Blake Cashman

And then yeah, is Dallas Turner gonna be right up to the level that we expect him to be based on what was really a strong camp from him leading up to his third year? So, um, I, I do think, though, that we're [chuckles] gonna see just so many of the seven up, eight up.

Cashman, Metellus, um, Eric Wilson.

That is just gonna be that same similar game, cat and mouse type game, where Jordan Love is gonna have to do what he did last year in that win in November, where he had a sick no-look pass where he faked off Eric Wilson in the red zone and threw to the sideline.

I can't remember who it was to, but got them down into the goal line into a goal and distance, goal to go spot.

Uh, I think that's made it a looser kind of locker room.

At least that's what it seems like.

It seems like the guys who have stepped into leadership positions, whether it's guys like Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, um, have kind of overseen, um, a, a group that is just kind of eager to get back out there and, and see what they can do, but not with how... not with that kind of, you know, like I said, cloud hanging over their heads.

So to me, yeah, it feels loose.

And he was also saying how excited he is that it's just getting all coming together as far as a team standpoint.

for the minnesota vikings and like i said he brings that mentality he brings that little bit of added confidence to us as well so we're excited to have cd back and we've seen this from the minnesota vikings that when we don't have our captains or our stars out there on the field it is felt throughout the entirety of that unit when you don't have andrew van genkel out there you feel that when you don't have blake cashman out there you feel that when you don't have brian o'neill and christian derisaw out there You feel it when you don't have Justin Jefferson out there.

Obviously you feel like he's the best wide receiver in football.

So having these major pieces back doesn't always doesn't just go a long way in on the field, but also in the locker room as well.

And yes, a lot of people would say, well, yeah, it's a stacked defense from maybe five ten years ago but all these guys still have gas in the tank and we know that brian flores can bring out the absolute best in these guys because they play their ass off for him and he brings in guys that he knows are going to be his type of coachable guys that are going to go out there and give him the best football that they got but also speaking on kyle van noy's progress kevin o'connell did also say that the coolest thing has just been watching him come in and see the differences and learn those nuances and changes to be able to really be a piece for us on either side when his number gets called Very fortunate to have Kyle here, and it's going to take so much pressure off of some of the younger guys.

Dallas Turner won't have to do nearly as much, even though he's going to be wanting to be out there 100% of the time.

Then you've got Jake Golday as well, his development on the interior linebacker side of things, how they want to kind of use him as a mentor for Jake Golday, as well as how Blake Cashman's been, which he had a great quote on Jake Golday that we're going to be covering in a later video.

But overall, with what Kyle Van Nooy can bring into this team, helping these young guys in that linebacking core, helping Dallas Turner in his development.

yeah you wrote a story I don't might have been the beginning of training camp maybe it was even going back to the summer if I'm not mistaken about Marshawn Lloyd and like the I don't know, biomechanical kind of analysis that he put his body through to be able to find some consistent string of health.

And, you know, it's interesting, like the first thing that comes to my mind when we talk about that position for this Sunday, and this is probably crazy and it reveals probably Brian Flores' defense a lot, but it's like, can he absorb contact? Because the likelihood that Brian Flores sends Blake Cashman has a blitzer at him.

Eric Wilson has a blitzer at him.

Like, can he pass protect? Have you had any exposure? to seeing him do that throughout training camp or the preseason in a way that would make you confident that he could hold up against that type of blitz looks that he's probably going to see.

yeah you wrote a story I don't might have been the beginning of training camp maybe it was even going back to the summer if I'm not mistaken about Marshawn Lloyd and like the I don't know, biomechanical kind of analysis that he put his body through to be able to find some consistent string of health.

And, you know, it's interesting, like the first thing that comes to my mind when we talk about that position for this Sunday, and this is probably crazy and it reveals probably Brian Flores' defense a lot, but it's like, can he absorb contact? Because the likelihood that Brian Flores sends Blake Cashman has a blitzer at him.

Eric Wilson has a blitzer at him.

Like, can he pass protect? Have you had any exposure? to seeing him do that throughout training camp or the preseason in a way that would make you confident that he could hold up against that type of blitz looks that he's probably going to see.

But when it comes to the communication of the Flores defense, it's multi-layered.

You got Blake Cashman as the green dot as an inside linebacker.

But Harrison got a lot of things set up very late in the equation.

And as of now, he's retired.

Now, Adam Schefter was on GetUp ESPN yesterday talking about if j.j mccarthy will be traded by the end of the year or by next year and he says j.j mccarthy is not expected to be traded at the moment and will likely be on the vikings roster this season before they explore a divorce going even further into it saying that it's probably best for both sides to spend the year together before they explore divorce it's not an ideal marriage but they're kind of stuck with each other for the time being and i do understand this fully because with minnesota right now you're in a spot where baker mayfield just got a bag If Kyla Murray plays well this year, he's going to get a bag.

The only problem is, can Minnesota afford it when they have Jordan Addison, Andrew Van Ginkle, Blake Cashman, Dallas Turner, so many other contracts they're going to have to worry about short-term and long-term that can they afford to keep Kyla Murray in the building or will they have to go elsewhere? Well, if they don't keep Kyler Murray in the building, then you're left with CJ Stroud or JJ McCarthy or a veteran free agent or the draft, which either way, if you don't have McCarthy on that squad, you're back to square one where you were.

At least if you have JJ McCarthy there, you still have someone who knows the system and can at least do something.

Hopefully still, I don't know.

We'll run, run outside zone to the right, we're gonna run outside zone to the left.

You stick that foot in the ground and you run right through Blake Cashman.

Like, 'cause they do have their, that's the other part.

You're gonna face this defense when it's probably the healthiest it's gonna be.

Uh, Marshawn Lloyd is their backup running back, and, and they're gonna wanna try to establish a running game to take the pressure off, off of Jordan Love.

Uh, if they can't run the ball, it's gonna certainly be to the Vikings advantage, so that VanGinkel, Turner, and, and company, uh, including Harrison Smith on blitzes, Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson are gonna be key guys on the blitz and in run defense, and in coverage of, of Tucker Kraft, who's a very talented receiver.

If Love has time to throw, he's got some great weapons out there, so it's gonna be really important.

They, they've got Christian Watson, Jaden Reed, Matthew Golden, former first-round pick, can fly.