But again, if the defense and special teams continues to play like this, you're going to have a chance to win every single game.

I mean, you could not script a funnier outcome than the Vikings starting through at 3-0, and Kevin O'Connell's offense being a complete non-factor.

Um, they are dead last, dead last in the NFL in offensive yards per game.

To put that in perspective, and this, uh, to shout out our friend Kevin Seifert at ESPN, they have been outgained by 244 yards, which is the second worst differential in total yards by a 3-0 team since the 2020 Seahawks.

Here's the good news though, everybody.

That team won a playoff game, so anything is possible.

Um, I think, uh, another thing I saw from Seifert, the team first in defensive EPA, second in special teams EPA, 25th in off- uh, offensive expected points added.

Defense will have an off day, and we'll be praying our offense finds its rhythm." Boys, after seeing what we've seen for three weeks, and I guess last year as well, you missing Kirk-o Chains?

Popcorn, we'll start with Jason today.

Yeah.

I was incredibly impressed with Brian Flores, especially considering the circumstances and the adversity that the weather pro- you know, provided.

Obviously, it's easy to say, "Well, that's gonna impact your quarterback." It's also gonna impact your defenders, especially when you're depending on them being quick off the line.

Um, Dallas Turner is just insane.

I think I saw from Action Stats he has more pressures than as, at this moment, there's still a game to play tonight, but seven different teams.

That is insane.

That one makes no sense

[laughs]

And I have taken the heat, I've been in the fire.

I made a meme last year, it's the guy like, it's the cartoon one of the guy like blocking bullets, and it was me, my Dallas Turner takes protecting me from my own JJ McCarthy takes that I previously had.

So I'm sticking with that meme, because Dallas Turner and Will Reichard have solidified the 2024 draft class for me, and the opinions I had on that.

We'll ignore the quarterback.

But, no I mean, I mean e- everything Leighton said i- is spot on.

I mean, Dallas has...

Mm

Now due since they last appeared in the Super Bowl.

I don't even know if that number would fit on my phone.

On January 10th, 2027, the last day of this NFL season, barring a playoff appearance or not, it will have been 2,562 days.

Meaning, if they do not, not only make the playoffs this year, but win a playoff game, the best case scenario is if they return to the playoffs next year and win a playoff game is close to 3,000 days without a single playoff win for the Minnesota Vikings.

That is an insane amount of time for a team that continuously preaches competitiveness and being in the mix now to your point they did invest they're trying to live in these two worlds at the same time right and i know judd and phil talked about that if you're gonna focus on revamping and getting all these young guys and trade away grenard why show the urgency with getting a new quarterback, right? Like, oh, we have to compete, but we're also doing these things.

And that's why I'm personally dropping the standard of what I think it should be.

And I know we both got some feedback from social media.

If they don't make the playoffs or they don't win a playoff game, are you calling for KOC's head?

The Vikings still have roughly almost two weeks before they play a game as we record this.

Yeah.

And also important context that, like, I think gets lost in all of this, Nolan Teasley has had zero say in anything for the most part, other than a couple spot up signings who I don't even think made the team, until yesterday.

Or this weekend, I should say.

This was his first stamp, so he has those two weeks.

I'm sure he'll get to work.

It's still so weird to me, he started in late May and we just kinda gloss past that as far as roster construction.

[laughs] Jason Harmon, what say you?

And, uh, obviously I just believe Carson Wentz is way better suited to play that role than J.J. McCarthy is at this point in time.

Yeah, the frustrating thing is, as somebody who was very high on McCarthy, kind of looking at, at Twitter, things like that, having people in my replies, and it's not to say like, "Hey, you shouldn't defend him." I get it.

People like the kid and it, you want him to succeed, but there is a certain point where we're just kind of ignoring reality at a certain point.

And for me, I said this last year and I'll say it again even more so now, if you saw things you liked about him out of college and you see those things now maybe 1% of the time, that throw to Felton, I think his most impressive throw on Saturday, it was actually a throw to Price on the left sideline.

Leighton, I think you were probably watching from TV.

From what I heard, it was, it looked even better in, on TV than it did in person.

But I think Fel- or, uh, Price ultimately couldn't bring it in, but it didn't matter 'cause he got hurt on the throw.

Jason, what do you got?

Yeah

...

I, I, here's the thing.

At, at the end of the day, I think it's a money thing.

I think the owners aren't going to do it until their money is on the line.

You look at it with FIFA, uh, with the World Cup.

Like, they came in, they, you know, had all this money that they were willing to invest, but part of the caveat was they needed to change the playing surfaces, including at MetLife.

What were they supposed to do?

But what did you guys hope for going into the night for what the Vikings would accomplish here in round one?

This is insanity so far, let me just say that.

But when you look at the stakes, you have nine wins, winning record, missed the playoffs.

You have a head coach heading into year five without a playoff win.

An interim GM who, as of now, has not guaranteed the job.

There's so much at stake that for me, I think, Leighton, you'd probably agree, it makes it more fun knowing that there's this much pressure on everything heading into tonight.

Personally, and I think, Leighton, you and I are on the same page now, I am heading up the Sadiq stands for Vikings representation tonight.

But, I mean, for the pass-catching audience or for some people who want a new weapon on the Minnesota Vikings, there's still some names available.

I would imagine that compensation would be less than if you were attempting to trade for a Mac Jones.

No, it would significantly less, I think.

Way less.

Mac Jones is probably considered the best... trade candidate right now and probably most valuable backup in the NFL, one of them at least.

I think that's fair.

Especially on his current contract.

He'd want to extend somewhere.

Yeah, got

Who caught your eye?

Yeah, I mean, I know going in, we were both excited about Concepcion and he ended up dropping.

So I think we kind of expected the talent hit to take the talent pool, sorry, to take a hit.

But no, I mean, it really is Ty Montgomery was the guy who, like, I think caught everybody's eye to have him go up against some of the top players in college football you know people forget this isn't just a pre-drafting this is an all-star game these are top caliber players who are projected to go to the pros and have earned that right to start that pre-draft process early but he was just mossing people out yeah And, you know, I think a lot, a lot of people kind of expected through the small school star to be a Ted Hearst, but this ended up being way more exciting, I think for a lot of people.

Um, and if you haven't seen the highlights, just search Ty or Tyron Montgomery on Twitter, and you'll see a lot of clips from, uh, the senior bowl of him just making some insane catches.

Obviously, if you're getting rid of Addison, he's probably not the guy you're looking to replace him with.

Cause I, His draft projection is so hard to tell.

Give us some of your thoughts on Kevin Coleman and then a potential fit for the Vikings.

Keeping all the other guys there and just taking Kwesi out, is that going to fix what the issues have been with the draft? I kind of doubt that.

Yeah, my phone's blowing up right now.

I'm trying to see if I can get any little pieces of insight.

I've gotten a couple so far that I'll kind of share a little bit of.

But the theme seems to be just some massive disconnects.

Alec Lewis...

I have it here.

Oh, go ahead, Jason.

Jason, why don't you toss out for us a couple running backs, uh, that are gonna be in Mobile that you think the Vikings could be sniffing around, could be interested in?

Well, going back to the Penn State guys, I think Singleton's a guy that they could look at if they're looking on, you know, late day two or, pardon me, early day three, maybe late day two, depending on where he is.

I think...

And you and I were talking about this when I first really was starting to dive into some of the film cutups.

He does not-- He's, like, afraid of gaps.

I don't know [chuckles] what it is.

It's, it's he does not hit gaps very well, and I think he makes things harder on himself.

... for the Vikings.

White in the ballroom with the candlestick, Jason? Or what do you think killed? And what positivity are you adding to our obituary? That's also nice.

I'm so mad.

Blayton and I did not talk about this.

And my literal cause of death was the word mis-evaluation.

And he stole all of my points.

So I'm scrambling.

I thought, man.

Are we feeling good with what he could possibly pull off in the draft?

Open it up.

I'm kind of in denial, mainly because we've known for, what was it, like three, four weeks the Vikings have been out of the playoffs.

But it kind of hit me yesterday pulling into the government center parking garage.

By the way, best parking garage for the Vikings games at the Skyway, cheat code.

That, oh man, this is really the last game of the season.

And then I get in and then there's CJ Hamm crying on the Jumbotron in the tunnel.

And I'm like, great, you know what? It's just going to be that type of day.

What do you want to see the Vikings do to address that huge problem area heading into next year?