JJ McCarthy is the Real Deal! - Vikings Win!

hey everybody it's Dave here Daren over there where your happy to Old bloggers we've been sitting here just talking about how happy we were going to bed last night and today waking up knowing that we've got us a team this year and it's absolutely wonderful and we're going to talk about it first theme's going to be we're good to discuss that game that made us all that happy second thing we're going to go into uh the running game a bit I wish that was a little bit more polished last night but you can't be beggers and choosers on everything and we'll get into why but maybe because we didn't see most of the first string running game but we'll find out and thirdly we're going to get into this week in Vikings land we had a trade we've got step for Stefon Gilmore heading to town all sorts of things going on all next on two old bloggers let [Music] [Music] Rock Vikings first and skull presents this week week in Vikings land with Darren and Dave your two old bloggers and welcome back again everyone I appreciate you showing up to listen to us pontificate on your Minnesota Vikings we have Miss Mary Davey stepen uh I see Raymond John delton's in the house Travis is here Stephen's here Dan's here ant's here everybody is here so it's time to get started but first Darren how are things in the great white North pretty Smoky today Dave I'm not sure where the Smoke's coming from but uh otherwise awesome pontificate using the fancy words this morning today Dave I like there's erid hello erid welcome to the show and Mr Bob swed hi Bob and Allan is also with us today and that's freaking right fo love to have you guys here barber in the house as well good so this is fantastic well we should get started then because there is a lot to talk about First theme one and with theme one we're going to talk about the game that's right d Dave the long National nightmare or International nightmare is over football started yesterday Vikings football started even if it wasn't a real game and Vikings win Vikings win 24-23 first time since 2019 they won a preseason game who cares we do Dave We Care a Lot uh but uh as in all preseason games I know a lot of folks that who were here were listening to us yesterday when you ran the uh at the 2minute warning show with Tyler fornes joined us as well afternoon Dr Proto glad to see you Davy Davy chains in in the house all kinds of thanks everybody for watching but yeah going to so recap so we might be going on over old Graham for some of you but I'm sure everybody's uh pretty pumped about yesterday anyway and they'll be uh and we won't mind talking about it again um so as in any preseason Dave game Dave some good some bad but I think overall uh more good than bad and the good I think was more important than the bad for for sure and the first thing we're going to talk about everybody wanted to see how the Vikings quarterbacks particularly Sam darnold and JJ McCarthy were going to do and the results I think were very very favorable on both counts Sam darnold only played the one series I think he went six for 11 something like that but he he looked composed confident we saw that that arm talent that we've been hearing about in training camp uh he showed an ability to to throw with nice touch and ball placement uh you know just arcing the ball just over that dropping linebacker on a couple of occasions just where the ball needed to be got us to the I I think it was the four yard line or the two yard line things kind of stalled there they tried it on Fourth and two didn't didn't he threw a heater to Jaylen Naylor In The End Zone tight coverage tough pass to catch NATO didn't come down with it but a successful first drive for darnold and he looked like that's all the work he got but he looked really good so happy about that but JJ McCarthy was really I think what everybody wanted to see how would he react to his first NFL snaps in a live game even if it was preseason and again I think um he looked pretty pretty good out there Dave uh you know we saw uh he look again he looked calm confident looked like knew what he was doing he got the Vikings in and out of the Huddle quickly there was no timing issues no uh no issues with no false starts no uh delay of games something that's quite common in preseason with rookies when the timing isn't down that went off very smoothly um and Aaron says nice to see a good pocket PR presence and mobility and I would count that for both quarterbacks but yes for sure uh yes I was going to say he you know he he he showed um I think he showed that he put really good zip on a number of his 11 completions uh you saw that really very good arm strength that we've been hearing about against in training camp and that wasn't the thing that JJ mccy got the most kudos for coming out of Michigan but if you're worried about his arm strength and whether he can fit the ball into Tight Windows yesterday showed that he can do that there are no issues there um the two touchdown passes head that's awesome yes Tristan Jackson and Trent sherfield were wide open but JJ McCarthy hit them in stride beautiful Eric on the balls wasn't underthrown wasn't overthrown right where it needed to be beautiful uh now and we saw Aaron talked about the the uh the the his pocket presence we saw him step up in the pocket a few times when he had to create U himself a little bit of extra time better passing Lanes had a couple of nice scrambles one he got a picked up a first down on I think a third and eight that's great to see that's something that K cousins would not be able to do so lots of lots of good stuff I think the Vikings only had I think one three and out with him uh running it he didn't take a sack um really very few negative plays that's very good to see the the offense was functioning very well even though he's not within the ones for the most part that's all great stuff uh some things that weren't so great the interception was I think that was a you don't like to see that but um he underestimated he threw the ball behind Tristan Jackson and I think he kind of he gets away with those throws in at NCAA he's not going to get away with those at the NFL level and he will learn that I think there was a couple of instances where couple of screens where he he threw a bullet when he didn't need to with bad footwork uh that wasn't great he missed on a screen an easy screen that really it should be a throw you should make with your eyes closed um I think he held on to the ball a little bit too long in some cases which led to pass breakups but I think overall hey 11 for 21 I think it was 180 yards two touchdown passes brought the Vikings back when they were down 20 to7 I think way way more good than bad with JJ McCarthy and this was the best preseason performance by a rookie quarterback I think I've ever seen for the Vikings so um and now granted a lot of those quarterbacks were day three picks they weren't the number 10 overall pick but very very encouraged by what I saw by JJ McCarthy yesterday and I think the Vikings are very encouraged and all Vikings fans should be very encouraged you don't want to go too crazy and overreact with what you saw it's not a real NFL game he wasn't playing against the ones but he didn't it wasn't a complete Lop like we're watching Kell Mond out there and I'll take that seven days out of seven I will too and he had a QB rating of I think it was 116 point something it was absolutely he he put to rest all out all doubts that he doesn't have the tools necessary to take this job because he was making the long throws he was making some of the short throws he was making correct decisions and good pocket presence all this now what I found interesting thing when they interviewed him after the fact was that he said the interception is what got his nerves to out to stop he was no longer nervous after that and it showed he he wasn't and I love the fact that you had an interception and then he suddenly starts playing even better yes unlike at the beginning of game having an interception and then turtling up for the rest of the game because nothing's going the way he wants it to he made it go the way he wanted it to and I think that's just just I mean he had some rookie stuff we talked about it last night some of the footwork some of the throwing timing sort things like that but he showed you he's got the skills he just he's a rough chunk of gem right now and KOC and his crew are going to sit there and polish it over the next few weeks and he should be getting nothing but better and better and I can't wait it's got us it's got us all excited we have not seen this in a long long time I can't wait with the young man I thought he did great and I am so happy for the team now do I expect him to start week one do I expect him to get some start this year yes but this is all setting up for next year and the fact that he's doing so well now I saw comparisons to him and Teddy on their first preseason games and it's it's night and day it's he's so much better and the fact that we have this should have fans excited because I can't wait and you got to remember he's throwing those stats with Tristan Jackson and Trent sherfield and yes they were wide open and you hit the wide open receiver and he did there's been times when quarterbacks don't hit the wide openen receiver including the previous one so it's ah I love it I absolutely love what we saw yesterday knowing that it's going to do nothing but get better it should uh I think it's uh kind Tio 15 had just said about you got the comment down there JJ is all the skills and more importantly all the intangibles and we we KN we've been seeing the intangibles all training camp and OTAs and all of that with the way that uh he handles themselves during practice what the beat writers have been saying about his interactions with the teammates with the fans and how he presents himself at press conferences it's it's when I see JJ McCarthy um just looks like a born leader and the way he talks at press conferences there's guys that are polished and and look good at the at the podium but don't say a whole lot and don't come off all that genuine uh that is not the way JJ McCarthy comes off on press conferences he gives thoughtful answers that make sense to a fan who didn't grow up playing the game uh and make sense to those who did play grow up playing the game and he he answers the questions honestly and um and intelligently um and just doesn't throw out cliches and and that sort of thing so I like what I've seen from JJ McCarthy off the field and yesterday I really liked what I saw on the field which is which is very important now that makes how about the other yeah how about the other number one draft pick for the Vikings how did he look well Dallas Turner uh got a sack he had a a pressure as well didn't get home there uh there was a there was another uh on the throw menu threw down the left sideline for a big Gainer uh Turner was closing in on him too he just ran out of a bit of time but again I'm I didn't as I said last night I didn't analyze like how he did against the Run was he holding his Edge well or anything like that first and foremost Dallas Turner is here to sack quarterbacks and put pressure on quarterbacks and in the time he was out there yesterday he did that in his first preseason game and if you look at the the all 202 on his sack um nothing fancy but he beat Andress Pete I think a guy who's made the Pro Bowl multiple times 30 years old was playing left tackle at the time just beat him with a speed rest wide and then when he got by Pete he he like went parallel to the quarterback like just bent it off just like you're I think you're supposed to do and it looked effortless and closed in on it so if that's the kind of stuff he's going to have to vary his pass rush skills and his moves and and he's doing that and we know that he's capable but uh Dallas Turner looked good yesterday also looking good as advertised mentioned earlier I think Aaron may have talked about it Jaylen Naylor uh was wide open all the time uh pretty much and as good as he's looked in training camp the beat Riders have said he looked just as good yesterday I would say again we talked about it last night but if he's not your leading guy for the number three wide receiver role right now then I don't know what the coaches are looking at but I think that he is um somebody me mentioned that Tristan Jackson looked better than Jaylen Naylor yesterday I wouldn't agree with that but that's not to say that Tristan Jackson didn't look well again four catches 100 yards the one TD Catch catches JJ McCarthy's first uh professional touchdown pass in a game I don't know one preseason game there's still some time to go but I would say just on the way he played yesterday Tristan Jackson locks up a roster spot with the Vikings he will be defin on the team and with the play of Naylor and Tristan Jackson and we know what Brandon Powell brings to the table I think he's been a vet he's been around for a number of years but I don't think if Tristian Jackson if Jaylen nater can stay healthy that's a big if but if he can do it if Tristan Jackson continues to play like this with the confidence that he's got and he's got a connection with JJ McCray already you can see that they the two of them have a good chemistry they know where each is other is going to be uh I think that the Vikings don't earlier we were wondering do they need to bring in a veteran to beef up the wide receiver room what you saw yesterday would suggest that maybe they don't uh and probably they don't so I think that's that's good um turning to the defense Dave I think um the big round bellies Levi Drake Rodriguez got lots of PT yesterday He's listed at 6'4 I don't think he's even 6'2 but but we saw that non-stop motor that we've been hearing about he got a sack uh bit of a free run but it was effort that got him that he got a pass breakup hey pretty good first time for a guy from Texas A&M Commerce who a seventh round draft picked who I had never heard of when we drafted him I had to look all over the Internet to figure out who who this kid was but you weren't the only one but hey uh the Vikings saw something in him back then and he uh showed up yesterday Bo RoR now here was uh we were gab Murphy was the undrafted Edge rusher I was most interested in seeing he ended up not playing yesterday because he was got hurt we don't know what the issue was but Bo RoR got was got in there and six tackles four unassisted he got a sack two tackles for a loss now one of them was a fumbled snap and he just touched the guy but anyway uh you know it works it work and he had a nice tackle on I think you're showing it there on the long kickoff return that could have went longer if he didn't make the tackle so much like Tristan Jackson I don't know if you can make the team on one uh preseason performance but RoR hey man uh he's gonna have to [ __ ] the bed something bad in the next couple of weeks to not make the team I think because he looked really good yesterday against the competition he was facing and he's he was bigger than I you know I anticipated so yeah sort of looks like Brian Robison yeah I thought he look kind of Brian Robison at least physically anyway so really encouraged that what he did going to be excited to see him seeing see what he can do over the next couple of preseason games um so that was all good um as far as players who didn't play well jiren Hall gotta mention him um I I didn't think he looked I thought he looked very played pretty poorly yesterday uh held on to the ball too long a bunch of times when he except for the the final drive when absolutely had no choice he was throwing looked like check down check down check down uh ball placement wasn't very good um had three passes batted at the line of scrimmage we know at six feet tall that's that's an issue for him but it really was an issue yesterday didn't look very decisive um um Pete burit during The Telecast said that he commented too he said Hall's not playing very well he has to stand out in these instances to be worthy of a roster spot and we did not see that uh yesterday he's going to really have to pick it up to be worthy of a roster spot or even a practice squad spot for the Vikings or anybody else in the NFL really um you know a couple other things I think he did get to come from behind wind though he did and and he did play better in that last Drive than he did in the previous I think four drives that he had uh there's 's no question about that he kind of got bailed out on one and ke Harry made a hell of a catch to on that drive to uh you know kind of bail bail the Vikings out a bit but really not a good performance for Hall uh special teams was spotty block kick uh looked like r car hit it too flat the interior got busted and created led to all kinds of interior pressure which resulted in them getting close to Riker and getting hands up there and blocking it they gave up that long punt return to to Vegas um so some things not so great there I think the run defense I believe it was mentioned earlier by somebody um when you look at the stats the Raiders only average 3.2 yards per carry during the game but in the first half when they had their starters they seemed to really uh they ran the ball quite well I looked at almost every running play was kind of like that should be a two- yard gain it had turned into a four- yard gain that should be a three- yard gain it had turned into to a 5 yard gain so uh not the greatest run defense I think you hopefully they clean that up we know that Brian Flores wasn't showing the Raiders very much probably a lot of vanilla defense but a bit concerning um I forgot to mention Ken wongu uh hey uh we've always been saying what what could he do if he got more touches well we saw that 48 yard run uh yeah there was some big holes to run through but you saw when he got open space when he hit the second level no nobody was catching him and he's the fastest guy on the team supposedly fastest guy fastest guy on the team so you know there's some good there's some bad but I think the good the most important good was the play of darnold and especially JJ McCarthy and they looked really good and that outweighs run defense special team spottiness in my mind it's way more important that they played the way they played than seeing the run defense struggle particularly when our twos were playing Las Vegas's ones I don't know Dave but your thoughts on have you know chime in on what kind of you thought of the preseason game and who may have stood out or not stood out to you oh you did a you did a great job of breaking it down it's I do I want to see more Levi Drake Rodriguez and I'm I still haven't watched 20 all 22 yet I have plan on it because I want to look at big round bellies bellies and how they played I did find it interesting that Rouse and Jurgens had the most snaps out of yesterday's game they were up close to 53 I think out of a maximum like 60 some OD it's I want to look at those guys that I'm just I'm just so happy what we saw with JJ McCarthy because everything starts with the quarterback you know when we get into pregame during week one the first thing I look at is quarterback versus quarterback and that covers 80% of who's going to win the game and the fact that we look like we now have our future I think is great and we got Sam darnold up on the screen right now I think Sam darold's played played well for that first drive that's a good thing too it gives time for the polishing of JJ McCarthy and hopefully improves Sam darnold's career and everything turns out to be Bliss and wonderful and hopefully we destroy everybody in the division it's I think it's I think it's a good thing and I've looked at some of the stats of the other rookie quarterbacks over the weekend and I think ours had the best weekend so that that's I'm a little biased but I think that's that's cool and I think overall other than special teams special teams has some things to work on as I already mentioned that it was a good game it was the mistakes that were made can be learned from but when it came down to it they won first time since 2019 which is good we forgot to mention the the standout rookies you know all across the board there was a bunch of them that did well including will rer who hit the gamewinner I was hoping that would be a little bit of longer kick to see him do that but that's okay he can take chip shots and win games for us I'll take it um still got to hit him yep and uh so it's it I'm pumped out of yesterday's game usually I'm not pumped out of a pre-season game and that's that's what I found different this season you know I'm not sitting there trying to dissect everything I'm like I've got a good feeling and that's it's been so long since it seems like it's been so long since we've had that it's just it's great Hugh uh Hall his uh he looked nervous for some reason he didn't even look that bad last year so I'm curious what happens with him but we'll find out that'll that'll come in the future it's nothing to worry about he's like the fourth Stringer on the three quarterback team so it's we don't have to worry completion percentage was a sub 50% yesterday for Hall so that's that's clearly not NFL uh up to Snuff for the NFL where they're looking for 65 5% or better at to evil wants us to trade for w thank to evil his running stick I love it yeah the question earlier about whether we I don't know who it was about whether we keep bollins or not certainly I think if if we said it talked about it last week if Hall does not show that he has progressed and that you could put him in a game and he could run the offense and move the team and score some points then I think you do have to Kevin oconnell does have to consider keeping Nick Mullins in case there's an injury to darnold or McCarthy during the season you don't want to be jiren Hall to be your one snap away to being in the game if he just looks like he is hopeless and not right you don't want that you don't want that I agree so we'll find out but I I'm like I said I'm still smiling from yesterday that's that's what I thought about that football game it it was good everybody looked good happy for it so well that brings us to the end of theme one talking about the game and we'll talk more and more about that as the week goes on I guarantee that because that's going to be topic number one for Tyler foris on a real Forno on the Monday show as well now on to theme two [Applause] save the running game save the whales save the trees save the running game yes Dave um in you know Kevin oconnell since he's been head coach has done some good things with this team but uh what's been pretty consistent in 2022 and 2023 is that he has not been able to get a a productive running game going uh with the Vikings and too often he's abandoned the run pretty quickly because it hasn't been working very well and you know it's had to be pass Pass and Pass again um he's we've heard though that he's looking to change that this year uh looking to uh as he's been saying commit to the running game and that makes sense and it'd be great if that if he could commit and get a productive running game going because despite all the great things we just said about how great U um JJ McCarthy looked and how good we felt Sam darnold looked in the one drive he had those these are still two guys JJ McCarthy is a rookie never played in an NFL game yet no track record as a a pro quarterback we don't know what kind of what he's going to do in an NFL game is he going to be great is he not going to be great things are looking positive on that end but still nothing's guaranteed and then Sam darnold everybody knows his track record in the NFL has been very poor um those guys could probably you could use a productive running game to lean on um to get them settled and even when times when they're struggling throwing the ball um but it's easy to say at this point in the year I'm going to Comm into to the running game it's harder to do in the game when you've had two running G running two running plays on your first drive and one was got you a one yard gain and the other got you a three yard loss which we saw all the time in 2022 and 2023 with the Vikings running game so hey uh if the Vikings are going to commit to the running game if they're going to get a more productive running game than they've had in previous years with KOC as our head coach what might that you know how might that happen why can we what are the factors or the main factors that could lead that to happening or make us hope that it could happen well I think number one is We have replaced Alexander Madison with former Packer Aaron Jones last year Alexander Madison was our number one guy um a lot of us had concerns about that from day one but he was the least productive and least explosive starting running back in the NFL last year or at least one of the least explosive and least productive in the NFL so to and the Vikings realized they made a mistake handing the keys to the to number one running back position to him they released him waved him and they picked up the former Packer Aaron Jones um and so that in itself could be a huge huge different make Difference Maker uh and big factor for the Vikings in having a productive running game in 2024 because Aaron Jones even though he's 29 right now he's going to turn 30 in December that's at an age where most running backs have lost a step or three Aaron Jones did not has not shown that he didn't show it last year uh yes he did miss some games with injuries he played 11 games and so he miss Miss six but he ran for 600 and well over 600 yards in those 11 games and they really didn't use him a lot in the early games uh and he had five straight 100 yard games to end the season including two in the playoffs average 4.6 yards per carry for his career in seven years he has averaged five yards per carry as a running back that is great only the lowest he's ever had is 4.6 that's happened twice uh he's also I think a guy who's got much better Vision than Alexander Madison has as a running back his ability to see creases and spot little holes where where you might not from the naked eye see them is Miles better than what Alexander Madison has so right there number one having Aaron Jones right now is your number one running back for the Vikings in 2024 even if the Run blocking doesn't improve compared to last year the fact that you've got him to hand the ball off to the majority of the time instead of Alex Madison that's going to lead to better runs and I think more consistent productive runs and hey you've got when he's uh going to be out of the game that needs a breather we've got Tai Chandler as a number two guy and he has shown uh that he can get the job done when given the opportunity so those are two guys Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler you're number one and number two explosive big uh play threats the Vikings run a game has got to be better with those two getting the bulk of the carries compared to Alexander Madison last year and then a bit of Cam acres and then late in the year when the running game actually looked its best was when Tai Chandler was getting the majority of the carries when Madison was out with an injury so that's number one number two what could lead to a better running game uh Kevin oconnell has talked about having a more he's looking for a more physical nastier you know tougher offensive line that's the reason some of us think that he that the Vikings have decided that Blake brandle is going to be the starting left guard instead of Dalton Ryner because he's a tougher meaner nastier more physical player than Ryner is well you and we were hearing that Garrett Bradbury is showing up um beefier than he has in the past I think we heard that a couple years ago too didn't seem to change things too much but does a heavier G Bradbury mean that he'll be able to push guys and be better Anchor on running plays and move guys where he hasn't been able to do that in the past we'll see but again him getting beefier shows that he's looking to get more physical as well and you already got Christian derasa who's a beast physically uh you don't hear him having a reputation for being nasty but this guy obliterates players on running plays like he tosses them out of the frame on all 22 regularly and Ed ingrams got a nasty streak too when when he's on Brian O'Neal is Brian O'Neal solid so you couple bringing break brandle in there a little bit heavier Garrett Bradbury which hope will make him more powerful and you've got got darasa and Ingram who if he takes in continues to improve his play like he did in year two compared to his rookie year and you've got O'Neal on the right side well uh you could have a tougher meaner more physical offensive line that will be uh allow you know be able to move piles create more space uh dictate the the play to the defensive line and lead to a more productive running game so that's a second factor that could help the third one is go ahead Dave I think that's exactly what KOC wants he wants I think that's why he's shifting to a more power run power Gap style of running in a little bit less zone is to engender more of that nastiness because instead of all right I'm going to block in this direction and block who's ever in the hole it's I'm going to go block this dude and I'm going to knock his head off there's a mentality change on the old line and the different blocking Styles and I think that's what Kevin is trying to do to increase our or make our running game a lot better and I think it's going to work MH the I think a third factor to watch out for that may lead to a more effective running game is something that Alec Lewis from the athletic the New York Times uh wrote about this week where he talked about the pistol formation and how the pistol formation which is if you're you don't know exactly what that's about that's where uh you've got the quarterback in a shotgun but he's only four yards behind the center compared to seven in a traditional shotgun and also in the in the pistol the running back is two or three yards behind the quarterback whereas in the shotgun formation the running back is either to the left or to the right of the quarterback so Lewis talked about how the Los Angeles Rams and sha McVey is one of Kevin oconnell mentors but the Rams uh transformed their running game last year when they went to use the pistol formation uh uh on a a large number of their snaps and that that running game helped really move the offense and helped Propel the team along with a lot of defensive Improvement to what looked like they had no chance to make the playoffs to them actually making the playoffs last year a lot and so the Lewis talked about how the Vikings ran the pistol last year on a handful of plays uh like he he brought up two in his article in particular there may have been a few more but he mentioned that on the the rare times that they use the pistol the Vikings had productive runs whereas we know when they ran regular they did not so he is what he's thinking is that Kevin oconnell noticed with his mentor sha McVey having so much success uh with the pistol last year Kevin oconnell has noticed that and he is expecting that the Vikings are going to use the pistol formation a lot more this year to try to unlock something extra something better from their running game and what makes really in this article that Lewis wrote what really um one of the things that's really helpful about the pist is that unlike the shotgun it creates uncertainty in the defense of whether you're going to pass or run because the running back is still behind the quarterback with the shotgun it's almost guaranteed that you're going to pass the ball uh so this reusing the pistol still allows the quarterback to be in a shotgun formation but gives them the option or it creates more uncertainty amongst the defense whether the Vikings are going to pass or run and Lewis feels that if the Vikings try this more in 2024 again with the running backs that they have and Ty Chandler and Aaron Jones now and the offensive line that they have and the quarterbacks that they have that uh it will lead to that will lead to more productive Vikings running game than we have seen the previous two years under Kevin oconnell so nothing guaranteed in the NFL we'll see how it goes yesterday uh I thought the running game although it struggled a bit in the first half if you look at the stats um Kenny wongo um miles gasin even Dwayne McBride got in there in the fourth quarter uh Ty Chandler they all had uh sub or plus four yards per carry or more averaged through the through this through that game so Vikings running attack was effective yesterday uh but whether that will and we'd like to see that continue in 2024 and we'll see if some of these things uh and I think really Jones being your number one ride running back is the biggest Factor Why that running game will be much better this year than 2024 but those other factors a meaner tougher offensive line maybe using the pistol a bit more could also play into that as well I agree I think it's all going to come together and what I like to think of uh the pistol is it's halfway between shotgun and under the center and it does give the running back a time to step before he does this yes there was running plays out of shotgun say you remember Kirk Cousins getting the ball and then immediately turning it around and handing it to somebody well that somebody had to sit there and wait for it if it's a run game under the pistol they're not waiting they're already stepping forward as soon as it snapped he's got it they're already moving when he went there and then they'll have more speed plus you know being back can see a little bit better I think it's going to be a great Improvement and I look forward to seeing it I look forward to seeing Mr Jones on during this week with the Browns and we start seeing film coming out of there because when they're doing the you know the practice scrimmages that's going to be the first time we get to see him in full regalia and playing and I can't wait yeah and in in most sports that I play in they you know they always tell you uh you need a split step like an athletic move before you actually do something to initiate the body and get it into into an explosive movement well if you're handing to the running back who's standing still in the shotgun they are from just a standing still they are not in they have not initiated an athletic move before they get the ball so they're going to be it's going to take them extra millisecond or two to get that to get up to top speed and be explosive which you you don't want because the defense is already coming at them I agree wholeheartedly and so hopefully with this we fix the running game this year and all is good it's more efficient I still think we're going to throw a lot but it's going to be a more efficient running game and that means hopefully we score more points scoring more points gives us a better chance to win and all is great in the land of the Vikings but speaking of land it's now on time for theme [Applause] three and in this case this week's in Vikings land lot going on Dave as you said at the stop of the show so we'll we're going to touch on some of that not all of it but some of it uh and some of the comings and goings this week with the Vikings speaking of comings and goings uh Mr first thing we're going to get to is the trade the Vikings made on Friday uh trading away Andrew Booth Jr and getting nwn right from the Cowboys um not a big surprise I think that Booth is no longer a viking it was I think a matter of time when it was going to happen even with the tragic passing of Kyrie Jackson even with McKai Blackman blowing out his ACL Booth was still running with the third team defense uh so he was not going to be on the roster when the Vikings broke training camp in a few weeks time so they traded him away and they got something for him what did they get with Wright probably not very much um third round draft pick he didn't really play at all as rookie gear in 2021 didn't really play last year in 2023 he did play some in 2022 he had an interception 23 tackles four passes defense he's 6'4 so he's the same height as Kyrie Jackson and we know the Vikings liked Jackson's length that's one of the reasons they they drafted him so he's a he's a very tall corner but you Dave you were talking when the trade was made with me messaging and saying here's a situation where two guys who weren't going to make their teams have now been they've been swapped and they've got two and a half weeks to show that they're worthy of making the team I don't like their Miss's rights chances of making the the Vikings even with our quarterback situation the way it is just because um he's going to he's he's gonna have to pick things up pretty quickly here in 2.5 weeks and we already saw yesterday how the and I forgot to mention it how the cornerbacks and all the shuffling that's going on there it looked like we didn't know what we were doing our our past defense was pretty poor especially in the first half and uh so he's just going to add to this and uh I just don't think think he's got enough time he's going to be be able to pick up the Playbook the defense and time to really impress Brian Flores and make a case for the roster spot but I could be wrong um but trading away Booth does it's going to Spotlight quacy Doan's 2022 draft again and how poor it's been looking and I think it's fair to mention though that when quacy doam Mena drafted Andrew booth in the second round that was considered a pretty good pick and a value pick at that time because booth was a guy that some draft experts thought was going to be picked in the first round so for the Vikings to get him early in the second round was considered a pretty good um move by them a good selection by them and initially in training camp he he stood out he was stood out for being very physical uh he looked like he was doing well in corner then he got hurt and he never really seemed to that stunted his growth he never found his footing after that um so you know it's it's uh that is how things have gone for Andrew boo Jr he gets a fresh start with the Cowboys but um you do Wonder with Booth already gone if the guy who was drafted 10 picks before him at 32 and leis seen how long he is for the world with the Vikings when will he be shown the door and be they'll the Vikings will be saying bye Lewis Thanks for the Memories as few as they have been uh because you know Le of course as we've talked about several times his roster spot seems in serious Jeopardy as well I agree now with the with the booth and right trade I think those young gentlemen have two and a half weeks convince their team to do enough to stick and at least be held on as you know signed on as practice squads the change in defensive philosophies may help the fact that uh you're going going bow to Zimmer Zimmer to B flow that how Corners play in both of those are different Zimmer is generally very good with Corners so maybe he'll pull something out of Booth maybe be Floy something and right that'll uh pull something out of him but it is like who was it in uh S I think it was Aaron it should be a wash or Dave may have said it's a wash it's players and they both may get fired anyways you know they were going to get fired from their respective teams this gives them that extra little bit of hey I got a chance now and with Louis seen he better take his chance now or he's going to end up the same way and he did play a lot yesterday didn't really do anything of of note but um he's getting his chance but it it's hey I wish booth all the luck in the world he didn't make it for us maybe he can make it down in Dallas yeah never wish a former Viking ill ill uh or poor that things go poorly for him if he moves on somewhere else hope that he can turn his career around and make something of it because he was a guy that had a lot of talent had a lot of talent so and maybe Zim can work as magic who knows that's right former defensive back coach all right that brings us to the next bit of news in Vikings land this is better news at least potentially uh in that Saturday we saw Jina Anderson from I think was the first to report on it but that Stefon Gilmore is visiting with the Vikings tomorrow today and was it today I thought it was Monday oh he's flying in today oh okay sorry um coughing a bit there but yes it's got you all choked up yeah well yeah I think with Gilmore we uh this is something I was hoping the Vikings would do two weeks ago would bring him in now maybe Gilmore wasn't really interested in coming in two weeks but he's coming now and there this makes a lot of sense for the Vikings because um we know their cornerback room has been hit with injuries and the passing of Kyrie Jackson they've brought in a whole bunch of new guys that don't really know what they're doing and are of U we're not really sure of their talent level isn't really all that encouraging either in some cases and so you bring Gilmore if he does end up signing with us if you got you can stick him on the outside with sha Griffin when he gets healthy and then you've got Byron Murphy Jr in the slot in the nickel where he really belongs those are three cornerbacks I think that if they play like theyve particularly Griffin and Gilmore if they play like they have in the past even the recent past that's a quarterback room that could function pretty well and and and be a real asset to the Vikings defense so that there's that uh certainly Gilmore's got a better resume than anybody else on the Vikings Squad even sha Griffin so even at 34 I'm willing to see what he has the other thing is depthwise it would certainly help because if you know injuries happen if Griffin were to get hurt during the season and miss a bit of time or Murphy does he did last year the last couple of games then you do instead of having to go with a Caleb Evans or Duke Shelly or Dwight mlo you've got you can go with Gilmore and you've got Gilmore or Murphy or Gilmore or Griffin and you know you use one of your lower guys on the depth chart to be the third guy going in there so depthwise it really helps uh if they could bring Griffin in there we will see how things go whether the Vikings feel this is the right for them and whether Gilmore feels that the Vikings are the right fit for him I'm hoping that they can come to a a an agreement and that Gilmore becomes a viking here quickly salary shouldn't be an issue because the Vikings have I think 16.8 million in cap space right now so they have the they have the the the cap space to sign Gilmore to uh a one-ear deal that would be appropriate for a player of his stature maybe it also helps that he's got a you know Brian Flores and Gilmore are very familiar with one another Flores was the linebacker's coach and de facto defensive coordinator during Gilmore's time in New England and hopefully they they made the pro bowls Pro Bowl during that time period and so I I've not seen Flores mention any Gilmore at all probably because he doesn't want to take the focus off of the players that he already has so he's not going to speculate on that but I I I feel that they must must have a pretty uh cordial relationship or else Gilmore wouldn't be even visiting the Vikings in that case so uh some promising a promising development there and we hope I hope that it leads to Gilmore being added to the roster because we could use some more cornerback help as we saw on yesterday that's we do that brings us to the next little bit news extensions uh Mark wolf met with the media this week and he got asked about uh when are you going to sign Kevin o Connell and quac doens when are you going to extend them or are you going to extend them they're going into their third year of a four-year deal that they both signed when they joined the Vikings in January of 2022 um and markw said uh basically he said that um nothing's going to get done during the season right now we're going to deal with that after the season and I think that's the right move because I don't think that either Kevin oconnell or quis doens have done enough to earn an extension at this point uh that doesn't mean that I'm down on these guys though in case anybody thinks that I am um they have done some good things during their time with the Vikings looking at Kevin oconnell really love the culture that he's built with the Vikings in a short time it's very player friendly the players seem to really enjoy it it's a 180 from Mike Zimmer um don't want to beat on Zimmer too much because I did like Zimmer quite a bit uh while he was there so he's done that I think that he has shown himself to be like a very calm steady presence during uh in the chaos that is an NFL season you know I like him as our head coach quis do fensa I like the you look at how he's cleaned up our salary cap situation in just three off season we are now going to be flush with salary cap space I really like the way he's um addressed attacked free agency in his three seasons and the guys he's gone after and also the amount of money and years he's committed to those guys I think he's not saddled us with contracts that will uh hurt us three or four years down the road so I think you know financially and how he's handled free agency with the resources he had he's done well there of course the draft drafts have been very spotty pretty poor at this point in time and we know that drafts are the lifeblood of of uh any NFL franchise if you want to consistently be a great team you've got to draft well so he's got to get better at that even though the book is still not closed on any of his drafts and for the 2024 draft it hasn't even really started but um but you know I think that there's some questions there I need to see more from him too but I think if you're the the wills what's going to happen is is that you'll you'll see how things go this season uh if you if they like the direction that the Vikings are headed with both of these guys then I think that they they kind of look at extending them for a two-year period so that will give both of them a bit more job security but it won't um commit too many years and too many dollars to both of them um that the wils aren't comfortable with in case they have to make a change in 202 5 or 2026 and make a replacement and and also with Kevin oconnell and quacy doam Mena one of the things that's going to factor into I think the wils and how they feel what state the team is at with these two guys running it is that the JJ McCarthy situation that their quacy doam Menon and Kevin McConnell's Futures are really hinge and are on the development of that kid and if he turns into the franchise quarterback then both of those guys Kevin oconnell and quac doam Mano probably will be our GM and head coach for as long as they want to be but if it doesn't go well they probably will be fired in a couple of years so uh I think the wils would want to see how the development of JJ McCarthy has gone this year too before uh they would commit to extending both of both of those gentlemen so I I don't think this is was an issue for Kevin oconnell he said you know I got too much to focus on as a head coach to worry about my contract at this point and uh but it's a talking point and I think the way the wlvs are handling it handling it is the right way to do it I agree and I think it all depends you know Kevin oconnell is the quickest to 20 some odd wins out of in the history of the team I think quaz you're right I think especially his first draft was horrible but he has done well with contracts and he has done well with free agents and trades so far roughly hackinson you think of that um this I think it's going to all depend how this season goes if it goes well even if Sam darnold's playing but how they're watching you know JJ mature and get polished and then JJ comes in and let's see how you know are we competitive when we're you know only expected to win six and a half games or whatever Vegas has has us at are we going to be be competing for the division I think if we're there at that point I think that this is going to be a no-brainer and they'll get extensions now whether it's two years or more I that I don't know it depends how it all looks you know if JJ looks the real deal and everything's looking peachy and we're you know competing for the division you may see longer extension than that but we'll see we will it'll um Jonathan mentioned that the the wills will have to to to judge the rate the rate of improvement of the of the franchise uh and whether they're satisfied with that rate of improvement and you know the wils have said Super Bowl is is the ultimate goal as it is for every team so they've got to determine whether we're headed in the right direction where eventually and not in a too distant future the Vikings are winning a Super Bowl with Kevin oconnell as the head coach and quy doam Mena as its general manager exactly now let's move on to the next bit the Vikings released their notional and I call it notional not exactly accurate uh depth chart this last week makes you wonder why they release it if it's not if it's notional they release it because it's required by the NFL that's why good to know uh still it it's always a this is something that fans that we wait for every year is when that first depth chart goes out so that we can kind of have an idea of where we think certain players or all the players stand is how the Vikings are viewing it and um looking at that notional depth chart I didn't really see a whole lot of surprises Dave you might disagree with me but uh the first thing of note was that JJ McCarthy and Nick Mullins are listed right now as co- backups uh that feels like a just a a formality at this point JJ McCarthy's been running with the twos entire training camp uh Nick Mullins did not play Yesterday JJ McCarthy played um pretty much two full quarters JJ McCarthy is at least the backup right now for the Vikings so uh I I think that that's pretty clear the one of the listings that did surprise me was that Robert tanan is listed as co-starter with TJ hackinson at the moment hawson of course is on the physically unable to perform list so he's not going to be playing until he gets taken off that list and we don't think that's going to happen until maybe week five of the NFL season but um hopefully sooner but um Tan's been out for over a week with back spasms he didn't play yesterday uh Jud zad says that he has zero chance of making the squad I think that that's pretty bold statement from Jud but it might I'm curious what Jud knows because Jud generally correct when he comes out that emphatic he knows something and I don't know we do know that it's a it's a pretty full tight end room right now I mean toson is going to be coming back and he's going to play all the time uh Josh Oliver is your number two guy and we know he's not going anywhere and he's going to play 30 to 40% of the offensive snaps maybe more if they run the ball more and then Johnny Mt the best third tight end in the NFL according to Kevin ok and then you got Nick Muse who keeps on yesterday made a real nice catch yesterday off a laser from JJ McCarthy and I mean Muse is something to keep in mind with him is that he was a draft pick of quac AD doam Mena uh and he is younger than Robert tanion so the Vikings uh they've got a younger guy who's still developing and also somebody that that they drafted they would might like to keep him more than Robert tan who they brought in as a free agent and then even and kill Harry I don't know I don't think he's got a roster spot but hey he didn't look that bad yesterday either made a really nice catch um is you know as an intriguing guy to have as a tight end maybe ends up being stashed on the practice squad but I don't know where tanion you know where he really fits with the team right now so interesting though that he's that he's up there as a starting tight end at this point because that is not what we've been hearing the only other thing that was kind of noticed was on the offensive line Dalton Ryner is listed as the backup Right Guard behind Ed Ingram last year he was our the last was it 11 games of the Season he was our starting left guard but they've got him as the backup Right Guard right now and he didn't play yesterday and we did not hear there wasn't an injury issue well no I I'd heard at the last minute he was injured but they haven't said what and how and why and I joked that P his groin or something um now we had talked been talked about the past to where ryer you could flip him from left to right or right to left and make him maybe a swing guard but they've got Michael Jurgens as the backup left guard right now and him as the backup Right Guard so um I found that interesting I would have thought Ryner would be your backup left guard and uh but that's not the case and maybe that means Ed Ingram's got to watch over his shoulder a bit as at the Right Guard because we know he's had his struggles at times not at times a lot of the times as as our Right Guard in two seasons so maybe the Vikings feel that he's the one that needs to be pushed more than Blake brandle does but just uh you know other than that didn't really see anything Earth shattering on the the depth chart but uh Dave I don't know if anything caught your eye of what was listed there nothing that I that stood out not that I really care because I know this is just a academic exercise by the people in the building with no input by KOC because he doesn't care it's not required for him to put out an accurate one it's only required that the team puts out one by the NFL and we go through this every single season and I don't see anything you know I don't like the way they did it with where you had two people in one spot or something like that I'd rather have it 1 2 3 4 5 six you know type deal when you have more players but it is what it is I do want to go back and address Charlie hustle how are we going to dra gain draft Capital if we have to cut people well you don't want to keep drags on the team if they can't produce and if they turn out to be busts yes it would be nice to trade them away and get a you know low round seven sixth rounder for him but that you got to have two teams that are willing to do that and that doesn't always happen so you tend to cut bait and let it go and pay whatever money you have left over and you go on from there and I think that's what's going to end up happening would I like to get them traded yes would I like them to go off if you know and do it fine but it's better than holding them on and then taking up space that somebody productive could be there now and if they're that bad you're not going to get anything in the way of a comp pick down the road anyways even if you would let them play out their contract and leave it's not going to happen because they're not that good so we'll see it's a shame that they aren't but that's that's C learning that's czy on the first draft C on the first draft with people in there from Rick Spielman um there's it is what it is so we go we move on get better but yes I'd like more draft picks picks maybe uh if Roger Goodell we could slip him a you know a century note and have him sprinkle a couple more in there we'd be good to go well folks that's it that's Today's show you guys have absolutely rocked in the in the comments today appreciate it very much any last words here Darren the just a bit about Vikings will play next Saturday they go travel to Cleveland they're doing some joint practices with that and uh really excited to see how again how darnold and McCarthy how the playing time is divvied up between themes does darnold play two or three series this time instead of just the one does he play it all how much does McCarthy get do they play Mullins a bit or just go with Hall McCarthy and darnold again uh and when McCarthy gets in there there in particular um how does he do against the Browns defense uh depending on who's in there which we know was a very very good last year that goes for Sam darnold as well in the first preseason game the Browns held out almost all of their key guys on defense so um even though the Packers one-handedly in that one they weren't really facing the uh the real Cleveland defense but the Vikings will be facing the real Cleveland defense at least in the practices maybe not so much in the game like all all of these games after a joint practice I suspect we're not going to see the starters in the actual game I think next week we may see next Saturday some more JJ some Nick Mullins and more jiren Hall but that's I don't expect to see Sam darnold on the field from here on out until we start the season and guess yesterday Kevin oconnell even though he told us he was going to do it the Vikings under Kevin mconnell went against the way they've approached preseason games the previous two years and that a a lot a lot of our starters who will be starting on September 8th were in the game at least for one Series yesterday except for a few of them like Harrison Smith Justus Jefferson didn't play uh but uh he gave him a bit of run and uh so Kevin o'connells decided that he I don't know how much of a difference one series made but he's trying to get the team a little bit more ready to go when it's go time on September 8th and I hope it works it should but I want to agree with Doc Proto it doesn't matter if it's a preseason game a win makes you feel better and this weekend has made us feel a lot better it does and with that I want everybody out there to stay safe stay sound enjoy good friends good food and of course good beverage and what do we say Darren we say skull Vikings baby skull [Music] Vikings like subscribe and ring the bell and rate US on your favorite podcast aggregator Darren and Dave thank you for watching this episode of two old bloggers we look forward to seeing you on every show on the new Vikings first and skull you can find our podcast as part of the Fan's first Sports Network sports takes for the fan from the fan let's go everybody