Minnesota Vikings Podcast: Adam Thielen + Training Camp Observations | Episode No. 2

you are listening to it. We are glad you're doing so. I'm your host Wabi from TCO Performance Center in Egan. Jam Packed episode two of the Minnesota Vikings podcast coming up. Before we preview it, let's bring in the producer, the co producer, and the co host Chris Corso. What's up man? What's going on? While we have a jam packed episode. I'm really excited for our new feature and that's the voicemails that we got from the fans. This right, God,

the imagination. So the listeners are most excited for the guest because it's number thirty three on the top one hundred players of twenty eighteen list. It's Adam Feeling. Yes, Vikings wide receiver. Coming up. In a moment, we'll have term of the Week. We'll get to Chrissie's new favorite segment, fan voicemails. You're gonna hear from Vikings team reporter Eric Smith. He'll tell us what he's seeing out on the practice fields later on in the show as well. But first

let's get to some sound. We have two bites of the week that we want to share with you, and it begins with a little bit of levity from unsurprisingly defensive end Everson Griffin. I was just curious, though, what products do you use Amy Tips for someone like myself aspiring to get a beard like that? I use Scotch Porter. Scotch Porter. Yeah, it's a little shampoo, shampoo for your beard, and they have conditioner, and then also used their beer cream and machine they have On top of that, I

put a little black castro oil in there. Yeah. I got a little routine. Then you use a wooden brush and you just brush it down. The wooden brush is um so if you use a regular brush, if it makes your beard puff out like afro, I want my beard at like after I wanted the wooden brush makes the hair lay down flat. Yes, yeah, you're welcome, all right. So you think Everson Griffin is just the sack daddy, Now he knows he knows how to how to grow

and take care of a beard as well. That was Anthony Barr asking him the question in the middle of a press conference, so that was really cool. And yeah, you see that beard on Sundays, it kind of goes out of the helmets. He's got it right, that's for sure. Um So a funny moment from Vikings defensive end Everson

Griffin from earlier in the week. Let's go now, though, to a real moment from newly signed Vikings running back DeAngelo Henderson, who gives you a little bit a peak of what life is like for a player who's at what you would call, with all due respect, the bottom of an NFL or this is what it's like for those guys. Honestly, after I got released from the Jets, man, you know, just personally my body worked that I've been able to do in the NFL so far, it hasn't

been alive. So honestly, I didn't think I was gonna get another chance. So I started applying for jobs. I was on indeed, and this applying for job built my resume. I called some guys like, Hey, who'd I need to contact? Got in touch with some good people, and when I got a call, I actually got to had an interview for a job this weekend. I had to turn down because I told him, and I got signed by the

Minnesota Vikings, So I'm sorry. He was indeed. He was searching on indeed yeah, for a sales job yep, which, as we were doing our production meeting earlier in the week four, episode two of the Minnesota Vikings podcast, co producer Jay Nelson referenced Adam Feeling sounds like Adam Feeling story, who, at one point before he became the number thirty three player on the NFL's Top one hundred list, didn't know if he would keep playing football after college. So it's crazy.

And you see where Feeling is today, It's it's wild. He's our guest this week, so you'll hear more from him. But this guy, D'Angel Henderson, he was looking to move to Atlanta, Georgia to be a salesman where his girlfriend left, which is what any guy would want to do. And now he's with the Minnesota Vike trying to make this roster man. I love it. Yeah, we'll see all right. Speaking of Adam feel he is our guest today on the Minnesota Vikings podcast. Let's bring in Adam right now.

Top wide receivers that I have on my list. Obviously you got ab every year. Adam Feeland is one of my favorites in the league. Got a lot of respect for that guy. You look at the numbers and you look at how he's getting it done. Nine hundred yard games, really incredible. I see him go for one hundred yard East game. At first, I don't think he was getting the respect that he deserved. I think just because he didn't pass the eye test, but he passed the stat test.

Fifty eight catches, the most in the history of the A Bell for the first six weeks. He has more than one hundred receiving yards for an eight consecutive game, tying a National Football League record. And I think it's not gonna flash. But you know, before you know, he got a honey yards on you. You don't even know how. Adam has always been a great route run. Now probably you're wit over right, Yeah, you run a lot of misdirection routes, so can make it think you're going one way,

go to total ocasite. Certain things come up in the game where you have to you know, I would say improvised a little bit during the route we played the Lions. I wouldn't even playing, but I'm watching. He went inside and he broke it off for his teschdown. Any other receiver probably would that went outside, and we were planning to go outside. But how the guy was planning you went inside. But to know that they make that decision

real quick shows you how swatty is. I'm like, okay, he's running the incut right there and any breaks on the outcut, but had two guys on him, Jason mccordy, let's him get to the corner and so even and when you think you had the right call against the right receiver, he beats him all right. Adam Feeling joins him in a sort of Vikings podcast. What's it like hearing all that stuff about you? Uh sor right? I guess Yeah, it's kind of weird, isn't it. That's a

little weird. Yeah, mostly weird. Yeah, um, you know, and it's nice stuff. People are saying nice things about you. But I know that you don't like to get wrapped up in that. You want to act like they don't no one respects you. You want to have that chip on your shoulder, right. Yeah, honestly, I forget about some of that stuff until I started talking about it. So, yeah, it's a little weird. You know, number thirty three on

the list. I mean, you're Madden ratings ninety four. You know you you were at one point, you were a kid who just loved football and wanted to get as far as you could. You played video games, probably no doubt all this stuff is and now you're living it, You're actually living It's just it's just got to be a surreal thing. You know. I'm so focused on on my job and trying to get better and uh, you know what we got going on right now. It's it's

not easy to have success in this league. So I'm just trying to make sure I'm taking care of business. But I think, you know, what i'm done playing, I'll be able to look back at things and be able to reflect a little bit. But but right now, like there's just really no time I guess to to start thinking about what you've done in the past. Yeah, and

then you know you, you know you. It's kind of a weird thing because it's like no one respects me, I'm gonna show them, I'm going to prove them wrong, right, Like that can be a mentality. But then when you get showered with praise and everyone's respecting you, like I hear them talk all the time about about that, where it's almost like you're in a better position when you're under the radar or people aren't talking about you, because then you can use that as motivation. Right, Yeah, for sure.

I mean I think that's that's you know, really been a big part of how I got to where I am because using that motivation. Um, using that that uh, you know chip on your shoulder to to create success, right. Um. But I think there's always something. There's always somebody doubting you. There's always somebody that doesn't think that you're as good as you are or things like that. So there's always

there's there's always ways to find motivation. Well I found one this morning, and um, Good Morning Football ranked their top twelve Fantasy football wide receivers. So I took a look at the at the ranking, No Vikings in there. So I responded to him with a gift of zim with his arms crossed like with the skyl on his face.

So there. I mean you find stuff like that. Yeah, But now when you have all the noise and the attention and you're a pro athlete, isn't that what a big part of the appeal of like going home to your family and your kids, especially because your kids don't know don't know that part of you, Like they don't

know who like quote unquote, they don't know who you are. Yeah, right, isn't that part of the appeal of like life at home, life with your family, whether it's the off season, or you get home from a game win or lose, or you get home from a tough practice in the late dog days of training camp. Yeah, that's part of the appeal, right. Yeah. I mean I even look back at yesterday or off day and just being able to watch Asher's baseball practice and and hang out my wife and the two boys.

So it was it was the best day I had all week. So yeah, no, it's definitely great. I'm so thankful for my family because of that. And my wife hates when I talk about football when I come home or if I'm angry about it or or or happy about it. So it's actually been a big focus in mind this year is too. When I do come home, it's it's I don't care what I did on the

field the day before. I gotta make sure that, uh, you know, I'm happy and uh and uh, you know, being in the same husband and father that I that I am in the now. You guys don't get to go home during this part of camp right now, as much as you wish you could, right right and um, and that's probably some good parts to that allows you to sort of be in the zone and all that stuff I would imagine, But it just and as great as we love TCL, we love camp here. It gives

you guys a ton of resources. But it's different not being a main catle, isn't it. It is. It's a lot different. Yeah, there's definitely pros and cons to both. I'd say, um, I'd say that the biggest pro for us having a family is, you know, my wife can bring the boys out the day, Yeah, any day, and it could be at the end of practice even just to uh, you know, she didn't have to watch practice just to be able to come and the boys can run around and uh can see them for you know,

twenty thirty minutes, which is fantastic. So uh, that's that's that's a big pro. And and obviously just the facility here, I mean having the resources and and um, you know, the things to take care of your body, to watch extra film or what whatever you need, it's it's here. You know, the the lunch room and things like that. I mean, it's it's a special place and uh definitely

helps you become a better football player. Yeah. Um, I want to ask you one football question before we let you go, and um, I like to always ask you guys, not about after we get done talking about you and and the wide receivers. I want to ask you about the corners because you're going up against them every single day in practice. Okay, so how's that group of guys? Look, how did the corners look for the Minnesota Vikings. Yeah, obviously see a lot of Trey and and Zay Um.

But uh, you know, I think I think you know it's it's iron sharp AND's irons. You know, it's a it's a cliche thing to say, but it's the truth. I mean, I get I get angry sometimes when I don't beat beat those guys. But you know, sometimes you guys, remember that those guys are are getting paid to play this game too, and they're they're really good football players. But it's good. I mean, it's good to be a little angry if if you're not beating them or they get they get you one time. And um, I think

I think you know, that's how this team is. You know, we want to be great. We want to win every time we go against h whether it's our team or someone else. And um, and I think we practice the right way too. We're not trying to hurt each other and um, you know things like that. So um, you know, I'm very thankful that we got really good football players on outside of the ball that that when we get to games, it almost it almost seems, um, you know,

like you actually have. And I was talking to Digs about the state when we go hard and and we face the guys we face and face and practice, you know, games come a little bit easier. Yeah, for sure. It's kind of like you know, the baseball batter in the on deck circle with the donut on his bat right, and then you get into the batter's box and it's the lighter, lighter bat to swing. It feels that way. Um, well,

I know you're really happy to relieve. Like we launched the Minnesota Vikings podcast last week and you you weren't on it, and you were all over me about wanting to get into the radio to do this interview. So yeah, exactly, I mean, seriously, can you ignore any more of my text? Well, there's much of this stuff I can avoid the better team, But you know, you always say it's like, oh, it's

me quick, you know, two minutes. But you know, well, now I don't have dinner and have to be you know, pushing it for my meeting, because well you can skip dinner or your special teams meeting. So what's gonna be? Pick you pick one or the other. It's all good, okay, all right man, Well thanks for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you, all right, our thanks to Adam Feeling for taking some time out of a busy training camp day to come into the radio studio and tape with us.

We appreciate it. Okay, what's next? I think we're talking some content? Yeah, who's excited about content? Content? Let's get some content? That's right. The head coach. Content, Let's get some content. He's big on content. He's always saying that too. He walks by the VN room when we're having our weekly meeting, and I just imagine what's going through his mind. Content. Let's get some content. Okay, I'm sorry. New content coming

up from the Vikings Entertainment Network in twenty nineteen. You're listening to one of them. The Wobcast has turned into the Minnesota Vikings Podcast, so that's one of the new pieces of content. Vikings game Plan is not new, but it's beginning. In fact, we've filmed the first episode of Vikings game Plan today, so you'll hear from Vikings players. You'll hear from I believe the interview is IRV Smith

Junior will be the player on Vikings game Plan. Ron Johnson yours truly Pa will be batting around some topics in the final segment of Vikings game Plan. So twenty plus episodes of Vikings Game Plan. The first taping was today, so that's coming up. And Chrissy's favorite piece of new content is the fan voicemails, and we're gonna get to those right now. That's right, we got some fan voicemails I can't even like stress how appreciative we are of the fans who just reached out right away and send

some voicemails to us. I mean, it's all of Actually, we're gonna get to that call in type deal we can call into a show like this, but right now we have the voicemails from the fans, so we're gonna get to this segment, and I think it's going to be way more engaging than the just reading off the fan emails. Well, and we'll still do the fan emails, so we want you all to keep sending in your emails because we like those. We use them for the mail bag, we use them for the Pick six, you know,

and we'll use them on the Minnesota Vikings podcast. But we have this new technology that you know, the Will family gave us and we're gonna use it. So we want you guys to call us and leave us voicemails, opinions, questions, whatever it is. The number is nine to five two nine one eight eight four three eight nine five two nine one eight eight four three eight is the number

to call and leave us a voicemail. Now we're going to do this again in future weeks and what we want from you for next week's show for fan voicemails. Is the current you know this is Hall of Fame week for the NFL to Hall Fame game is this weekend? A new class of Chinese is going in over the weekend.

We've had a bunch of Vikings go in in the last decade or so, like and yours truly J. Nelson, a bunch of other people from the Vikings Entertainment Network have been able to go to Canton and take in the ceremonies, the festivities and cover it for you all. So you've seen it. So I want to know from you guys. Call into that number the current Viking most likely to become a Hall of Famer. Let us know

who it is. The next one, yep, it current Viking not retired like not Jared Allen or not Adrian Peterson, who's a former Viking, the one on the roster right now? Who you think's most likely to be a Hall of Fame candidate someday let us know who you think it is. But for now, let's listen to some of the voicemails you guys sent us from last week. This first one is is awesome. Um, there's an imitation that goes on here. Everybody's talking about mcquon Treadwell, who is battling for a

spot in the Vikings wide receiver room. This is van in Texas col s with the Vikings from development. Mc has been shrinning with Morpheus from the matrix to actually acquire us some ward receive about talent. No, Morpheus has been shrinning in the matrix. Who will it be the third receive king? Vikings love it? I mean, could you start off with him? So so last week we said call us in for a surprising development. That the topic was call us leave us a voicemail a surprising positive

development for the Vikings. What could it be? In training camp? Howard Cosell, God bless him. He called us and left us a voicemail saying he thinks LaQuan Drudwall is going to emerge. Texas version of Howard is what we get for our first voicemail? I mean, can you beat it? I mean I don't know, can we can? We got more? We got a few more, so let's see, but let's go to number two. Let's go. Yeah. Curtis from Easton, Pennsylvania in regards to the biggest surprise for the Vikings

twenty nineteen. I'm going to go in a different way on this one. I think twenty nineteen, I would be a big surprise if our defense when uh didn't play as well, um like when we did against the Saints and the Eagles and then the first couple of games of last year. Um, I hope we don't tend to go in that direction. Said that would be a major surprise if our defense did not play well this year. Thanks for taking my call, and you take care um Zim doesn't like that content. Yeah, that was a little

didn't like that. I mean, we had some entertainment for the first one. That one. Curtis Curtis is a regular emailer. We did him in the pick six and the mail bag a lot. So Curtis is a big time fan from Easton, Pennsylvania. So and he's he's he said a surprise would be as if the Vikings defense took a step back. Yeah, and we wanted positive developments. Maybe I didn't stressed that last week. That would be a negative development. And I don't think that's going to happen. I don't

think it's gonna happen either. It did happen. In the first four games the last season, things didn't go the right way, but Zim got that thing switched around. Remember we had the short week against the Rams on Thursday night and it didn't look good. We give up thirty eight points. I think we came back had a long week the following week because we played on Thursday. We didn't playa until a week from that. Next Sunday. We

want to Philadelphia and we won. We want at Philadelphia thanks to a large party, to a big time defensive performance. I think the Eagles only had three points at halftime. If I'm not mistaken that Lynvall had a defensive touchdown, right, Yeah, So so Zim got that thing turned around. So Curtis, you're right, that would be a surprising development for our season, but it's not going to happen. I think our defense is in good shape, all right. What's next? Number three

is a positive development. And this fan talks about a player who he thinks is going to really step up this season. What's going on? Guys? This is Josh over here in Portland, Oregon represent for our Vikings. Just want to give you guys a call today because I saw you post on Twitter and topic being biggest surprise at two thou nineteen. In my opinion, I think McKenzie Alexander's going to be a guy who really finally comes into his own going into his third year. We saw a

lot of marked improvement last season. Obviously, everybody who knows McKenzie knows he's really smart on and off the field. He's a competitor, he's a gym rat, he's a he's a he's a guy who's kind of nose in the books. Um, I really think that year three, McKenzie Alexander might be Pro Bowl status. Maybe I'm reaching here, Maybe I'm not. We'll see skull bikes. Love it all right, my man, McKenzie. You know, Um, Josh listed lots of things that McKenzie is.

Do you know what else McKenzie is What he's a twin. He is a twin. Yeah, the twin connection. I mean, I'm a twin. You have twins, McKenzie is. It's another good thing about McKenzie. Crazy. Now, if McKenzie has a Pro Bowl caliber year, that's that's gonna mean real good things for our defense. It's also going to mean Curtis More from Eastern Pennsylvania's wrong because our defense will not take a step back if Mackenzie's a pro bowler, that's right.

I mean, if you have the nickel corner, the number three corner on the team as a pro bowler, I think our past defense is going to be okay. So those are fan voice mails for this weekend. We want more for next week again, the number nine, five, two, nine, eight, four three eight. Let us know who you think on the current roster has the best chance to be a Hall of Fame candidate someday. All right, let's talk more twenty nineteen Verizon Vikings training camp from an on the

field perspective. To do that, we're going to bring in Eric Smith, the Vikings team reporter who is at every single practice and does the three Observations from camp on a regular basis. We're going to bring him in now to let give him an opportunity to tell us what is just going on, what's the flavor or what's the tenor so far of Viking Straining camp from the team's perspective on the field, Hey, guys, have the going good man, what was your like when you were grown up and stuff?

What did people call you? What was your nickname. I just call you Eric all the time. My dad called me eman Eman. Okay, that makes sense. I call I call Leo big man. He's my big man. Yep, that makes sense. I get that, and then my mom gets called me e. Okay. How about your friends? Were you smitty? Because you do the you do the weekly chat in season and the occasional chat offseason, and it's sup smitty? Right yeah? Okay, so does anyone call you smitty? A

few people? Yeah, not many of do you think. I think that's more of like an old school thing. People called my Grandpamitte all the time. Okay, but not really me? All right, all right, yeah, well we're gonna keep working on a nickname for you. Then, Okay, it's about time you have one, you know one, you know. The king of nicknames around here is Tom West, who's in the Vikings Public relations department, has been here for a long time,

over twenty years. He knows how to come up with nicknames. Now, they're not always you know, flattering nicknames or not, so you gotta be careful. Yeah, it's a double ed sword there, so I don't think you should ask him for one, but we'll come up with a nickname, we'll try. Yeah, all right. Um, first of all, the weekly chats, Yeah, when do they start up again? It just started, okay, So the one you just had was the first of them starting up again, pretty much, Yeah, for one of

the twenty nine. And you're gonna do them on Tuesdays again every two day, one o'clock Viking dot Com. Okay, and folks can log on to the site ahead of time and submit questions, or they can log on right at one o'clock as you guys get going, right. They can also, as you said, use the hat taget smitty on Twitter. Yeah, and simmy questions. All right, and I'd take it all. Okay, So you do three observations from practice for the day. We've had as of this recording,

four full team practices. Two of them have been in pads. We're gonna have another one today that you're gonna go out to and watch in a minute. We're gonna have two more on Thursday Friday before the annual night practice on Saturday, August third, So folks want to come out and check out the team under the lights. You can't get out here on a weekday. You can't get out here and during business hours. Come on Saturday night, watch

the night practice. It's always really fun and even though it's just a practice, just a practice and air quotes, you can't help but feel like the intensity is a little bit more, maybe than than a normal practice. Right, it's a good lead up to that for preseason gag. Yeah, kind kind of get that game like atmosphere. Yeah, all right, So you've seen a bunch of practice, you've written a bunch of observations, and let's let's not be long winded here.

Let's let's give the folks. Let's hit him hard with a couple of succinct observations that you have from camp so far. What's number one? Okay, the first one, it's not going to be at the Pride if you paid attention the thought season, But I think the Viking they're going to run the ball a lot. Okay. So you've seen that in practice, you've seen that, we've heard it

in words, and you're seeing it in action. Even in the installation period where the guy take their helmets off and they're kind of jogging or walking through plays, it is almost always running the ball. Okay, So you believe in the um the emphasis on running the ball. You believe in that? All right? Heavy? Okay? Dalvin? All right, yeah, Dalvin, Alexander, Alexan and Madithon had looked great. Yeah. He the first day of pads, I thought he was a standout. He

had very smooth Yeah. And Kennedy Paulamalo, the running backs coach, like he'll let you have it if he doesn't like what you're doing, and he was like he was happy with Alexander Madison in the one on one pass Pearls linebackers. So I was cool, all right, number two, number two. I've been interested to watch the depth at defensive tackle. Okay, two presumptive starters are out. They're not practicing right right if Linamon pop and there's a whole host of guys.

They're younger guys who are trying to kind of make their name. Um. I think all of them have been a little bit up and down. Um. I think we'll maybe find out more when the preseason game get going. But that's just an area that I've had my eye on. Yeah, I think it's a really interesting position battle, not for the starting spots because if they're healthy, it's Lindvall and it's Chamar correct Um what I think is interesting is a how many do we keep? How many tackles do

we keep? Four? Five? If it's If it's four, you know, that's a little light. The competition's super intense. Probably gonna be fine. I would think, maybe you think about it being five. If that's the case. The real battle is not who's who's who's number three? Who's number five? That's the real battle because you're gonna get a good player that you're gonna try to sneak on through waivers onto the squad practice squad, right, you know, and you might not be able to do that. So that's the real

position battle. Who's four and five? Correct, not who's three and four. We made some predictions last week, and we talked about Jalen Holmes, We talked about Jalil Johnson, who actually spoke to the media today. Yeah, there are a lot of candidates. Yeah, who stood out to you And I've always I wrote about him in the spring, but Hercules there, you know, he's flashed here and there. Um, you kind of have my eye on him going forward. Yeah, Zima likes him too, yep. Um, all right, number three. Uh,

the kicking game had been an area of focus. Um, kind of with the long knappers and multiple holders I get in practice. Um in the chat, people are freaking out about it, but it's early, you know, there's a long way to go. I think as long as they get it cleaned up in the preseason and they're ready to go for week one, then it'll be fine. I'm not sweating Dan Bailey, No, not at all. Yeah, I'm not sweating that. I think you said the word. The

word is the operations. That's what the key is is the synergy among the kicker, holder and long snapper, you know, and being sharp in those other areas besides just kicking the ball. That's what has to be looked at and analyzed here during the preseason. I think it figuring out who the long snapper is going to be as we go along, and it's getting that person comfortable with Matt Wile and then getting Dan comfortable with him, and it'll

get better. And we love Kevin McDermott. I mean he was a long snapper last year and it's not like we had like bad snaps last year. I mean Kevin McDermott is as tough as nails. Lost finger keeps playing or part of a finger keeps playing, so we don't. We're not a problem with them. It's just there are two in camp, so by definition it's a position to watch, right because we drafted the other one, Austin Cutting from Air Force. Yeah. No, big fan of Kevin Matine toughness rating. Well, yeah,

I'm backed on the team. Yeah. He left a piece of his finger on the field and kept going. I mean I'd be in the fieldal position, crawled up. We always ask him for shugs to come take me off the field, take care of me, all right, anything else, no to take that h get back to work. Yeah, So am I all right? Man, thanks for coming into the podcast. We appreciate it. Cool. Thank guys. All right. So that's Eric Smith, Viking Steam reporter, giving us the lowdown on camp. Now, you and I have been at

every practice too, Chris, that's right. Like you see Inside Training Camp live NFL Network going around all different team training camps, and like the Cleveland Browns have Baker Mayfield and O b J and a new head coach, and it's just like Super Splashy and the Dallas Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott's holding out and Dak Prescott is he gonna get a new deal or not. Amari Cooper and is he

gonna get a new deal or not? Like big big Newsy Meaty, the Oakland Raiders that are on hard knocks and John Gruden and Mike Mayock and in the trading fans and a hot take. Yeah, Like there's just like there's these these things that are just so like you know what you're talking about when you go to that team's camp. Yep, like the Vikings in a positive way, we kind of don't have that. Coach Zimmer loves to

be the team not being talked. Yeah, and I'm not saying we're a boring team, but not by any stretch. We have a lot of really good players and we have a quarterback, um you know who had a good season last year, but the team's record wasn't good. So a lot of people are like should like was that a good contract or not. It's like, it's not like we're boring. There's nothing to talk about with us, and

you shouldn't come and watch training camp. You should, But I'm just saying like we're not like we're not up there with the Browns, the Raiders, the Cowboys with those juicy, sexy storylines. So it's kind of Camps kind of got that like just that businesslike whole hum feel to it. So far, I'm that I'm gonna have a hot take here and say last year we were that, oh for sure, cousins first year, Yeah, first year at the new facility,

coming off the Nfldan richardson big signing. I mean we had all those flashy things coming off such a good season the year before. This year, I love it. I think you have a second season with Kirk here, which is going to be night and day, with his receivers, with the offense, with Kubiak alongside Stefanski, I think everything working together. I just like what's going on here so

much more than last year. Now. One thing that Eric talked about his first observation was, you know, he believes in the team emphasizing the run like he sees the team doing that. I love the practice. That was a great first. A big part of that is going to be, you know, if you go back and look at Gary Kubiak in his history and this offense, there's lots of two tight end formations right right, And I think we're

gonna use a fullback a lot. And I think Zim wants to be a physical team, and that includes being a physical offense with your offensive line, your tight ends at fullback, running the ball, establishing the run, and being able to run. So two tight ends, we know we got Rudy. The second one a lot of the times is gonna be IRV Smith. That's right, all right. We have Irv who's going to be on the podcast next week. Next week, which is going to be super cool. And part of the tie in for that is that we

have a preseason game next week. And where is that preseason game. It is being played in New Orleans, where he grew up, and that's IRF Smith's hometown, and that's where his dad played right in the NFL. And it's gonna be on his birthday. So episode three of the Minnesota Vikings podcast. Is that a trifecta or is that four things or five? I don't know. It's gonna be pretty cool because we're gonna have Irv in here and get his dad in here, and we're gonna talk to

those two about it. As before. You know, we're gonna be playing a preseason game, which is hard hard to believe. That's games a little a week away. I mean that's crazy to think, like all you Vikings fans should get excited because games are coming. It's awesome. Um, okay, term of the day is hot route. You hear quarterbacks, receivers, offensive coordinators, head coach coaches during press conferences, postgame interviews. They talk about a hot route and we could explain

it to you. We could do an okay job. Who's somebody who could like do a really good job. How about like a wide receiver. A wide receiver. I mean we have a few of them, but we got a really good one. There's one guy, well he was on the podcast earlier. Oh yeah, we did it and explain what a hot route is, all right, the infamous hot route. UM. I think it really became popular from a movie and people really wanted to figure out what the actual hot

route was. Um. But there's every offense has a different, uh type of hot route. UM honestly, UM, I've been in a lot of different offenses that have treated it completely different. Um. But but really now, in our offense, a hot route is really just just getting your eyes ready if it's if it's a full on pressure look and uh, you know that you gotta get you know, in aud of your break quicker. Um, you gotta get

to your break quicker. Um. I mean you gotta make sure that you're you're, you're available for the quarterback to get it out quickly so he doesn't get sacked. But I've also been in offenses where it completely switches your route. Um, so if if a blitz comes off your side, you gotta run quick to the flat. Um. So there's different definitely a lot of different variations, but um, but they all they all find a way to be able to

basically just protect the quarterback from getting smacked. All right, let's go, let's get out of here with one more thing. And it's something that we're excited about here at the Vikings Entertainment Network and it's another example of new programming from the ven. It's the Vikings Voyage, which is a never before seen type of content here from the Vikings

Entertainment Network. Folks really love behind the scenes stuff like they like they love ninety six Questions with Brian Robinson when they get to see a personal side of players and a behind the scenes look as a player grabs a mic and goes around the locker room, something that we wouldn't normally do yeah, Okay, folks love our meat. The Pick series where we go behind the scenes on draft day with the GM the head coach. Our draft

pick lands at the airport and we're with them. We got them miked up and we got cameras on the phone calls. People love that stuff. Okay, Well this the Voyage is that time's a hundred. The Voyage is in house network Vikings Entertainment Network type hard knocks or all or nothing type of programming. And I've had people emailing me asking me, hey, and I see the Browns are doing this thing. I see the Chargers are doing this thing. Are the Vikings gonna do it? Yeah, We're doing it.

And it started today. It started this week with the first episode of The Voyage. That's what it's called a debut on the Vikings YouTube channel and on the Vikings Facebook page. And it's going to end up being on all of our digital properties. It's going to be on our social media channels, it's gonna be on dot com, it's probably gonna be on the app, it's gonna be

everywhere you're gonna notice it. It's the Voyage, and there's it's it's multiple episodes throughout the season going behind the scenes with players and coaches and staff of the first one featured a lot of Dalvin Cook. Did you get a chance to watch it, Chrissy, Yes, I was just gonna feed to that sound bite because we want to give the fans a little bite of it here on the MVP. So let's hear Dalvin Cook as he enters the facility for the first time. Rights from a year

ago to today. I mean, it's gonna be a long offseason. I'll day that the Kings of the North, the Chicago Bears, beat the Minnesota Vikings and end their season twenty four ten. Chicago, it's Viking football. Now. You always carry it because you gotta know what you gotta build from and what's the goal that we headed to and how we could have got down and the things that we could have did last year. So you always carried in your back pocket.

But you know it's a fresh start, unless a new beginning, low begin, a new identity for this team that we got to find out. But you know, you always keep that in your back pocket that you know that's what'll be left off that and you know that's what we got to build fund. You know you're gonna try to estabis ode identity and what we want to be and

what we're looking towards. And it's early, you know, obviously early, but you know because them being on a smart physical you know, people that make good decisions on the field and off the field. That's type of teaming off. So it's crazy to go, man's grady to go. Okay, all right, We've got a couple couple of things we need to talk about. You know, every year in the NFL, things change, a lot of different staff changes, a lot of different

player changes. So I want to go through that real quick. Um, and you know the guys all right, you already know some fans and Gary Kubacks. It's just name coach, offensive advisor, Rick Dennison, the words Gary, stand up Gary, so they all see you, all right, that's Gary Brick Jennison is right there, all right. M Kennedy, y'all know. Brian Periani right there, he's coaching tight ends. Thank Fubiak is coaching the quarterbacks. Okay, Drew Petson, you know, he's moved to receivers,

Andrews still with the offensive line. So that's the offensive guys, all right. Defensive guys are all the same, right, and then special teams you got a new special teams coordinator, bar One maloof spanning right back there. All right, so you know, everybody says we want to win the division, everybody says we want to win a super Bowl. I'm gonna give him some more specific things where if we're good in these areas that uh, that we'll have an opportunity to do that. All right, So that's just a

little taste. That was cool. Yeah, that's really cool. It's a little bit. It's a little taste like in that first step in the car with Dalvin Cook. I mean, does it get better? Yeah, that's cool the way the way with Van does it in Nate Vaughan is the one head in the project does a great job with all this stuff. Is you're in the car with Dalvin

for the first day of the offseason program. Ye, and then you end up going into the team meeting room where head coach Mike Zimmer is introducing the new coaches to all the players and is talking about how the season begins anew for us. Right now, forget about last year and let's go forward to twenty nineteen. So really awesome accessing the stage. It's awesome access. You guys are gonna love it. It's called The Voyage. It's produced by

the Vikings Entertainment Network. Many more episodes coming up throughout the course of the season. All Right, that's gonna do it. For episode number two of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. Our thanks to Eric Smith, Vikings team reporter, for joining, as well as Vikings wide receiver Adam Thalan who was our guest today, and our thanks to everyone behind the scenes at the Vikings Entertainment Network for producing the Minnesota Vikings Podcast.

Episode number three of the podcast coming up next week. It's going to feature IRV Smith Junior, and we're also going to preview the Vikings first preseason game at the New Orleans Saints. That and many more things coming up on episode number three of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. For now, I'm a be signing off school vits