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The Vikings Tailgate: Zach Martina & The Lions Chasing The NFC North Title | DET | Episode 33 · The Vikings Tailgate

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  Speaker 1: An award winning family owned business with exceptional diamonds, engagement rings, jewelry,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and time pieces. Continental Diamond is the jeweler Minnesota Adores
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: in Saint Louis Park or online at Continentaldiamond dot com. Hey, guys,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: huge game this week, and we have one of our favorites.
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  Speaker 1: I would go so far as to say our favorite guest,
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  Speaker 1: the incredible Zach Martine, lifelong Lions fan, did the show
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  Speaker 1: last year. They were really great episodes. This one is
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: no different. I think you guys are gonna love it.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: And hey, he is coming to ACME in Minneapolis May
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  Speaker 1: fifteenth through the eighteenth, so listen to this episode. Hopefully
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  Speaker 1: the Vikings go get a win so you don't have
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: to dislike him and then go see him do stand
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  Speaker 1: up at one of the best clubs in the country.
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  Speaker 1: Enjoy the show. Everybody Ida what Tom is?
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  Speaker 2: Hey, we gotta go here, we gotta go.
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  Speaker 1: Let's go So Tom, Well, it's not a must win
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  Speaker 1: week for your Minnesota Vikings, but it's at least a
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  Speaker 1: probably need to win or definitely should win if we
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  Speaker 1: want things to keep going. I don't know how to
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  Speaker 1: quantify it, but we need to win the vikings need
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  Speaker 1: to win and joining me to discuss the team that
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  Speaker 1: we need to defeat. This program's favorite guest. Oh, ladies
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  Speaker 1: and gentlemen, the wonderful y'are a Zach. Everybody likes you.
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  Speaker 1: And here's the thing, here's the problem, Zach Martina. I
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  Speaker 1: think I can't promise you you will be this week
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  Speaker 1: this show's favorite guest after this episode. That's fair because
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  Speaker 1: it was so You were so funny last year, you know,
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  Speaker 1: lifelong Lions fan, great comedian. You were so funny, so
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  Speaker 1: fun and we just were like, oh, look at him.
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  Speaker 1: Isn't that nice? Isn't it fun to have him? He's
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  Speaker 1: a little feisty, it's a good time. But now you're
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  Speaker 1: at our doorstep and you're standing on a ladder looking
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  Speaker 1: down at us, And so I can promise you that
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  Speaker 1: that feeling from our fans will continue after this week.
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  Speaker 1: But hello, it's nice to see you. I love you,
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  Speaker 1: I hate you.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, It's it's great to be back. And I'll be
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  Speaker 2: honest with you. It feels pretty good to have that
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  Speaker 2: hatred coming at me because I'm not used to it.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not used to people being like, oh, you're a threat,
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  Speaker 2: You're coming I mean, it's gonna be Christmas Eve, and
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  Speaker 2: it will be the first time potentially that the Lions
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  Speaker 2: win the NFC North. We haven't won the division since
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  Speaker 2: it was the Central. We've never won it well as
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  Speaker 2: the North.
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  Speaker 1: Back when all these centrally located teams and Tampa Bay
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  Speaker 1: were in the same division.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, sir, what is the temperature?
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  Speaker 1: Is it? Is it more? Oh? I hope we don't
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  Speaker 1: screw it up? Or is it more? Holy shit? We're
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  Speaker 1: gonna do, like what is the temperature amongst the Lions fans?
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  Speaker 1: Because I remember last year when we went to Detroit.
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  Speaker 1: You warned me. You were like, Dan Campbell is hyping
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  Speaker 1: this game up like it's the Detroit super Bowl. And
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  Speaker 1: then I remember listening on like on game day during
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  Speaker 1: that during the broadcast, I was like, it sounds wild
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  Speaker 1: in there. So what is your like, what is the
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  Speaker 1: vibe right now amongst the fan base?
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  Speaker 2: It's really it's pretty interesting because it in a sense
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  Speaker 2: is same old, same old. We just had that little
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  Speaker 2: two game skid where we lost to Green Bay and
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  Speaker 2: Chicago and that that was difficult. Golf was not playing well.
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  Speaker 2: But then we kind of found a way to justify
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  Speaker 2: it in that. You know, San Francisco went through a lull,
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  Speaker 2: Philadelphia went through a lull. Everyone in the NFC seems
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  Speaker 2: to be going through a lull. But a lot of
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  Speaker 2: people were going, Oh, same old Lions, this is exactly
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  Speaker 2: what's gonna happen. We're gonna get We're gonna get there,
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  Speaker 2: we're gonna get into the first round. We don't have
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  Speaker 2: anyone that's gonna be able to win. And then you
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  Speaker 2: come out on Saturday night and everybody's right back on
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  Speaker 2: the bandwagon. Lions fans don't know what to do. We've
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  Speaker 2: been hurt so much, SI, We've been hurt so many
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  Speaker 2: times before that we're very very careful. We're very cautious people.
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  Speaker 2: But you know what we are. I think we're drinking
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  Speaker 2: this cool man. It's it's it's no joke.
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  Speaker 1: There's a lot of organizations in professional sports that have
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  Speaker 1: a tortured history. I would say the Vikings have a
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  Speaker 1: tortured history. You know, everybody says the Cleveland Browns have
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  Speaker 1: a tortured history. But within that there are these sub sects,
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  Speaker 1: and one of them is the type of organization that
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  Speaker 1: just has never really had anything. They're pretty rare, but
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  Speaker 1: that's you, guys, it's not that. Like you've been heartbroken
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  Speaker 1: time and time again. You are Charlie Brown. Like everybody
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  Speaker 1: jokes that Minnesota is Charlie Brown kicking the football. You're
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  Speaker 1: actually what's the name of the bird that hangs out
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  Speaker 1: with Snoopy? You're not even Snoopy. Yeah, you're You're your
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  Speaker 1: Woodstock watching Snoopy, watching Charlie Brown miss the kick. So
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  Speaker 1: is there does that distort what a meaningful moment means
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  Speaker 1: to you? Like, for example, if you guys go on
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  Speaker 1: a run and you get to an NFC championship game,
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  Speaker 1: is that an iconic moment in franchise history? Does if
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  Speaker 1: you guys run all the way to an NFC title
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  Speaker 1: game and are competitive, does Dan Campbell becomes statue level impressive?
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  Speaker 2: I think he becomes statue level impressive. I think he
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  Speaker 2: becomes a Mike Tomlin, Bill Belichick type of coach where
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  Speaker 2: he's just here for decades. I mean, you talk about
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  Speaker 2: NFC Championship. All we want is to win one playoff game.
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  Speaker 2: We just want to win a game. That's all we want. Ultimately, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: we want the NFC title. We want to go to
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  Speaker 2: the Super Bowl, But to even make it in the
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  Speaker 2: playoffs and be in contention right now for the number
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  Speaker 2: one seed. I mean, San Francisco's gotta stumble a little bit,
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  Speaker 2: but to be able to potentially have a bye week
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  Speaker 2: to have a home playoff game, I mean, I'm so
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  Speaker 2: confident in the Lions that if this were last year,
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  Speaker 2: I had have said we won a playoff game, I'll
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  Speaker 2: shave my head. But I'm so confident right now that
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  Speaker 2: we're gonna win a playoff game. I can't say that.
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  Speaker 2: I can't say that I won't.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, I thought you were gonna do it live
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  Speaker 1: on this show, because for those for those listening, which
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  Speaker 1: is all of you, this is not a video product.
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  Speaker 1: Zach has if they were doing a hip Wizard of
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  Speaker 1: Oz called like Ozzy and the Whiz right or something
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  Speaker 1: like that, and they're like, we need a lion. That's
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  Speaker 1: what your hair is. Your hair is young hip lion.
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  Speaker 1: And I thought you were gonna say you'd be willing
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  Speaker 1: to shave it off. But I can't. I can't let
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  Speaker 1: that happen. I think, would that man that you have
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  Speaker 1: no pun intended? I actually don't know if that's even
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  Speaker 1: a pun. I'm not great at sourcing my way through
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  Speaker 1: the definitions of words.
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  Speaker 2: The point is you nailed it that it was a
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  Speaker 2: nice bun.
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  Speaker 1: Like you have put this guy on camera after his
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  Speaker 1: team wins the biggest game of their year. If you're
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  Speaker 1: in the stadium, if I'm a camera operator, I'm finding
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  Speaker 1: you and I'm like, well, this guy's gonna do something insane.
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  Speaker 1: Look at his hair. Let's just wait and see what happens.
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  Speaker 1: At some point, he's gonna whip his chain wallet around it.
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  Speaker 2: Actually, it wouldn't have been the chain wall. I mean
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  Speaker 2: I remember when the Pistons just won one game and
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  Speaker 2: I was there and it was super close. I mean
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  Speaker 2: I took off my shirt with that around and did
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  Speaker 2: the old Chris Farley Chippendale's dance, Like I was Chris
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  Speaker 2: Farley Chippendale's dance with this hair. It's an added element, dude,
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  Speaker 2: It's it's a game stopper.
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  Speaker 1: So let's say last last year, the Vikings experiences, they
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  Speaker 1: had this epic season, you know, thirteen and four, go
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  Speaker 1: to the playoffs, and it was such an unsatisfying end.
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  Speaker 1: I think it was still a fun year, but you
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  Speaker 1: have a big parts of the fan base who go, well,
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  Speaker 1: what the hell was the point like you can really
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  Speaker 1: sour something for some people. At the end of a season. Sure,
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  Speaker 1: let's say down the stretch here, you win a game
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  Speaker 1: or two. You don't necessarily power your way in, but
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  Speaker 1: you're in. You're the division champion, and you'd be the
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  Speaker 1: three right, yeah, and you get the three probably, and
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  Speaker 1: you'd be the home the home playoff team.
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  Speaker 2: Which right now we would be scheduled to face, you guys,
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  Speaker 2: right now, it would be a.
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  Speaker 1: Viking three times in four weeks.
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  Speaker 2: Three times in four weeks.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's that's the sort of playing a team
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  Speaker 1: three times in a season. And we've seen as a
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  Speaker 1: wild card. That's the story of the Packers beat the Packers,
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  Speaker 1: beating the Vikings twice and then Randy Moss comes in,
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  Speaker 1: thumbshim and moons the crowd yep, that was that year.
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  Speaker 1: What let's let's hop in the what if machine?
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  Speaker 2: Okay, it's my favorite machine.
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  Speaker 1: Let's say you guys run into the playoffs, the Vikings
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  Speaker 1: find their way in, they find their way to Ford Field,
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  Speaker 1: and they put it on you like you guys walk
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  Speaker 1: out and it's not even like a tragic loss. It's just, ah,
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  Speaker 1: you lose by like nine or ten.
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  Speaker 2: What is that.
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  Speaker 1: Is there anything that can ruin it? Does that ruin
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  Speaker 1: this year for you?
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  Speaker 2: That hurts? That definitely does not. I don't like to
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  Speaker 2: think about it. And I mean, I'm it's the holiday
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  Speaker 2: season and it's a time of joy and I don't
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  Speaker 2: know why you would do that to me. That was cruel.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, it would hurt. It wouldn't ruin the season
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  Speaker 2: because we have more wins this year than last year.
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  Speaker 2: And for a team that is historically what we are
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  Speaker 2: and have been, this would be. It would hurt. It
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  Speaker 2: would hurt a lot if it were to the Vikings
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  Speaker 2: or to the Packers. It would hurt if it were
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  Speaker 2: to a division opponent. But one thing I will say
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  Speaker 2: is ford Fields is maybe the loudest stadium in the
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  Speaker 2: league this year. It's crazy there. Whoever designed ford Field,
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  Speaker 2: I don't know if they were like eternal optimists or
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  Speaker 2: something like. No. One day this team is going to
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  Speaker 2: be good, and when they do, the acoustics are going
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  Speaker 2: to hit in such a way where you're not going
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  Speaker 2: to be able to hear a thing like Fordfield has
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  Speaker 2: a rocking dude.
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  Speaker 1: They just had to wait all this time until week
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  Speaker 1: about week fifteen of twenty twenty three or whatever. At
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  Speaker 1: week sixteen.
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  Speaker 2: Ye yeah, like fifteen twenty years later, they've.
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  Speaker 1: Got an interesting They've kind of got a cowboys vibe,
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  Speaker 1: a little bit of a Jacky and Hide vibe. Where
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: don't you dare you do? Though you do? I would say,
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: but it's your which one's the uh? It was? It
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  Speaker 1: was doctor Jekyl and mister Hide the lunatic. Yeah, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: and Jeckel is Jeckyl's the upstanding one, even though those
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: don't feel right, they feel like they should be the other's.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: Jeckyl is a far more nefarious name. But I would say,
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  Speaker 1: on the Jeckel and hides, on the Jeckel and Hyde's
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  Speaker 1: scale or spectrum or whatever you want to call it,
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  Speaker 1: the graph. I don't know why I keep looking for
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  Speaker 1: stuff here. The point is, Zach, I believe you guys
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  Speaker 1: to be, you know, seventy percent jackal, thirty percent hide.
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  Speaker 1: You're definitely way more Jeckyl than you are Hide. But
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  Speaker 1: there is hide there. In the same way there is
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  Speaker 1: where I think the Niners can lose. I think the
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: Eagles can lose, but I think they they have just
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  Speaker 1: a few flaws that every once in a while to
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  Speaker 1: pop up you guys, and the Cowboys seem like a
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  Speaker 1: team where you would walk into a game and go, well,
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  Speaker 1: this is a game. They should put it on somebody.
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  Speaker 1: You go, yeah, what the hell just happened?
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  Speaker 2: Then, yeah, I can see that that makes sense. I
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: can live with that comparison as far as the Cowboys go.
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  Speaker 2: Like what it comes down to for us, our offensive
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: line is the most important thing on our team, beyond
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  Speaker 2: the shadow of a doubt. When our offensive line, our
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  Speaker 2: starting offensive line plays together, goff looks like an MVP.
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  Speaker 2: Both of our running backs go for over one hundred
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  Speaker 2: scrimmage yards on the regular and it's lights out. But
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  Speaker 2: if even one of them goes down, particularly you know,
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: if Sewell went down, Ragno is down for a minute,
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  Speaker 2: it hurts a lot. It makes a huge difference. The
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  Speaker 2: continuity team of that unit is by far the most
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: important thing we have, and I would say that anytime
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  Speaker 2: we should have put it on somebody and didn't, it
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  Speaker 2: was because there was an issue with our offensive line,
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  Speaker 2: and as a result, the defense couldn't feed off of
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  Speaker 2: the offense's energy. Because our defense, while it is improved
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  Speaker 2: from last year, it certainly feeds on the success of
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  Speaker 2: the offense. This is no doubt an offensive team.
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  Speaker 1: So for the last few years it has definitely felt
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  Speaker 1: like the the Lions are not a great matchup for
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: the Vikings. Right. We skated by with some wins a
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  Speaker 1: couple of years ago, but it's just year in and
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  Speaker 1: year out. Forever it was just Okay, let's write two
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  Speaker 1: wins down and let's move on. But the last five
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  Speaker 1: or so years, it's like, oh, here come the Lions.
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  Speaker 1: Even when you weren't good record wise, it was always
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  Speaker 1: a pain in the ass. We'd always lose one of
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  Speaker 1: the two in a way that sucked really bad. And
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  Speaker 1: I just felt like, especially as the Dan Campbell thing
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  Speaker 1: has been started, it's just it wasn't a good matchup.
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  Speaker 1: There's a possibility I see this going one of two
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  Speaker 1: ways this weekend. Either this impressive defensive thing that has
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: been built here crumbles for a week because as and
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: I think this like, you will not find a bigger
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: supporter of Brian Flores and what he's built. Yeah, I
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: can't even comprehend it, given like the resources available where
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: we were before. It is nonsense.
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  Speaker 2: There were so many question marks coming into this seat
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  Speaker 2: about it, like so many new holes that were being filled.
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  Speaker 1: Can he be coach of the year. Can we make
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: a defensive coordinator coach the year?
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  Speaker 2: They should have an assistant coach of the year.
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  Speaker 1: It is a it is a wild performance. Now that
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  Speaker 1: being said, if you look at who we've played, it's
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: not like you're seeing the elite of the elite offensively.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: Jake Browning with the with Cincinnati Denver, which is an
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: overly great aid. Aidan O'Connell with the Raiders, the Saints,
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: the Falcons. You know, no one in this stretch really
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: comes out. And we saw the Packers before they started
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: putting it together a little bit more offensively.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: So either I think you guys are going to come
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: in and there's a certain level of firepower offensively that
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  Speaker 1: we can't overcome. Or and I'll let you pick which
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: is more likely. Your boy, it's not just your line.
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  Speaker 1: Your boy can't handle pressure.
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  Speaker 2: He doesn't like it.
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  Speaker 1: We've never seen anything like the way Flores blitzes, the
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: high blitz rates against talented quarterbacks anytime we've seen a
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: good offense. Justin Herbert Patrick Mahomes, he's coming. Yeah. So
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: the other side is all of a sudden, this thing
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: is flipped and where you have been a tough matchup
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: for us for years. You might be the superior team
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: right now, but we might not be a great matchup
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: for you. This might be a tough one.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: This is not gonna be just some walk in the park.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, first of all, we're away, we're in Minnesota.
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  Speaker 2: That's going to be wildly no say it.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: Say you think it's gonna be a walk in the park.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: I'm baiting you. Say it.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: I'll do anything for you, Sia if you just say
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: please sor right never, I would say that it's not
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: gonna be It's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: in Minnesota. That is certainly going to be difficult. And
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: no disrespect to Minnesota's defense. But in addition to our
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: full offensive line, we have two tight ends. Sam Laporta,
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: I mean, TJ. Hockinson has been so great for you
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: guys this ye, especially with Jefferson down. He has been
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: a very bright spot in your offense. But I'm taking
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: Laporta over him, especially in run blocking.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: I hate even hearing the name. It was the thing
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: I was dreading most about. TJ. Hockinson has been amazing,
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: But yes, the NFL, I'm a broken record every week.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: The NFL is a math equation. You know, how much
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: how much do you get paid versus how much is
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: your output? You know, take any players, take how much
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: you like him, any of it. So if you can
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: get a rookie on a rookie deal, especially a mid
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: round rookie deal, to second round rookie, Yeah, to produce
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: at a high level like that, the value in that
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: is outrageous. So I love that we have TJ. Hockinson.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: It infuriates me that it led to you guys getting
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: Laporta and he's performing as well as he is. I
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: can't stand it.
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: He's performing at a record setting pace. He is I think,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: like the best rookie tight end statistically since Mike Didka.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: He is crushing it and he can run block. He
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: like he will get in your face and put you down.
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: And our second tight end, brock Right, doesn't have necessarily
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: the hands of Sam Laporta, and no one's saying he does,
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: but that dude can block too.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: By the way, that's a tight end name brock Right. Yeah,
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: We've got this is the matchup of elite named. If
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: you were like, hey, I'd like to give birth to
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: a tight end. Well, you better name him brock Wright
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: or we have Johnny Munt. There's are fantastic tight end names.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: With those tight end names, they gotta be able to block.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: You would hope, so you'd hope. So they might as
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: well be named thick Man.
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: Or man Thixon.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, man Thixon. I don't want to talk about Laporta.
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: I have no interest in that conversation. If you need
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: to talk about him anymore, you can do that. I'm
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: gonna take my headphone off and go grab something to drink.
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: But I'm not I can't handle it. I'm not interested.
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: All I'm saying is that when you're talking about the
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: pressure coming, we are suited to pick up pressures. I
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: think with Donovan's people's jones that pick up. He's been
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: getting more and more looks as like a third or
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: fourth target. Josh Reynolds has been incredible for us, Jamison
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: Williams is finally getting involved in getting the looks he deserves.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: And I'm on Ross Brown, a fourth round pick, is
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: one of the best receivers in the league. I mean,
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: if we have to keep our tight ends home and
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: have one running back be it Montgomery or Gibbs, and
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: then three receivers out. You do max protect, you still
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: can pick a part with our skill our skill positions.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: So I'm I'm very confident in our offense. If in fact,
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: the offensive line is healthy.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: Let's hop back in the what if machine?
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: Love it? Buckle up?
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: So the game is a It is a noon Central kickoff.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: New and Central YEP.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: So let's say it's about three o'clock Central, Lions are
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: up twelve, Papa bears watching his because how old are you?
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: Thirty seven?
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: So you're thirty seven, we're talking thirty two years ago.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: You were five the last time they won a division.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: There's no way you have any meaningful memory of that.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: If you see that clock ticking and it's like, oh
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: my gosh, it's gonna happen. What happens in Zach Martina's head?
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: And what happens in Zach Martinez? Are you? Because it's
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: a way so you you know, it'd be fun to
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: get it at home, but what happens in that household?
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: What's going to go down? If this thing comes to fruition.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: Well, it will be Christmas Eve, so we will be
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: at my mom's house, which is what the situation was
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: last year.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: I didn't even think it's Chrism, it's Christmas Eve.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's I said to you last year that
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: Dan Campbell was hyping it up like this was our
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: super Bowl, And in a way, this is our super
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: Bowl to be able to get a division title. We
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: haven't won a title in thirty thirty however many years,
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: so this is a huge game that they will be
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: prepared for. If we win the division title on Christmas Eve,
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: I will be losing my mind. My daughters will be
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: joyfully screaming obscenities, and I won't be mad. I won't
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: be mad, Si I'll be. I'll be. I'll be teaching
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: them new words for celebrations, for celebration, and then I
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: will to my relatives, I will tell them to kiss
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: my ass because they're like, they're never gonna win. They're
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: never gonna win, They're never gonna do it, They're never
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: gonna be good. So many people are on the Lions
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: bandwagon this year and toward the tail end of last year.
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: To be someone that like proudly repped the Lions when
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: they were bad for my entire life. These people that
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: are coming out like oh I knew it, oh man,
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: they're the I can't stand them. I want them, I want.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: Them out now. I obviously I want my team to win,
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: and I think the better scenario here regardless of that scene,
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: because that is a fantastic scene. And I don't think
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: it would be too much to ask, if you guys
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: are up by twelve, for you to stick a camera
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: in the corner, okay, and just stick your phone prop
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: your phone up somewhere. And it doesn't have to be
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: for the people. If I have to watch my team lose,
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: I want to watch the stability dynamics of your family's
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: holiday get jolted by your emotional outbursts.
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: Oh, and I won't be a low man. My My
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: daughters are good kids. They will they will, they will
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: ride this train with me, and God bless it, my
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: wife will too. It'll be us against them.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: If we win on Sunday. The Cowboys are that is
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: not especially because they just they just had the bills.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: Things happens. You got to expect them to reel off
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: a couple two and have everybody go, oh, they're a
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: super Bowl team.
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: I agree same with Philly, and I don't want.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: To put anything past Green Bay with how they're playing
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: right now. But if we get this game, that puts
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: us on a very likely path for an end of
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: the year Sunday night Football Division on the line, home
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: field on the line. And I will say, as much
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: as that's not what you want. Last year you got
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: robbed of it. Last year you got robbed of that
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: ultimate season ending moment.
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: It's y Seattle's my least favorite team in the league.
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: Here's what I want to happen in Week seventeen. I
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: want the division this weekend. I don't want to worry
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: about it. I want to be happy for the final
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: few weeks of the season, but I do want to
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: be playing for the number one seed in Week seventeen
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: while you guys are playing for playoff seeding positioning, birth
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: what have you. I want it to mean something to
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: both of us, but I don't want to lose anything.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Something is unfortunately going to give. Where is the Dan
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: Campbell experience? How And I know I mentioned this early
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: in the show, Yeah right, but he went from silly
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: funny to oh my gosh, this guy may be good
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: but still a little corny to can't quite Maybe he's
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: got the culture, maybe he can do some things, but
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: he does some wacky stuff when he takes over the offense,
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: and like now all of a sudden, you're like, oh, okay,
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: this year, they've really looked like an upper echelon football
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: team for most of Like, are you sitting there? Do
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: you need to see playoff success to go? Dan Campbell's
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: the guy for a really long time. Where are you
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: at on Dan Campbell?
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: I'm all in on Dan Campbell. I don't think I
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: need to see playoff success to think he is the
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: guy for a long time. I think he is the guy.
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: I think he is going to most certainly finish out
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: his contract, which is another three years, and I firmly
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: believe that he is going to get an extension and
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: be here for a very long time. You mentioned the
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: offense kind of going up and down when he took over. Well,
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: we'll see what happens next year, because I do not
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: see our offensive coordinator sticking around. Ben Johnson is a
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: real hot candidate.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't think he's going to turn down jobs
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: twice in a row.
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: Not in a row. But what I will say is
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: someone that doesn't get enough credit is our GM Brad Holmes.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: What he does as far as drafting goes and the
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: types of players that they even bring in for visits
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: on free agency. I mean, culture is the number one thing,
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: and it seems like him and Dan Campbell are locked
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: up every step of the way. I mean, we picked
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: up I'm and Ross Saint Brown in the fourth round.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: We got Brian Branch somehow late in the second round.
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: He's been a stud, Sam Laporta in the second round.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: I mean where he finds these late talents. Dan Campbell,
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: He's given Dan Tamble, He's given Dan Campbell the tools.
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: All right, it's like enterprise, rent a car. We give
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: you the corporate structure to be your own boss.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: I haven't disliked anything anyone said on this show as
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: much as that, and I think it's because you don't remember.
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: I know I remember it. I just hate that it's
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: about you and your success and your team success. My
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: problem is this This season has been such an odd
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: combination of exhilarating, infuriating, you know, devastating, and hope based
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: all rolled into one. The roller coaster has been absurd.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: So and I think this other thing happened when Kirk
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: went down. I think a lot of the team what
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: there's something that happened before that that I don't think
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: it's discussed enough. When Jefferson went down, we saw Kevin
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: O'Connell have to coach for the first time without a
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: stud in the Cooper Cup role. Sure, and we saw
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: the elevation of Osbourne. We saw this offense play two
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: of its best games of the season against the forty
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: nine Ers, which, although they were missing Deebo Samuel, that
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: is an elite defense. And then we saw them play
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: really well against the Packers, and I think everybody went,
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: oh my god, we're gonna get JJ back and this
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: thing is gonna be firing. And so then you lose
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: kerk and just the emotion of that through the Dobbs thing,
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: had you lost Kirk and had you not had that
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: impressive couple games and had the crazy Dobbs thing that, like,
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: I think there was a real possibility that for a
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: lot of teams, a season like that could go down
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: the well, this is probably gonna be a team that
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: picks in the top ten now for sure, that that
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: makes their without their best wide receiver for a majority
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: and arguably, if not the league, obviously their best football
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: player for a majority of the season and their star quarterback.
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: And so I think when that didn't happen, when the
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: Dobbs thing, when they won a couple of games and
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: they've been competitive, and then and then Jefferson was coming back.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: I think you have so many people who are like, well,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: we can't wind up with a great pick. Now you've
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: gotta I think we're all clinging to hope so hard
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: because otherwise it means you're in football no man's land.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: You're in that whole horrible place where you don't make
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: the playoffs and you don't get a top pick, and
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: it just feels black. Yeah, And I think with and
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: maybe you're feeling this with Ben Johnson. I think with
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: the pending loss of Flores, who I think also will
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: likely have some opportunities if he'd like them, there's just
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: kind of this moment that you don't think they're gonna
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: win the super Bowl, but you want them to grab it.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: So I think that's what I'm gonna be feeling on
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: Christmas Eve if it's looking well as just this increased
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: moment of hope, and if they could have grabbed one
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: of those last few games, if they could grab this
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: first one. I don't think anyone here in Minnesota is
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: going well This is obviously a team that's gonna march
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: through Detroit, sure, through Philadelphia, through San Francisco, and then
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: we're gonna thump the Chiefs or Bills or Ravens. But
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: if you can play your best football in the last
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: three games of the year, and you can set yourself
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: up for like, holy shit, we have Sunday night football
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: at the end of the year for the division, that
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: makes all of this very worthwhile. And that's that's what
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: I need. I'm i feel like a Lions fan, like
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: I'm rooting for hope. Is this what it feels like.
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: I'm not rooting for wins, I'm rooting for hope.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a lot. That's a lot of what it
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: felt like. And while we are rooting for wins this year,
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: we are certainly still in that hope thing because we
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: feel I think I think Detroit feels like we have
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: the best team we've ever had. So you hope that
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: it's gonna you hope that it's gonna work out. However,
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: I am excited about this game because of what you
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: said earlier. Brian Flores and his defense versus Ben Johnson
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: and his offense against Nick Mullins and your offense versus
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: are not stellar defense. Like, I think the matchups look great.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: I think this is all the makings of just a real,
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: real fun football game that ultimately the Lions come on
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: the top of.
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: Ultimately that obviously makes sense that it wouldn't happen. I
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: care about you a great deal. We've got another episode
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: in a couple of weeks, and regardless if we have
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: another guest or not, you will also be on that episode. Great,
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: even if it's for ten minutes. We're gonna rekindle what
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: started here. This is a to be continued sort of situation,
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: zach It. I wish you the best, but I don't
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: wish you a win. It is interesting, This is the
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: last thing I'll say. It is interesting to be in
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: this moment against a team that I don't have a
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: deep vested disdain for so like and and maybe give
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: it a couple of years and I'll be like, I
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: would rather spit like you know, I maybe we get there,
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: but right now I am enjoying the fact that, like
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: I can talk to one of my buddies. I absolutely
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: want to win. But if somehow it doesn't turn out,
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: I'm not gonna wanna drag him out to a lake
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: in the middle of winter time and tip him off
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: a boat.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: Dude, it's you hit the nail on the head. I
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: have been I've been on the road a lot, and
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: I'm very vocal and clear about being a Lions fan
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: and have always been in every single person from every
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: single NFL market says that exact thing. They're like, I mean, no, man,
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: We're we're rooting for you, Like we have been bad
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: for so long that even when you're playing us, You're like,
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, they kind of need this one, you know.
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: And then next year, if we're the same thing, I
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: can see a lot of people starting to hate us.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: But this year, everyone's like, now, that's like my little
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: brother who's finally hit puberty.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Do you feel like a guy that's about to take
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: a test but has never been given a book in
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: his whole life? And everybody's like, we'll see what happens, Bud.
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: We're all hoping, We're all hoping you get a good grade.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: We can't imagine, you know what words are. I'm sure
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: this is I waited the whole episode to take one
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: serious shot, and I didn't even know it was coming
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: until it rolled into But I basically just called you
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: the equivalent of someone who never learned to read or
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: write and whatever. The football version of that is.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: In Green Bay. Come on, I'm from Detroit. That's a metropolis.
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: This is in Green Bay.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: What I thought we all couldn't read and rat We
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: can end on mutual ground, Zach, I'm gonna need a
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: score prediction. I know you're not gonna love it, but
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: I am gonna need a score prediction from you.
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: That's fine. I'm going to say that we maintain that.
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna say thirty three to twenty four, Lions.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Thirty three to twenty four. Woof. I think it's going
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: to be a little more defensive than that, you know.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: I do think Flores is gonna come ready. I think
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: our offense hasn't been able to completely find itself given
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: the situation we're in. Sure, so I don't know how
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: much we'll score, but I'm gonna go Lions thirteen, Vikings
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: and thirty eight. Zach. I care about you a great deal.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: If it has to be somebody, I hope it's you
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: meet it, but I hope it doesn't have to be somebody.
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: Well, man, I care about you a great deal, and
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: I love being the unofficial Lions correspondent on this show.
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: I always have so much fun talking to you about
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: this and just laughing, you know, across state Lions.
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, we'll see if the job is still yours
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: come the end of Sunday.
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: Take it easy, buddy.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: Thanks again to Zach Martinez for joining the show tonight,
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: and thank you to our sponsor, Continent with Diamond. Be
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: sure to like, subscribe, download the podcast anywhere you listen
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: to your favorite shows. We'll see you all again next week.
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: Join Pa at the Apple Valley Buffalo Wild Wings this
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: Friday from nine to noon for Friday Football Feast presented
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: by Coors Light. Enjoy food and drink specials and a
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: chance to win Viking tickets and more. Visit vikings dot
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: com slash bww for full schedule and details