. And like I said,
Speaker 1: I've said this often. Everybody likes to focus on guys
Speaker 1: that go from being average players to superstars. Who makes
Speaker 1: the jump from being fifteenth ranked at their position to
Speaker 1: third ranked at their position equally as important as the
Speaker 1: guys who make the jump to mid And if a
Speaker 1: guy like the code of Dozer, if alf Line is
Speaker 1: more comfortable at the right guard, and a guy like
Speaker 1: the Code of Dozer comes in and performs as the
Speaker 1: twentieth best at his position in the league, the eighteenth best, hell,
Speaker 1: the sixteenth, you're looking at the same sort of upgrade
Speaker 1: from fifteen to one, you know, and obviously you want
Speaker 1: the number one guy your league. But I'm just saying
Speaker 1: upgrades come in a lot of different looks and a
Speaker 1: lot of different ways that people don't always think about.
Speaker 1: They always just think about superstars. And the fact that
Speaker 1: Dakota Dozier has basically won that spot or like, there's
Speaker 1: not a lot of things that are certain in this
Speaker 1: weird camp, but it feels like Dacoda Dozier has come in,
Speaker 1: kicked ass and put himself in a really good position
Speaker 1: to earn that spot. I think that says really good
Speaker 1: things for our offensive line. Here's maybe the biggest surprise
Speaker 1: everybody's psyched about, Justin Jefferson. I think Justin Jefferson is
Speaker 1: going to play a serious role on this offense. BC
Speaker 1: Johnson is showing up and showing out in camp, and
Speaker 1: it'd be hard to not think that he's going to
Speaker 1: be the number two receiver when the season starts. I
Speaker 1: don't know how it'll shake up, but he's like it
Speaker 1: in camp. Chris, Yeah, you talked about how feeling said
Speaker 1: how great dancellers. Well, Kirk Cousins when he addressed the
Speaker 1: media said, the MVP of Vikings camp so far as
Speaker 1: old BC Johnson, and I think it says a lot
Speaker 1: about what BC Johnson continues to tell us in his interviews,
Speaker 1: and that's every single night he would go home and
Speaker 1: study the playbook for two hours last year during training camp.
Speaker 1: That's why he got on the field. Is that's still
Speaker 1: length of one Chris Corso sauce recipe cheepers. I don't
Speaker 1: like to read. I could read a book for like
Speaker 1: maybe five seconds. That is a lot. But that's but
Speaker 1: you're exactly right. He's a dude, Chris right who you know?
Speaker 1: Every this it's been this weird offseason and all this
Speaker 1: dude has done has has been bury himself in what
Speaker 1: he needs to get better. Yeah, my sauce will probably
Speaker 1: take like five hours on a good sauce. No one cares,
Speaker 1: No one cares, don't try to b and it. Don't
Speaker 1: call it sauce Sundays. Stop it just tell us about
Speaker 1: all the BC Johnson, well all of BC Johnson said
Speaker 1: this year it only takes some thirty minutes to memorize
Speaker 1: the plays is when he goes home and looks at
Speaker 1: the playbook, that's how much easier it is. So so
Speaker 1: he went from two hours having to spend two hours
Speaker 1: on it to now he's at thirty minutes to get
Speaker 1: himself caught up to speed. So it's basically what you're
Speaker 1: telling me is his understanding has increased dramatically. The game
Speaker 1: is slowing down for a little BC Johnson. He knows
Speaker 1: where he has to be he has the play in
Speaker 1: his head and then he can just go out and
Speaker 1: play football. The best thing for me with BC is
Speaker 1: seeing that leap from year one to year two. He
Speaker 1: showed that he could play in big moments in big
Speaker 1: games last year by making some great catches. I remember
Speaker 1: Detroit was a big, big game for him. But for
Speaker 1: someone like him to come in and year two and
Speaker 1: see again another opportunity to jump up and increase his
Speaker 1: playing time and contribute to this team. The fact that
Speaker 1: some of the younger guys are actually going to BC
Speaker 1: now asking essentially how did you do it and what
Speaker 1: are the keys that I should be playing with. I
Speaker 1: think a guy like BC can become one of those
Speaker 1: other leaders within the locker room. Now that you had
Speaker 1: essentially a top tier tandem that everyone in the league
Speaker 1: was talking about. One of those guys leave town and
Speaker 1: you still have Adam feeling here. You now have BC
Speaker 1: potentially being that guy who can jump back up and
Speaker 1: put his name in there to potentially be one of
Speaker 1: the best tandems in the league. And you know, we
Speaker 1: talked about the wide receiver depth on the show last week,
Speaker 1: but I'll throw this in there with what we believe
Speaker 1: to be good supporting depth. You know, we've now seen
Speaker 1: it twice. When a guy comes out of nowhere and
Speaker 1: starts to show up a little bit, your initial impression
Speaker 1: is like, oh, we might have a starting receiver on
Speaker 1: our hands. And then when he really shows up, like
Speaker 1: Diggs did and like Feeling did, it can change a team,
Speaker 1: it can change an offense. So I love that BC
Speaker 1: is showing up and looks capable and looks like you
Speaker 1: could be our number two arter. That's already a huge
Speaker 1: win for a seventh round pick. But if all of
Speaker 1: a sudden we get into the season and you see
Speaker 1: that uptick, you see a step into something special, all
Speaker 1: of a sudden, you go, oh, oh boy, we have
Speaker 1: another special wide receiver. We have a first round pick,
Speaker 1: we have this depth down the thing. I mean something
Speaker 1: like that. If the BC Johnson uptick becomes a giant uptick,
Speaker 1: it could be something really, really really exciting for Viking fans.
Speaker 1: The last name on this list for this week's episode
Speaker 1: is a name that I don't think any Viking fans
Speaker 1: even new, like as of what a week and a
Speaker 1: half ago. At the end of the twenty nineteen season,
Speaker 1: the Vikings quietly signed former Buffalo Bill Eddie Yarbro And
Speaker 1: due to opportunity with whether it be coronavirus, whether it
Speaker 1: be players missing time for whatever, he has gotten a
Speaker 1: chance to play with the Ones, and he's looked pretty
Speaker 1: damn good. Chris. There's a lot of openings in the
Speaker 1: Vikings defense left by Everson Griffin, left by free agent
Speaker 1: acquisition Michael Pierce. So if you're a defensive end or
Speaker 1: a defensive tackle and you are on this roster, there's
Speaker 1: an opportunity for you. It doesn't matter who you are.
Speaker 1: And this guy is really stepped up. He got picked
Speaker 1: up last year on Harmon Watts, got hurt and never
Speaker 1: really saw the field at all, playing after playing sixteen
Speaker 1: games with the Buffalo Bills in the previous season. So
Speaker 1: we'll see what he can do. All these guys. I
Speaker 1: look at Hercules Mataafa in the middle and say he
Speaker 1: never really got a chance to do anything last year.
Speaker 1: So all of these guys, like I said, if you're
Speaker 1: a defensive tackle or a defensive end, Mike Zimmer likes
Speaker 1: you if he's got you on this team. For me,
Speaker 1: with Eddie, the fact that he wasn't Buffalo, he did
Speaker 1: get some run there he's not a complete spring chicken.
Speaker 1: And he's coming in here in his third year at
Speaker 1: the age of twenty seven. I mean, he's coming in
Speaker 1: here to again take his shot and to have a
Speaker 1: guy like Everson leave and Daniel, you know, being and
Speaker 1: off the field here during camp, They're going to get
Speaker 1: some run. We're getting guys like a Foddy that we
Speaker 1: tend to talk about early in camp and say, hey,
Speaker 1: let's see what you know a guy like a Foddy
Speaker 1: can do, or DJ want them or some of these
Speaker 1: other guys. But the fact that Eddie now is the
Speaker 1: one stepping up. These guys are across the board and
Speaker 1: the attitude of if you are showing up and if
Speaker 1: you can play, we are going to play you. And
Speaker 1: I think if Eddie can solidify himself, especially you know,
Speaker 1: given whatever is happening with Daniel, If if Daniel comes
Speaker 1: back and he's playing, and you've got a guy like
Speaker 1: Eddie that can rotate in like they love to do
Speaker 1: on that defensive line all the time, it'll just mean
Speaker 1: that they they're gonna have some some big hitters that
Speaker 1: can constantly come back in fresh. So hopefully Eddie continues
Speaker 1: to progress this training camp here going into the regular season.
Speaker 1: I think you hit it correctly right on the head there,
Speaker 1: Jay with the depth part, because you know a Foddy
Speaker 1: Daniel DJ want him as the youngster, you know. But
Speaker 1: the fact that Jalen Holmes has kicked back outside and
Speaker 1: if he and Eddie Yarboro can provide that veteran depth
Speaker 1: rotational impact and you can keep everybody fresh, that's what
Speaker 1: a Mike Zimmer like. Fresh, healthy, ready to go. Like.
Speaker 1: Full depth defensive lines are something that makes a Mike
Speaker 1: Zimmer's defense go round. So you know, it might be
Speaker 1: tougher news for the other couple of rookies on the
Speaker 1: defensive line, but I think it's great news for this
Speaker 1: for this group as a whole to have him and
Speaker 1: like I said, Jalen Holmes kind of showing up to
Speaker 1: provide some veteran depth here. Well, let's let's break out
Speaker 1: into other let's call it other NFL news. But it
Speaker 1: certainly affects the vikings. ESPN's initial twenty twenty power rankings list.
Speaker 1: It is out. We have it. Kansas City Chiefs one,
Speaker 1: Baltimore Ravens two, forty nine Ers, three Saints four, Seahawks five,
Speaker 1: Buccaneer six with the Tom Brady Gronk credibility gives them
Speaker 1: a big boost. Aaron Rodgers and his merry band of
Speaker 1: people in Green and Gold their number seven? How about
Speaker 1: them Cowboys at number eight? The Tennessee Titans at nine,
Speaker 1: and then your Minnesota Vikings at ten. And I've seen
Speaker 1: people all over the map. I've seen people going, what
Speaker 1: the hell are you thinking? They should not be at ten,
Speaker 1: They should be at fifteen, they should be at eighteen.
Speaker 1: And I've seen other people saying, what the hell are
Speaker 1: you thinking? Chris angry or satisfied? That's my new bit
Speaker 1: angry go ahead course, So Chris the Sauce Corps so
Speaker 1: angry or satisfied? What is this? Skipping skippin Shannon? What
Speaker 1: am I doing? What show am I running? I'm okay
Speaker 1: with where the Vikings are at the number ten spot.
Speaker 1: I think anywhere from six to ten is where the
Speaker 1: Vikings should be. I think the top five is very
Speaker 1: fair with this ESPM list. But I really, how do
Speaker 1: you put the Tampa Bay Bucks at numbers just because
Speaker 1: of what they got? I get it all You're you're
Speaker 1: gonna put him at number six because all they got
Speaker 1: was the greatest quarterback and tight end in the history
Speaker 1: of professional football one a load up, go ahead, not
Speaker 1: at the same level as they in their entire career.
Speaker 1: And this is what I wanted, This is what I
Speaker 1: brought it up. This I wanted hot take New Jersey
Speaker 1: Corso to rip into the into a Super Bowl credibility
Speaker 1: down in Tampa Bay Jay. To me, number six is
Speaker 1: also the one that caught my eye, and that was
Speaker 1: the one I figured would turn into the talker on
Speaker 1: this and I'm glad it has the biggest thing for
Speaker 1: Tampa for me is they were eight and eight with
Speaker 1: Jamis throwing you know, as many picks as he did
Speaker 1: touch on seven hundred. I think he threw seven hundred. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: So so I you know, I understand that people are
Speaker 1: excited about Tom and Gronk going down to Tampa, but
Speaker 1: six is going to be one of those that's going
Speaker 1: to be a show me before you can keep you
Speaker 1: can move them that high. For me, I think, you know,
Speaker 1: you can have this argument of Green Bay, Dallas, Tennessee, Minnesota,
Speaker 1: all of those teams you know, essentially in the playoff
Speaker 1: hunt last season, and you can argue that Dallas got
Speaker 1: a lot stronger with some of their extra weapons they
Speaker 1: brought in Tennessee. You assume that Derrick Henry is going
Speaker 1: to become a beast once again, and it just feels
Speaker 1: like with them solidifying their quarterback play, that they're going
Speaker 1: to be better. Green Bay. You know, they've got Aaron Rodgers,
Speaker 1: so that's your X factor with the entire team. I
Speaker 1: think it's fairly fair. Tampa's the one that's definitely the
Speaker 1: show me team, but otherwise I think it is a
Speaker 1: very fair number ten for the Vikings at this point.
Speaker 1: Fairly fair. I agree with you, Jay, it is fairly fair.
Speaker 1: You know, here's the thing I can hear. I can
Speaker 1: hear the argument that the Vikings are ranked too high.
Speaker 1: I can see the outside concern. I can see somebody going,
Speaker 1: you lost your three starting cornerbacks. Everything Griffin's gone, Stefan
Speaker 1: Diggs is gone, and I know you guys love your replacements,
Speaker 1: but they haven't proven anything yet. I can understand somebody
Speaker 1: going the Vikings are too high. But I can also
Speaker 1: understand walking through five, six of those names and going
Speaker 1: the Tennessee Titans. You know, we were a team that
Speaker 1: lived on one of the greatest running backs of all time,
Speaker 1: and I know how hard that is to keep up
Speaker 1: on a season end season out basis. I love Derrick Henry.
Speaker 1: He's so fun to watch, and I think they'll build
Speaker 1: a little broader of an offense this year than just
Speaker 1: handing it to him and hoping that he can run
Speaker 1: for a thousand yards every three weeks. But there's a
Speaker 1: world where I can see the Vikings jumping them the
Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys and tell the Dallas Cowboys actually achieve the
Speaker 1: potential set for them in any preseason, and I mean
Speaker 1: any since the moment they won their last Super Bowl
Speaker 1: until they ever achieve the hype that's set up for them,
Speaker 1: I don't care. I don't. I don't think that like you,
Speaker 1: there's no part of me that thinks that they deserve
Speaker 1: to be higher than my favorite team. And you know what, hell,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put the Cowboys at number twenty just because
Speaker 1: one of my best friends is a Cowboys fan and
Speaker 1: he can eat it. The Green Bay Packers last year
Speaker 1: got the massive boost. The Vikings played a very difficult
Speaker 1: schedule and they didn't get a lot of bounces their way.
Speaker 1: The Packers played a much easier schedule in my opinion,
Speaker 1: and it seemed like every single bounce fell their way.
Speaker 1: So I can see those teams thirteen and three and
Speaker 1: ten and six, I can see those coming back to
Speaker 1: the middle, and to me, it's not a no brainer
Speaker 1: that one of them is better than the other. I'm
Speaker 1: different than you guys you want to talk about like
Speaker 1: until they prove it. Gronk and Brady have forever proved it.
Speaker 1: There's no world where I don't think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
Speaker 1: just on name alone shouldn't be in the top five.
Speaker 1: But then you look at the Seahawks and the New
Speaker 1: Orleans Saints, both teams one we beat in the playoffs,
Speaker 1: another team that we've just been within inches of beating
Speaker 1: an important late season games all year long. There's only
Speaker 1: three teams here that I feel like the Vikings are
Speaker 1: really on the outside looking in to start the season.
Speaker 1: The Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Niners. Those were all
Speaker 1: such excellent football teams last year. They've all had such
Speaker 1: small turnover and they all possess a lot of the
Speaker 1: same stability that the Vikings possess. So I can see
Speaker 1: why somebody would throw us way down the list. I
Speaker 1: can sit here and argue why there's only three teams
Speaker 1: that I would put head and shoulders out of our
Speaker 1: category in the preseason. Well, one of the things that
Speaker 1: you're going to get your arguments given this list, because
Speaker 1: a lot of these teams are on our schedule this season,
Speaker 1: so you're going to find out, especially in this top ten,
Speaker 1: let alone the next ten that are on this list,
Speaker 1: like the Vikings are playing a pretty good who's who
Speaker 1: of top teams that were from the twenty nineteen season,
Speaker 1: And we always know that there's always top teams from
Speaker 1: the year before that fall off, and there's always bottom
Speaker 1: feeders that move up, and then given everything else going
Speaker 1: on with coronavirus and lack of fans, this season is
Speaker 1: going to be absolutely wild as long as it stays
Speaker 1: on the tracks. Yeah, that's interesting to think about. The
Speaker 1: Minnesota Vikings have on their sixteen game schedule right now.
Speaker 1: They have six teams that are currently in the top
Speaker 1: ten in the preseason power ranking. That is a hell
Speaker 1: of a challenge they have facing them. All Right, let's
Speaker 1: get out of us babbling like idiots, and let's talk
Speaker 1: to one of the guys that's going through training camp
Speaker 1: right now. Our very own Chris Corso interviewed Dan Chisena
Speaker 1: He is an undrafted rookie free agent out of Penn State.
Speaker 1: Chris sat down with him and we will let you
Speaker 1: guys listen to him talk about I think he's got
Speaker 1: an interesting history of running track and what he's doing
Speaker 1: to do his best to try to make the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty Vikings squad. What's up, Vikings fans. This is Chris
Speaker 1: Corso here with the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. We have Dan
Speaker 1: Chis Senna joining the show. The undrafted man out of
Speaker 1: Penn State already turning some heads at Verizon Vikings training camp.
Speaker 1: What's going on, man, how's it going? Thanks for having me. So.
Speaker 1: The biggest bite that we've gotten about you so far
Speaker 1: is that you were a sprinter at Penn State and
Speaker 1: voice of the Vikings Paul Allen has been talking about
Speaker 1: it on his radio show All Over Vikings Content that
Speaker 1: you have this speed being a sprinter at Penn State.
Speaker 1: So how does that translate onto the football field? Yeah? So,
Speaker 1: like you mentioned, I ran track for several several years
Speaker 1: of Penn State and I had a blast doing that
Speaker 1: and it's a great asset of mine, I think to
Speaker 1: be able to get out there and use that to
Speaker 1: my advantage. Whatever ways I can, and you know, running routes,
Speaker 1: running guys off, and just trying to use that to
Speaker 1: my advantage as best I can. Yeah. So I've seen
Speaker 1: you've connected with Kirk Cousins on a deep ball or two.
Speaker 1: So what has that been like catching balls from him?
Speaker 1: And and is that the best part of your game?
Speaker 1: The deep ball? It's been awesome, you know, catching balls
Speaker 1: Kirk and all the quarterbacks. They've been doing an awesome
Speaker 1: job and just trying to do my part and you know,
Speaker 1: getting too where they throw it and bringing it in.
Speaker 1: But I don't think you can just be fast. I
Speaker 1: don't think you can just catch de Paul. So um, well,
Speaker 1: you know it's good to be able to try and
Speaker 1: run buy some guys. I think it's more important to
Speaker 1: you know, trying to be a complete player, and you
Speaker 1: know that's what I've been trying to work on the past,
Speaker 1: you know, a couple of years since since getting back
Speaker 1: into this all. Yeah. So there's a very brand new
Speaker 1: wide receiver room for the Vikings this year. A lot
Speaker 1: of young players. We talked to BC Johnson last week
Speaker 1: and he said that you were just asking him like
Speaker 1: great questions. Being one of the older guys in the
Speaker 1: room only twenty three years old for him. So what's
Speaker 1: it been like talking with guys like him and Adam
Speaker 1: Feeling in the Vikings wide receiver room. Yeah, the entire
Speaker 1: room has been so awesome and so helpful for UM,
Speaker 1: you know, all of us that that just came in
Speaker 1: and UM, as you mentioned, I've been you know, asking
Speaker 1: BC questions and asking Adam questions and be Kaj all
Speaker 1: the guys guys who have been there, and you know,
Speaker 1: they know what it's like, they have that experience, and
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to take that beginner's mentality wherever I
Speaker 1: can and because I don't have it all figured out,
Speaker 1: and you know, these guys have been doing it at
Speaker 1: a high level and so just trying to learn as
Speaker 1: much as I can. And they've been awesome. They've they've
Speaker 1: really helped everyone out and been really willing to do
Speaker 1: whatever they can to make us better as a unit.
Speaker 1: So when you see guys like Adam Feeling, Chad Baby,
Speaker 1: BC Johnson as we mentioned, late round draft pick and
Speaker 1: BC and then two undrafted guys make the fifty three
Speaker 1: man roster here, what does that say to you coming
Speaker 1: in as an undrafted guy and the opportunity that you
Speaker 1: have here. Yeah, I mean I think you know, coaches
Speaker 1: have said it. You know, it's they don't care where
Speaker 1: you're drafted and stuff, and you see it with guys
Speaker 1: like that that have been able to earn their way
Speaker 1: onto the field. And you know, for me, it's just
Speaker 1: been about taking it one day at a time, controlling
Speaker 1: of what I can control and just going out and
Speaker 1: competing every day and just be proud of what I
Speaker 1: put on film and let all that other stuff figure
Speaker 1: its helf out and sort it out, because it's so
Speaker 1: much is out of my control. So I just want
Speaker 1: to be the best best version of myself that I
Speaker 1: can be every day. So you grew up in Pennsylvania
Speaker 1: and you play wide receiver at Penn State. What was
Speaker 1: that like to get that call from Penn State, being
Speaker 1: recruited by them and playing at one of the biggest
Speaker 1: college football programs in the country. I mean, it was
Speaker 1: such a blessing in my life. You know, grew up
Speaker 1: two and a half hours away, and you know, always
Speaker 1: watched Penn State games on TV and stuff, and you
Speaker 1: know that that was my dream growing up, was to
Speaker 1: go to Penn State. And you know, be on the
Speaker 1: football team, and by the grace of God, I was
Speaker 1: able to do that and even get on the field
Speaker 1: a little bit. And I just I have so much
Speaker 1: love for that community and that university and the program. Obviously,
Speaker 1: who is your idol growing up in Pennsylvania playing football?
Speaker 1: I can only imagine who your idol was growing up. Oh, man,
Speaker 1: I don't know, honestly, I don't know. There was a
Speaker 1: linebacker when I was really little by the name of
Speaker 1: Dan Connor who my uncle coached in high school. And
Speaker 1: I met him when I was in like third or
Speaker 1: fourth grade, and he played for Penn State. And that's
Speaker 1: really what started my love of football and love of
Speaker 1: Penn State, was that I got to meet this Penn
Speaker 1: State football player and um that my uncle knew and stuff,
Speaker 1: so that that kind of like got the ball rolling.
Speaker 1: And then, you know, growing up, I wouldn't say I
Speaker 1: had one guy or another, but I just loved watching
Speaker 1: Penn State and college football and pro ball, and I
Speaker 1: just loved the game since since I was little playing
Speaker 1: at Beaver Stadium. That place is ginormous, Like it's bigger
Speaker 1: than most NFL stadiums. So how that how does that
Speaker 1: prepare you for the NFL level, being able to play
Speaker 1: on such a such a big stage like that. Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: I mean, as you mentioned, I think that's you know,
Speaker 1: from from my limited you know games that I've played,
Speaker 1: and I think I'm pretty biased, but I think that's
Speaker 1: the best environment in college football, and fans there get
Speaker 1: after it, and um it's it's it's awesome playing there
Speaker 1: and tough environments there and tough environments on the road
Speaker 1: that that I've been able to play in a little bit,
Speaker 1: and you know that it all helps you know when
Speaker 1: you've you've been in those moments and you've handled those
Speaker 1: situations and been able to keep your focus and still
Speaker 1: like focus on the task at hand. So that way,
Speaker 1: when you're in that situation again, you know that you've
Speaker 1: been there. It's not new territory, and it's just gives
Speaker 1: you a little, I guess a little more comfort in
Speaker 1: those moments. James Franklin is one of the most prominent
Speaker 1: college coaches in the game today. He had some really
Speaker 1: good words about you when you signed with the Vikings
Speaker 1: as an undrafted free agent. What was it like to
Speaker 1: play under him? I have nothing but so much love
Speaker 1: for coach Franklin. I mean, he gave me multiple opportunities
Speaker 1: to be on that team. You know, first one, he
Speaker 1: gave me a chance to be a preferred walk on
Speaker 1: coming out of high school. And then when I left
Speaker 1: and ran track for a couple of years and ultimately
Speaker 1: decided that I wanted to give football another shot. And
Speaker 1: when I approached him about coming back to the team,
Speaker 1: he was all on board. He was happy to see me,
Speaker 1: and which was I didn't know how that situation was
Speaker 1: going to go. And so I'm so appreciative for those opportunities.
Speaker 1: And throughout my time in the program, he's he's always
Speaker 1: been a big supporter of mine and it has really
Speaker 1: pushed me. And I can't say enough about him. I
Speaker 1: love the guy and I'm thankful for all he's done
Speaker 1: in my life. So, looking at your college career, you
Speaker 1: won a ton of games at Penn State, I'm bringing
Speaker 1: it up. The one game that I remember that you
Speaker 1: lost was here playing the Gophers last season. That was
Speaker 1: an incredible game back and forth. What was it like
Speaker 1: to to compete with those guys and that that has
Speaker 1: to be one of your first tastes of Minnesota. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that was the first time that I was in the State,
Speaker 1: and I don't really have much to say about the game.
Speaker 1: I mean, we lost, and you guys, you know Minnesota one,
Speaker 1: and you know they deserve to win. They played better
Speaker 1: than us is what it is. But it was a
Speaker 1: great environment. I mean the fans, they were awesome and
Speaker 1: ureat great atmosphere. Well, now those fans are on your side,
Speaker 1: they'll be cheering you on and hopefully cheering you on
Speaker 1: in a Vikings uniform. So best of luck and at
Speaker 1: Verizon Vikings Training Camp. And it was great to get
Speaker 1: to know you today. Awesome. Thank you so much for
Speaker 1: having me. Thank you so much for that, Chris and
Speaker 1: and Dan Cesena for sitting down with us guys. Let's
Speaker 1: wrap things up here. Just quick information for our fans.
Speaker 1: There are all sorts of things to check out on
Speaker 1: Vikings dot com, all of your latest Vikings news, daily
Speaker 1: press conferences. Dom Capers had a presser that took place
Speaker 1: on Tuesday where he talked about his evaluations on where
Speaker 1: the team is at defensively. You know our social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube,
Speaker 1: you can get everything you need to end could ever
Speaker 1: want to get from Verizon Vikings Training Camp. We're now
Speaker 1: just two weeks away from Vikings Packers taking place at
Speaker 1: an empty US Bank Stadium, a chance for this team
Speaker 1: to kick off the season right with a win against
Speaker 1: one of our biggest rivals and toughest opponents. Guys, any
Speaker 1: final thoughts before we end the show, I'm just excited
Speaker 1: for football of you going. I don't believe it's going
Speaker 1: to happen. I pray that it does. And that is all.
Speaker 1: There's been a lot of first in my career working
Speaker 1: with this team, seeing a two ninety six game, going
Speaker 1: to NC Championships, all of that. I don't think i'll
Speaker 1: ever again see what's about to happen in the next
Speaker 1: twenty weeks of the season, and that is actually something
Speaker 1: I am looking forward to, just to see what happens.
Speaker 1: And it's been a lot of build up for how
Speaker 1: many months that we've been trying to struggle through to
Speaker 1: get two games. We're about to get to games, and
Speaker 1: we're about to see what this all turns into, and
Speaker 1: I honestly I can't wait. I mean, I think it's
Speaker 1: clear that there's going to be a week one. I
Speaker 1: think that at this point is very clear. It seems
Speaker 1: like there is going to be a week one, and guys,
Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, I am really intrigued. We haven't
Speaker 1: seen anything. There's no preseason, we haven't seen anybody really
Speaker 1: on the field, and any real competitive situations that aren't
Speaker 1: padded practices. I cannot wait to see what it looks
Speaker 1: like when these guys step out onto the field for
Speaker 1: the first time since last January December January for different
Speaker 1: teams and just have to start playing football again. I
Speaker 1: think it's going to be a really, really interesting experiment
Speaker 1: and I absolutely can't wait for it. Thank you guys
Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. We will see you guys
Speaker 1: next week.