Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on? Welcome to XS and OS on
Speaker 1: the kfa N Minnesota Vikings radio network. It's Paul Allen
Speaker 1: joined by Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike zimmer Off a
Speaker 1: victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with a road game at
Speaker 1: the Detroit Lions. Kickoff is at noon pre game on
Speaker 1: the flagship ten o'clock network affiliates pick it up at eleven.
Speaker 1: Congratulations on the victory over Philadelphia and in totality the
Speaker 1: last two victories. When you're calling a game defensively, do
Speaker 1: do coaches get on hot streaks when they're calling games
Speaker 1: like boom, everything's just clicking. Yeah, sometimes it happens. Uh.
Speaker 1: You know, players executing is always the most important thing
Speaker 1: when it comes to players executing or the importance of
Speaker 1: pre snap window dressing, so to speak. It seems when
Speaker 1: when watching back games this year, specifically with your run seven,
Speaker 1: the pre snap movement right before everything takes place, you know,
Speaker 1: knock on wooden case you're superstitious, it seems like it's
Speaker 1: working really really well. Would you agree, Well, it's one
Speaker 1: of the things we worked on the offseason. You know,
Speaker 1: we've we pretty much have been in the same front
Speaker 1: now for uh six years, and so for us to
Speaker 1: be able to adjust and make a little just slight
Speaker 1: adjustments where players are playing just a little bit different
Speaker 1: technique and line up in a little different spot, I
Speaker 1: think has helped us six years into it as head
Speaker 1: coach and calling the defense here in six games into
Speaker 1: it this year? Is it challenging coming up with new
Speaker 1: stuff every single game? Or like breaking tendencies? Sometimes it is? Um,
Speaker 1: you know, we've had a lot of fun this year, uh,
Speaker 1: thinking of new fronts, new alignments, new pressures. Uh So
Speaker 1: I think I think that part's been fun. Uh. You know,
Speaker 1: some some Tuesdays are grind because of who you're playing
Speaker 1: and what you have to do. So but overall it's
Speaker 1: been it's been good. The sack in the in the
Speaker 1: Eagles game with McKenzie, Alexander and Eric kenn Ricks. How
Speaker 1: did that work so effortlessly because it obviously was very
Speaker 1: well timed. Well, we brought more than naked block, right,
Speaker 1: So that's also a new play. It was a new yeah,
Speaker 1: basically Yeah, and Everson Griffin I think was standing up
Speaker 1: mugging the a gap on that play too. I mean
Speaker 1: that's that's again that plays into what we're talking about
Speaker 1: coming up with the challenges of coming up with new
Speaker 1: things every week. Right, Yeah, I'm glad you have all
Speaker 1: twenty two. I can see that on the TV copy
Speaker 1: and during calling the game. Speaking speaking of communication, which
Speaker 1: is very important, Uh, the communication? We speaking about communication? Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: because to have the pre snap movement and to execute
Speaker 1: things effortlessly, like you know that safety against the giants
Speaker 1: and stuff like that, I would imagine communication is very important, right, yeah,
Speaker 1: but it's probably more important on the back end. Right,
Speaker 1: what's that meaning you mean with the dbs DBS, Yeah,
Speaker 1: because make sure you're getting the right coverage, make sure
Speaker 1: you get to the right person that you're trying to cover. Well,
Speaker 1: if we were chatting off sense of communication, is it
Speaker 1: fair to say between the left guard and the center,
Speaker 1: the communication is getting to where you wanted to be
Speaker 1: play after play. Yeah, and really with all five guys,
Speaker 1: all five guys have to be on the same page
Speaker 1: and make sure they're they're going in the right direction.
Speaker 1: We had one last week that, uh, we had a miscommunication.
Speaker 1: We got a sack on it. But hum, the more
Speaker 1: that we can be all on the same page, all
Speaker 1: working together as one unit, the better. Off we are. Yeah,
Speaker 1: the reason I brought that up is because I mean
Speaker 1: elf Line has been around, but left guard's new. The
Speaker 1: center's are rookie. A dozer at right guard that generally
Speaker 1: is klient spot. So you know with with elf Line
Speaker 1: in that spot and the center being a rookie, it's
Speaker 1: the communication. It just doesn't come immediately, right, No, it
Speaker 1: takes a while, especially when you get some of these
Speaker 1: um exotic looks by the defenses. Uh. The Kyle Rudolph's blocking,
Speaker 1: in my opinion, has been better than ever. What led
Speaker 1: to that? Um, you know, he's he's really taken a
Speaker 1: taking a heart as far as going out there and blocking.
Speaker 1: I know that you know all of our guys, our
Speaker 1: receivers as well. Uh, you know, when you have a
Speaker 1: running back that can go to home, go the distance
Speaker 1: at any particular play, they put a lot of effort
Speaker 1: into it. And Kyle has been doing a very nice
Speaker 1: job through ut through six regular season games. With with
Speaker 1: where you are offensively, what do you like about the
Speaker 1: way Kevin Stavanski is calling the games? Well, I think
Speaker 1: the last two games have really been uh excellent in
Speaker 1: the way that we've used our personnel. Number One we've
Speaker 1: we've had balance with the run in the pass, the
Speaker 1: play actions to getting a quarterback on the perimeter and uh,
Speaker 1: and then the mixture of the drop back passes so um,
Speaker 1: you know, being able to run a reverse in there,
Speaker 1: have a reverse pass um dialed up, you know, some
Speaker 1: of the some of the plays to keep defenses guessing
Speaker 1: your DBS coach Jerry Gray joins the show after you.
Speaker 1: He's been here with you every step of the way.
Speaker 1: What what do you like about Jerry's approach to coaching
Speaker 1: these DBS. Yeah, Jerry does a really nice job. He uh,
Speaker 1: you know, he's very detailed on the amount of what
Speaker 1: each player that we're playing, uh, does best, and how
Speaker 1: we have to approach attacking him. And then also the
Speaker 1: different alignments by the receivers and where where they're trying
Speaker 1: to run by based on formations, alignments and who's where what?
Speaker 1: What are some things overall you're really appreciating about Everson
Speaker 1: Griffin's season through six games. Well, I think the biggest
Speaker 1: thing is how he's taken care of himself personally. Uh,
Speaker 1: you know, he comes in here football wise, he's outstanding. Obviously,
Speaker 1: he comes in works hard every day and does everything
Speaker 1: he can uh to be better, but um, you know,
Speaker 1: the way he's approached his things off the field I
Speaker 1: think has been really outstanding. When you watch these games
Speaker 1: back with Everson, is he even if he's not in
Speaker 1: on the play, is he disrupting things pretty much like
Speaker 1: almost every single play. Well, yeah, there's a lot of
Speaker 1: times that that he does a lot of those kind
Speaker 1: of things. Uh, they had a I believe it was
Speaker 1: a reverse two weeks ago or maybe last week that
Speaker 1: he knocked a guy back, went back out and got
Speaker 1: in on the tackle. Uh, you know, there are so many,
Speaker 1: so many times he does those kind of things or
Speaker 1: um maybe takes takes the offensive tackle and drives him
Speaker 1: back into the quarterback, doesn't get the sack, but affects
Speaker 1: the quarterback. Mike with the with the Lions, what's different
Speaker 1: about a Daryl bevil Let offense compared to previous years
Speaker 1: you've analyzed the Lions. I think the biggest thing, Um,
Speaker 1: you know, they're they're averaging ten play actions a game,
Speaker 1: so they're and and the play actions are they're trying
Speaker 1: to get the ball vertically down the field quite a
Speaker 1: bit over routes and deep shots. You saw the flea
Speaker 1: flicker last night, first play of the game. So a
Speaker 1: lot of those things are showing up. Um as far
Speaker 1: as uh, probably the biggest difference in Stafford is playing outstanding.
Speaker 1: He's throw throwing the heck out of the ball, getting
Speaker 1: the ball out quickly. Um, and uh you know, and
Speaker 1: and there they will stick with the run. You know,
Speaker 1: as you as you go through five games with Matthew,
Speaker 1: if you if you were to play that whole thing
Speaker 1: out over sixteen, his sacks are down, his interceptions are down,
Speaker 1: and and I don't know how much Bevil has to
Speaker 1: do with that, but dude, is Matthew playing as well
Speaker 1: as he's ever played right now? Yeah? I think you know,
Speaker 1: he's always played pretty darn good, but um, he's playing
Speaker 1: at a very high level at this point. Um. You know,
Speaker 1: he's been extremely accurate with the football. Um moves still
Speaker 1: moves well in and out of the pocket. And then uh,
Speaker 1: you know he's throwing the ball on a rope. What
Speaker 1: kind of back is Carrie on Johnson? He's he's really good. Uh.
Speaker 1: He's got great feet, good acceleration, Um, has some power. Um.
Speaker 1: So you know he was hurt, I believe last year
Speaker 1: when we played him, But Uh, he has another dimension
Speaker 1: to him. Um, you know, and they're using a lot
Speaker 1: of different backs. The tight end Hawkinson has really been
Speaker 1: a big, big factor for him offensively. Yeah, they drafted
Speaker 1: him and they brought jess See James in from Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1: So it's are tight ends different for the Lions this
Speaker 1: year compared to what you've seen in the past. And
Speaker 1: what do you think of Hawkinson? Well, Hockinson's really good.
Speaker 1: He runs really good routes, catches ball really well, does
Speaker 1: a nice job in blocking. Uh. Jesse James is very
Speaker 1: similar in a lot of ways, maybe not as much
Speaker 1: of the past cut catcher as Hackinson. And then you know,
Speaker 1: they've got these two guys outside, Marvin Jones and Galla Day,
Speaker 1: and these two guys can really fly down the field.
Speaker 1: And in uh seventeen Melvin Hall hau Haul Junior, he
Speaker 1: can he can really go. So they've they've got a
Speaker 1: lot of speed on the back end, and these tight
Speaker 1: ends help him to get open down the field. Marvin
Speaker 1: Hall that is um and Kenny Golladay, I know you've
Speaker 1: always respected him, but he's gotten really good as an't in. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and and Marvin Jones with me in Cincinnati so I
Speaker 1: know him a little bit more. But both these two
Speaker 1: guys are tall, fast, great jumpers, good hands, runs, excellent routes.
Speaker 1: So it'll be it'll be a great test for us.
Speaker 1: Say it's a division game, so of course it'll be
Speaker 1: top it's on the road. But with the way Detroit
Speaker 1: lost Monday night against Green Bay, are you expecting a
Speaker 1: pissed off bunch into this game? I would assume they
Speaker 1: would be. Uh, you know, I know that they've complained
Speaker 1: a little bit about the officials and things like that. So, um,
Speaker 1: you know, we're they're gonna they're a good football team.
Speaker 1: Anyway we're gonna get. We're gonna get a really good effort.
Speaker 1: They play a lot of man and man in the
Speaker 1: back end, uh, mix in a little bit of quarter
Speaker 1: coverage and a little bit of cover two. They've got
Speaker 1: a very stout front group that is very very good.
Speaker 1: And then uh, you know, Trey Flowers is an excellent player.
Speaker 1: Um uh A Sean Robinson is as a really good player.
Speaker 1: So um, it'll be it'll be a great test. Last one, Um,
Speaker 1: after Sunday, a short week for the Thursday Washington Redskins game.
Speaker 1: How do you guys get ahead? With the planning when
Speaker 1: you have two games in such a short amount of time. Yeah, well,
Speaker 1: we're gonna have to uh do a little bit of
Speaker 1: work on on the redskins u late later on in
Speaker 1: a week and just kind of get prepared a little
Speaker 1: with a small portion of the game plan. We'll probably
Speaker 1: bring the players in late on Monday so that we
Speaker 1: can continue to work on the game plan Monday morning
Speaker 1: and then then get ready to go play. Terrific communication.
Speaker 1: Thank you very much. All right, thank you. Mike Zemmer,
Speaker 1: head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and I'm Paul Allen.