WEBVTT - MVP: Assist. QB Coach Jerrod Johnson On New Scheme, Utilizing Past Experience | Episode 152 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:08.320 I've been a fan of the system with these guys 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:10.680 have done offensively for a while as a player and 0:00:10.720 --> 0:00:12.440 even as a coach. Huge part of me coming here 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:14.560 to just to kind of expand my horizon as a coach, 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:17.959 just kind of learned this way of doing football coach. 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:20.280 In high school. I ran my own business doing private 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:22.799 quarterback training. I lived in the Guru space with Jordan 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.040 Palmer and George Woodfield and Quincy Avery, and so I 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:28.040 think I have a unique fresh perspective. You know that, 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:33.400 you know I'm thankful for. This is episode one fifty 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:36.080 two of the Minnesota Vikings podcast, and we're bringing the 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:38.800 heat this week. We figured we'd have to match those 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:42.120 record high tempts. Jay, I'm not gonna lie to you. 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.240 You moved to Minnesota and everyone asks you about how 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:47.000 cold it is, and then it hits a hundred on 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:49.440 the day that you move into a new house, and 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:52.360 you're like, this is a very cruel joke. The best 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:55.160 part for me is that we've been kind of chiding 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:57.600 you a little bit, saying, hey, just wait in the summer, 0:00:57.640 --> 0:00:59.400 it's gonna get hot, and you're like, yeah, it's never 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:02.080 gonna be here what it was in my car it 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:03.760 said one hundred and five. The other day when I 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.920 was driving, I'm like, yeah, this is oppressively hot. So 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:09.760 I will say on that day, though, I did go 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:12.000 out to the driving range and hit some balls a 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:15.200 little bit for golf, and it was hot and it 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:17.440 was definitely steamy, but it was something that it actually 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:19.039 felt kind of good just to kind of be in 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.320 that warm weather and just kind of keep moving. I 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:23.400 had cracked a joke to my wife, and I said, 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:25.839 these are the days when I used to do manual 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:28.160 labor jobs that actually you hated but you loved at 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:31.200 the same time because you just felt disgusting all day 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:32.720 and doing work and stuff. But you come home and 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:34.080 you step on the scale and you lose a couple 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.800 of pomps, it's all worth it. It's good for me. Yeah, 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.160 now that didn't happen to us, even though we moved. Actually, 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.680 I can't even find my scale right now, but it's 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:45.800 so nice. I just love being like feeling it on 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:49.120 my skin. And it was a really strange thing to say, 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:51.600 but there's just something about just being in the sun 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:54.640 that I just love. And so for me, I loved it. 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:57.440 I just thought how ironic that the hottest day of 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:00.680 the year is my move out day. You know. Sorry, 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:03.160 It's one of those things too, where when we kind 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:05.480 of correct jokes in the winter too, saying just waited, 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:07.600 it'll be about a one hundred and thirty degree temperature 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:09.280 difference in this something like, what are you talking about? 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:11.120 And this is one of those days. You know, I 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:13.000 don't envy people that have to move in the middle 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:14.560 of the snow. I'd rather definitely do it on one 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.960 hundred degree temperature. Sure for sure. Yeah, well, we kind 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:20.360 of got things going earlier. That's our producer, Jay Nelson. 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.359 I'm Tatum Embert Weeger host today as we're cooling off 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:27.760 inside the TCO Radio studio right now. In this week's episode, 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.399 we're talking training camp. It's almost exactly a month away. 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:34.200 We'll go more in depth on the position battles and 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:38.079 what our camp expectations are. Plus, we continue our chats 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.360 with the new coaching staff. Last week's episode, we featured 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:45.519 assistant Special Teams coach Ben Katweka, and this week we've 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:49.040 got assistant quarterbacks coach Gerard Johnson, who talks about his 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:52.080 relationships with the guys in the room and why he 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:55.840 wanted to come coach in Minnesota. It's a great chat. 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:57.960 Be sure to us tune in in just a second 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:02.360 before we do that, though, Jay, we were perusing the 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:05.760 interwebs reading all the latest Vikings articles and earlier this 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:09.520 week ESPN's Kevin Seffert, who is the new but the 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:11.399 old at the same time. It always feels weird saying 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:13.799 that he's like the new Vikings Beat reporter when he's 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.519 already kind of done it before. Oh he's been here 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:19.560 for I am multiple decades at this point, writing for 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.919 multiple publications, but he was, you know, kind of the 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:26.720 lead NFL writer, and then you know, when there was 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:29.760 an opening here, they've kind of assigned him Minnesota again 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:31.880 because he knows us so well, and so to have 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:33.480 a guy like Kevin Seffert in this market and to 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:35.520 pay attention. He's done a ton of stuff with Vin 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:38.520 as well over the years. He's great, and so he's 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:40.720 always somebody that whenever he writes something that you pay 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:43.320 attention to just to see what his take is on things. 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:44.960 You know, I think I'm going to have to start 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:48.840 saying he's returning as the Vikings Beat reporter. That's probably 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:51.520 why I should say not new he's returning to the 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:55.560 Vikings beat. He posted an article with his projected fifty 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:58.640 three man roster, which I mean I saw him out 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:01.000 here during all of the practices, So this is based 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:05.080 on solely his observations and how things were ran by 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:08.920 coach O'Connell during Mini camp and OTA. So I thought 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:10.840 it'd be a good time to kind of go through 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:14.040 position by positions see if we see any wild cards 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.280 or any names that maybe were shocked to maybe not 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:19.640 see on the fifty three man roster. But also let's 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:23.000 talk more about just the battles themselves, like if a 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:26.680 guy's left off, who's fighting him for that bubble spot? Right? Yeah? 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:29.160 I mean the hard part with this is you get 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:31.119 to this time of year, you haven't even hit training 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:33.200 camp yet. You don't know what happens with injuries, you 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.160 don't know what happens with even outside moves. There's talk 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:38.080 of free agents still out there, you know, just trying 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:40.000 to figure out what's going on. But when a guy 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:42.840 like Seaford kind of puts his list together, you start 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:44.359 to kind of pay attention a little bit more to 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:46.280 these positions, and it's going to be a talker all 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:48.919 through training camp. You know, I went through this too 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:51.799 ahead of time obviously and looked around and there were 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:54.599 some names I think that I was like, oh, you know, 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:57.200 in my head I had them. But then you also 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:00.560 that when you actually go through position by position, you 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:03.680 start to realize how many people have to you have 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:05.200 to say goodbye to at the end of it. Like 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:07.240 it kind of puts it into perspective. Well, that's the 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:09.919 hard part too. When it comes to general managers and 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.680 coaches having to make those decisions. There's a ton of 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:14.880 different things that come in. It's is it somebody we 0:05:14.880 --> 0:05:17.920 could put on practice squad, is it a veteran salary? 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:20.120 Is it something where they're trying to massage the cap, Like, 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:24.080 there's all of these reasons why they make some decisions. 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:27.960 And you know, sometimes there's veterans who are guys that 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:29.680 they want to give a shot just knowing they're not 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:30.960 going to make it, and they tend to cut them 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:34.080 early to give them that opportunity to jump on somewhere else. 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:36.599 There's so many different things and so many variables, so 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:38.200 all of this is going to change within a month, 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.720 basically a month and a half. But you know, it's 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:42.359 a good list to look through and just kind of 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:44.680 see if there's any names here that jump out at you. Yeah, 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:46.599 I mean it's fun to talk about this kind of stuff, 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:49.279 and it's fun to talk about the quarterback position. That's 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.839 the first one we'll get going with. It's it's pretty standard. 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:56.799 I think Kevin has Kirk, Cousins, Sean Manion, and kelln 0:05:56.880 --> 0:06:00.960 man three qbs on the roster. There's no there's there's 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:03.640 nothing shocking here. It's the three main people that you 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:06.600 really think about here at quarterback and you know, barring 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.520 some sort of craziness that's happened in the past during 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:11.720 training camp, you know, some sort of a quarterback move 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:13.880 that would have to be made, these are the three 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:15.919 guys that you just look at and say, Cousins, Manning, 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:17.560 and Mond these are who you expect to be on 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:20.240 the roster. Yeah. Right now there are four quarterbacks in 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:23.479 the roster, with Nate Stanley who's been here before, fighting 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:27.120 for some playing time as well. Moving to running back, 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:33.600 Kevin has Dalvin Cook, Alex Madison, kna Wong Wu, C. J. 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:36.480 Hamm and Tie Chandler, which you have to think they're 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:39.040 going to give the rookie, oh for sure, a chance 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:41.359 to be on this list, but I mean it's a 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.680 big running back room though. That's the thing. It's it's 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.120 five on that list, you know. I think the ideas 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.320 is Tie Chandler somebody that you could potentially slide through 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:52.680 two practice squad. I think he is a prime candidate 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:54.720 for people since he was a draft pick, for us 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:56.760 to want to poach a guy like that, or to 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:58.760 reach out to him if he gets cut, to say Yo, 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:00.080 we want to bring you in and give you a 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:03.440 shot with our room. I've seen a bunch of stuff 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:07.320 even recently online talking about kind of the most in 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:10.320 depth running back rooms in the league. There's kind of 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.679 a list of the top eight teams Vikings were hovering 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:16.200 in that like three to four range as far as rankings. 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:20.040 There is a glut of riches here, and it is 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.600 exciting to think about, you know, Kenay as fast as 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:26.000 he is and Ty Chandler now having that speed. CJ. Hamm. 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:27.960 There's a ton of discussion we've even had on this 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:30.800 show about what is his role going to be. And 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:32.760 he's somebody that could be kind of a secret weapon. 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:35.040 So all five of these guys make sense, and I 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:37.560 think there's some really good talent there in that room. Yeah, 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.600 Jake Bargas is a guy that I think Minnesota's used 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:43.960 to hearing from as well. He's been through camp here before. 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:47.520 He's on the roster currently to fighting for I guess 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:50.840 practice squad something like that, because you know, as long 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:54.080 as CJ can stay healthy. Yeah. And that's the other 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:57.960 thing too, is like I said before, barring injuries or 0:07:58.000 --> 0:07:59.960 something crazy happening, you know, there's a good list here 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.920 and Bargas said he's going to get his shot as well. 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:04.680 And it's just hard when you have a ton of 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:07.400 talent in that room just to you know, eventually someone's 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.960 going to be the odd man out if if Jake 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.000 really whiles I'm here in camp, you know who knows 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:15.880 here is where I got a little interesting okay wide receiver. 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.240 We know how talented these guys are, and you got 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:25.040 to think justin Jefferson, Adam Feelin, kg Asbourne locks. But 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.760 then you've also got B. C. Johnson out there, who 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.559 was a stunnard during a training camp last year before 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:33.920 his injury. Kevin has him making the roster along with 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:38.080 Jalen Naylor, the rookie out of Michigan State, and Albert Wilson, 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:41.400 the free agent signing that was made I guess a 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:46.280 month ago or so. Now that leaves a Mere Smith 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:51.360 Marsett off of this list. In Kevin's opinion, I'm curious 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:53.800 me too. But at the same point, I'm curious if 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.040 there's something in there where he's kind of thinking about 0:08:56.080 --> 0:09:00.480 that due to the injury that he had had here 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:03.800 this offseason. I don't know if he's taking that into account. Yeah, 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:06.240 but that is a surprise just in that he was 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:08.520 a guy that people were pointing at to say, you know, 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:10.920 what can he do as a returner, whether it's punt 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:13.520 or kick returner or something. I think there's a ton 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:16.600 of options here at the wide receiver spots, and it 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:19.720 just really comes down to Kevin O'Connell scheme and what 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:22.240 he really wants to do. That's a good point, I think. 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:25.360 Also part of it. I mean, Kevin did mention, Kevin 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.800 Sefert did mention that he will probably be battle Naylor 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:32.199 and Wilson for punt return ability. So if you're a 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:35.320 mere Mark Smith Marsette, you see you know Jefferson, thelan 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:38.200 Osbourne as kind of locks right now, you've got to 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:40.320 make it known that you can be on special teams. 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:43.800 You're competing against BC Johnson, who's had big games before, 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:46.200 who's a more of a more season vet. But you 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:48.520 can't let a talent like a Miror Smith Smarsette hit 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:50.520 waivers either well. And that's the thing is if he 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:53.199 does still have an injury designation, there's all these other 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:55.360 rules and apply to that kind of stuff too, So 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:58.200 it just depends on how long they're going to expect 0:09:58.280 --> 0:10:01.040 him to potentially be out. So a guy like I 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:04.199 think a guy like a Mere Smith Marsette, everyone has 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:06.440 seen the talent. I think there's going to be a 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:08.439 feeling that he's definitely going to get a fair shake. 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:11.199 But it just depends on if he can be out there. 0:10:11.240 --> 0:10:13.679 You know. It's the kind of the Pete Bursas. She 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:15.680 used to always talk about it and say, you can't, 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:17.360 you know, make the club in the tub, and it's 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:19.800 like you just you have to get out there and 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.479 take all this time basically between all of the OTAs 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:25.640 and the mini camp and then with training camp coming 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:28.079 and just doing as much of the rehab as you can. 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:29.840 So I'm sure for a guy like him, he's he's 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.120 itching to get back out there. Oh, for sure. I 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:37.360 mean there's twelve guys competing for you know, if you're 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:40.720 going off of Kevin's list six spots, right, there's twelve guys. 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.920 I mean you're missing out on names like a mere 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:45.600 Blake Prole, who's coming back from an injury as well, 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:48.920 looked great at camp last year. Until then Dan Chisenna 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:53.760 who he's speed is unmatched, and he's been on special 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:56.240 teams as a you know, a gunner and he's done 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:57.880 a ton of work there too. So again, the guy 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:00.440 like Dan, you're looking at it saying, you know, where's 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:02.480 his role? What's he going to be is that they're 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:04.600 going to put him out there as a special teamer. 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:06.240 You know, what are they going to do? Is he 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:08.080 going to make the roster or not. There's just a 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:09.920 lot of questions, Like you said that, that room is 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:12.719 absolutely a little bit twelve people twelve, Yeah, it's kind 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:15.920 of crazy a room that's a bit on the smaller side. 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:18.560 Tight ends. There are five of them on the roster. 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:22.240 Kevin has four of them making the final fifty three 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:26.319 man list. Don't forget guys, this is this pre pre preseason. 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:31.480 Absolutely predictions. We've got Irv Smith, Junior, Ben Ellefson, Johnny Mutt, 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.680 and Nick Muse, which leaves Zack Davidson off of the 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:38.480 main fifty three man roster draft picked from two years ago. 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:41.520 And then I mean, he's I'll say this about Zach. 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:45.120 You know, it is a very crowded tight end room, 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:47.839 but he is here at the facility all the time, 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.000 working like he is here so much so it should 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:53.760 be a really interesting competition. I just remember a guy 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.320 like Tyler Conklin that this is where, this is where 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.160 he shined. Was everyone kind of had him as kind 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:00.760 of an odd man out. They're just kind of a 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:04.000 bit player. And then training camp hit last year and man, 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.480 he was making some circus catches. He was one of 0:12:06.520 --> 0:12:08.920 those guys that was a grinder who was constantly its facility, 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:12.480 working really hard. And all I know is within that 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:14.600 tight end room, if they've got five and they're potentially 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:17.040 on this list keeping four, there's going to be a 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:18.720 lot of work that's going to have to happen during 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:21.560 training camp. And I think a guy like mus coming 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.360 in here and then yeah, yeah, I think he makes 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:26.720 it for the special team's role more than likely, right, 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.640 most likely, you know, I think it's one of those 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:32.560 things where they We've even had you know, cut week 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:34.480 of talking about it, saying it doesn't hurt. You know, 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:36.880 that's where these guys really shine. And if they can 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:39.480 make the roster that way and then progress in their 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.480 position group, it's going to be a big help. We 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:44.319 all assumed that Irv Smith was going to be the 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:47.440 guy last year. He got hurt, Tyler jumped in there, 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.080 and you know, it just kind of shows you what 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:52.840 if something were to happen again, knock on wood for IRV. 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.559 But if something were to happen again, which one of 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:58.360 these guys is going to jump up? I know, I'm 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:01.760 just saying in event like that, it just shows you 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.400 depth wise, these guys need to step up and make 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:06.320 make their head. Yeah. I mean, I think I'm most 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:09.600 excited to see IRV just out there and to see 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.520 the difference he can make, because you know, he was 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:16.400 quote unquote wide receiver number three last year. Heading into 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.000 training camp and watching him and things like that, and 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:21.120 that's when a guy like Tyler Conklin and even kJ 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:23.400 Asbourne really had to step up, and so you see 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:25.920 these guys emerge. I just hope he can return to 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:29.680 that same spark because he is just fun to watch. 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:33.880 I know this Ben Elfson, guys, Minnesota, there you go. 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.480 He is more of a blocking tight end, so he 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.679 could be more of that utility player who could do more. 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:43.680 Johnny Munt spent time in the Rams with O'Connell last season, 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.440 so he brings in a little bit of knowledge and 0:13:46.480 --> 0:13:50.200 experience within there. So yeah, that's a really interesting one. 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:53.160 Another one that's gonna be fun to watch the offensive 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:57.600 line Minnesota. Everyone loves talking about the offensive line, but 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:00.520 it's it's kind of interesting though. You go into camp 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:05.079 and you have to assume four of the five positions 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:08.680 are locked in by starters who have experienced in those 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:12.840 roles together, barring some sort of a crazy differing of 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:16.080 opinions by the offensive line coaching staff and even you know, 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:20.280 O'Connell himself and whatever they've been discussing, I think that 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:23.240 we all assume at this point, like you said, four 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:26.480 of those five positions are set. The fifth position, the 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:28.640 guard position, is going to be the one that's going 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:31.880 to be a huge battle. And with the changeover of 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:34.680 the position group, with a bunch of extra new talent 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:37.280 that has come in this offseason, I am curious who's 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:39.160 going to step in and take that role. Yeah, we've 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:42.080 got Garrett brad Berry as the center, and then Ezra 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:46.440 Cleveland as a guard. Christian dar Saw tackle. You've got 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:50.160 Bryan O'Neill tackle. So you've got your bookends there and 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.000 so it's really that right guard spot, like you said, 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.520 that's up for grabs. Jesse Davis is someone who is 0:14:56.640 --> 0:15:00.840 experienced at that position. He took the first team reps. 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:03.760 He switched out a lot with Chris Reid. They do 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:06.280 not have Wyatt Davis on this list, the draft pick 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.120 who we haven't seen much of. But you have to 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.120 keep in mind that they've got two guys in the 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:14.480 draft as well, add ingram Vadarian Lowe that are also 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.160 they're probably they're just needing to earn their spot and 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:18.800 need to get that time. They're not going to make 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:23.320 necessarily let them go to waivers just yet, especially that's 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.480 how high they picked them. And then you've got a 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:29.120 guy like Austin Schlottman who is really versatile and plays 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:32.480 multiple positions. So those are the names that we see 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:37.080 on this list by mister Seyffert, and a couple of 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:41.480 the names that you know the offensive line injuries happen, 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:45.640 You're gonna have to shuffle things around a lot more 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:47.640 than I guess you really expect. So we do see 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:52.280 guys like Kyle Hinton, oli Udo, Whyatt Davis, Guys that 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:54.920 may not make the fifty three, but they're not going 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.160 to be unheard of. You're going to hear from these 0:15:57.160 --> 0:16:00.680 guys again. Offensive line is also a position where when 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.320 there are usually cuts that happen in camp from other 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:06.880 teams and everything. Teams really pay attention to that because 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:09.240 the biggest thing, like you've mentioned, is just depth at 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:12.880 that position. We haven't had a solid depth at that 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:16.000 position here, which has caused the angst over the years 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:18.960 at this point, and so there has there's been a 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.960 feeling of we're trying to kind of restock the shelves 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:25.280 at this point, and hopefully the right guard gets solidified 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:28.920 early and we'll really start to know once those preseason 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:32.160 games happen if everything looks kind of clean. But that 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.480 is the sixty four thousand dollar question, is what's going 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:38.000 to happen at that right guard position. You also Blake 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:41.440 Brandell and timon Paris as some tackles that are fighting 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:46.880 for positions in playing time roster spots whatnot, this offseason, 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:50.360 this training camp. So moving on, let's go to the 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:53.600 defensive side of things. We'll kick that one off with 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.320 the defensive line. The guys looking at the uglies in 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:58.600 the middle. Now, they're not ugly, I don't mean it. Yeah, 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:00.960 we used to our team we're we're the Cougars, and 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:05.520 in college were we called ourselves the fat Cats. That's good. 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:07.480 So it was basically, yeah, the fat cats were they are? 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:09.919 All right, well, the fat cats on the defensive line. 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:12.800 This will be the really, this will be the probably 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.240 the most interesting because maybe we're not used to seeing 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:19.400 the numbers that they're normally keeping at each of these 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:24.520 positions between defensive line, outside linebacker, and inside linebacker. So 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:28.520 what they what Kevin has right here is five defensive 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:34.640 linemen Issasio, Tomy, Woe, Harrison, Phillips, Dalvin, Tomlinson, armand Watts. 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:37.359 It said five, but I'd listed for it says five 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:40.359 on his doc. Yeah, okay, well you know, maybe that 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:43.240 fifth position is still up for a little bit of debate. 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:48.560 I think that those guys bring in so much experience. 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.680 Then you have Assasi, who has the intangibles that are 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:56.440 just ready to go from just down the road in Minnesota, 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:58.959 and so though he's got the right guys bringing him up, 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.600 it's going to be exciting to see Harrison, Phillips and 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:04.280 Dalman Tomlinson right there in the middle and armand showed 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.359 a lot of promise last year. I think the discussion 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:11.600 with this being a three four centered defense, that is 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:13.840 where your defensive line group here is a little bit 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:17.959 smaller because you're basically looking at what's happening on the 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:21.280 interior of that defensive line. There's going to be a 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:23.800 larger trunk of linebackers here as part of that group. 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:26.600 But we've all kind of had that discussion as well 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:28.879 in the offseason, saying, well, as it going to be 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:30.840 a three four, is gonna be four three? Coaches have 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.840 basically said it's gonna be whatever the offensive Yeah, like, 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:37.120 whatever it dictates will put them out there. Luckily, your 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:42.800 your quote unquote outside linebackers, you have some serious athleticism 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:45.320 there with guys that are traditionally defensive ends that can 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:48.159 also play that linebacker position. So when it comes to 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:52.359 the defensive line Atomy, Will, Phillips, Tomlinson, and Watts, all 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.840 four of those guys, they're they're going to be exciting 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:58.800 to watch with Harrison Phillips being added. Delvin has been 0:18:58.840 --> 0:19:01.600 a you know here and and has kind of proven himself, 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:04.600 and Urban Watts was really coming on last season, so 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:06.399 I'm curious to see what he's gonna be. Yeah, I 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:08.520 think this will be your four for armand so he's 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:11.560 kind of really clicked on last season and now now 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:15.080 getting another chance. Uh. It's interesting because there are like 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:18.320 eleven guys on the defensive line roster right now, so 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.680 like that's where another like the receiver position, that where 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:23.560 another chunk of guys you're going to see practice squad 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.639 or hit the hit the waiver wire. But a couple 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:30.280 of names that we're used to seeing around here. Jonathan 0:19:30.320 --> 0:19:32.440