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Speaker 1: Cricket Rockett turn Here. Hey everybody, welcome in to another

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Speaker 1: episode of the Tailgate, brought to you by Ticketmaster. It's me,

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Speaker 1: your host, Cy Aminson, taking you through the final week

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Speaker 1: of the NFL season for your Minnesota Vikings. Now, normally

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Speaker 1: this is a two man show, myself the great Chad Daniels. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: with holidays and travel and schedules, the final episode of

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Speaker 1: the season will be a solo one. It's just me.

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Speaker 1: It's well, Jay's here. I shouldn't say it's solo. Producer

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Speaker 1: j Nelson is here, but it'll be me Colin cowharding

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Speaker 1: my feelings directly into a microphone as we prepare for

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Speaker 1: packer week. For the final week, I don't jay, I

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Speaker 1: don't think this is a I'm not mad at Chad because,

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Speaker 1: let's be honest, ninety nine percent of all scheduling problems

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Speaker 1: they begin with me. The only reason Chad is not

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Speaker 1: here is because of me and my schedule not fitting

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Speaker 1: with him in his schedule, because I am not an

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Speaker 1: adult like he is, so I don't plan in the

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Speaker 1: same way. Sure, but I do think letting me alone

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Speaker 1: with the microphone at the end of the year is

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Speaker 1: kind of like letting a kid review a water park

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Speaker 1: without his parents around, Like he might have something interesting

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Speaker 1: to say, But I don't think his perspective is of

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Speaker 1: value compared to the other people who maybe visited the

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Speaker 1: water park and have a maybe a more nuanced understanding

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Speaker 1: of slides and water and physics.

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Speaker 2: So does that make me your lifeguard for the week?

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Speaker 2: Is that the deal?

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Speaker 1: And I hope not. I don't. I want to be unregulated.

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Speaker 1: That's I need no one in charge of me. The

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Speaker 1: problem is the reason why I shouldn't be in charge

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Speaker 1: of a show by myself is because I just start

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Speaker 1: talking about what's going on in my own fan life.

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Speaker 1: And I am in so many fan text threads like

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Speaker 1: I have. I have such a giant Hillbilly family, and

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Speaker 1: I have so many friends who are Viking fans that

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Speaker 1: the amount on Sunday, the amount of different conversations that

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Speaker 1: I'm a part of is psychotic.

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Speaker 2: And I am part of the those conversations.

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Speaker 1: You are you are? I would call you, I would

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Speaker 1: say you are on the receiving end of one of

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Speaker 1: those conversations. You're the guy who, while I'm over dealing

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Speaker 1: with everybody else, you get all my fears and frustrations

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Speaker 1: set on your lap. Well, you're busy trying to actually

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Speaker 1: work for the team during the game.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's one of those things for me, Like I'm

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Speaker 2: just I'm waiting for that kind of stuff to come

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Speaker 2: in and so as I'm running all over the building

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Speaker 2: or trying to get stuff ready or sized text, when's

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Speaker 2: it coming?

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Speaker 1: Hey? Can I tell you something? It makes you so unlikable?

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Speaker 1: You're such a likable guy. But having having you, like

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Speaker 1: as I spin out of control on Sundays, having you

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Speaker 1: respond calmly to either my really negative text or my

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Speaker 1: really positive text, I don't know what gaslighting is, and

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Speaker 1: I've refuse to learn what it is. But it kind

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Speaker 1: of feels in that vein because you respond so calmly,

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Speaker 1: it only makes me feel crazier. So I need you

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Speaker 1: to know that I don't think you're helping. I know

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Speaker 1: that I'm not doing a good thing unloading on you,

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Speaker 1: but I need you to know that I don't think

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Speaker 1: you're helping necessarily the situation.

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Speaker 2: This is the whole reason why you don't have my

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Speaker 2: wife's cell phone numbers, so the two of you can't

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Speaker 2: gang up.

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Speaker 1: That's the only reason one of my firm beliefs is

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Speaker 1: I should have none of my coworkers wife's cell phone numbers. Listen,

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Speaker 1: here's what's going on in the universe of my DMS,

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Speaker 1: text threads and messages. People are It's kind of in

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Speaker 1: two camps. As we are eight and eight. We've won

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Speaker 1: a bunch of games in a row. The packers are

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Speaker 1: going to be without a bus load full of people.

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Speaker 1: We have a chance to go nine to eight. And

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Speaker 1: you have the people who are thrilled they needed some meaning,

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Speaker 1: they needed some positivity. You have the other people who

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Speaker 1: are furious they wanted the draft pick. They don't like

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Speaker 1: to middle. They either want to be on the top

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Speaker 1: or the bottom. And I think you can only be

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Speaker 1: where you're at. So we are at eight and eight.

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Speaker 1: We have an opportunity to go eight and nine or

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Speaker 1: nine and eight. That's what's in front of us. I

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Speaker 1: know it's not a one for one comparison, but I

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Speaker 1: want to harken back Jay to a few years ago

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Speaker 1: when the Lions got a when the schedule was set

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Speaker 1: up weird when it should have been. You know, the

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Speaker 1: Lions shouldn't have known their fate in my opinion, before

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Speaker 1: they played on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.

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Speaker 1: They were eliminated, and they came out and they played

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Speaker 1: their hearts out and won a big game, and a

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Speaker 1: lot of people have viewed that as the springboard into

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Speaker 1: what has been the Lions run. Now, obviously they're on

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Speaker 1: a run because of all the crazy talent and the coaching,

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Speaker 1: et cetera, et cetera, but that was a big moment

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Speaker 1: for them. And I've said this on this show before,

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Speaker 1: and it's as something I'm a firm believer in is

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Speaker 1: locker rooms are weird places. If you have never been

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Speaker 1: in a locker room, at any level of competition, high school, college, professional.

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Speaker 1: You don't know what I'm talking about. There's just a

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Speaker 1: level of belief. You know, sometimes athletes get criticized for

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Speaker 1: being really generic and you know, saying nobody believed in us,

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Speaker 1: and a bunch of people go, well, a lot of

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Speaker 1: people believed in you. But it's because the culture and

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Speaker 1: community and familial nature of locker rooms is extremely bizarre,

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Speaker 1: and it takes a certain mentality and a certain togetherness

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Speaker 1: and a certain i want to say almost corniness. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: that wouldn't play in other corporate or you know, blue

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Speaker 1: collar areas in terms of the workplace.

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Speaker 2: I was gonna say, the annual like accounting of reports

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Speaker 2: and stuff don't come out and everyone's just hooting and

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Speaker 2: holland going crazy. It's like locker rooms are a completely

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Speaker 2: different bit.

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Speaker 1: And I think they are a bit of the snowball

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Speaker 1: rolling down the hill. They tend to believe what they

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Speaker 1: are and then build upon that. So that's why every

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Speaker 1: year or you have what you have with the Chicago

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Speaker 1: Bears right now, right the Chicago Bears have won more

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Speaker 1: games in the last two minutes of the game than

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Speaker 1: any team and whatever that crazy statistic is it's why

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Speaker 1: koc the last you know, last year, and that last

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Speaker 1: that crazy Cousins year. They're winning all those close games

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Speaker 1: when teams that's not a coincidence. When teams start winning

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Speaker 1: like that, they start believing it, they start believing in

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Speaker 1: one another. When they start losing that way, they start

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Speaker 1: believing in it, they stop believing in one another. So

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Speaker 1: every year is its own team and its own roster

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Speaker 1: and its whole own thing. But it's not like this

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Speaker 1: is going to be a new unit Florida ceiling. You

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Speaker 1: have the pillars, the general manager, the ownership, the general manager,

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Speaker 1: the coach, a vast majority of his coaching staff, positional coaches,

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Speaker 1: and you have a lot of cornerstone players spread all

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Speaker 1: over the roster. So yes, the roster and some things

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Speaker 1: are going to look different next year, but not much.

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Speaker 1: And the messaging and the vibes and the community that's

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Speaker 1: built underneath chaos isn't gonna change significantly from what he's

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Speaker 1: been doing each and every year up until this point.

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Speaker 1: And so I don't take lightly like would I love

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Speaker 1: a high draft pick, Yes, But if you're gonna win

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Speaker 1: a few games and land in the football purgatory, which

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Speaker 1: is not a top five to seven pick and not

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Speaker 1: in the playoffs, Well, then do it in a meaningful way.

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Speaker 1: You know, you've seen Koc at the end of each

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Speaker 1: game when he does his post games, he keeps referencing

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Speaker 1: before this streak started, go out and win one game

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Speaker 1: and then like whatever this streak is that some people

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Speaker 1: think is meaningless. There's been a belief in the locker

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Speaker 1: room about it. There's been a belief and a preaching

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Speaker 1: from the coaching staff about it. And I do think

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Speaker 1: that matters. I do think it carries through. I do

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Speaker 1: think for Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, you know, for the

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Speaker 1: young guys, Dallas Turner, Donovan Jackson, people who are gonna

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Speaker 1: be here next year. You know, there's a long list

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Speaker 1: of those guys. I do think it matters, and so

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm all in on winning this game. You know,

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Speaker 1: you can call it meaningless all you want, but we're

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Speaker 1: at eight and eight. You might as well go to

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Speaker 1: nine and eight and you might like to win all

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Speaker 1: those games and then lose one on the Not only

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Speaker 1: am I all in on winning this game. I don't

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Speaker 1: care who they line up. I don't I don't care

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Speaker 1: if they they put their significant others or siblings on

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Speaker 1: the field in Green Bay, Squash them. I like watching

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Speaker 1: Green Bay lose, even if they don't have anything to

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Speaker 1: play for. Squash them, run them into the mud, and

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Speaker 1: walk out with all these wins in a row. And

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Speaker 1: let's build what we're gonna do next. Let's worry about

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Speaker 1: next year, but let's carry that momentum from this one,

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Speaker 1: because that's the best case scenario given you've arrived at

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Speaker 1: this point.

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Speaker 2: For sure. I think the thing that you know, coaching

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Speaker 2: staffs and teams want to do is build stability. And

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Speaker 2: if you're at the end of your season with these

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Speaker 2: different players and guys have different escalators, guys have different meanings.

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Speaker 2: All these guys are the alphas of the alphas, and

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Speaker 2: all they want to do is win. The entire thing

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Speaker 2: is to put good plays on tape and to build

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Speaker 2: a winning culture. And I think you cited the thing

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Speaker 2: that I've been thinking about all season long is the

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Speaker 2: end of that Lion season, and they got to the

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Speaker 2: end of the year and then they continued that going

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Speaker 2: into next season. It's something that I think that everyone

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Speaker 2: that's on this roster and everyone that's going to be

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Speaker 2: on this roster next year, are looking at and pointing

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Speaker 2: at saying, if we finish off on a five game

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Speaker 2: win streak, which would mean Kevin O'Connell has a five

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Speaker 2: game win streak and every season he's been a coach

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Speaker 2: for the Vikings, that is a big deal. And for

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Speaker 2: all of these guys that can carry that momentum into

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Speaker 2: the offseason into whatever they end up retooling into, and

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Speaker 2: then into the twenty twenty sixth season, which ought to

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Speaker 2: be a fun one.

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Speaker 1: It's a pretty unique situation in the NFL where season

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Speaker 1: doesn't go the way you want and there's no changes.

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Speaker 1: Really it doesn't seem in the foreseeable future because you

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Speaker 1: have goodness in those places. So yeah, I think you're right.

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Speaker 1: I think you lean into it. I think you build

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Speaker 1: meaning into this run, and I think there's a lot

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Speaker 1: of stuff you can lean on not to be it's

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's this is we're recording this on New

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Speaker 1: Year's Eve. It comes out on New Year's Day, and

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Speaker 1: so we can do the corny thing, you know, we

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Speaker 1: can do the year in review, we can do the resolutions,

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Speaker 1: we can do the the kitchy sports radio things that

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Speaker 1: that you know, the lists if you will I think

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Speaker 1: what we're talking about feeds right into my main Like,

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Speaker 1: in a season that didn't go where anybody wanted it

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Speaker 1: to go and did have some negativity around it, what

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Speaker 1: are the things that you can lean on and look

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Speaker 1: back at and go that that was a good thing.

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm staking my mental energy. I'm giving space to

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Speaker 1: that and to me. When you talk about this wind streak,

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Speaker 1: you talk about the second half of the season, it's

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Speaker 1: the defense after they got healthy. We got a glimpse

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Speaker 1: of why everybody was having this who's the quarterback discussion,

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Speaker 1: why we were talking about stuff like that in the

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Speaker 1: off season, because it looks like a championship caliber defense.

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Speaker 1: They look like they can play with anyone anywhere at

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Speaker 1: any time. This thing where they didn't hold, where no

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Speaker 1: one got a passing touchdown on them for however long

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Speaker 1: Jay sixth Street games, That wasn't that. Dak was in

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Speaker 1: that run. Yeah, Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb were in

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Speaker 1: that run. And so I just think when you look

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Speaker 1: at the defense, you look at the places that the

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Speaker 1: production came from on a high level, there's not going

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Speaker 1: to be enough turnover that if we are fortunate enough

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Speaker 1: and this goes into my resolutions. But if we are

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Speaker 1: fortunate enough to retain the defensive coordinator and you know,

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Speaker 1: build a little bit more talent around that side of

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Speaker 1: the ball, I don't see any reason why not only

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Speaker 1: is that one of your positive pillars from this season,

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Speaker 1: but it's something that's springboards in the next season and

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Speaker 1: you should be the same amount whatever you felt last season.

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Speaker 1: I think if we get Jalen Redmand back, if this

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Speaker 1: thing looks you know, if Dallas takes the step forward

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Speaker 1: that it looks like he's taking, there's no reason that

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Speaker 1: it shouldn't just be something you're happy about this season,

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Speaker 1: something that you're springing forward into next season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I think the biggest thing is, you know, there's

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Speaker 2: always going to be a roster turnover. There's there's a

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Speaker 2: host of players at this point who are going to

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Speaker 2: be unrestricted free agents and some other people that have

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Speaker 2: different designations. But ultimately it's the same thing like we

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Speaker 2: were just talking about. It's about consistency, it's about building

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Speaker 2: a winning culture, and like you said, a lot of

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Speaker 2: it's going to depend on what happens with the defensive coordinator.

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Speaker 2: It's also going to depend on what's going to happen

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Speaker 2: with some of those players that have been playing out

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Speaker 2: of their minds this season. You cited Jalen Redmond. Redman's

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Speaker 2: the guy that's and he's going to be a highly

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Speaker 2: sought after piece of the puzzle here in the upcoming offseason,

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Speaker 2: and so it's going to be very interesting to see

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Speaker 2: what happens with him. And I just think if you

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Speaker 2: can bring a guy like that back into the fold

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Speaker 2: and pay him and keep him for the future, I

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Speaker 2: think that is a guy you can build around as

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Speaker 2: a young talent for this defense.

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Speaker 1: Let me give the other one the other you know,

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Speaker 1: because this is a subset. This is the year in review,

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Speaker 1: the second thing I'm leaning on, but it's it's a

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Speaker 1: bullet point of the header, that is the defense. When

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Speaker 1: are we going to start talking about Andrew van Ginkel

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Speaker 1: as more than a high level unique gadget the way

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Speaker 1: he's discussed by media and by you know, fans got

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Speaker 1: in this guy, we're any unique. Oh he's so smart,

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Speaker 1: any like I'm I'm over there. And maybe part of

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Speaker 1: it is you couldn't find a more perfect marriage than

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Speaker 1: him and the defensive coordinator. They really work together. Flores

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Speaker 1: knew that brought him in and it's but I don't

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Speaker 1: want to be dramatic to be like, this is a

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Speaker 1: guy that should be talked about in Defensive Player of

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Speaker 1: the Year. But it's not a fluke. What he did

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Speaker 1: last year, those interceptions, the ballhawk always being in the

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Speaker 1: right place. He's an absolute freak. And I think we

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Speaker 1: need to move from discussing his unique Swiss army gadget

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Speaker 1: nature into starting to discuss him amongst the better and

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Speaker 1: or best all around defensive players in the league, because

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Speaker 1: that's what he looks like. It's not a small sam anymore.

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Speaker 1: It's two seasons.

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Speaker 2: He's one hundred percent of difference. Maanker. I remember coming

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Speaker 2: out of Miami, everyone's like, this guy just flashes whenever

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Speaker 2: he gets into games. And I think you talked about

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Speaker 2: the fact that he had the multiple pick sixes last

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Speaker 2: season that really put him on the map for us,

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Speaker 2: but then you just you see him out there making

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Speaker 2: those similar kind of plays just game in and game out.

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Speaker 2: Talks about the fact that, you know, being a former quarterback,

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Speaker 2: he kind of understands what they're looking for and what

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Speaker 2: they're trying to do, so he masks it as well

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Speaker 2: as he does. And the guy's been nothing but absolutely

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Speaker 2: a plus for us since he walked in the door.

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Speaker 2: So Van Ginkle's a guy that you noticed when he

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Speaker 2: wasn't on the field, and when he got back, you

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Speaker 2: started to see different things pop off. You started to

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Speaker 2: see other people around him benefiting from the plays that

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Speaker 2: he was making. And so he's a guy another one.

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Speaker 2: It's just like that is a guy you can help

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Speaker 2: build around on this defense moving forward.

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Speaker 1: It reminds me with him of the early Patriots team

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Speaker 1: because when that two thousand, two thousand and one, two

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Speaker 1: three four, when that first run of the Patriots was

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Speaker 1: winning and having success. I remember what the narrative was.

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Speaker 1: It was all these you know, hard and dads across

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Speaker 1: America going, see, that's how you win. No egos, no superstars,

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Speaker 1: just a team. And the truth was we just didn't

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Speaker 1: realize how many. It took a minute to go, oh,

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Speaker 1: there's a bunch of borderline Hall of famers and Hall

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Speaker 1: of famers on this team.

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Speaker 2: That's what I was gonna say. Guys that were weekend

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Speaker 2: and week out that ended up becoming Pro Bowlers and

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Speaker 2: stuck in Canton with bust after bust.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you just didn't recognize it. At the time, and

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Speaker 1: I wonder to the Van Ginkle thing, wud like he's

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Speaker 1: a gadget players everywhere? Is this that I wonder if

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Speaker 1: years from now we will look back and go, oh,

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Speaker 1: you mean one of the best players in the NFL.

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Speaker 1: That's maybe I'm being a little ridiculous, but I just

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Speaker 1: have such a high level of belief in what that

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Speaker 1: guy is and what his ceiling is that that's number

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Speaker 1: two for me. So the last one on the things

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Speaker 1: that I'm leaning on when trying to be positive because

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Speaker 1: I can't be negative because I'll spiral and no one

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Speaker 1: will like being around me during the holidays is the

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Speaker 1: young core line pieces. Football is one in the trenches.

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Speaker 1: It was a big part of last offseason from a

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Speaker 1: free agency standpoint, but what ultimately ended up happening is

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Speaker 1: some of the non splashy free agency pieces filled in

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Speaker 1: some of that future excitement for me. I think Donovan

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Speaker 1: I say it all the time on the show. I

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Speaker 1: think Donovan Jackson is a stud I think we are

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Speaker 1: not that far away from the whole league talking about

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Speaker 1: how good this guy is on a weekend and week

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Speaker 1: out basis. I think he's fantastic. You mentioned Jalen Redman,

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Speaker 1: who if they can retain him, they found something significantly

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Speaker 1: special in that guy. And then to see Dallas Turner

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Speaker 1: come alive, to see the thing that everybody in the

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Speaker 1: fan base has been waiting for. I think you can

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Speaker 1: walk out of the season going depending on the style

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Speaker 1: of defense you're playing. But right there's nine to ten

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Speaker 1: guys that are considered in that trench group offensive line,

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Speaker 1: defensive line. If you're telling me that we entered this

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Speaker 1: season with a bunch of question marks and we're leaving going,

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Speaker 1: I think Donovan Jackson's a home run, which I do.

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Speaker 1: I think Jalen Redman's a home run, and if we

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Speaker 1: can retain him, he continues to be a home run,

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Speaker 1: which I believe that. And I think Dallas Turner is

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Speaker 1: turning into a home run. You took three question marks

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Speaker 1: and you turned him into home runs. And so everybody

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Speaker 1: is throwing their opinions around about the free agency moves.

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Speaker 1: My focus has been like, yeah, fine, I understand that

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Speaker 1: we can debate all that, but you're trying to tell

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Speaker 1: me we have three young core pieces. You add that

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Speaker 1: to Adarrisaw, you add that to An O'Neill, you add

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Speaker 1: that to there's three young core people, three out of

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Speaker 1: nine thirty three percent of what most football experts believe

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Speaker 1: win games the trenches. Thirty three percent of those you

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Speaker 1: turned from question marks into likely home runs this season.

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Speaker 1: That's astounding to me. That is such a big thing

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Speaker 1: to take out of this season if I'm not in

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Speaker 1: a negative sense.

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Speaker 2: And that's the thing with Jackson too, Like if you

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Speaker 2: go back and look at those Vikings offenses that were

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Speaker 2: going nuts with Adrian Peterson and Robert Smith and whatever,

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Speaker 2: you had guys like Randall McDaniel, You had guys like

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Speaker 2: Steve Hutchinson. Those guys were your anchors that you could

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Speaker 2: kind of build around for those things, and they became

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Speaker 2: your future leaders in offense. They were the ones that

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Speaker 2: would speak up and be able to be like, you know,

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Speaker 2: today's going to be a running day, guys, and we're

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Speaker 2: gonna basically control everything, and that's gonna be the difference

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Speaker 2: in the game. My favorite Donovan Jackson moment for the

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Speaker 2: year was when I was at the Dublin game. I

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Speaker 2: walked out of the NFL shop but had this giant

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Speaker 2: line that was like a block and a half long,

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Speaker 2: and as I walk out the door, I look and

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Speaker 2: here's Donovan Jackson standing in line with the rest of

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Speaker 2: the people in Dublin waiting to walk in to try

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Speaker 2: to potentially buy a sweatshirt or a T shirt at

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Speaker 2: the NFL shop. And I just looked at my friends

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Speaker 2: that I was with and I went Nobody else around

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Speaker 2: here realizes this is the number one draft pick that

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Speaker 2: the Vikings had and he's standing in line to go

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Speaker 2: get a T shirt. If he wanted to, he could

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Speaker 2: have walked up to security and said I'm a player,

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Speaker 2: let me in. Nope, got in line with every other person.

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Speaker 2: I'm like, that is the blue collar guy that we

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Speaker 2: want on this offensive line. And I'm hoping that, like

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Speaker 2: what we've seen so far this year is only just

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Speaker 2: the tip of the iceberg. That is a guy that

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Speaker 2: you can build around and he's going to be awesome

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Speaker 2: to be here for a very long time.

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Speaker 1: So let's do resolutions and then we'll shut down this

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Speaker 1: New Year's Eve show. I want to tell you a

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Speaker 1: couple of things that I'm really looking forward to this weekend,

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Speaker 1: but also, but let's do resolutions, because if we're going

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Speaker 1: to do the year in review, we got to do

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Speaker 1: the year moving forward. What's next. One of the fun

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Speaker 1: things about being a fan is saying what you want

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Speaker 1: to happen, criticizing what happens, loving what like. Thinking you're

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Speaker 1: smarter than the people making the decision is one of

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Speaker 1: the things that makes professional sports truly an escape. Right

408
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Speaker 1: you're so deeply invested you think you know you want

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Speaker 1: to I like that. I enjoy that part. I also

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Speaker 1: am very aware of how insanely difficult the processes and

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Speaker 1: jobs are, of the evaluators and the scouting staffs and

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Speaker 1: stuff like that. I think that's when you start, you know,

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Speaker 1: when you get to work for a team and you

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Speaker 1: get to see inside the building and it stops being

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Speaker 1: something you watch on Sunday and it starts being like, oh,

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Speaker 1: you go to work every day and do a job,

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Speaker 1: and then you realize how much goes into everything. It's

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Speaker 1: it's kind of like, what's that phenomenon called where people

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Speaker 1: don't they're too dumb to realize what they don't know

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Speaker 1: about a thing, so they think they're good at it.

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Speaker 1: Dun Yeah, there we go, right. So I just constantly,

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Speaker 1: whenever I'm in the building, get smacked in the face

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Speaker 1: with the gigantic operation that it takes to run a

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Speaker 1: sports organ I saw that at ESPN. You go into

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Speaker 1: these teams and into these locker rooms, you go, oh

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Speaker 1: my god, look at how many people it takes to

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Speaker 1: make any of this happen. So I think the nice

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Speaker 1: thing about being a Viking fan right now is we

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Speaker 1: have great ownership, and that's the number one thing in sports.

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Speaker 1: And I think they truly want to win, and so

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Speaker 1: you have this belief that things are being done right,

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Speaker 1: and then that gets reinforced right by the grades every year,

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Speaker 1: like the Vikings always land right near the top of

434
00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:06,760
Speaker 1: and I think that's why it makes it hard to

435
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,880
Speaker 1: bottom out as an organization when you have such the Steelers.

436
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,600
Speaker 1: You see this as well, when you have such good infrastructure,

437
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,680
Speaker 1: you know, management processes, you know talent, it becomes difficult

438
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,560
Speaker 1: to be anything other than at the very least competitive.

439
00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:27,760
Speaker 1: And so I try to stay away from the I

440
00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:29,960
Speaker 1: don't want this guy, I want this. I can't do

441
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,040
Speaker 1: that with my resolutions, right, I leave that. I leave

442
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:35,960
Speaker 1: that to my psycho threads where no one can Ever.

443
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:38,320
Speaker 1: I don't want that on record. I don't want anybody

444
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,680
Speaker 1: to tell me how wrong I was about something anytime

445
00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:42,320
Speaker 1: in the future.

446
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,639
Speaker 2: You just want that on Jay's text threads on game.

447
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,239
Speaker 1: Day, right, I want that on Here's the thing. If

448
00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:50,520
Speaker 1: Jay's text threads get released to the world, I I've

449
00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,200
Speaker 1: got a lot of problems. I've got a pr nightmare

450
00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:58,359
Speaker 1: on my hands. Here are my three broad resolutions, and

451
00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:02,600
Speaker 1: the first one is a retain someone bring him back.

452
00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,760
Speaker 1: But I think it's the obvious one. It's Flores. Yeah,

453
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,119
Speaker 1: I hope nothing but the best for this guy. Right,

454
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,159
Speaker 1: He's been such a killer for the team. He seems

455
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,920
Speaker 1: by all accounts to be an excellent guy. I'm rooting

456
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:16,840
Speaker 1: for him. I hope he gets a head coaching job.

457
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,680
Speaker 1: But the fan in me, the guy who loves the

458
00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,040
Speaker 1: Vikings and wants them to win. Man, I hope he's

459
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,680
Speaker 1: our defensive coordinator for the next thirty years. It just

460
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,879
Speaker 1: he is the anecdote to whatever innovation is happening in

461
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:33,200
Speaker 1: the league. He's so unique, He's coached so many positions.

462
00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,840
Speaker 1: He's got such a weird background coming up as a scout.

463
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,800
Speaker 1: He just knows football in this different way. He knows

464
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,080
Speaker 1: what he wants and knows how to execute it. And

465
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:43,520
Speaker 1: as long as he's on that side of the ball,

466
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:47,280
Speaker 1: man like it's hard to go from not in the

467
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,040
Speaker 1: playoffs to winning a super Bowl, for sure, but because

468
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,520
Speaker 1: the super Bowl, because of the NFL, is a true

469
00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:56,040
Speaker 1: salary cap sport. It's the one sport where you really

470
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,240
Speaker 1: can do that can you can make steps pretty quickly

471
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:00,840
Speaker 1: and in a couple of years you go from being

472
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,520
Speaker 1: at the bottom to being at the top. It can happen.

473
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,640
Speaker 1: And to me, if you are able to retain someone

474
00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:15,520
Speaker 1: like Brian Flores and you have the offensive firepower from

475
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:20,040
Speaker 1: a talent weapons standpoint and brain power from a coaching standpoint,

476
00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:23,440
Speaker 1: I think, just as a fan, you feel like you're

477
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,560
Speaker 1: really ready to take another swing. You don't. You don't

478
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,639
Speaker 1: have to wait for next Wednesday because you struck out

479
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:31,720
Speaker 1: at the end of the game. It's just an inning.

480
00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:33,960
Speaker 1: We're coming back. We'll be back up to bat. I

481
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,000
Speaker 1: know I'm mixing sports metaphors and it's getting confusing, but

482
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,280
Speaker 1: you just I think, if we're lucky enough that Brian

483
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:43,359
Speaker 1: Flores is this team's defensive coordinator through this offseason and

484
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,440
Speaker 1: in the next year, there's no reason that you shouldn't

485
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,399
Speaker 1: be carrying the same sort of enthusiasm you may be

486
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,919
Speaker 1: carried into this season in the next season.

487
00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:53,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think if you look at the talent

488
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:55,800
Speaker 2: that's been put on his defense, I think a lot

489
00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:58,399
Speaker 2: of those guys were people that he identified that he

490
00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,800
Speaker 2: was looking for. Your Cashman's, your Grenard's, your Van Ginkles.

491
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,240
Speaker 2: Those guys who have been those kind of difference makers

492
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,159
Speaker 2: on this defense are guys that he just looked at

493
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,119
Speaker 2: and said, I know they're going to work in my system.

494
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,320
Speaker 2: Let's bring them in. And I think, you know, having

495
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,760
Speaker 2: a cornerstone like him, if we're able to retain him,

496
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:15,680
Speaker 2: that's just one of those other things that you don't

497
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,359
Speaker 2: have to necessarily worry about anymore. I mean, right now,

498
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,160
Speaker 2: your sixthn yards allowed a game, third and passing yards

499
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,959
Speaker 2: a game, and then twenty second rushing, but overall your

500
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,400
Speaker 2: tenth and points per game. Like, if you are able

501
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,399
Speaker 2: to keep that kind of a thing where you have

502
00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:31,440
Speaker 2: essentially a top ten defense and you're able to pair

503
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:33,840
Speaker 2: that with, you know, whatever is happening with your offense,

504
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,360
Speaker 2: and you can make it as consistent as possible, that's

505
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,080
Speaker 2: when you start to see teams like Chicago flip it

506
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,840
Speaker 2: from fourth place to first place in one season because

507
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,320
Speaker 2: they're able to get everything on both sides of the ball.

508
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:46,440
Speaker 2: So having a guy like Flores come back would be

509
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:47,000
Speaker 2: a huge deal.

510
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,280
Speaker 1: That leads me to my second one. All aboard the

511
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,600
Speaker 1: quarterback train. And here's what I mean by that. I

512
00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,080
Speaker 1: said this at the beginning of the year. I continue

513
00:25:56,119 --> 00:26:00,360
Speaker 1: to say this, whatever the coach decides for quarterback, he's

514
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,720
Speaker 1: earned my willingness to hear him out, watch him and

515
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:05,880
Speaker 1: see what happens when you do what you did with Kirk,

516
00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:07,320
Speaker 1: when you do what you did with Dobbs, when you

517
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,000
Speaker 1: did what you did with Mullins, when you did what

518
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:12,280
Speaker 1: you did with Sam Darnold, Like you've You've shown who

519
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:16,000
Speaker 1: you are. You've earned it. So like I like anyone

520
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:18,800
Speaker 1: and everyone, bring what do you say free agents? Tell

521
00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:20,800
Speaker 1: me about all of them rookies. I want to hear

522
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,840
Speaker 1: about all them JJ give them another shot. Like whatever

523
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:29,119
Speaker 1: whatever they decide, all aboard the train, every option above

524
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:33,680
Speaker 1: the train, and let our quarterback guru, head coach have

525
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,760
Speaker 1: an opportunity to sort it out. Because I think I

526
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,000
Speaker 1: feel the way most people feel is that we are

527
00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:45,600
Speaker 1: a quarterback evolution, you know, a growth, an improvement away

528
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,800
Speaker 1: from this being a very very scary football team. And

529
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,680
Speaker 1: as a byproduct from this being the best division in football.

530
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,720
Speaker 1: Probably that's a different conversation for a different day. But

531
00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,720
Speaker 1: I just you know, I like J. A. J. McCarthy.

532
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:03,600
Speaker 1: I'm rooting for the dude, and I'm but I'm going

533
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,280
Speaker 1: to root for whoever whenever however, and I'm very curious

534
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,160
Speaker 1: to see how all that comes together. And I don't

535
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,960
Speaker 1: think as a fan you could throw any scenario at

536
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,720
Speaker 1: me where I'd be like, nah, I want them, I

537
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,120
Speaker 1: want them all. Throw them all at me, Let's see

538
00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,159
Speaker 1: what happens and let the coach who knows this position

539
00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:25,000
Speaker 1: better than anyone sort it out.

540
00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:26,840
Speaker 2: That's the thing I think. You know, if it's one

541
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:29,240
Speaker 2: thing where you have an anomaly year like this one

542
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,720
Speaker 2: where it just hasn't flowed the way that you wanted

543
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:34,600
Speaker 2: it to. But you've seen repeatedly at other organizations and

544
00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:38,040
Speaker 2: at this one, that if you give him the kind

545
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,040
Speaker 2: of talent that he can identify and knows how to

546
00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:42,359
Speaker 2: work his system, a guy like Koc is going to

547
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 2: be able to, you know, make it happen. So right

548
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,160
Speaker 2: there with you, it's you know, take whatever it takes

549
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,879
Speaker 2: in this offseason, evaluate whatever you gotta do, and then

550
00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:52,159
Speaker 2: and then you know, throw the competition out there, and

551
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,320
Speaker 2: let's see what happens between McCarthy and whoever else they

552
00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:57,960
Speaker 2: identify at this point. So right there with you, buddy.

553
00:27:58,040 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 2: It's the whole thing of if you can get more

554
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,720
Speaker 2: consistent out of this offense, that's going to be something

555
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:03,480
Speaker 2: that's going to be a huge, huge help next season.

556
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:10,040
Speaker 1: The last one for me is a fairly obvious one.

557
00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,199
Speaker 1: It's splashed the draft. And here's here's what I mean

558
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:17,439
Speaker 1: by that. The NFL is a math equation. This has

559
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,639
Speaker 1: always been my opinion. It's the only hard salary cap sport.

560
00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:26,960
Speaker 1: You thrive on getting more production versus the dollars spent

561
00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:30,360
Speaker 1: than the next team. That's why so many, so many

562
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:34,680
Speaker 1: teams win Super Bowls with quarterbacks on rookie contracts right

563
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,800
Speaker 1: or in Roethlisberger's case, on his second contract, where they're

564
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,120
Speaker 1: not making max money because the amount of money they're

565
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 1: making versus what they're putting out what Russell Wilson's you know,

566
00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,400
Speaker 1: I know a lot of people like to joke about

567
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:49,960
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson, but in his early run in Seattle, he

568
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 1: was giving you a lot versus what it was taken

569
00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,240
Speaker 1: from South. So like the ultimate cheat code in the

570
00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,600
Speaker 1: draft in the NFL is to hit the draft and

571
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:05,080
Speaker 1: get some players. People forget that this Cowboys team was

572
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,800
Speaker 1: really middling and trying to find a way a bunch

573
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,880
Speaker 1: of years ago, and then they drafted Micah Parsons and

574
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:15,680
Speaker 1: they drafted Diggs, who coincidentally, I think I just saw

575
00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:22,520
Speaker 1: on ESPN got released. But that Micah Parsons draft reset

576
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,560
Speaker 1: what they were doing. It charted a whole new path.

577
00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:26,880
Speaker 1: And I'm not sitting here thinking that we're gonna go

578
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,840
Speaker 1: out and draft Micah Parsons. I'm not a crazy person,

579
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,600
Speaker 1: but I am saying that given what the team needs,

580
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 1: given what they're looking for, Like right now, if I

581
00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,440
Speaker 1: told you Jay right we got a really good young center,

582
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:42,640
Speaker 1: a really good young tight end, and a really good

583
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,000
Speaker 1: young running back, you'd be very excited about that, right.

584
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:45,400
Speaker 2: Sure.

585
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,920
Speaker 1: Well, traditionally, the way the draft has been prioritized in

586
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,320
Speaker 1: the last few years, it's not like all the tight ends,

587
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,400
Speaker 1: running backs and centers are going early in the first round. Yeah,

588
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,320
Speaker 1: you know, you're finding stud Sam Laporte is a second

589
00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,400
Speaker 1: round draft. You're finding these guys later in drafts. So

590
00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:07,000
Speaker 1: I think the Vikings are geared towards some of the

591
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:11,120
Speaker 1: places they could make a meaningful difference being intriguing, you know,

592
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,920
Speaker 1: because of where those positions are drafted. And then if

593
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,200
Speaker 1: you hit a home run early or you hit a

594
00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:18,280
Speaker 1: we just talked about it, Andrew van Ginko is a

595
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:22,000
Speaker 1: fifth round draft pick. Right, Yes, you can. You can,

596
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,040
Speaker 1: especially when you're close, like I think this team is close.

597
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,000
Speaker 1: Like this winning streak is indicating they're close, like the

598
00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,480
Speaker 1: record versus some of the statistical metrics show how close

599
00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:36,479
Speaker 1: it is. You have a home run draft and everything

600
00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:39,320
Speaker 1: goes the right direction really really quick. So I'm I

601
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:42,400
Speaker 1: don't normally do it, but I think this is gonna

602
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,120
Speaker 1: be the year that as a fan, I'm gonna be

603
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:49,120
Speaker 1: pathetically invested because I don't know anything about college football,

604
00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,520
Speaker 1: so I always stay out of opinions on who gets

605
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:52,080
Speaker 1: drafted and.

606
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:52,720
Speaker 2: What and where.

607
00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:55,960
Speaker 1: But I'm getting into it. Jay, I'm gonna you think

608
00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 1: my messages are bad. Now. Imagine as we roll up

609
00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 1: to draft and I actually you have opinions on the

610
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,880
Speaker 1: guys who might get drafted. I am. I'm concerned that

611
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,720
Speaker 1: I'm about to go deep on caring about the draft

612
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:08,160
Speaker 1: this year.

613
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:10,120
Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to you showing up to the facility

614
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,360
Speaker 2: sitting in my office and watching all the college tape

615
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:14,360
Speaker 2: that we get in for all these different guys, because

616
00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:16,200
Speaker 2: that's actually one of the things that some of us

617
00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,920
Speaker 2: here as we're putting together highlight tapes and for you know,

618
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,840
Speaker 2: visits and other things like that, you're seeing guys as well.

619
00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:23,680
Speaker 2: You're seeing their highlights, you're seeing their low lights in

620
00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:26,680
Speaker 2: certain spots. But it's also something where you're just evaluating.

621
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,480
Speaker 2: And it's the joke is it's kind of like Christmas.

622
00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:30,920
Speaker 2: You know, you're trying to figure out what kind of

623
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:32,920
Speaker 2: presence are under the tree, and you're trying to make

624
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,640
Speaker 2: sure that you know you are doing kind of you've

625
00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:37,520
Speaker 2: talked about it a lot in the past. You are

626
00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:39,600
Speaker 2: trying to refill that well and just trying to make

627
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:41,840
Speaker 2: sure that you've got more and more talent that can

628
00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:44,840
Speaker 2: come in here and augment versus having a completely overhaul

629
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:47,800
Speaker 2: a roster. So hopefully that with whatever is going to

630
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:50,720
Speaker 2: happen here coming up with all the different picks that

631
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:52,920
Speaker 2: we've got, there's all the compensatory and everything else that's

632
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:55,960
Speaker 2: going to hit. But with everything else coming here this offseason,

633
00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:57,880
Speaker 2: I think it's going to be a really interesting offseason

634
00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:00,160
Speaker 2: to see not only once again for free agency. But

635
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:01,520
Speaker 2: what does the draft turn into.

636
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:05,040
Speaker 1: Let's close the show down here and let's close the

637
00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 1: season down on what I'm looking forward to in the

638
00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,360
Speaker 1: final week of the season here, because even though the

639
00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,680
Speaker 1: Vikings upside of our team, even though the Vikings aren't

640
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 1: playing for positioning, there's a couple of fun ones that

641
00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:23,920
Speaker 1: are I'm always going to be a secondary Buffalo Bills fan.

642
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,720
Speaker 1: I think if you are a Viking fan, you should

643
00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,200
Speaker 1: be a Bills fan. That is my belief. They have

644
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,560
Speaker 1: suffered the way you have suffered. They have a famous

645
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,360
Speaker 1: miss kick, they have four lost Super Bowls, They have

646
00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:38,760
Speaker 1: a fan base that they are not unlikable in any way.

647
00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 1: I mean unless your partner divorced you without you, without

648
00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,080
Speaker 1: any warning, and moved to Buffalo and change their number.

649
00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,080
Speaker 1: I guess then you could have some beef with the

650
00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,120
Speaker 1: city at Buffalo. But you'd have to explain to me

651
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,800
Speaker 1: how someone could not like Buffalo from a just rooting

652
00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:01,120
Speaker 1: for them in that city. It's a no brainer to me.

653
00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:03,360
Speaker 2: If your divorce papers were served you while you were

654
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,480
Speaker 2: flying through a table with a chicken wing in your mouth,

655
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,560
Speaker 2: eating blue cheese like you know, there would be some

656
00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:08,080
Speaker 2: trauma there.

657
00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:13,040
Speaker 1: Siye, yeah, get I guess, but I think I think

658
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,040
Speaker 1: with the Chiefs out, with potentially the Ravens out, we'll

659
00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,600
Speaker 1: see how that Sunday night game goes. It's the path

660
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:21,480
Speaker 1: for Josh Allen, and I want to see him do it,

661
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,280
Speaker 1: but in the final week of the season, because they don't,

662
00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:26,680
Speaker 1: there's not really a lot going there. For me. It's

663
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,800
Speaker 1: two things. I'm a Sam Darnald guy. I liked Sam

664
00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:33,320
Speaker 1: when he was here. I like him over there. I

665
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:36,920
Speaker 1: think it's a cool opportunity. He answered the bell against

666
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:39,120
Speaker 1: a team that beat him twice last year, had a

667
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,800
Speaker 1: really nice drive in overtime, beat the Rams. And now

668
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,440
Speaker 1: here he is. It is literally an identical position. He

669
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:49,200
Speaker 1: is playing a divisional opponent for the number one seed

670
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,240
Speaker 1: and the bye. It is a big time game. At

671
00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:55,760
Speaker 1: is primetime, it is Saturday night football. I'm all in

672
00:33:56,520 --> 00:34:00,600
Speaker 1: on hoping Sam Donald has a moment. I think the

673
00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,800
Speaker 1: dude deserves a moment. I'm all in unrooting for him.

674
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:06,280
Speaker 2: Listen, I am salty enough with all these NFC teams

675
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,680
Speaker 2: just in general, because it's not my team that's in there.

676
00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:11,000
Speaker 2: But if there's one team at this point through the

677
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,680
Speaker 2: entire NFC that I can get behind. It's the Seahawks,

678
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,799
Speaker 2: and it's for what you said, Yeah, I mean, it's

679
00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:17,960
Speaker 2: they they and they've done it the right way. That's

680
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:20,440
Speaker 2: the other thing, too, is the other player positions that

681
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,279
Speaker 2: they've identified. I mean, think about the fact you don't

682
00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:24,879
Speaker 2: have a lock at anymore, you don't have a DK

683
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,120
Speaker 2: Metcalf anymore, and all you get is Jackson Smith Jigba

684
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:31,120
Speaker 2: and he's just gone off this season and Darnold has

685
00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:34,400
Speaker 2: absolutely threatening the needle with him. And defensively, they're not

686
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,399
Speaker 2: the legion of Boom, but they are stout as hell

687
00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:38,200
Speaker 2: and they're running the ball as well. So to me,

688
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:40,360
Speaker 2: they feel like one of the most complete teams in

689
00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:42,239
Speaker 2: the entire NFL. And I'm going to be rooting for

690
00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 2: the Seahawks and the NFC side.

691
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:47,040
Speaker 1: My favorite sneaky storyline that we're just not talking about

692
00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:50,040
Speaker 1: is that Jacksonville can still get the one seed. I

693
00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:52,920
Speaker 1: just know it's not even anywhere in the realm of

694
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:56,040
Speaker 1: anybody's conversation. Now. It's not likely they have to win.

695
00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:59,480
Speaker 1: Denver has to lose to the Chargers with it, okay, yeah, okay,

696
00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:04,920
Speaker 1: and New England has to lose to Miami, which is like, right, okay,

697
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,920
Speaker 1: but McDaniel's a good coach. You never know. I to

698
00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,359
Speaker 1: have this whole season, go this whole way, Denver at

699
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:15,280
Speaker 1: top the whole time. Oh, the Patriots are close, everybody's

700
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,480
Speaker 1: talking about Drake May, What about the Bills, What about

701
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:18,759
Speaker 1: the Bills? What about the Bills? And then all of

702
00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:22,279
Speaker 1: a sudden, Jacksonville last game of the season comes in

703
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,919
Speaker 1: and sneaks the one seed that would be all time.

704
00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:29,640
Speaker 1: Because I feel the opposite of what you feel in

705
00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:31,560
Speaker 1: the NFC. I feel in the AFC there are so

706
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:33,839
Speaker 1: many teams that I don't have an issue with. There

707
00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,200
Speaker 1: are so many teams like Jacksonville wins and goes to

708
00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:41,640
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. Awesome, Buffalo awesome, Right Chargers, cool story, love it,

709
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:45,480
Speaker 1: Awesome New England with Drake May. Maybe I don't like

710
00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 1: I'm so open to most of what's happening in the AFC,

711
00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,840
Speaker 1: but I think it'd be really fun for Jacksonville to

712
00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:53,760
Speaker 1: land on the top.

713
00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:55,479
Speaker 2: Of the pot. For me, this year, it's all gonna

714
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:57,279
Speaker 2: be about the chaos. I mean, the fact that you

715
00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,279
Speaker 2: have a bunch of those blue bloods that are gone.

716
00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:01,800
Speaker 2: I want to see teams like the Chargers and the

717
00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,279
Speaker 2: Texans and potentially the Steelers or even the Jaguars. I

718
00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:07,239
Speaker 2: want to see those guys run the AFC as much

719
00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:09,400
Speaker 2: as they can, because who knows when this opportunity is

720
00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:13,160
Speaker 2: going to happen again. All the years with your Peyton Manning,

721
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,480
Speaker 2: your Brady, your Mahomes that have just completely cornered the

722
00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:18,920
Speaker 2: market on the AFC side, I'd love to see a

723
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:20,840
Speaker 2: team come out of nowhere and make a run like

724
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:23,960
Speaker 2: that twenty seventeen with the Jacksonville Jaguars. If you remember,

725
00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:26,959
Speaker 2: they were fighting the Patriots to try to play Super

726
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,800
Speaker 2: Bowl at the US Bank Stadium, So that might be

727
00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:31,480
Speaker 2: the last time they are relevant. But there's this other

728
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:34,040
Speaker 2: stat that I saw too. They've been in the playoffs

729
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:36,600
Speaker 2: three times since two thousand and six, and in that

730
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,080
Speaker 2: they have won at least one playoff game in each

731
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,440
Speaker 2: of those seasons. So I'm hoping that the Jags, with

732
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,400
Speaker 2: whatever's going to happen, whether the number one seed or

733
00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:48,440
Speaker 2: potentially number two or number three, if the Jags can

734
00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:50,360
Speaker 2: actually make a run, it would be a lot of

735
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:52,160
Speaker 2: fun because there were a ton of people that were

736
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,640
Speaker 2: writing off that quarterback for a very long time, and

737
00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:56,520
Speaker 2: the coaching staff and everything else, and all they've done

738
00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:58,960
Speaker 2: this year is pipe it to twelve wins and I

739
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:00,359
Speaker 2: just want to see him make a run as long

740
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:00,799
Speaker 2: as they can.

741
00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:04,160
Speaker 1: That's gonna do it for us on this episode of

742
00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,120
Speaker 1: the Tailgate. That's gonna do it for us. As a

743
00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:09,239
Speaker 1: season on the Tailgate, maybe we'll do some off season

744
00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,160
Speaker 1: stuff around the draft since I am going to be

745
00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:17,040
Speaker 1: so involved in it. Thank you from Chad, myself and Jay, Zach, Martine,

746
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,200
Speaker 1: Blake Wexler, all the people who contributed. We love doing

747
00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:22,680
Speaker 1: the show. We appreciate that you guys listen each and

748
00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:25,640
Speaker 1: every week. Finally, a huge shout out to Ticketmaster, the

749
00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:29,399
Speaker 1: official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings, for helping make

750
00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:32,640
Speaker 1: this show happen. We appreciate you listening all season long

751
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:37,759
Speaker 1: and enjoy the game. Everybody Minnesota needed a go to

752
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,120
Speaker 1: source for everything high school sports. That's why the Star

753
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:46,160
Speaker 1: Tribune created Strib Varsity. Sign up now at startribune dot

754
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:48,400
Speaker 1: com slash Strib Varsity