Latest / The Vikings Tailgate / Vikings Tailgate: Zach Martina Can't Handle The Lions Having Success | DET | Episode 35

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Vikings Tailgate: Zach Martina Can't Handle The Lions Having Success | DET | Episode 35 · The Vikings Tailgate

• 0:00
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• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Hey everybody, it's the final regular season episode of the Tailgate.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Does that mean we're going to do a playoff edition?
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I guess we will have to see Zach Martinez back.
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  Speaker 1: He celebrates the Lions Division title. We talk about all
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  Speaker 1: of the Lions' potential scenarios, the Vikings, potential playoff scenarios,
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  Speaker 1: their potential draft pick scenarios. We get into the whole thing.
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  Speaker 1: It's a really, really fun episode. I think you guys
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: are gonna love it. And if you do love it,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: leave us a comment say hey we loved it. You know, rate, subscribe,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: do all the things you do that make podcast work.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: On a personal note, here, guys, thank you so much
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: for being a part of this show. This is our
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: second year. I am so grateful for how many of
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: you have tuned in and stayed tuned in. When we
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: thought of this idea, we never dreamed that this many
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: of you would like it and keep liking it. And
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  Speaker 1: I can't tell you how much I appreciate you guys
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: tune in every week, and we're gonna keep trying to
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: give you great shows in order to pay back that fanship.
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  Speaker 1: Enjoy this episode and enjoy the final week of the season.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know what, Tom, Dad.
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  Speaker 2: Here, we gotta go there, we gotta go there, go
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  Speaker 2: So Tom.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome into the regular season finale edition of
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  Speaker 1: The Tailgate. And it is a celebratory edition for our guests,
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  Speaker 1: not for us. But we're we're gonna let the man
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  Speaker 1: have it. We're gonna let him. We're gonna let him
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  Speaker 1: take his laps. He deserves it. We care about him
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  Speaker 1: despite the disappointment and anger we feel inside of us.
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  Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, joining me friend of the Program, Returning
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  Speaker 1: two weeks later with a division title in hand. Detroit
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  Speaker 1: Lions fans, Zach Martinez.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I'm back, and I would just like to say,
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  Speaker 2: up Top, I love how you gave me that give
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  Speaker 2: the Lions the nod while also expressing your your dismay
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  Speaker 2: for the Viking situation. I gotta say, no one in
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  Speaker 2: Green Bay would do that, and that's just that's just
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  Speaker 2: Minnesota class right there. That's just what you guys are
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  Speaker 2: all about.
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  Speaker 1: Well, when you're raised indoors and you go to school
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  Speaker 1: with people who aren't every other grade at the same
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  Speaker 1: time in a barn, you learn all these nuances of
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  Speaker 1: human interaction that the adults in our society believed to
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  Speaker 1: be appropriate. And so that's what I try to do.
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  Speaker 1: I try to, you know, in Wisconsin like football mad rage,
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  Speaker 1: like that's that's the path. I'm more football mad rage,
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  Speaker 1: respond and appropriate and then I you know, so it's
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  Speaker 1: a little different. They're just two different paths, you know.
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  Speaker 2: For me, it's always been a football mad rage followed
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  Speaker 2: by we'll get them next year. And this is it
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  Speaker 2: just still doesn't it still doesn't feel real.
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  Speaker 1: Man.
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  Speaker 2: When as soon as we took that game, my wife
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  Speaker 2: and my kids are like, can you believe this? I go,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I can believe it, but it just it
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  Speaker 2: doesn't feel I feel like I'm gonna wake up. It
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  Speaker 2: felt like I was living in anything but reality.
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  Speaker 1: I don't want to ping any of your football trauma here.
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  Speaker 2: But it's it's very deep down, buddy.
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  Speaker 1: So was it ninety one that you guys won the division?
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  Speaker 1: Won eleven games or was it twelve.
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  Speaker 2: Ninety one, we won our last playoff game. Ninety three
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  Speaker 2: is last time we won the division.
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  Speaker 1: Ninety three is the last time you win the divisional.
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  Speaker 1: So ninety one was the playoff game, you get a
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  Speaker 1: first round by you win a playoff game, you get
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  Speaker 1: smoked by the Washington football team in the NFC Championship yep,
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  Speaker 1: and and then you win the division in ninety three,
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  Speaker 1: and then it just goes away like there was, everything
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  Speaker 1: was trending. You have Herman Moore, you know, Fontse is beloved.
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  Speaker 1: There for a little bit, you have the berry and
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  Speaker 1: then it all like is there any do you have
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  Speaker 1: any of that football trauma? Whereas you look around and
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  Speaker 1: join this moment that you worry that you've kind of
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  Speaker 1: just like that year been building up to this year
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  Speaker 1: and who knows, Like, are you now do you now
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  Speaker 1: believe you're entering into the golden era of Lions football?
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  Speaker 1: Or do you still feel like at any given point
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  Speaker 1: in time Lucy could pull the football out when you
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  Speaker 1: go to kick.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you saw as you were asking that question, I
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  Speaker 2: had a blank stare come over my face. And that
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  Speaker 2: is because I never once considered that it could it
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  Speaker 2: could go away. I was just so happy at the
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  Speaker 2: idea that we just had the one, and I was like,
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  Speaker 2: we're gonna have it. We're gonna do it for a
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  Speaker 2: little bit. We're gonna be here for a little while.
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  Speaker 2: And then you're like, oh, there's the League of the
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  Speaker 2: NFL is there's no more parody. So it could be
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  Speaker 2: first to it could be worse to first, and I
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  Speaker 2: never thought about that, and uh, happy New Year to
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  Speaker 2: you too.
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  Speaker 1: There's that's the difference in our fan bases, where you
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  Speaker 1: have had no access to any joy, and Viking fans
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  Speaker 1: have lived through a long pattern of near access to
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  Speaker 1: joy with it only to be yanked out in a
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  Speaker 1: disgusting and horrible way at the last moment.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you guys have overcome so much this year though, too,
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  Speaker 2: Like I well, I just.
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  Speaker 1: Mean historically, I mean, like you guys went through those
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  Speaker 1: thirty years of like it's never gonna happen, and every
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  Speaker 1: seven or eight or twelve years we're like, it's time. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: and then in the like the Gary Anderson miss, the
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  Speaker 1: Brett fav interception, but Blair wash miss, you know, and
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  Speaker 1: you get the after the Minneapolis miracle, you're like, here
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  Speaker 1: we go, and then you know, you have what happened
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  Speaker 1: in Philadelphia, So it's there's a That's that's why I
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  Speaker 1: looked at it the way I looked at it because
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  Speaker 1: I was like, joy is fleeting and it can be
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  Speaker 1: a prack.
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  Speaker 2: Joke, but we just I mean, in my lifetime, we've
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  Speaker 2: never had joy, so it is always been just out
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  Speaker 2: of reach. And to finally get your hands around it,
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  Speaker 2: I feel like we're gonna strangle the bird. You know,
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  Speaker 2: we're just so happy to have We're gonna have mice
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  Speaker 2: and men this bird. Man, we're so happy to have this.
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  Speaker 1: You're gonna lenny the bird. You got the bird in hand,
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  Speaker 1: and you're gonna lenny it. I don't want to send
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  Speaker 1: you into a rage here, but I'd like to talk
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  Speaker 1: about because I want to talk about playoff scenarios. I
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  Speaker 1: want to talk about the Vikings crazy path in. I
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  Speaker 1: want to talk about their path to a draft pick.
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  Speaker 1: But I think this whole conversation starts with what happened
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  Speaker 1: last Saturday night and take a deep breath. But I'd
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  Speaker 1: like you to after winning the division, there's this opportunity
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  Speaker 1: to elevate yourself in the seating to such an advantageous
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  Speaker 1: place against a very good football team, and to have
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  Speaker 1: Jared Goff drive down the field the way he did,
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  Speaker 1: to have them go for two in quintessential big Dan
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  Speaker 1: Campbell fashion, to throw it to a lineman on the
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  Speaker 1: most important play of the year, like when you when
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  Speaker 1: you start the beginning of the season and you're like,
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  Speaker 1: all right, boys, at some point this season, we're gonna
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  Speaker 1: have one play that means everything, like it's a Disney movie.
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  Speaker 1: But you guys actually had that and you threw it
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  Speaker 1: to an offensive lineman. And then to have that evaporate
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  Speaker 1: due to the penalty, and then afterwards to have this
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  Speaker 1: huge controversy unfold and the video come out of Decker
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  Speaker 1: leaving the hut, like what was the emotional journey of
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  Speaker 1: last Saturday?
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  Speaker 2: Like for you, well, I will point back like as
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  Speaker 2: far as us throwing to an offensive lineman, it didn't
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  Speaker 2: surprise me terribly because if you recall last year, we
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  Speaker 2: played the vikings that said Dan Campbell's hyping this up
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  Speaker 2: as the super Bowl, and we had that as a
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  Speaker 2: third or a fourth, but we threw to Pine Seul
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  Speaker 2: and everybody lost their mind. So I honestly, when they
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  Speaker 2: threw it, all I saw was the second eight and
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  Speaker 2: I thought we threw it to Sewell again, until all
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  Speaker 2: of a sudden the flag came in. I was like, wait,
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  Speaker 2: what happened? Sixty eight seventy none of them were even
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  Speaker 2: involved to get the replay. Okay, Taylor Decker's got the ball.
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  Speaker 2: I as here are my emotions. That last drive was incredible.
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  Speaker 2: It should not have taken us the entire game to
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  Speaker 2: get the offense going like that. That's the only time
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  Speaker 2: that we got the ball.
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  Speaker 1: Movie I had you won that game. And in that
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  Speaker 1: moment when he catches the touchdown before the flag is thrown,
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  Speaker 1: where does that drive rank all time? I mean, that's
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  Speaker 1: got to be one of the ten five most important
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  Speaker 1: drives in Detroit Lions modern football history.
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  Speaker 2: I mean when just off the top of my head,
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  Speaker 2: it comes down to that Matthew Stafford Cleveland Browns drive
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  Speaker 2: where he had broken his collarbone and still drove us down.
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  Speaker 2: Then there was the fake spike, which was also I
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  Speaker 2: believe against Dallas. Both of those drives immediately come to mind,
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  Speaker 2: but I think it's I think that drive alone and
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  Speaker 2: it hasn't, but it should have silenced the haters on
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  Speaker 2: what Jared Goff is capable of doing. I mean, when
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  Speaker 2: we traded for him, everyone's like he's a game manager
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  Speaker 2: who can throw a little bit further. But the dude's
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  Speaker 2: just been tough. He's come in and one games for us.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, that's, as far as I'm concerned, his best
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  Speaker 2: drive as a lion and up there probably in his
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  Speaker 2: career from the Rams, oh for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So you first you're wondering what's going on, and then.
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  Speaker 2: And then I realize I don't care whose number blank
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  Speaker 2: dash eight caught the ball. We oh my god, we
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  Speaker 2: got it. We got I'm freaking out. My dog thinks
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  Speaker 2: it's the fourth of July and fireworks are going off.
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  Speaker 2: He can't handle it. I'm so happy. My wife and
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  Speaker 2: I are hugging like she just said yes and I
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  Speaker 2: got engaged. We are both ecstatic, right, and then all
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  Speaker 2: of a sudden, over my shoulder, she's looking over my
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  Speaker 2: shoulder at the screen as I'm holding her in a
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  Speaker 2: brace I haven't held and since before we were married,
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: which was ten years ago, nine years ago, and she goes,
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  Speaker 2: there's a flag, and I go, stop it, this isn't funny.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: Don't play with me like that, because I will, we will,
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  Speaker 2: we will go to we will go to counseling like
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  Speaker 2: this is what's gonna end up. I'm too, I can't.
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  Speaker 2: I can't. And then I look around and she's just
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  Speaker 2: pointing and like I see flag, and I go, well,
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  Speaker 2: what could it be? I don't understand what it could be.
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  Speaker 2: And then they said illegal touching, which was so reminiscent
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: of that Kansas City offensive offsite. It's just a penalty
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  Speaker 2: you don't hear very often. So I'm like, I don't.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: I know football, I know the penalties. I don't understand this.
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  Speaker 2: I'm looking at the replay. I'm like, well, there are
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  Speaker 2: no he's he's not being covered, he's on the line
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: of scrimmage. And then they go into this whole thing
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  Speaker 2: about he didn't call himself eligible, so I was like, okay,
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  Speaker 2: maybe he didn't whatever. And then I look over and
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  Speaker 2: I mean, he's You can hear Golf in the uh
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  Speaker 2: in the huddle saying hey, Deck, go go report. You
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  Speaker 2: see him over there. I understand Pane Sewol where it
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: was over there. I understand Dan Skipper was over there.
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  Speaker 2: But I also if you look at it, it's it's
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  Speaker 2: a bummer. And it was hard. As soon as I
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  Speaker 2: realized what the call was. Yeah, I hit my knees
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  Speaker 2: and I cried like like someone who saw the Virgin
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  Speaker 2: Mary in a year in staying on their bathroom wall. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I wept, I openly, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, Okay,
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  Speaker 2: because I thought we were gonna get the one seed.
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  Speaker 2: We could, I mean, Philadelphia lost last week, we had
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  Speaker 2: a shot at the one seed. But what it comes
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  Speaker 2: down to is, yeah, we've been We've been burned before
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  Speaker 2: in situations like that, and this one hurt very very much.
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  Speaker 2: But like I said, the fourth und drive, that's how
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  Speaker 2: long it took for us to get the offense going.
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  Speaker 2: The entire game, we could not move the ball, and
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you gotta take you can. You can point fingers,
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  Speaker 2: but you got to take your blame on it. And
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  Speaker 2: I guess I.
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  Speaker 1: Didn't even realize until afterwards that you know, I knew
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  Speaker 1: what you guys were playing for. I knew you were
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  Speaker 1: playing for seeding. I knew you know where Dallas figured in,
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  Speaker 1: but I didn't realize. If you know, everything plays out
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: the same. But you guys get that call, you beat Dallas,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: you have the head to head there. Philadelphia loses against
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: the Cardinals, it's very reasonable to think that San Francisco
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  Speaker 1: and Dallas are both playing for the money, and you
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  Speaker 1: beat the Vikings and you are the number one seed
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: in the playoffs, you are one game away from an
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: MFC championship. You have. I mean, the change from two
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: bye weeks to one bye week has made that bye
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  Speaker 1: week for the one seed so paramount to potential Super
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  Speaker 1: Bowl success. So I didn't even realize that it was
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: that crucial potentially. And yeah, I Jay and I Producer
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Jay and I were texting and we wept a little
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: bit for you. We thought that would be hard thing.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: Let me shift it this direction then, because let's live
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: in reality. It looks like and we'll get into the
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Vikings scenarios, but it looks as though Los Angeles Rams,
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: Green Bay Packers. Those appear to be your two potential
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: playoff suitors.
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  Speaker 2: And then the third it would be Seattle.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, the least likely Seattle. So yeah, I think if
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: you want to pick a team, you pick Seattle. That's
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  Speaker 1: who you want to play out of those three. I
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  Speaker 1: know you've had a tough time with them over the years, man,
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  Speaker 1: but the way the Rams are playing right now, I know,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: and the way Jordan love is playing and how that
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: game went on Thanksgiving. If you have to pick between
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: those two teams, who are you who are you leaning towards?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's hard to beat anyone three times in
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: a season, and we've only beaten the Packers once. I
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: would both storylines are incredible and I would be thrilled
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  Speaker 2: to watch either one of those games. I would love
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  Speaker 2: to beat. You know, last last year, the last game
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  Speaker 2: of the season for us was the Packers. We knocked
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  Speaker 2: them out of the playoffs. Then all of a sudden,
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: the last game against the Packers this year would be
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: a playoff game. They're trying to do what we did
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: to them last year. We're trying to reign supreme in
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: the North, if you will, and like show that we're here,
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: we're here to say that would that that line's great.
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  Speaker 2: I love that line. But I mean the romanticism of
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: the Rams coming to Detroit with Matthew Stafford at the helm,
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: I mean, Detroit fans, Detroit fans will never have rooted
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: that hard against Matthew Stafford. I mean, he's still, for
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: lack of a better phrase, Detroit's favorite son. I mean,
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: he is the he's the one of the Goats as
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: far as quarterback play goes. So to have him come
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: here and just to be able to hope, I mean,
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: you want to win. I think we're more suited to
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: to cover. Don't get me wrong, Pooka, Nakua, Cooper Cup.
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: They're incredible receivers, but they're not the Justin Jefferson, Christian Watson,
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: Watson like deep threat guys that are gonna get behind
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: you necessarily. Sure, so I would, I mean, ultimately, I
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: think I would, in my heart, I would rather see
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: the Rams because that is just it's just a fairy tale.
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: It's interesting to listen to how you approach that because
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: I think so many Viking fans, so many of us,
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: we approach h lines with such fear, like what happens
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: if we have to play the Packers? And I like
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: that mentality of no, that's what I want. I mean,
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: there was nothing better aside from probably winning a super Bowl,
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: but the year we win into Lambeau as like a
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: you know, a barely snuck and wild card team put
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: a bunch of touchdowns on Brett Favre and the Packers
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: moss mooned the crowd and we danced out of that stadium,
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: Like I here's the thing. You can't win a title
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: unless you're good enough to beat most teams. Sure, now,
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: matchups are important, you know, getting the right team on
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: the right day is important, and wins are all that mess.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: So however, you get the win, you get the win,
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: and the easiest path is the best. That's why you
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: care about the one seed. That's why you want to
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: play the lowest seed. But I think if you're a
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: team like the Lions, you know, if you're a team
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: like the Vikings have been at times like you're not
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: looked at as the San France, just go forty nine Ers,
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: the Baltimore Ravens, these teams, you're gonna have to get
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: them eventually, You're gonna have to. So I'm not gonna
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: shy away from teams in that people believe are in
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  Speaker 1: my range. I want to play the Packers, sure, I
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: want to put them down. I want to put Matthew
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: Stafford down in front of the home crowd. So I
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: I really, really really like that mentality.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: You know, when you were raised in the Midwest and
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: you go to school with people in you know, all
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: all different grades and a barn and everything. This is
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: just what adults teach you that you wanna that you
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: wanna think like so and then and and then in
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: Green Bay they're like football bad, we already go over this.
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, football football winter go and so where's my cheese?
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: Look at my hat? Aren't I clever? So? Uh, it
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: was hard for as a Viking fan last week, like,
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: you can only do so much. This is one of
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: those seasons we see teams have these seasons all the time.
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: You're on your fourth quarterback. Yeah, you know, your best
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: player was injured most of the season. Now TJ. Hockinson's hurt,
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: DJ Wanham's hurt. You can only do so much?
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: Sure, right, and you're not even talking about your running game.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: I mean everybody coming in. I thought I thought Alexander
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: Madison was going to be the guy. I believed in
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: him after the Dalvin Cook because for fantasy purposes, he
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: bailed me out of a couple of jams last year
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: when Dalvin Cook went down. But then when you got
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: cam Akers and all of a sudden, Kevin O'Connell figured
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: out seemed to how to unlock him. He was gonna
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: be the guy. And I was like, Okay, this is fine,
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: then Chandler's been and then Chandler's been doing like you
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: guys have had to. And what's crazy to me about
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: the Viking seasons this year and last year is the
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: number of one possession games that you guys, I mean
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: you hang with everybody. Yeah, you're very rarely getting blown out.
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's really cool for the stress level in our state.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: I think to that point though, like there's only so
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: much you can do. Sure, you just get to this
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: point point where you it's almost unreasonable. And I'm super competitive,
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: but it's almost unreasonable to expect this team to go
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: out and achieve at the highest level with so much adversity. Now,
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: the good thing about the team, and you know professional athletes,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: is that's not their mindset. But that game against the
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: Packers was tough. Yeah, you know, it's New Year's Eve. Yeah,
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: that's a fun night and you get it put on you.
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: Not just in a way that sucks, but you've got
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: Jordan Legs scissor kicking fifty yard touchdowns. Ye down the
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: field for a moment, the Lions are surging. The Bears
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: have the number one pick and another crazy pick and
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: are somehow winning games down the stretch. Jordan Love is
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: dance passing balls all over the field and looking like
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: they have Like, dude, I saw some number. I don't
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: know that this is exactly right, but something like twenty
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: nine touchdowns by first and second year players.
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: So yeah, their receiving core is so young.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: And like talented, and so I just need you to
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: smack them. I think we're about to enter a world
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: that you're very familiar with, because I don't think we're
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: trailing behind all these other teams with potential and ability
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: and stuff. I just think we lead the league. We
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: lead the division in mystery right now? Sure we You
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: know this is gonna be the third year of the
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: O'Connell and Quacy thing. Normally things start to crystallize around
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: that point, and I think some things will. But you've
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: dealt with so many issues, like injury wise, you've dealt
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: with such a weird couple years. The close game like
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: it's hot with cousins not knowing what's gonna happen here,
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: it's We're about to have what I believe to be
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: and incredibly if you like the drama of offseason football,
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: if you like rumors.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: That's the Lion's home fields right here.
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: That's right. And there's some old dads out there's like,
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: I don't need any of this off season rumor shit
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: to snap the ball and hand it to a raft.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: And those of us youngins were like, no, no, no, no, no, daddy,
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: give me all the rumors.
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: Give me any kind of hope you can.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: I want to know the seven quarterbacks that might wind
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: up on my team, knowing full well that all seven
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: of them have no change. Like, so it's gonna be
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: We're kind of freaky Friday right now, Zachah. You're rolling
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: into the playoffs, you know, with a whole bunch of
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: maybe hope, and we're rolling into the offseason about to
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: be like, this is our time of year, let's do it.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: Hold on, I'm gonna get in so much trouble if
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: I don't, because we will go over this. The Vikings
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: can still make the playoffs, Yes they can't. And and
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: somebody will yell at me, and we are going to
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: talk about the scenario. But regardless of whether or not
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: they win, regardless of they make in this this mysterious
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: offseason scenario, it's a common and.
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: I gotta say, I you can't change your past. I
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: guess I'm thrilled that I've come up the way that
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: I had because I love the offseason. I get so
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: amped from the draft. I remember a couple of years
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: ago we were talking. I was on stage when we
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: drafted Penney Sool, and I think I was at Go Banana. No, no,
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: I was at a Funny Bone or Go Bananas, and like,
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: I had my phone on stage with me. The draft
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: pick came in and I just ranted about that for
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: five minutes. It was a tough hole to dig out of,
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: but I was excited and it was all that mattered
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: as far as the rumors go. I love the idea
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: that the old and the old timers are like, oh,
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: I don't care about this shit. And it's like reading
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: these rumor articles just to look to see if your
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: your team's name is on there as a destination, and
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: uh yeah, it's It's just it's just full of full
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: of hope, and I hope, uh I hope it. I
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: hope it yields optimism for you, because it always has
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: for me, to a fault.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: I really really enjoy it. I'd like to win, have
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: good years and also be a part of that. Yeah,
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: but I really really enjoyed it. So the Vikings playoffs
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: and it looks alike of this. If the Vikings win,
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: the Packers need to lose, the Seahawks need to lose,
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: and either either the Bucks or the Saints need to lose.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: And you know, the way people are talking about this,
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: they're speaking about it as though it is, you know,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: needle in a haystack win the lottery type of situation.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: And I mean, the Saints play the Falcons. The Falcons,
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: they're gonna come to play. The Bucks are gonna beat
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: the Panthers. Otherwise they should get kicked out of the league,
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: you know, with their spot in the playoffs on the line.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: I would say last week I would have said the
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Seahawks are a no brainer to run past the Cardinals.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: I don't know, man, I mean, was that what's going
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: on in Philadelphia? Plus a former coordinator coming in there?
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: Who knows.
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: I think a lot of it has to do that
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: famous coordinator thing or of the previous coordinator. I think
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: there's something to be said for playing against your old team,
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: and like, if your team respects you, they will rally
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: around you. I mean, one of the few wins Matt
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: Patricia got was over the New England Patriots. Dan Campbell
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: put his stamp on the the Sean Payton game in Denver.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: I think that has a lot to do with Phillies
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: lost to Arizona, and I think Seattle. I mean, this
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: is the position they're always in and it didn't work
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: out for them last year. Those are all pretty even matchups,
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: that's the thing.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: And with the Packers except the Bucks, the Packers are
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: nearly a century deep of shit talking Bears fans, and
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: you know, that's fun to watch from the outside. It's
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: like when you're a kid and you're in the van
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: with your siblings and they're going at each other and
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: you know they're both gonna get in trouble, and it's
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: fun because what they're saying to each other, you're like, yeah,
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: that was a good one, but you're not You don't
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: have to deal with any of the interactions. You just
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: get to watch. So I love as much as I
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: don't like the Packers, I love watching them hold court
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: over the Bears. But I think they've done it so long,
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: and I think the Bears just quietly. I think there's
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: a lot of last year's Lions approach in this year's
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: Bears team where they're like, hey, man, keep talking shit.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: You think you and your young quarterback are gonna go
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: to the playoffs? We're about to ruin some stuff.
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: Think about what's on the line too, for not only
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: the Bears, but for Justin Fields. Like Justin Fields is
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: playing for his job this week.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: Or auditioning for a position anywhere in the league. This
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: is everything.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, So I don't think I don't know, I don't
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: think that the I think I think the Bears could
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: definitely beat the Packers.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: And think about how, you know, normally a team in
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: the Bears situation, you know, do you rest guys? Are
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: you incentivized to move up the draft board? What does
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: it look like? But you already have secured, guaranteed the
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: number one pick in the draft? Yeah, and so this
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: other like you have this just almost free pass to
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: go out there and give it everything you have to
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: ruin a season and not think about anything offseason related.
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: I really do think there's a chance. I think it's
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: not unreasonable that all these teams come together the way
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: they do. I think the cog in the wheel for
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: the Vikings is they haven't been necessarily playing great football,
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: and that means we have to beat your lions and
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: old boy Danny C from what I've seen most recently
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: in Zach, like you know how if you have a
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: pit bull yep, and you're like, I love this pit
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: bull man. He's amazing and he does a lot of
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: amazing things. Every once in a while, you're like out
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: at a park and there's other people in dogs era
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: and you're like, oh shit, is he gonna do some
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: pit bull stuff? That's Dan Campbell. Ye, He's gonna play
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: the starters in week seventeen. It's an interesting call, man,
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: It's a very very interesting call. Now is he might
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: just be posturing. I think he's going to treat this
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: like a preseason game. I think he's going to get
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: the starters some reps early the game, see how it's going.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: I mean, because we don't stand. All we stand to
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: do is move up to the two seed if Dallas loses.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: So it doesn't, I don't. I think Dan Campbell is
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: very very aggressive, But I don't. I don't think he's
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: willing to be aggressive to sacrifice the future, which is
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: the first playoff win that we would have had in
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: since ninety one. Like I when he when he came here,
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: He's like, this is the job I want. This city
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: needs it. Like he seems to be plugged into what
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: the Lions fan base and organization are so desperately in
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: need of. So my forecast is he the starters are
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: gonna play, and the starters are especially on offense hot,
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: but I don't I don't know that they play the
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: whole game. That's I mean, I'm hoping for your sake,
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: not just for the fact that I want the Vikings
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: to win. Is that you know, you guys get in,
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: you get out, you get clean. You know, maybe maybe
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: maybe we get a win and uh and you get
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: into the playoffs. Just fine. The other thing that's really
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: interesting for the Viking is the opposite, and that's what
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: people are having to decide right now. There's different types
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: of fans. There's the win at all costs. Like I remember,
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: I have a we have a mutual friend, Mike Brody, Yes,
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: very talented stand up comedian, lover of the NBA. I
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: die hard Minnesota Timberwolves fans remember that. And the year
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: that we drafted Carl Anthony Towns with the number one pick.
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: Going down the stretch, he and myself and some of
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: our friends were having this argument about not winning basketball
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: because the NBA is a different beast, sure, and he
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: was like, you gotta win. I want to be happy.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: I was like, Mike, as much as I care about
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: your personal happiness connected to been eliminated from the playoffs
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: thirty games ago NBA season like they could have wound
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: up without Carl Anthony town. So I think fan bases
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: find themselves strewn about the spectrum of how they feel
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: in these last moments because the other side of this
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: is what we need to do to get into the playoffs,
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: is if the Bears beat the Packers, if Vegas wins,
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: if the Jets wins, like the Vikings could move all
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: the way up, They're not gonna get any worse. I
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: don't think than about the twelve seed. You know, actually
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: they could move to the thirteen because of the New
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: Orleans typebreaker, but they could go all the way up
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: to the eighth seed, which would be the highest they've
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: drafted since they took Anthony Barr at number nine. And
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: the difference between eight nine and twelve thirteen is a lot.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: So I think you're gonna see a lot of fans
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: split all over about how they feel about what happens
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: in this Vikings Lions game.
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: I I'll tell you what, as a as a fan
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: of a team that parentally drafts in the top twelve,
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: you're gonna get a good player. And it gets to
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: the point where you're almost spoiled because you feel so
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: strongly that you need such a position, and then the
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: team goes another way and you have to convince yourself, okay,
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: this is this is it's gonna work. Like To draft
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: that high is a different kind of stress because there
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: is so much on the table, especially when you're talking
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: about what's gonna happen with Kirk Cousins. Is one of
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: the top receivers gonna fall to us because the offensive
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: lineman is. It's a deep class and they're gonna go early.
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: Can you imagine if we took another wide receiver and
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: paired him with Jordan Addison and.
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: Jake h It would be insane. I mean, think about it,
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: it would be insane. You'd have to I mean the slot,
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: you'd have to. I think it would be more of
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: a across the middle kind of guy, because Jordan Edison
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: and Justin Jeffer can both stretch the field so well.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: But you said something earlier in the show that I
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: think is pretty relevant to this conversation. It's that the
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: you know, the NFL. You know you're coasting right now,
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: you're in this great moment, but two years from now,
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: like that's what the league is. Two years from now,
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: you could be first to worst, worse to first. That's
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: what we're talking about here. And part of the reason
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: for that is if you can have a successful draft,
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: if you have a couple bad drafts, it puts you
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: in a really bad situation. I think, you know, the Vikings,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: the Vikings. The NFL draft is such a crapshoot, and
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: the way that we talk about people being experts or
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: being good at it, it's it's pretty silly in my opinion.
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: I just think it's a very hard job and very
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: hat Like. I don't envy anyone who makes those decisions. Sure,
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: but you look at the Dallas Cowboys hitting Micah Parsons,
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: Ceedee Lamb and Trayvon Diggs having all those guys on
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: rookie deals while you're paying out other big off So
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: that's the thing. So, like everybody's talking about, that's what
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: I mean about mystery with this Vikings team. You know,
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: do you tear it down? Do you rebuild? Is it
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: a competitive rebuild? All these terms that get thrown around, I've.
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: Never heard competitive rebuilds. Oh, the Pistons's right. The Pistons
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: call it a restoration. They call it a restore, which
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: they're come on, stop it.
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: First of all, I want to say something mean again,
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: but it's your moment. It's your moment. I think in
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: order to have heard the term competitive rebuild, you would
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: have need to have been at a level of competition
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: and had a desire to rebuild.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: I can handle the truth. I just policy.
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: I just want you to have your moment. I just
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: want I don't I don't want to come in and
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: go Sana is not real. And so but I think
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: you know, to do something like that, which has been
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: a term that we've heard a lot around here from people.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: You know in the media uses that term and fans
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: use that term. If all of a sudden, you go
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: in let's say you draft nine or twelve, If you
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: hit a Micah Parsons and then you hit another guy
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: in the second or third round, you hit two dudes
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: on rookie deals, and you have Addison, who I believe
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: Addison is about to be. I don't think anybody. I
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: don't think they know what's coming. This guy's gonna be
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: top twenty, maybe top ten in this league. You got
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: those three guys on rookie deals for three years, the
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: option like ooh.
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: So one thing, the thing you're not even considering too,
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: is like in the draft when it starts, like Micah
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: Parsons or Penny Stool when they fell to us because
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: the draft board just happened to shake out the way
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: that nobody thought it would. The excitement that you feel
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: with each passing pick, where it's like Penny is still there,
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: Mike is still there, like I can't, Oh my gosh,
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: oh my gosh, oh my god, we got him. I can't.
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: The anticipation that builds at a position, particularly like in
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: the eight to ten range, and then you get someone
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: that you just didn't think is gonna be there. Oh
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: that's sweet. It's real, real sweet.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: It's and I think it's that's what makes this whole
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: mystery of the offseason so much more interesting because we
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: can pretend and guess, but that that's what's gonna dictate it.
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: How you if you hit a couple home runs, that's
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: what changes absolutely everything. I mean, you guys are dealing
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: with it right now. We love TJ. Hockinson, but you
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: moved off of TJ. Hockinson, got Sam Laporta and now
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: have him the next four years on a a not
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: even a first round deal, second round deal. You guy,
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: that that is something where you go, oh, man, we
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: just gave ourselves such a team building advantage. And that'll
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: be what's what's really interesting when it.
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: Don't even just I mean in that moment for the
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: Lions too, like we have speaking of the first round
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: deals and hitting on things. We have Jamier Gibbs on
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: a first round deal along with Jack Campbell, who you know,
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: we have the fifth year option on both of those,
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: and then you have Brian Branch and uh and uh
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: Sam Sam Laporta in in the second round. Like we
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: hit on those first four picks. It's bananas, man.
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: And that's why I try to remind people when they're
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: talking to me about how this year went, or what's
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: the plan or stuff like that, I go, it all comes.
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: You hit, have a good year in the draft, and
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: all of a sudden, everything you hated you love. Yeah,
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: you have a bad year in the draft. Everything you
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: love now you hate you know you you The Cowboys
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: are that great example. You can pay Dak what you
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: need to pay Dak when you got three killers. Aren't
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: like crushing on low deals. So everything you do is
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: going to be influenced by whether or not you can
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: put together a couple good drafts. And I think that'll
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: be the fun thing. But let's let's get out of here.
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: Let's focus on this week.
• 34:20
  Speaker 2: Okay, it's not.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: The everything on the line game that I wanted it
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: to be. The NFL is always growing, and I think
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: they're really really bright. How they're approaching the the you know,
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: NFL Europe this time around is like incredibly bright. Sure,
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: you know, expanding games, you know the Thursdays, the Saturdays,
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: like the Nickelodeon. Yeah, dude, love the Nickelodeon. Do you
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: know how much when I was a kid I would
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: have been all in on the Nickelodeon games.
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: As an adult, them playing in Andy's bedroom still got
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: me excited. I was like, I'm I'm gonna tune in
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: for a second. I gotta see what's going on here.
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: Touchdowns and ghak, let's go. So I have this pitch.
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: The n waits to release their schedule for the final
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: day until you know, it all gets changed, right, like
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: last week we find out who's going to play on
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: Sunday night football. You guys were victims of that last year.
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: I think we should deviate away from the traditional you know,
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: Central time noon three seven, and we should have staggered
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: starts all day long, based purely on competitive scenarios. And
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: you know, first game starts at ten am. It's like
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: an AAU tournament. We got another one starting at It's
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: March madness, March madness. I want to track, like stagger
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: all these games to create the most drama throughout the
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: day and create March madness on a Sunday so as
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: things are falling apart, like every team that's alive feels alive.
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: And yeah, I'm not smart enough to know exactly how
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: to pull that schedule off, but you've got to create
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: a sweepstakes madness insanity down the stretch. That's what I want,
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: Like knowing what's on the line for everybody. I would
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: love to see it built. And every year somebody's gonna
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: get the screw job because you're like, well you built
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: it for them and I. But that's end the NFL.
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: Your bye week is at a different time or whatever. Whatever. Yeah,
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: but I want to see the staggered starts. No game
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: starts at the same time on the last Sunday of
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: the year.
• 36:21
  Speaker 2: I like, Yeah, I think that's a gonna except for
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: the games where there are no playoff implications, you know,
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: because you've got you've got teams like Carolina that could play.
• 36:33
  Speaker 2: You know, this year would have been New Orleans like,
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: neither of them are gonna make it. Let's put them No.
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: No, no, Carolina has got the Bucks. Carolina's got the Bucks.
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: No, No, I know, I know. I'm just saying, hypothetically,
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: with the same the same division, it could end with
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: them playing each other. I love that. I love that.
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: I don't not even just for the last week. I
• 36:48
  Speaker 2: love it for December.
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, what if you just adopted that? Now, see
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: that's what I'm talking about. What if you just adopted
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: that all the way down the field. Let me, let's
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: see how many games, because you've got seeding, you've got everything,
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: how many games would you guess, let's close on this,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: how many games would you guess this week have some
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: sort of playoff scenario or playoff implication.
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: The only people that would know that answer. I feel
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: like are are political analysts on CNN calling for projected
• 37:18
  Speaker 2: wins in the blue and red states that math. I
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: can't even understand that math.
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: So, Steelers Ravens on Saturday, playoff implications for the Steelers
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: Texans Colts both nine and seven.
• 37:30
  Speaker 2: Do you think the Ravens will play all their players?
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: I don't know. That's a tough one day. I mean,
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: it's a long break.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: I get that it's a long break it but yeah,
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: that's a game.
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: Texans Colts both nine and seven. That's huge playoff implications,
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: pending what happens with the Jags and Titans. Also playoff implications.
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: Browns at eleven and five, so that's the one. Nothing
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: really going on there. The Browns are locked into their seed.
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: The Bengals are eight and eight, so so far, Vikings,
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: Lions technically playoff implication. So you're talking so far, we
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: have four of five, You got Jets and Patriots, who cares?
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: Four of six? Nothing, Falcons and Saints. You get that one.
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: Playoff implications five of seven, Bucks and Pats, six of eight,
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: Bears and Packers, seven of nine, Broncos and Raiders. I
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: think that one's dead. Seven of ten, Giants and Eagles.
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: I think you know the Eagles are playing for something.
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: Eight and eleven Seahawks they have it, Chiefs, Chargers. I
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: don't think there's much there Rams, Niners, Cowboys, Commanders playing
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: for it, and Bill's Dolphins. I mean it's virtually every
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: single game, some of them less than others, and you
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: could but I mean these like the AFC South with
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: those three teams, the NFC South, with those teams, you
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: could really build some drama throughout the day by starting
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: them at like NCAA March Madness start times.
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: I do. I mean, I do love that. I don't
• 38:59
  Speaker 2: think for his talents it is as he is at
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: his job. I don't think Scott Hansen can handle it
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: on NFL Red Zone. I mean that's just too much.
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: You just tune in every Sunday and he's just passed
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: out on his desk.
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: He's just mumbling random numbers with dead eyes.
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: Zach. We love you, buddy, Thank you very We're very
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: begrudgingly happy for you. And I gotta tell you we'll
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: talk about this next year. I've started watching the Barry
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: Sanders documentary. Yeah, I didn't realize how unwilling he spent
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: his entire like how unwilling he was to discuss his
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: retirement and tell them that documentary.
• 39:37
  Speaker 2: Oh that's a Jimmy Hoffa level mystery in Detroit. It was,
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: and still I think kinda is.
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: I would have loved to speak about that. We will
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: speak about that at some time. But watching that, the
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: first half of that documentary and seeing so when you
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: guys made the playoffs that first year and had that
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: home playoff game of Wayne Fonse and just like seeing
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: your team. Maybe my favorite part of the documentary is
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: when Barry Sanders signed his deal I think the last
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: like right before the season started, and so he wasn't
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: really entrenched in the offense. He didn't know anything, and
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: so Fonse wasn't gonna play him in the first game
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: of his career. And he goes out there and like
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: everybody's chanting his name the whole game. That's how bad
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: the Lions had been there, like put the guy in
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: who doesn't know the plays, they're chanting his name, Like
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: Fonse in a press conference was like, everything's gonna be
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: all right. We got Barry. And so for those of
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: you haven't seen it, it gets to the fourth quarter
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: and fonce is like, ah it, let's Barry. He literally
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: asked him, do you want to go in? And Barry's
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: like I do, And so they showed him a couple
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: of plays on the sideline. He comes in and his
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: first run I think nineteen yards. Yeah, best play of
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: the game. And then he scores a touchdown. And the
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: way that stadium it was like forty thousand people, like
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: thirty thousand open seats, but the way that stadium erupted.
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: I had this. It's like when you see a dog
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: at a dog shelter who's getting adopted. Yeah, I had
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: it allowed me to connect to you and your fan
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: base where I'm all in on the Browns in the AFC. Sure,
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: I think that's the most fun story in the NFL.
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: I'm all in on the Lions. Brown's Lions super Bowl
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: is the dream for me. Give that to me, Give
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: it to me all day long.
• 41:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm taking just on the Barry Sanders aspect before
• 41:35
  Speaker 2: we go, just I encourage anyone who has or has
• 41:38
  Speaker 2: not seen his highlights, just go watch his highlights. They
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: are so friggin exciting. I mean, he lost more yards
• 41:47
  Speaker 2: than most running backs get in their career. Like he
• 41:50
  Speaker 2: was so good. And then as far as fairy tale
• 41:54
  Speaker 2: Super Bowl matchups, yes, would love to see Cleveland and Detroit.
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: And then in the NFC Championship, I would love for
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: us to take down the forty nine ers. Before that,
• 42:05
  Speaker 2: I would love to take down the Cowboys, and before that,
• 42:08
  Speaker 2: you know, the Rams are the Packers, those are all
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: those are all such romantic stories. And if this is
• 42:12
  Speaker 2: if there was ever a fairy tale season, that's how
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: it would shake out.
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: That's the way you do it. You beat the teams that,
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: like I've always said for the Vikings to have, like
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: if they could beat the you beat the Packers in
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: round one. I mean the Vikings have a few to
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: choose from, but you exercise the Hail Mary Bs and
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: you beat the Cowboys in round two, and then you
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: maybe beat the Saints or the Eagles in round three,
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: and then you go to the Super Bowl and you
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: get to knock off the Chiefs or the Raiders. You know,
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: you know somebody from your Super Bowl lost history. Yeah,
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: I think your mindset is right. What's what do you
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: got for a score? This weekend?
• 42:56
  Speaker 2: Twenty eight twenty lions.
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: Even with Dan Campbell resting twenty eight twenty lions. I
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: think I don't know.
• 43:06
  Speaker 2: Let me, guys, drest for you. I can I feel
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: I can see it in your eyes. Seven hundred and
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: fifty two to three.
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: Don't, Zach, this is a I take this show very seriously,
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: so I know that you're riding high on your division title.
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: But if you could keep your nonsense, bullshit bits off
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: my program, that'd be great. I think if Dan Campbell
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: is gonna rest people, you know, I think it's gonna
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: be hard to put points on the board. I think
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: it's about lions thirteen vikings, one hundred and thirty eight. Zach,
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: I love you too, but here about your deep me
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: and I hope you enjoy whatever happens in the playoffs.
• 43:46
  Speaker 2: Oh yes, me too. Thank you and happy New Year.
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: Thanks again to our good friend Zach Martinez for joining
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: the show tonight, and thank you to our sponsor Continental Diamond.
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: Be sure to like, subscribe, I've and download the podcast
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: anywhere you listen to your favorite shows. We will see
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: you all again next week. Join Pa at the Egan
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: Buffalo Wild Wings this Friday from nine to noon for
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: Friday Football Feast presented by Coors Light. Enjoy food and
• 44:16
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• 44:18
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