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Speaker 1: At Children's Minnesota. We raise them up by fighting for

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Speaker 1: health equity and racial justice in our community and beyond.

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Speaker 1: Together with state and federal legislators, we help pass a

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Speaker 1: statewide law ensuring access to free school lunches for all kids.

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Speaker 1: Because we believe that your child and every child should

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Speaker 1: have the opportunity to reach their best health. That's why

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Speaker 1: we raise them up. Children's Minnesota the kid Experts learn

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Speaker 1: more at childrensmn dot org.

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Speaker 2: It is time for x'es and o's with Minnesota Vikings

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Speaker 2: head coach Kevin O'Connell on the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network

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Speaker 2: now from the TCO studios at Egan.

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Speaker 3: Here is the voice of the Vikings, Paul Allen.

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Speaker 2: X'es and o's on the KFA in Minnesota Vikings Radio

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Speaker 2: Network and the Vikings dot Com is in the air.

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Speaker 3: I'm Paul Allen.

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Speaker 2: Minnesota takes on Carolina in Charlotte this week and at

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Speaker 2: ten o'clock for the KFA and pregame and eleven o'clock

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Speaker 2: for network affiliates. And here comes Kevin O'Connell, head coach

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Speaker 2: of the Minnesota Vikings who's heading into his twenty second

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Speaker 2: game as a head coach for the Minnesota Vikings, and

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Speaker 2: I mean, what a world through the first twenty one

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Speaker 2: What a world It's It's like last year. It all

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Speaker 2: we discussed in this spot was pushing all the right buttons,

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Speaker 2: all the good fortune, the bounces and everything. And then

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Speaker 2: now strangely, it's like you push a button and the

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Speaker 2: football version of Freddy Krueger comes out with like those

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Speaker 2: football blades and everything on his fingers. I mean, what

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Speaker 2: a weird season so far?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it's you know, it's been. As I told our

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Speaker 4: team Monday, it's been. And we're in the midst of,

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Speaker 4: you know, as difficult of a football stretch as you

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Speaker 4: can have. And how you continue to respond, how you

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Speaker 4: continue to work in moments where you know, the frustration

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Speaker 4: is not just felt outside of this building, it's felt

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Speaker 4: in this building as well.

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Speaker 3: But what do we do with it? What do we

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Speaker 3: do about it?

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Speaker 4: Are we going to allow it to you know, start

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Speaker 4: to systematically dismantle some things that we've built here. Now

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Speaker 4: we're going to have this group and our collective group

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Speaker 4: of players and coaches, we are going to push forward,

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Speaker 4: lean in even more. We had a good week of

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Speaker 4: preparation last week to prepare for the Chargers, and we

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Speaker 4: got to we have to continue to have our best

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Speaker 4: week of practice each and every time we get the

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Speaker 4: opportunity to prepare for an opponent, regardless of what the

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Speaker 4: results have been pa which are not acceptable. And this team,

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Speaker 4: you know, plans and has envisioned going places this year.

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Speaker 4: We still feel like we've got the team to do that.

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Speaker 4: It's just a matter of can we go out and

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Speaker 4: put four quarters together, make the plays that we need

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Speaker 4: to make, have our best players be at their best, uh,

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Speaker 4: you know, when we need them the most, and and

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Speaker 4: come away with our first win, and when we're able

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Speaker 4: to do that. I do believe that the core makeup

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Speaker 4: of this team is one that the results, when we

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Speaker 4: start having them come our way, will be something that

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Speaker 4: will confirm a lot of things about this team, and

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Speaker 4: then we can become a really difficult opponent for everybody

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Speaker 4: on our schedule. All six division games still to play.

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Speaker 4: Lot there a lot for us to go chase down

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Speaker 4: yet in this twenty twenty three seasons.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so with you courtesy of the Minnesota Lottery, x's

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Speaker 2: and o's with Kevin O'Connell, I mean, you probably don't

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Speaker 2: want to hear this, right, now. But you know you're

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Speaker 2: generally speaking, at least from what I know, a happy, positive,

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Speaker 2: appreciative person, appreciative of not only your care for the.

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Speaker 3: Team but the fans. Yep.

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Speaker 2: So therefore, through three, is it tough for you to shake?

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Speaker 2: You know, as a leader, you know you got to

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Speaker 2: shake it.

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Speaker 3: Yep. Doesn't mean it's easy. Yeah, it's part of leadership.

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Speaker 4: And truly if you're not able to shake it and

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Speaker 4: at least project from a standing out front location of

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Speaker 4: your team, If you don't project those things in these moments,

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Speaker 4: then it's not real leadership in the first place. And

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Speaker 4: I know, you know, our fans are the greatest fans

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Speaker 4: in this league. I truly truly believe that, and I

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Speaker 4: also believe that they love their team and that they're

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Speaker 4: confident in what we're doing. So when we start out

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Speaker 4: the way we have with three results in some close

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Speaker 4: losses that no matter what caused them, no matter what,

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Speaker 4: ultimately has been the story of our season so far.

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Speaker 4: The story is we're rowing three and we feel that

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Speaker 4: all the things that we were excited about going into

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Speaker 4: that opener home opener against Tampa or hitting the field

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Speaker 4: last Sunday at US Bank stadium. All those things are

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Speaker 4: still within the fabric of our team. We still have

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Speaker 4: the ability to be an explosive move the football and

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Speaker 4: anybody offense, but we've got to score when we're in

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Speaker 4: the red zone. We still have the ability to hopefully

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Speaker 4: cause some chaos for offenses with our defensive style, but

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Speaker 4: we've got to make some plays in some moments where

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Speaker 4: we have a chance to intercept the football or a

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Speaker 4: chance to get the quarterback on the ground. In the

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Speaker 4: special teams phase, we still feel pa like we can

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Speaker 4: put groups of vikings out there that can have an

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Speaker 4: advantage versus our opponent. But we got to go win

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Speaker 4: every single snap in that one snap phase of special

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Speaker 4: teams and all of those things collectively, if done consistently,

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Speaker 4: I'm of the belief that we're going to win football

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Speaker 4: games with this team, and there's just no other way

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Speaker 4: to look at it now from a.

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Speaker 3: Standpoint of where we are right now.

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Speaker 4: There's no question these are difficult, difficult times and circumstances.

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Speaker 4: But I believe in everything that we've built. I believe

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Speaker 4: that if you believe in it and you really live

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Speaker 4: it every single day, these are the moments where you

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Speaker 4: lean on it. The most and when we do come

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Speaker 4: through this stretch, this very very difficult stretch of results

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Speaker 4: that have not gone our way, I do believe our

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Speaker 4: team will be better for it, and it will only

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Speaker 4: confirm from a culture standpoint, accountability standpoint, ultimately, what we've

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Speaker 4: tried to build within the walls of this building, that

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Speaker 4: we can overcome a whole heck of a lot and,

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Speaker 4: like I said, be a real problem to deal with

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Speaker 4: here the rest of the way.

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Speaker 2: The last one on this over arching topic leader. The

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Speaker 2: emphasis on the word leader, that's the common thread right here,

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Speaker 2: and it's important, but like, how do you handle staying positive? Granted,

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Speaker 2: you know it's only three games and we're not talking

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Speaker 2: about seventeen here yet, yep, But nevertheless, you have to

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Speaker 2: stay positive while being authentic because there so others don't

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Speaker 2: wallow in misery or wallow in frustration. And it's the

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Speaker 2: players for sure, but coaches too.

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Speaker 4: Right absolutely, And I think you know even more so

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Speaker 4: you know the positive side of my makeup and who

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Speaker 4: I am, the leadership style I have. You know, that's

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Speaker 4: great and very useful for me in this role with

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Speaker 4: how we've chosen to try to build our culture here.

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Speaker 4: But I think The second thing you said is the

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Speaker 4: most important thing, and that's the authenticity of the leadership,

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Speaker 4: which when things are not right, we need to fix them.

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Speaker 4: When things are not to the standard that we need

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Speaker 4: to win football games, that's when you got to coach

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Speaker 4: these guys hard, and they know that I care about them,

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Speaker 4: They know that our coaches care about them.

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Speaker 3: Our coaches know I care about them.

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Speaker 4: But in the end, my ultimate responsibility is to push

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Speaker 4: us forward towards winning football games. And that's what I'm

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Speaker 4: spending every waking moment, you know, doing right now. And

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Speaker 4: I think authenticity in how you do that, regardless of

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Speaker 4: the results, it might change your style based upon the

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Speaker 4: emphasis you put on things and the value received, which

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Speaker 4: the value needs to be winning football games. So that's

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Speaker 4: my mentality every single day, still treating everybody in this

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Speaker 4: building and everyone one with the standard that I believe

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Speaker 4: is the right way for me to lead. But that

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Speaker 4: by no means ever, it takes away my ability to

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Speaker 4: coach this team hard and speaking truth about what we are,

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Speaker 4: where we are, and more importantly, where we need to go.

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Speaker 2: But also staying true to the edicts and mandates in

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Speaker 2: which you've believed all of your career watching some of

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Speaker 2: the greatest in history of the game, and you know

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Speaker 2: there's a desperation factor or a panic factor that can

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Speaker 2: settle into some people. But I mean, as harsh as

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Speaker 2: it sounds, if you close with that pass to kJ

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Speaker 2: in the Chargers game, you win. Now kJ was missed

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Speaker 2: at FedEx Field last year and like the third play

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Speaker 2: of the game badly, and you'll won the game, you know,

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Speaker 2: So is that a fair way to look at it?

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Speaker 2: Like the plays you know mostly are working the way

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Speaker 2: I would imagine, specifically in the passing game, you want

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Speaker 2: them to work, but the results just for whatever the reason,

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Speaker 2: aren't the same. But that doesn't mean what you're putting

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Speaker 2: out there is bad, you know what I mean?

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Speaker 4: Well, it's regardless of the ending result. If we make

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Speaker 4: that play, if we you know, find a way to

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Speaker 4: you know, protect a little better and get the ball

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Speaker 4: to Alex on a third and five early on in

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Speaker 4: the game, if we do, there's there's a thousand ifs

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Speaker 4: right now, and those ifs tend to be what teams

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Speaker 4: that are struggling to win have the real you know,

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Speaker 4: comfort of trying to hide behind. And what I'm trying

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Speaker 4: to do is make sure that we're ultra consistent in

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Speaker 4: how we prepare, make some changes to how we do prepare,

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Speaker 4: do some things a little differently. Keep our players in

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Speaker 4: a mindset of knowing that every single day they come

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Speaker 4: in this building, regardless of what the first three weeks

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Speaker 4: have ended up being for us, that they're being pushed,

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Speaker 4: they're being challenged, and ultimately, by the time we hit

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Speaker 4: the field on Sunday, they feel, you know, deep down inside,

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Speaker 4: that we've got a great chance to win the football game.

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Speaker 3: And that's my job.

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Speaker 2: And Sunday is the Carolina Panthers at noon. Their defense

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Speaker 2: what from AFAR seems like they're tough, going tough, Like,

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Speaker 2: what's it all about?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, tough.

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Speaker 4: I think they've got really good team speed. I think

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Speaker 4: they're a young athletic. They've got some good, really good

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Speaker 4: players along their front burns on the edge. I've always

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Speaker 4: been a fan of Jeremy Chin, you know, in the

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Speaker 4: in the secondary, and they've added some veterans there.

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Speaker 3: They're a little banged up right now.

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Speaker 4: See what that, you know, final active list looks, you know,

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Speaker 4: inactive list looks like on Sunday, But it's gonna be.

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Speaker 3: A heck of a challenge.

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Speaker 4: I was very encouraged by how we ran the football

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Speaker 4: against the Chargers. I was very encouraged about running the

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Speaker 4: football and also, you know, being explosive in the in

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Speaker 4: the past game, and and and quite frankly, there were

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Speaker 4: some more ops out there for us on those early downs.

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Speaker 4: And then we've got to be better situationally. We've got

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Speaker 4: to convert more third downs. If we're going to be

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Speaker 4: running the football more, there's probably gonna be some more

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Speaker 4: third downs in the game. And then the red zone

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Speaker 4: has to be the scoring zone for our team. And

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Speaker 4: we've got to be able to put a bow on

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Speaker 4: some of those drives with touchdowns. See what that can

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Speaker 4: do for our overall team team. When we can get

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Speaker 4: a lead and allow our defense to play like that,

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Speaker 4: I believe will be a positive, you know, for for

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Speaker 4: our entire attempt at playing complimentary football.

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Speaker 2: So, Kevin, I'm reading between the lines here and it

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Speaker 2: sounds like, Yeah, I'm gonna watch the all twenty two

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Speaker 2: over and over and over of the team and tail,

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Speaker 2: but this is about us. It really is about our guys.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, And I think that's that's the best way to

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Speaker 4: attack it. We're going to prepare for the challenge that

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Speaker 4: Carolina presents in all three phases, which you know, they're

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Speaker 4: you know, like I said, they're a good, young, fast

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Speaker 4: football team in all three phases.

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Speaker 3: I think they're well coached.

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Speaker 4: I think they're getting better and better each and every

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Speaker 4: opportunity they get to go out on the field together.

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Speaker 3: But this is, in my opinion, this is about us.

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Speaker 4: It's about our ability to collectively execute all eleven guys

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Speaker 4: doing their job, and the understanding the urgency with our

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Speaker 4: preparation continuing to ramp up and ramp up, uh, you know,

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Speaker 4: to the point where we all you know, get on

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Speaker 4: those buses on Sunday and when we arrive at the stadium,

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Speaker 4: we have an inner confidence that we've earned through the

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Speaker 4: preparation and understanding of how we've systematically gone about the

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Speaker 4: week and done all the little things that we can

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Speaker 4: control ourselves. And then, like you said, it's about us

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Speaker 4: and the things we can control. We still have to

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Speaker 4: win the turnover margin in a football game. This year,

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Speaker 4: we have yet to do that, and that is something

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Speaker 4: being emphasized every waky moment in this building right now

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Speaker 4: and on the practice field. And then we've got to

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Speaker 4: feel confident and play with a quieted mind and make

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Speaker 4: the plays when they present themselves and be able to

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Speaker 4: overcome adversity like we've done in the past. We're just

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Speaker 4: getting our greatest total sample size of the word adversity

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Speaker 4: right now, and we've got to show that we're up

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Speaker 4: for the task.

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Speaker 2: Last one and so thanks for the time.

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Speaker 3: JJ.

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Speaker 2: Jefferson is at about one fifty two a game, your

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Speaker 2: second year with him. What do you really respect about

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Speaker 2: his game?

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Speaker 4: You know, just the year one to year two growth

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Speaker 4: in our offense, what.

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Speaker 3: We've been able to do.

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Speaker 4: It was a huge focal point throughout the off season,

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Speaker 4: throughout our plans as coaches leading into the season that

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Speaker 4: regardless of whatever the JJ program, how they want to

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Speaker 4: cover him each individual Sunday, we do feel like we've

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Speaker 4: got tools now in ways of not really letting that

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Speaker 4: limit his impact on the football game. And I think

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Speaker 4: that's kind of shown itself, you know, these first three

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Speaker 4: weeks and then the complimentary players with Justin and guys

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Speaker 4: like kJ and Jordan Addison finding the end zone, TJ.

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Speaker 3: Josh Oliver with a big play, all.

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Speaker 4: Of which is built around number eighteen and his impact

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Speaker 4: on the game. He's aware, he's very very intelligent as

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Speaker 4: far as understanding the biggest possible impact on a play

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Speaker 4: that he can have. It varies from making a catch

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Speaker 4: and run on a basic and taking it fifty plus

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Speaker 4: yards for a touchdown, to taking three people in coverage

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Speaker 4: and letting kJ be wide.

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Speaker 3: Opening the end zone, to just how as hell alignment can.

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Speaker 4: Maybe help the run game and dictate coverage to where

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Speaker 4: we can get some soft spots in the run game.

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Speaker 4: He's a huge part of our offense, and rightly so,

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Speaker 4: he's a fantastic, special, special player.

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Speaker 3: Well.

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Speaker 2: Regarding x'es and o's, you were at your best when

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Speaker 2: your best was required and we look forward to seeing

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Speaker 2: that next week.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you, Thank you.

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Speaker 2: Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and I'm

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Speaker 2: Paul Allen. Mike Saravo, the inside linebackers coach, joins us

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Speaker 2: around the Corner on Vikings dot Com, KFA N and

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Speaker 2: the Vikings Radio Network. Welcome back to x's and o's

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Speaker 2: on the KFA in Minnesota, Vikings Radio Network and let's

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Speaker 2: meet and chat with Mike Saravo. Fourth year coaching in

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Speaker 2: the National Football League and first leading inside linebackers for

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Speaker 2: the Minnesota Vikings three years with the Carolina Panthers before

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Speaker 2: landing here. What were those years like for you?

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Speaker 5: A great transition from college where you know, you have

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Speaker 5: the players probably a little longer for their lives and

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Speaker 5: a little bit longer throughout the year you're more involved

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Speaker 5: with their families, and then coming to the National Football League.

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Speaker 5: Just it's all about football, and it's all about maximizing

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Speaker 5: that player and his window of time with the team.

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Speaker 5: And I love it. It's you know, round the clock football.

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Speaker 5: It's the best minds in the world. You learn so

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Speaker 5: much from the players because they play the game. So

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Speaker 5: that transition just to adjust to you know, being a

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Speaker 5: way better listener and learning from them and also applying

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Speaker 5: fundamentals details that have been you know, foundations of what

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Speaker 5: we do.

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Speaker 2: So I wonder if you still were in the college

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Speaker 2: ranks now with the transfer portal and nil name image likeness,

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Speaker 2: if you would say the same thing, you know what

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Speaker 2: I mean. Yeah, that's a great point, Like the free

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Speaker 2: agency of college football is there right?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: I thought the the Internet changed it, you know, in

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Speaker 5: the early two thousands, and then social media changed it

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Speaker 5: right after that. But I've never seen such a fast

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Speaker 5: change like NIL and transfer portal.

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Speaker 3: I don't know what it would be like, but.

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Speaker 5: Also I would probably be having the same conversations. I mean,

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Speaker 5: you develop a player and he could be off your

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Speaker 5: roster to whatever school needs that player and whoever's got.

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Speaker 6: The most to offer, So it probably is very similar.

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Speaker 2: You're right, I'm not trying to turn this into college

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Speaker 2: but no. However, if you think about it, you probably

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Speaker 2: during the transfer portal nil days, players who thought they

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Speaker 2: were going to play more but they're not for whatever

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Speaker 2: the reason. If you want to keep them, you in

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Speaker 2: essence have to recruit them during the season to like stay,

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Speaker 2: you know what I mean?

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Speaker 3: For sure?

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Speaker 2: Wow, I mean that's distraction central right there. Ivan Pace,

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Speaker 2: a junior, went from being undrafted to avere Gene fifty

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Speaker 2: plays a game through the first three. What do you

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Speaker 2: like about Ivan?

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Speaker 5: What I love about Ivan is his strength, his toughness.

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Speaker 5: He plays with great leverage, and he has football IQ.

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Speaker 5: The game makes sense to him out there, whatever's happening

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Speaker 5: out there, he can diagnose it and he can make

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Speaker 5: it happen. But really really interesting, the way he beats

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Speaker 5: blockers and sets up blockers, you know, gets gets skinny

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Speaker 5: through gaps and just has a little knack. So he's

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Speaker 5: a fun chess piece out there and he's great to

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Speaker 5: work with.

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Speaker 2: And with your room, Mike. I mean, it's interesting with

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Speaker 2: the two who play most, Ivan Pace Junior and Jordan Hicks.

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Speaker 2: You got a guy who was drafted out of Texas

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Speaker 2: who you know, granted he was injured, but part of

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Speaker 2: a Super Bowl organization and a veteran who's really smart,

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Speaker 2: and Ivan who you just said is really smart, but

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Speaker 2: he's super new.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you know.

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Speaker 2: So therefore the dynamics of those two that was like

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Speaker 2: coaching that.

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Speaker 5: I even has was really well coached in college and

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Speaker 5: was around good football, you know, at at Cincinnati, and

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Speaker 5: I know his linebacker coach. He's an excellent coach and

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Speaker 5: they run a great program. So what we try to

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Speaker 5: install makes sense to him. And then you know Jordan,

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Speaker 5: I think he's starting to realize there's a there's a

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Speaker 5: growth process for a rookie to understand this is a

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Speaker 5: business and I need that veteran to teach me how.

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Speaker 3: To get where he is.

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Speaker 6: You know, who wouldn't love to be year nine.

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Speaker 5: So he is starting to realize, like, if I'm going

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Speaker 5: to have lasting power and not just be a two

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Speaker 5: or three weeks story about an undrafted free agent. I

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Speaker 5: have to adjust that, you know, from college to this

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Speaker 5: and use those veterans nicks in the room, who's who's

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Speaker 5: you know, been around for a while. What does it

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Speaker 5: take day to day to have that success long term?

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Speaker 5: So I think I think he's starting to realize that,

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Speaker 5: but there's just a long way.

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Speaker 2: To go, Coach Sarravo. The meshing of the players in

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Speaker 2: front of your inside guys or with the let's just say,

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Speaker 2: the defensive lineman keeping the inside linebackers clean, I would

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Speaker 2: imagine is of tantam ount importance, correct, And like, how

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Speaker 2: do you guys get to mesh that.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, there's a couple different run schemes where they got

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Speaker 5: to keep us clean, but we also have to.

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Speaker 6: Help them out. So it's a mutual thing. You know,

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Speaker 6: duo in.

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Speaker 5: This league is a big run and if we don't

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Speaker 5: go help them by drawing a lineman off a double team,

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Speaker 5: they've got six hundred fifty.

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Speaker 6: Pounds and four hands just knocking.

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Speaker 3: Them back and that's not good for them.

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Speaker 5: You know, if it's a wide zone team, you know

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Speaker 5: we want them to try to keep the guys off

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Speaker 5: of us and keep it moving. So there's a couple

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Speaker 5: different schemes where we help each other out, and I

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Speaker 5: think we're all learning, you know, how to work together,

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Speaker 5: and we're still building this thing as we go.

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Speaker 2: Now, it's been my experience to just watching defenses to

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Speaker 2: know that not everybody is good at blitzing. Okay, And

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Speaker 2: what I'm getting at here is in your experience from

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Speaker 2: Division one football through nearly a half decade in the NFL,

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Speaker 2: what makes a player koy and crafty and truly good

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Speaker 2: at blitzing.

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Speaker 6: I think it's a great sense of timing.

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Speaker 3: You have to have like a.

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Speaker 6: First two or three step great burst.

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Speaker 5: And again be able to undress run blockers and protections

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Speaker 5: as they come at you. So you have to have

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Speaker 5: a little bit of vision and awareness where's the quarterback

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Speaker 5: and relation to the blocker, where's the ball carrier in

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Speaker 5: relation to the blocker. So that all has to happen fast,

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Speaker 5: and you have to be going full speed and you've

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Speaker 5: got to be ready to strike and use your hands.

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Speaker 5: So it's just kind of finding that skill set and

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Speaker 5: it shows up on in college or in the NFL.

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Speaker 6: You can find it.

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Speaker 5: If a guy has it, he's going to do it

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Speaker 5: and you can you know, manipulate it and use him

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Speaker 5: in different place around the defense.

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Speaker 3: But you know that's the.

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Speaker 5: Skill set is burst pad level and being able to

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Speaker 5: while you're going full speed straight ahead, diagnose is this

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Speaker 5: run pass? And how do I have to make this

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Speaker 5: work so I can get to the ball?

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Speaker 2: Well, welcome to Minnesota. Thank you to the best of

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Speaker 2: luck against the Carolina Panthers. Look forward to the opportunity

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Speaker 2: to do this again.

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Speaker 3: Awesome. Thanks a lot.

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Speaker 2: Mike Siravo inside the linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings.

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Speaker 2: We bank him, We bank the Minnesota Lottery, and of

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Speaker 2: course Kevin O'Connell for x'es and o's with the head

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Speaker 2: coach Kevin O'Connell, I'm Paul Allen on behalf of our conduits,

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Speaker 2: Curly Hears, Eric Norquist and Carly Bonk. Thank you for

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00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,480
Speaker 2: listening to XES and o's on the KFA and Minnesota

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Speaker 2: Vikings or radio network.

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