Rain track for self years of pencil Bad and it's a great outset of mine. I put earth you, running rouletes, running guys off, trying to use that to my advantage. You know. For me, it's just been about taking it one day at a time, controlling what I can control and just going out and competing every day and let all that other stuff to your itself out and sort it out. Hey, everybody, Welcome to the Minnesota Vikings Podcast, Episode fifty seven. I'm your hosts. I Amindson, joined by
Chris Corso and Jay Nelson from Vikings dot Com. Today's podcast is brought to you by Verizon, the network more people rely on, gives you more and Jay and Chris. Verizon Vikings training camp is coming up on its final weeks year. We're about to get reacclimated to our downtown home, US Bank Stadium. We got a few things to go over. Obviously, the news has come down about fans for the first two weeks at US Bank Stadium. Let's get into that
a little bit. Corso has an interview with Vikings Undrafted wide Out Dan Cesena and ESPN's first NFL Power Rankings list is out, so we'll show you where the Vikings are at. And I will complain about that a bunch because I think it's garbage where they got ranked. But that is what we in the business call a teaser. Let's start with the news that everybody's talking about. Guys, the Vikings have officially announced that there will be no fans in attendance at least our first two home games
during the month of September. And before we kind of go about breaking that down, what I want to do is I'd like to read the official statement from the team, just so everybody knows where this is coming from. This is the official team statement. Over the past several months, we have collaborated with US Bank Stadium Partners, the NFL, the State of Minnesota, and the City of Minneapolis to determine the best way to safely and responsibly host a
limited number of fans at Viking home games. We have sought to balance the opportunity to provide fan access with the responsibility to adhere to public health and medical guidance in order to maintain the health and safety of fans, players, staff members, and the broader community. Ultimately, public health is our top priority. Based on our conversations and the current Minnesota Department of Health guidelines that specify an indoor venue
capacity of two hundred and fifty. We have determined it is not the right time to welcome fans back to US Bank Stadium. As a result, the first two Viking home games, Sunday September thirteenth and Sunday September twenty seventh, will be closed to the public. We will continue to work with the appropriate officials on our plans with the hope of bringing fans back in a safe manner later this season. So there it is. That's the official team statement.
Not unexpected, you know. I think to this point, sixteen teams have announced that they won't have fans in attendance at least at the beginning of the season. Six teams have announced that there will be fans week one. I know there's also six teams that have announced there won't be fans at all all season. So everybody's kind of all over the map here. But the Vikings, I think doing the responsible thing, adhering to state guidelines and playing
it by ear. It sounds like Chris, you know, the first two games, let's do what's right and then let's reassess the situation. Yes, I think watching other sports and what's going on in the world today, you wouldn't at all expect the fact that the Vikings would have fans on Opening Night when they take on the Packers at US Bank Stadiums. So I think this is the way to go. It keeps it open for the future, which is probably a little sense of hope, which is awesome.
But yeah, definitely upsetting to see that there will be no fans Week one. Mike Zimmer is not happy about it because he knows the home field advantage. Each Friday during the regular season, he'll be like, well, it's here that skull chant going on at the stadium. So Mike Zimmer made it clear this week he's not happy about the no fans at the stadium. Now I should clarify. I think he understands the gravity of the situation. I think what he was saying was, we have such a
tremendous home field advantage, it's a disappointment. I'll go on other podcasts and I was on a podcast with an Eagles fan and a Giants fan, and we were breaking down the Vikings schedule, and just listening to those guys, you forget that this is the pinnacle of stadiums currently in the NFL. We are number one with a bullet It's like US Bank Stadium is like a space ship from the future that people play football and the energy and the environment is incredible and whatever it takes to
have football, That's where I'm at. I want to see week one and two. So if this is how it goes, this is how it goes, but it will be different. It will be odd to see that giant, beautiful building
without the fans energy. Jay. I think the biggest bummer for me is the fact not only that there won't be fans, but who it's against, because the environment at Viking Packer games are always off the charts, and I think what Zimmer is really alluding to here is just the disappointment knowing that when you have that many fans in attendance, you have them that loud, that boisterous, especially on defense against a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who you know, we can take all the help we can get at
this point, I think not having fans for those first two games will potentially be a detriment, especially defensively, but that just means, as Zimmer likes to say, they'll figure it out. They just have to play. Nobody's gonna feel sorry for them, and I really wish they could be there in attendance and to feel that energy. But you're going to do whatever you can to get these games come hell a high water. I mean, the truth is, eight times a year you have to prepare to play
a team well at a crowd noise disadvantage. So these guys know how to do it. It's a bummer that they don't get to have that in their in their back pocket. You still get to sleep in your home bed, you still get to not travel, you still get to have some of the advantages of being the home team. But you know, like you said, it's nice to have people screaming when Aaron Rodgers is making mistakes. That's that's what you want. I get why it's going this way, but it's a little hard to come to terms with
as a fan. Is leaving it up to communities and teams. That's that's where you go. Okay, so six teams, I think it's Kansas City is at twenty five percent capacity, Miami twenty percent, Indianapolis twenty five, Jacksonville twenty five, and the Cowboys fifty percent, which has been permitted by their governor. I believe right, Jay, it's basically the Yeah, it's it's the maximum amount allowed by the governor's edict down in Texas.
I'm curious. It's it can become an interesting and this is a one time season, it's a once in a century pandemic. It's all these things. But there's there's the aspect. I think you have a lot of fans. I saw a lot of pieces written today. I'm seeing a lot of comments online. One of my good friends who's on one of my shows constantly is harping on the competitive balance.
You know, how do you suss out the fact that each team in each state if you happen to be a team in a state that has different rules and another team in a state, Uh, it's it's an interesting factor, and it's it just gets tacked onto the long line of interesting things about this season where I've I've said this before. I think the team that takes health the most serious, whoever seriously approaches that aspect the most. That was not a great sentence, whoever does hail the hardest
with the biggest smart brain. But you guys know what I'm saying, Like, whoever approaches that the best you know is going to be in an advantage. So it just throws another piece into this pile of interesting aspects of the twenty twenty NFL season. The biggest thing for the Vikings is that this is being harped on from the top down, and it seems like the players are actually
sticking to it. And it's not just the players, it's not just the coaches, it's everybody in the entire organization, because that is exactly what we've been told is if we take this serious and we at here to these rules and these standards, it's something that we're all willing to do if it means it's going to give the team an edge and it means that we might have a little bit more success than other people. It's just frustrating not to have fans and everybody else get to
enjoy it that way. But listen, at this point, it's turned into, however, we can get football done on a field and make it happen for the entire season and get to an end of a season. People are willing to do it, and I think that's what's most encouraging working with this team and seeing how it's being handled. Behind the scenes at this point, absolutely, and I'm not going to get you know, there's enough arguing on Facebook
to fill a thousand a thousand worlds. You know, I don't want to sit here and have a discussion about whether or not you know about the mandates and different governments and the health you know, and how all these things are laid out. I'm not interested in that. The only thing that I'm interested in is one what you said, Jay, I think the major advantage that the Vikings have going into this very strange season is consistency from the top down. The Wills have owned the team this long. Their staff
has been in place this long. Spielman has been in place this long, Zimmer has been in place this long. So many assistance a shug has been in place this long. You have such cohesion, You have veteran leaders all over the team that have been in their positions for so long. And when you have that, it's easy to get people to buy in down the ladder and get everybody focused on a mission, a singular mission that we know could
be beneficial for us. And to go back to what I was saying about arguments, I just I'm not going to sit here and say whether or not I think fans and stadiums are going to affect the ability for there to be games in week seven and eight and nine. But if these are the decisions that are made, these are the decisions that are made. What I want to do. I love this football team and I want to watch them on Sunday, and guys like us, we get to
we get to go down on the field. So you know, that is a big part of our lives and something we really love, and I think we definitely can empathize with fans who want to be in that stadium. You know, I remember I remember my growing up. My cousin Al and his friends bought one of those shorter school buses and they painted it into a Vikings bus and every Sunday for years, he and his idiot friends would roll
up to the stadium, tailgate and fly back down. And you know, that's part of the wonderful, you know, reality of being a sports fan. You get to be involved in that environment, but just to sit down and watched the games on TV. Given how these past six months have gone, I'm very much looking forward to that. So whatever it takes. Chris absolutely and the Vikings were hit
with an obstacle this week. A few players were given the positive test, and we don't know if it's a false positive or not, and a bunch of we don't know. I thought we did know. It's it's it's a false positive, isn't it Wasn't it a lab lab issue? Right? So the lab in New Jersey had some sort of issue where famous home of Chris Corso, New Jersey native Chris Corso. Keep going with your point in New York. Chris is from New Jersey. He might as well be from New Jersey.
There's I need to let listeners of this podcast understand that it is not uncommon for Chris Corso to finish an episode of this show and then look me in the eyes like it's a normal thing to say and go, I've got some sauce on the stove that i gotta go work on. There is a nice Corso is Chris Corso is New Jersey. So you can stay long island. You are New Jersey, Chris. But keep going, keep going with your with your lab talk. There's a nice there's a nice body of ra there's a nice river that
separates uh New Jersey from where I'm from. But it's just the sauce you spilled. That's for another that's for another time. But uh, yeah, the Vicers were hit with this big time. I guess fluke of false tests that that a lot of teams had to deal with. And and you heard it from Andre Patterson this week like he's like, you know what, a couple guys are gonna set out of practice today maybe the next few days, but we have ten guys behind him that I cannot
wait to see compete every day in practice. And and for him it's a DJ one them or uh some of these draft picks that the Vikings have on the defensive line, Hercules Mataafa, who you got to see being put in these bigger spots this week. So uh, just an example of what you were talking about, the cohesion and everyone being ready to go. That was that was
shown in the press conference from Andre Patterson this week. Absolutely, and you know, to go back to those tests, I think a to have something like that happened in the preseason and give the league a chance to react to it. I would rather it happened there than Week eight, you know, So I and I also you know, I'm fortunate my
dad is a biology professor. My brother and my nephew are pharmacists, and you know, I listening to them talk, you know, there's no world where this sort of testing, regardless of which version of a test you're using, is
going to be one hundred percent on the nose. You know, if you talk to somebody who works in like, for example, large animal veterinary work, like like population, like with cattle and stuff like that, you know you're always going to run into situations like this when you're testing large populations. So it wasn't a huge surprise to me that happened.
That the positives that I took out of it are I think it gives the league a chance to react to it when there aren't real games on the line, And I think exactly what you said, I mean, the Vikings were one of the harder hit teams. Was it eleven players, Chris, that's eacent amount. It was like eight to ten players. We don't have the specific exact number, but right in that area. And so look at and then like you said, they reacted to it, they dealt
with it. Young guys got a chance to step up, and that keeps feeding into my set of beliefs for the season. One, Depth is going to be very important. In depth is going to be challenged, and this team having that cohesion and leadership will be an important thing.
Jay well, as we've talked about for the last what three to four weeks, especially the depth question that this roster has is going to be tested not only from the fact internally and trying to figure out what cuts and who you're going to have on this roster, but like you just said, you know, given these kind of tests, you know what happens during the season if all of a sudden a guy test positive. I think they're carrying extra guys in the roster for potential fill ins when
it comes to traveling and even home. But it means that from the top down, you're going to have to have everybody in all of these different groups, in all of these different positions working together. And you heard that from guys like you know, Dan Chasena coming up here saying the wide receiver group and the wide receiver room
is working really well together. Same thing, but the secondary guys with a lot of the young guys are saying talking to Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are helping get these young guys up to speed and it's going to be more crucial than ever this season, given everything else they're going to have to face, let alone, what's on
a football field. Well, you know, I want to talk about They're they're going to conduct a practice at US Bank Stadium and try to get acclimated to the unique situation, which I think is a really, really, really smart move. But you know, before we do that, since we kind of stumbled our way into the depth question, you know, one thing I wanted to talk about. We're now we're over a week of full padded practices, right, guys are really getting into it, and storylines are starting to emerge,
and some players are starting to surprise us. And some of those guys have been talked about a little bit more on v N and on our programs and on k Fan, and some of them, you know, haven't really gotten the discussion publicly yet that you know, the first guy we're going to talk about, Cameron Dancler. Everybody's talking
about him. But I kind of identified five guys here that I think have stepped into stepped out of the shadows into the forefront in a surprising way, and I want to just bounce them off of you guys and have you tell me what you think about that, and tell me where you think our expectations should be with these individuals as as they, you know, surprise people here in camp. Let's start with the one that everybody's talking about, Cameron Danceler. You know we've talked about him before on
the podcast. Everyone everyone who owns anything the color purple seems to be talking about Cameron Danceler. But Chris will start with you. I think the most unique thing about Cameron Danceler is his size and length. And while he ran a short, slower combine forty than you would expect at four or five or whatever it might be, he makes up for it with these long arms and this tall body frame that that is pretty much the reason why we drafted him. So I think that is the
thing that's has stood out so far in practice. It stood out when he's guarding at him feeling every day in and out, and he stands out over the first round draft pick cornerback and Jeff Gladney for this exact reason.
One of the things that you just brought up there is the thing that I was encouraged by, especially looking through social media Vikings dot com and our social platforms had posted yesterday Adam Feeland making a great catch around Cameron Danceler, but Danceler's reaction to it was essentially, you know, I'm working with the best and he's going to make me better. And I think that is a great attitude to have, especially as a rookie where you're getting a
lot of praise. At the same point, you're going up against some of the best in the NFL, let alone best in the world. And I think if guys like Adam Feeling and going against him every day, you're learning from him and trying to figure out what's this going to feel like, or what's it like to go against a guy of his caliber. When you start to face week one against the Packers and you're looking at some pretty top notch guys across from there and you have
Aaron Rodgers thrown to him. He's one of those guys that I think is going to learn exponentially as the season continues, week by week by week, as long as he keeps an open mind like that, you know, and I had to hammer home on that Adam Feeling thing. You know, Adam Feeling walking up to Zimmer and telling him number twenty seven is going to be good, you know,
And that's my favorite part of camp. I remember it with Randy Moss, and there will never be an example like Randy Moss, but I remember just hearing them even as a kid, hearing the buzz like on the news and in player interviews, the way players reacted to the way Randy Moss looked in camp. So every year at training camp, I always listened to hear stuff like that, like Feeling going up to Zimmer and telling him he
thinks Danceler is gonna be very good. And you know, it kind of looks like we don't know what the depth chart exactly is going to look like, but dancler clearly is playing nearer above guys like Chris Boyd, like you said, Corso Gladney and you know, and we don't know where Holton Hill. And if Hughes decides to play Nicol,
there's gonna there might be an opportunity for him. And I'm just really, really really excited because the other thing is it's not he hasn't flashed on a day and then kind of been silent, and then flashed on a day and then kind of been silent. He's kind have made plays every single day I'm not saying he's had the best day every single day, but he's a guy that's getting talked about every single day because he seems
to be making plays every single day. Let's go from Danceler, a guy everybody's talking about, to a guy that I think everybody should be talking about. Dakota Dozer is busting heads and making noise on the offensive line. Chris. Yeah. He has the connection with the Vikings run game coordinator Rico Dennison, who came from the Jets two years ago. He was with the Jets dacoded Dozer, and clearly mister
Dennison has something for Dacoded Dozer to say. He needs to be taking the first team reps at the guard position. And the Vikings lose Josh Klein at that right guard spot in free agency this year, and Pat Elfine moves from left guard over to right guard, so that leaves a big spot in the middle of this Vikings offensive line. And it's been the veteran and Dakota Dozer who's been taking those first team reps. And you also hear a guy like Aviante Collins who is also taking the first
team reps at that spot. So two guys you wouldn't really expect. I really have the backing of coach Kubiak in Dennison. I think the best part on my end is the fact, like you said, he is a veteran, he knows what he's getting into. You can trust a guy like that that's been around the league this long. He's in his seventh season coming out of Furman, and I think a guy like Dakota Dojer understands that he's getting to the point where he has to make a move, especially if he wants to be a starter on a
weekend and week out basis. And for me, seeing a guy like Dakota got Dozer taking that next step and basically just running with it, it's the best thing that we could have had happened, because you can trust him. He's in the system, he knows how to play, he knows what to expect. It's not going to be too big for him. And if that's the case, and you can get a veteran like Dakota to step up and
help solidify that line for the season, it's fantastic. Well, let me hammer on two things that I hammer on over and over and over on this show. One, you know, I think alf Line moving to the right I think will give him a chance to be more successful. And I'm going to continue to be a big elf line believer going into this season. Well, being a big ELF line defender and believer, I can very much acknowledge his struggles on the left side last year. And like I said,
I've said this often. Everybody likes to focus on guys
that go from being average players to superstars. Who makes the jump from being fifteenth ranked at their position to third ranked at their position equally as important as the guys who make the jump to mid And if a guy like the code of Dozer, if alf Line is more comfortable at the right guard, and a guy like the Code of Dozer comes in and performs as the twentieth best at his position in the league, the eighteenth best, hell, the sixteenth, you're looking at the same sort of upgrade
from fifteen to one, you know, and obviously you want the number one guy your league. But I'm just saying upgrades come in a lot of different looks and a lot of different ways that people don't always think about. They always just think about superstars. And the fact that Dakota Dozier has basically won that spot or like, there's not a lot of things that are certain in this weird camp, but it feels like Dacoda Dozier has come in, kicked ass and put himself in a really good position
to earn that spot. I think that says really good things for our offensive line. Here's maybe the biggest surprise everybody's psyched about, Justin Jefferson. I think Justin Jefferson is going to play a serious role on this offense. BC Johnson is showing up and showing out in camp, and it'd be hard to not think that he's going to be the number two receiver when the season starts. I don't know how it'll shake up, but he's like it in camp. Chris, Yeah, you talked about how feeling said
how great dancellers. Well, Kirk Cousins when he addressed the media said, the MVP of Vikings camp so far as old BC Johnson, and I think it says a lot about what BC Johnson continues to tell us in his interviews, and that's every single night he would go home and study the playbook for two hours last year during training camp. That's why he got on the field. Is that's still length of one Chris Corso sauce recipe cheepers. I don't like to read. I could read a book for like
maybe five seconds. That is a lot. But that's but you're exactly right. He's a dude, Chris right who you know? Every this it's been this weird offseason and all this dude has done has has been bury himself in what he needs to get better. Yeah, my sauce will probably take like five hours on a good sauce. No one cares, No one cares, don't try to b and it. Don't
call it sauce Sundays. Stop it just tell us about all the BC Johnson, well all of BC Johnson said this year it only takes some thirty minutes to memorize the plays is when he goes home and looks at the playbook, that's how much easier it is. So so he went from two hours having to spend two hours on it to now he's at thirty minutes to get himself caught up to speed. So it's basically what you're telling me is his understanding has increased dramatically. The game
is slowing down for a little BC Johnson. He knows where he has to be he has the play in his head and then he can just go out and play football. The best thing for me with BC is seeing that leap from year one to year two. He showed that he could play in big moments in big games last year by making some great catches. I remember Detroit was a big, big game for him. But for someone like him to come in and year two and see again another opportunity to jump up and increase his
playing time and contribute to this team. The fact that some of the younger guys are actually going to BC now asking essentially how did you do it and what are the keys that I should be playing with. I think a guy like BC can become one of those other leaders within the locker room. Now that you had essentially a top tier tandem that everyone in the league was talking about. One of those guys leave town and
you still have Adam feeling here. You now have BC potentially being that guy who can jump back up and put his name in there to potentially be one of the best tandems in the league. And you know, we talked about the wide receiver depth on the show last week, but I'll throw this in there with what we believe to be good supporting depth. You know, we've now seen
it twice. When a guy comes out of nowhere and starts to show up a little bit, your initial impression is like, oh, we might have a starting receiver on our hands. And then when he really shows up, like Diggs did and like Feeling did, it can change a team, it can change an offense. So I love that BC is showing up and looks capable and looks like you could be our number two arter. That's already a huge
win for a seventh round pick. But if all of a sudden we get into the season and you see that uptick, you see a step into something special, all of a sudden, you go, oh, oh boy, we have another special wide receiver. We have a first round pick, we have this depth down the thing. I mean something like that. If the BC Johnson uptick becomes a giant uptick, it could be something really, really really exciting for Viking fans.
The last name on this list for this week's episode is a name that I don't think any Viking fans even new, like as of what a week and a half ago. At the end of the twenty nineteen season, the Vikings quietly signed former Buffalo Bill Eddie Yarbro And due to opportunity with whether it be coronavirus, whether it be players missing time for whatever, he has gotten a chance to play with the Ones, and he's looked pretty
damn good. Chris. There's a lot of openings in the Vikings defense left by Everson Griffin, left by free agent acquisition Michael Pierce. So if you're a defensive end or a defensive tackle and you are on this roster, there's an opportunity for you. It doesn't matter who you are. And this guy is really stepped up. He got picked up last year on Harmon Watts, got hurt and never really saw the field at all, playing after playing sixteen games with the Buffalo Bills in the previous season. So
we'll see what he can do. All these guys. I look at Hercules Mataafa in the middle and say he never really got a chance to do anything last year. So all of these guys, like I said, if you're a defensive tackle or a defensive end, Mike Zimmer likes you if he's got you on this team. For me, with Eddie, the fact that he wasn't Buffalo, he did get some run there he's not a complete spring chicken. And he's coming in here in his third year at
the age of twenty seven. I mean, he's coming in here to again take his shot and to have a guy like Everson leave and Daniel, you know, being and off the field here during camp, They're going to get some run. We're getting guys like a Foddy that we tend to talk about early in camp and say, hey, let's see what you know a guy like a Foddy can do, or DJ want them or some of these other guys. But the fact that Eddie now is the
one stepping up. These guys are across the board and the attitude of if you are showing up and if you can play, we are going to play you. And I think if Eddie can solidify himself, especially you know, given whatever is happening with Daniel, If if Daniel comes back and he's playing, and you've got a guy like Eddie that can rotate in like they love to do on that defensive line all the time, it'll just mean that they they're gonna have some some big hitters that
can constantly come back in fresh. So hopefully Eddie continues to progress this training camp here going into the regular season. I think you hit it correctly right on the head there, Jay with the depth part, because you know a Foddy Daniel DJ want him as the youngster, you know. But the fact that Jalen Holmes has kicked back outside and if he and Eddie Yarboro can provide that veteran depth rotational impact and you can keep everybody fresh, that's what
a Mike Zimmer like. Fresh, healthy, ready to go. Like. Full depth defensive lines are something that makes a Mike Zimmer's defense go round. So you know, it might be tougher news for the other couple of rookies on the defensive line, but I think it's great news for this for this group as a whole to have him and like I said, Jalen Holmes kind of showing up to provide some veteran depth here. Well, let's let's break out into other let's call it other NFL news. But it
certainly affects the vikings. ESPN's initial twenty twenty power rankings list. It is out. We have it. Kansas City Chiefs one, Baltimore Ravens two, forty nine Ers, three Saints four, Seahawks five, Buccaneer six with the Tom Brady Gronk credibility gives them a big boost. Aaron Rodgers and his merry band of people in Green and Gold their number seven? How about them Cowboys at number eight? The Tennessee Titans at nine, and then your Minnesota Vikings at ten. And I've seen
people all over the map. I've seen people going, what the hell are you thinking? They should not be at ten, They should be at fifteen, they should be at eighteen. And I've seen other people saying, what the hell are you thinking? Chris angry or satisfied? That's my new bit angry go ahead course, So Chris the Sauce Corps so angry or satisfied? What is this? Skipping skippin Shannon? What am I doing? What show am I running? I'm okay with where the Vikings are at the number ten spot.
I think anywhere from six to ten is where the Vikings should be. I think the top five is very fair with this ESPM list. But I really, how do you put the Tampa Bay Bucks at numbers just because of what they got? I get it all You're you're gonna put him at number six because all they got was the greatest quarterback and tight end in the history of professional football one a load up, go ahead, not at the same level as they in their entire career. And this is what I wanted, This is what I
brought it up. This I wanted hot take New Jersey Corso to rip into the into a Super Bowl credibility down in Tampa Bay Jay. To me, number six is also the one that caught my eye, and that was the one I figured would turn into the talker on this and I'm glad it has the biggest thing for Tampa for me is they were eight and eight with Jamis throwing you know, as many picks as he did
touch on seven hundred. I think he threw seven hundred. Yeah, yeah, So so I you know, I understand that people are excited about Tom and Gronk going down to Tampa, but six is going to be one of those that's going to be a show me before you can keep you
can move them that high. For me, I think, you know, you can have this argument of Green Bay, Dallas, Tennessee, Minnesota, all of those teams you know, essentially in the playoff hunt last season, and you can argue that Dallas got a lot stronger with some of their extra weapons they brought in Tennessee. You assume that Derrick Henry is going to become a beast once again, and it just feels like with them solidifying their quarterback play, that they're going
to be better. Green Bay. You know, they've got Aaron Rodgers, so that's your X factor with the entire team. I think it's fairly fair. Tampa's the one that's definitely the show me team, but otherwise I think it is a very fair number ten for the Vikings at this point. Fairly fair. I agree with you, Jay, it is fairly fair. You know, here's the thing I can hear. I can hear the argument that the Vikings are ranked too high. I can see the outside concern. I can see somebody going,
you lost your three starting cornerbacks. Everything Griffin's gone, Stefan Diggs is gone, and I know you guys love your replacements, but they haven't proven anything yet. I can understand somebody going the Vikings are too high. But I can also understand walking through five, six of those names and going the Tennessee Titans. You know, we were a team that lived on one of the greatest running backs of all time, and I know how hard that is to keep up
on a season end season out basis. I love Derrick Henry. He's so fun to watch, and I think they'll build a little broader of an offense this year than just handing it to him and hoping that he can run
for a thousand yards every three weeks. But there's a world where I can see the Vikings jumping them the Dallas Cowboys and tell the Dallas Cowboys actually achieve the potential set for them in any preseason, and I mean any since the moment they won their last Super Bowl until they ever achieve the hype that's set up for them, I don't care. I don't. I don't think that like you, there's no part of me that thinks that they deserve
to be higher than my favorite team. And you know what, hell, I'm gonna put the Cowboys at number twenty just because one of my best friends is a Cowboys fan and he can eat it. The Green Bay Packers last year got the massive boost. The Vikings played a very difficult schedule and they didn't get a lot of bounces their way. The Packers played a much easier schedule in my opinion, and it seemed like every single bounce fell their way.
So I can see those teams thirteen and three and ten and six, I can see those coming back to the middle, and to me, it's not a no brainer that one of them is better than the other. I'm different than you guys you want to talk about like until they prove it. Gronk and Brady have forever proved it. There's no world where I don't think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, just on name alone shouldn't be in the top five.
But then you look at the Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints, both teams one we beat in the playoffs, another team that we've just been within inches of beating an important late season games all year long. There's only three teams here that I feel like the Vikings are really on the outside looking in to start the season. The Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Niners. Those were all such excellent football teams last year. They've all had such small turnover and they all possess a lot of the
same stability that the Vikings possess. So I can see why somebody would throw us way down the list. I can sit here and argue why there's only three teams that I would put head and shoulders out of our
category in the preseason. Well, one of the things that you're going to get your arguments given this list, because a lot of these teams are on our schedule this season, so you're going to find out, especially in this top ten, let alone the next ten that are on this list, like the Vikings are playing a pretty good who's who of top teams that were from the twenty nineteen season, And we always know that there's always top teams from the year before that fall off, and there's always bottom
feeders that move up, and then given everything else going on with coronavirus and lack of fans, this season is going to be absolutely wild as long as it stays on the tracks. Yeah, that's interesting to think about. The Minnesota Vikings have on their sixteen game schedule right now. They have six teams that are currently in the top ten in the preseason power ranking. That is a hell
of a challenge they have facing them. All Right, let's get out of us babbling like idiots, and let's talk to one of the guys that's going through training camp right now. Our very own Chris Corso interviewed Dan Chisena He is an undrafted rookie free agent out of Penn State. Chris sat down with him and we will let you guys listen to him talk about I think he's got an interesting history of running track and what he's doing to do his best to try to make the twenty
twenty Vikings squad. What's up, Vikings fans. This is Chris Corso here with the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. We have Dan Chis Senna joining the show. The undrafted man out of Penn State already turning some heads at Verizon Vikings training camp.
What's going on, man, how's it going? Thanks for having me. So. The biggest bite that we've gotten about you so far is that you were a sprinter at Penn State and voice of the Vikings Paul Allen has been talking about it on his radio show All Over Vikings Content that you have this speed being a sprinter at Penn State.
So how does that translate onto the football field? Yeah? So, like you mentioned, I ran track for several several years of Penn State and I had a blast doing that and it's a great asset of mine, I think to be able to get out there and use that to my advantage. Whatever ways I can, and you know, running routes, running guys off, and just trying to use that to my advantage as best I can. Yeah. So I've seen you've connected with Kirk Cousins on a deep ball or two.
So what has that been like catching balls from him? And and is that the best part of your game? The deep ball? It's been awesome, you know, catching balls Kirk and all the quarterbacks. They've been doing an awesome job and just trying to do my part and you know, getting too where they throw it and bringing it in. But I don't think you can just be fast. I don't think you can just catch de Paul. So um, well, you know it's good to be able to try and
run buy some guys. I think it's more important to you know, trying to be a complete player, and you know that's what I've been trying to work on the past, you know, a couple of years since since getting back into this all. Yeah. So there's a very brand new wide receiver room for the Vikings this year. A lot of young players. We talked to BC Johnson last week and he said that you were just asking him like great questions. Being one of the older guys in the
room only twenty three years old for him. So what's it been like talking with guys like him and Adam
Feeling in the Vikings wide receiver room. Yeah, the entire room has been so awesome and so helpful for UM, you know, all of us that that just came in and UM, as you mentioned, I've been you know, asking BC questions and asking Adam questions and be Kaj all the guys guys who have been there, and you know, they know what it's like, they have that experience, and I'm just trying to take that beginner's mentality wherever I can and because I don't have it all figured out,
and you know, these guys have been doing it at a high level and so just trying to learn as much as I can. And they've been awesome. They've they've really helped everyone out and been really willing to do whatever they can to make us better as a unit.
So when you see guys like Adam Feeling, Chad Baby, BC Johnson as we mentioned, late round draft pick and BC and then two undrafted guys make the fifty three man roster here, what does that say to you coming in as an undrafted guy and the opportunity that you have here. Yeah, I mean I think you know, coaches have said it. You know, it's they don't care where you're drafted and stuff, and you see it with guys like that that have been able to earn their way
onto the field. And you know, for me, it's just been about taking it one day at a time, controlling of what I can control and just going out and competing every day and just be proud of what I put on film and let all that other stuff figure its helf out and sort it out, because it's so much is out of my control. So I just want to be the best best version of myself that I can be every day. So you grew up in Pennsylvania
and you play wide receiver at Penn State. What was that like to get that call from Penn State, being recruited by them and playing at one of the biggest college football programs in the country. I mean, it was such a blessing in my life. You know, grew up two and a half hours away, and you know, always watched Penn State games on TV and stuff, and you know that that was my dream growing up, was to
go to Penn State. And you know, be on the football team, and by the grace of God, I was able to do that and even get on the field a little bit. And I just I have so much love for that community and that university and the program. Obviously, who is your idol growing up in Pennsylvania playing football? I can only imagine who your idol was growing up. Oh, man, I don't know, honestly, I don't know. There was a linebacker when I was really little by the name of
Dan Connor who my uncle coached in high school. And I met him when I was in like third or fourth grade, and he played for Penn State. And that's really what started my love of football and love of Penn State, was that I got to meet this Penn State football player and um that my uncle knew and stuff, so that that kind of like got the ball rolling.
And then, you know, growing up, I wouldn't say I had one guy or another, but I just loved watching Penn State and college football and pro ball, and I just loved the game since since I was little playing at Beaver Stadium. That place is ginormous, Like it's bigger than most NFL stadiums. So how that how does that prepare you for the NFL level, being able to play
on such a such a big stage like that. Yeah, no, I mean, as you mentioned, I think that's you know, from from my limited you know games that I've played, and I think I'm pretty biased, but I think that's the best environment in college football, and fans there get after it, and um it's it's it's awesome playing there and tough environments there and tough environments on the road that that I've been able to play in a little bit, and you know that it all helps you know when
you've you've been in those moments and you've handled those situations and been able to keep your focus and still like focus on the task at hand. So that way, when you're in that situation again, you know that you've been there. It's not new territory, and it's just gives you a little, I guess a little more comfort in those moments. James Franklin is one of the most prominent college coaches in the game today. He had some really good words about you when you signed with the Vikings
as an undrafted free agent. What was it like to play under him? I have nothing but so much love for coach Franklin. I mean, he gave me multiple opportunities to be on that team. You know, first one, he gave me a chance to be a preferred walk on coming out of high school. And then when I left and ran track for a couple of years and ultimately decided that I wanted to give football another shot. And when I approached him about coming back to the team,
he was all on board. He was happy to see me, and which was I didn't know how that situation was going to go. And so I'm so appreciative for those opportunities. And throughout my time in the program, he's he's always been a big supporter of mine and it has really pushed me. And I can't say enough about him. I love the guy and I'm thankful for all he's done in my life. So, looking at your college career, you won a ton of games at Penn State, I'm bringing
it up. The one game that I remember that you lost was here playing the Gophers last season. That was an incredible game back and forth. What was it like to to compete with those guys and that that has to be one of your first tastes of Minnesota. Yeah, that was the first time that I was in the State, and I don't really have much to say about the game. I mean, we lost, and you guys, you know Minnesota one, and you know they deserve to win. They played better than us is what it is. But it was a
great environment. I mean the fans, they were awesome and ureat great atmosphere. Well, now those fans are on your side, they'll be cheering you on and hopefully cheering you on in a Vikings uniform. So best of luck and at Verizon Vikings Training Camp. And it was great to get to know you today. Awesome. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for that, Chris and and Dan Cesena for sitting down with us guys. Let's wrap things up here. Just quick information for our fans.
There are all sorts of things to check out on Vikings dot com, all of your latest Vikings news, daily press conferences. Dom Capers had a presser that took place on Tuesday where he talked about his evaluations on where the team is at defensively. You know our social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, you can get everything you need to end could ever
want to get from Verizon Vikings Training Camp. We're now just two weeks away from Vikings Packers taking place at an empty US Bank Stadium, a chance for this team to kick off the season right with a win against one of our biggest rivals and toughest opponents. Guys, any final thoughts before we end the show, I'm just excited for football of you going. I don't believe it's going to happen. I pray that it does. And that is all.
There's been a lot of first in my career working with this team, seeing a two ninety six game, going to NC Championships, all of that. I don't think i'll ever again see what's about to happen in the next twenty weeks of the season, and that is actually something I am looking forward to, just to see what happens. And it's been a lot of build up for how many months that we've been trying to struggle through to
get two games. We're about to get to games, and we're about to see what this all turns into, and I honestly I can't wait. I mean, I think it's clear that there's going to be a week one. I think that at this point is very clear. It seems like there is going to be a week one, and guys, I gotta tell you, I am really intrigued. We haven't seen anything. There's no preseason, we haven't seen anybody really on the field, and any real competitive situations that aren't
padded practices. I cannot wait to see what it looks like when these guys step out onto the field for the first time since last January December January for different teams and just have to start playing football again. I think it's going to be a really, really interesting experiment and I absolutely can't wait for it. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. We will see you guys next week.