Jamie Erdahl on Justin Jefferson as "Face of the Franchise", Aaron Jones & NFC North Competition

[Music] she is the host of good morning football on NFL Network it's our home state girl Jamie erll Jamie thank you so much for taking time after the show to join us here on the Vikings content I know it it must been a really tough ask for you to do this I know you know these these kind of things come in all the time everybody always wants to talk to me no Tatum wonderful to see you uh that studio looks beautiful it's been fun to watch all of the you know contract extension the draft picks they all come into that desk and they sign I'm like I know exactly where that is it always warms my heart I'm always happy to chat I love that because you know we know you love the Vikings and Justin Jefferson's contract extension you kind of referenced it right there I'll just kick it off with that what was the excitement level and The Impressions I guess around NFL Network and and I guess within your family and yourself for for him being in Minnesota long term in hindsight is a bit of an emotional roller coaster I'll be honest because watching Kirk Cousins leave uh the team in the off season there was really a feeling of where do we turn next where is our Allegiance in terms of those guys that we love the bedrocks the Main Stays of the team um where does that go and you were hoping it was Justin you would hope that that money not going to the quarterback at the time would then turn to your star wide receiver but you never know you never know how things are going to shake out and frankly over this last week and this this preseason in particular watching this Brandon iuk CD lamb situation go on I makes me quite proud and relieved the fact that Minnesota took care and Jamar Chase they took care of business when they did and it makes everyone happy it makes him show up to training camp and you know be ever present in the building the way Justin Jefferson needs to be what do you think it's like to have or how important is it to have a guy who is the face of the franchise who is almost like the face of the NFL right now to be in purple and gold what does that mean well I've known Justin specifically since his time at LSU when I was covering the SEC on CBS and I remember thinking of him when he was a college student just man that is a charismatic approachable young man and I was always very impressed by him then he gets to Minnesota and he continues to be that and he grows and he builds not only in what he is on the field but the person that he is um in the locker room as well so he is not fake he is authentically this person that I think his teammates are drawn to that the media is drawn to that you know he's on a Netflix show you want to know more about him and it's so lucky when an organization finds a guy who you want to pay who gets paid who plays well enough to be paid the amount that he is and he is as you mentioned the face of your franchise when those all of those things coincide I don't think you can put a dollar amount on that value yeah I think the Wolves and the Vikings organization obviously agree with you on that one uh let's talk a little bit more about this Vikings offense is there a particular storyline that you've been wanting to talk about or have talked about on good morning football that you'd want to highlight about this Vikings offense well besides the obvious the fact that um it was going to be a JJ McCarthy question mark I know I I I I'll say now that I'm because we have this argument all the time on the show about Drake May and I was in I am in the stance that Drake May should not play but then all of a sudden when I start to think about the Vikings and just in my bones I want them to do well it was hard to push out those intrusive thoughts of like don't let the rookie play if he's not ready just don't do it even though I so badly wanted to see JJ play now since all of that is aside and you hope his recovery goes as well as it does is this going to be like a cool Geno Smith story where Sam darnold comes in on a one-year deal and is this for some reason the perfect puzzle piece that he needed to tap into what he is capable of doing now how that conflicts with JJ McCarthy's future is be I'm just looking at this one season the quarterback's situation and and is is a curious one but I was really proud of the Vikings pulling Aaron Jones over from the Green Bay Packers uh we know him on the show he's guest hosted hours I've sat next to him I think I always like to count how in hours how long I've sat next to somebody on TV I think he's going on 30 hours next to me at some point and he's a really cool personality and this was at a time when Rogers was about to leave for the jet so so Rogers is still a jet Aaron Jones is on the show openly looking at the camera with his sunglasses on and begging Rogers to stay with us stay you're my guy you're my guy so he I I I think he's awesome I think he's talented I think he still has a lot left in him and I his personality fits in the midwest despite being an El Paso guy it's very random but um I I was really proud and thrilled about that I think it was a massive get for the Vikings yeah they made a lot of moves this off season for sure and Aaron Jones is one of the more exciting ones on offense on defense I mean you have Brian Flor is coming back for us his second season there's a lot of new faces on that side of the ball what do you hope to see from the Vikings defense this season well sitting next to Jason mccordi all uh for my two First Years on the show Jason played for Brian um when he was with the dolphins and so he specifically knew what uh Flores demands from his defense and really the type of guys he required so it wasn't until I started listen to Jason talk about a Flores Le defense and that it was going to take him always a year or two to get guys in that specifically fit the style intensity and demands of a of a Brian Flores defense so I think we're going to start to see the fruits of that by now and specifically I'm talking about Dallas Turner and that draft pick um I was I I I was so amazed that he was still sitting there for the Vikings in the draft I think that is going to play out impeccably for this defense um I really really excited about the physical physical nature that flor's demands on the defense but also finally getting some pieces in there that can live up to what he needs for sure I mean that defense is going to be so key this year because again a lot of question marks with the quarterback and the offense and how things are going to go and uh and and just to make matters even more so difficult would be the the division that they're in the NFC North feels like one of the more tough divisions this season how do you think the Vikings stay in the conversation for the battle of the NFC North title I think the defense I think we're right where we just left off with the conversation in my mind it's like a how dare they you know reaction to like how dare the Bears potentially find finally the quarterback of their future how dare the Packers do what they've done with between Rogers moving on to Jordan love and then all of this is happening at the same time the Lions figure themselves out after 30 years like seriously this is I guess one could argue this would be the only time to have a LOL if you're the Vikings and maybe you can emerge in two or three years and take over the division again but I'm always big on within your Division if you can split with anybody if you can steal a game in September it makes things a lot more interesting for yourselves in December um they're I think the Vikings unfortunately for them they're going to have to play kind of upset maker in this division that's how talented it is between the AFC North and the NFC North I think those two are the top the toughest divisions in the NFL right now yeah I mean if you think about the way the Vikings were counted out the first year under Kevin oconnell being able to walk away with 13 wins with something special so hoping to recreate a little bit of that magic this season I know that you will be watching you watch literally so much football every day for your role on good morning football I do want to ask you though how is the show going now that you've trans from New York City to La it's good it's the same show I mean I I I wake up I listen to a podcast on my way in I'm just bathing in football right now um I did our family moved from New York to California for this new show uh we added an hour so now the dynamic is such that it's two hours on NFL Network and two hours on Roku and then also starting in September really exciting we're being put into National syndication so in the Minneapolis area St Paul area I believe we're going to be on Channel 9 UM at in mid to late morning yeah so check your local listings which I've never been able to say in my TV career is very exting You' made it Jamie you've officially yeah exactly so um that that's gonna we're really gonna broaden our reach I think and the show that you know in good good morning football and NFL Network on syndication it becomes gmfb overtime and we're hoping to really Branch out into this wider audience so we're going to tap into local markets we're going to make sure we stay on new news stories that are just in your local news and then try to parallel them to football um it's kind of a cool transformation maturation of gmfb and I've loved being a part of it and I'm not going to lie to you I am looking forward to my first California winter com oh there you go that's very true it be probably one of the first Winters you have almost ever that's it's gonna be warm yep yeah you're exactly right and I don't own a single Jacket anymore it's little dangerous but okay well if you ever I was going to ask you actually cuz yeah you you've been away from home now for a few years doing this this show what's the one thing you miss the most about Minnesota oh um Maynards I love it a solid Choice specifically the buffalo chicken wrap at Mayers okay there you go we'll have to send you one Jamie we'll have to send you one well thank you so much for joining us we really love catching up with you we we love having a Vikings fan in the in the main chair for good morning football you can watch Jamie Monday through Friday at 7:00 a.m. on the NFL Network look for her for good morning football overtime I mean now it's a mustat on if if we're going to have to check our local listings thank you so easy Che local excited thank you so much Jamie for your time