Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Are the Vikings top five in the trenches?

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

Matthew Coller is joined by Ahmad Hicks of Fox 9 to discuss the Vikings offseason and answer nine fan questions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Coller here and joining me on the show for the very first time, Ahmad Hicks from Fox 9. Ahmad, great to have you on the show, man. What's up? Man, thanks for having me. You know, I see all the success you're having with this show. I'm glad to be on this platform.

Well, you know, we got the flags behind me, the nice picture, the nice microphone. As soon as that happened, uh, everything took off and enough lighting to make me look presentable. But, uh, no, it's, it's been a great draft season. It's been a really fun off season for us here on the show and I wanted to get you on. So I invented your own little bit for you because you work for Fox nine. came up with nine questions for you or I should say that Vikings fans came up with nine questions for you about the Vikings offseason and where they're going But let me before we get into the questions Let me just get a take from you the big picture on this offseason

Like what was what is your feeling about how strongly the Vikings came out of this offseason as a whole? I think they hit a home run now what I said to Grand Slam no I would say more it's like a three three run home run at this point right now I still think there's some other needs that need to be addressed before they step onto the field you know for the first game of the season but I certainly think they improved from the final game last season you look at the interior offensive line that was a huge problem for the Vikings the last couple of years. And what they did was really just put a bandaid over that problem. They finally addressed it, went out and spent some money and then drafted someone in the first

round for that interior offensive line. And then they also got better on the interior defensive line. So really proud of them for what they did there. I think they, you know, added to the, the weapons that they already have, but you still want to see one veteran corner or a known proven corner that can kind of help out Byron Murphy Jr. and Jeff Okuda and all those guys. But other than that, I think the off season was a huge success. Yeah. I'm really interested in that because when we were down at the owners meetings and Kevin O'Connell said to us that Brian Flores really believes in Isaiah Rogers, I thought, well, I don't think he's, I don't think he's feeding us a line here.

That's probably true, but I did wonder if they would address it in the draft. There's a handful of guys that are still out there, but I also wonder if they want to roll it out first and see what it looks like. I mean, if you remember last year, it wasn't until midway through camp, even more than halfway through camp that Stefan Gilmore showed up. And there's a handful of veterans out there on the free agent market that they could wait and see and say, Oh, we love how Isaiah Rogers and Mackay Blackman look, or they could say, you know what? We're not loving this as much as we thought.

And then go still sign somebody corner is one of those positions that there always seems to be one or two veterans that just slipped through the cracks and are available during training camp. Yeah. And you know, it's funny that you bring this topic up because I was actually talking to Brian Flores about this at the Gophers Pro Day and we were talking about some of the corners that they brought in and some of the corners

that they re-signed. And he said, Byron Murphy Jr. I asked him, I said, is he a true number one corner in your defense or is he a complimentary corner where you have to have one more veteran or a stronger number one in front of him? And he looked me in my eyes and said, he's a number one.

He can do everything that we asked of a number one corner. And he told me Isaiah Rogers, if given the opportunity, he thinks he could be pretty successful in the NFL. He said he loves what he's seen on tape from him. And he feels like he just needs to be put in the right position to succeed. And I asked him about Jeff Okuda. I was like, you're talking about a former

first round draft pick that's bounced around a lot in the NFL so early on. I'm like, what did you see? He said, I think he's another one of those guys. If I can get my hands on him, put him in our scheme and put him in our situations. He was like, I think he could be a really good football player. He's like, when it comes to corners,

he said, the thing is I go to Kevin O'Connell, I go to Quacey in the offseason. He said, I look at the top dollar corners. And I'm like, all right, can I pick from this list? He said, if I can't pick from that list, will I have a number of other guys that are, you know, a little bit, a little bit more valuable or not valuable? Should I say affordable, you know, for the Vikings and what they're looking for.

And he says, you know, he, he can pick from anywhere and make it work for his system. And so it seems like he's pleased with the group that he has right now. Right. And the other guy that we can't leave out is Dwight McClothern as well. That we saw him last year really develop during training camp. And this is where there's a gap sometimes between kind of what we look at and what they know behind the scenes because they've seen what somebody's work ethic is like. They watch the practice tape back. We're on the sideline of practice.

We usually get one look at it and then, you know, they tell us we can't film anymore so that we don't get to go back and look at the the top version of all that stuff so they may be more confident in someone like McClother than we are just because we haven't seen it out on the field yet so I am interested to see if they do something or if they just fully buy into this group with what they have right now. So why don't we get into these, uh, these nine questions that were gathered. I threw it out on Twitter, said, Hey, throw me all your,

your last thoughts of the off season for fans and we'll run through them. So the first question I got was from Harry DC 25. He said, what is your realistic expectation for the Viking season? If JJ McCarthy plays like 2022 Kirk Cousins if he is 2022 Kirk Cousins good how many wins will the Vikings have this year how good will the Vikings be if that's how good JJ McCarthy is huh that's a really good question um I just think with the pieces that they have around them,

Jordan Mason coming over and helping out Aaron Jones in that backfield, I just really think, I won't say the sky's the limit because there will be growing pains with JJ McCarthy, obviously this season. But I think you're talking like 11 wins at anything under 11 wins, I think it's a letdown with this group. I think 11 wins kind of goes through the growing pains

with JJ McCarthy, where he's able to weather the storm. But I just think what the playmakers around him, what they're building defensively, like I think he's gonna be able to get the football back if he goes out there and commits it three and out really fast, you know? So I feel like he's gonna grow from his mistakes. And I love something that he said the other day

at the press conference, like through his ADHD, he feels most comfortable in front of 110,000 fans, like in the middle of the spotlight. So I think he's a guy that just will get better, you know, as the season goes along. So I think anything short of 11 wins is a let down for this team. So I think from, uh, the person who asked here, Harry, the question being aimed at 2022 Kirk is interesting because I think that the stat line is kind of realistic for what we might expect from JJ McCarthy.

That wasn't one of Kirk's huge stat line numbers for quarterback rating. He threw 29 touchdowns, 14 picks that year, but it was really the end of all those games. You remember how tense those were in 2022, right? All that we're gripping our chairs in the press box every game at the end of all those games. You remember how tense those were in 2022, right? All the, we're gripping our chairs in the press box, every game at the end. And that I think we can't expect from a rookie right away. I know that McCarthy has a history of, you know, game winning drives and stuff like that. He did that in the college football playoff against Alabama. But I mean, Kirk did it at an all time crazy level that year.

I think, yeah, eight, which was the most ever in history. But if McCarthy, just from a stat line perspective, a mod, if he threw for also, if he throws for 4,500 yards, that's a lot that would be, that'd be a lot of passing from McCarthy, but if it was, if it was something like that, 65% completion, 29 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 92.5 quarterback rating. I think 11 wins is a good number for that. I think that that would be a very solid rookie season that could put them in position to

compete for the North. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the, the stat line that you just threw out that will compete, I think anywhere in the national football league, whether it's the NFC North, the NFC West. I mean, you just want him to go out there and compete. And if you're talking about 29 touchdowns, well, this team should be pretty darn good, I believe. So, J.J. McCracken, do I think he will throw

for 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns? Probably not. I think they want to take the ball out of his hands just a little bit. And that's why they brought over Jordan Mason, kind of control the clock, you know, make things a little bit easier for him, you know, as the season progresses. And then he can start taking those shots down the field.

But I mean, then again, with, you know, wide receivers like Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, and that's high film they just brought over, you know, it's going to be exciting. They have a lot of speed and playmakers to help JJ McCarthy out. I'm so curious about it because Kevin O'Connell can't help himself, right? He's can't lean on the right. I think someone else is going to ask that question a little later, but I think with JJ McCarthy that there's a

little bit of an expectation that they will try to play it more conservative lean on the run. I just am not sure that he can actually do that because they did at the beginning of last season with Darnold. And then as soon as Darnold got the offense down, he's like, whatever, let's just throw every play. Slay it, yeah. And I think that if he likes the way that McCarthy looks throwing the ball early on,

he's gonna be very much a pass first Kevin O'Connell. So I mean, 4,500 yards is a ton, but if it was hovering around 4,000, I would not be a terribly shocked. Next question comes from G Beck TV says, where do the offensive and defensive lines rank for you league wide? Maybe a high end outcome, worst case scenario and median outcome feels like the best trench setup for the Vikings in ages.

What do you think? Where did the offensive and defensive lines rank for you league wide? outcome feels like the best trench setup for the Vikings in ages. What do you think? Where did the offensive and defensive lines rank for you? League wide on paper has to be top five on both sides, right? I mean, you're talking about Ryan Kelly, a guy who ton of years of experience, you know, former Alabama players. So you're talking about who guy who's won at the highest level before. And then we'll fries coming over. You saw the success Jonathan Taylor had. I mean, he just exploded at the end of the season then Will Fry is coming over. You saw the success Jonathan Taylor had.

I mean, he just exploded at the end of the season, long run after long run. So I think it's just gonna open up a ton of lanes for Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Then you talk about two of the best tackles that you have in football, Christian Derrison and Brian O'Neal. I mean, so it's like you look at this offensive line and you just gush about the possibilities that they have this season. If they can run the ball effectively and hit for six yards to carry, man, that just opens up the entire playbook.

So Kevin O'Connell can hit those play actions and pass a lot that he loves to do defensively though. My goodness, I mean, you talk about Jonathan Allen, Andrew Van Ginkle, Dallas Turner, the success that they were able to have last year with just minimal talent interior defensive line. Now you added Javon Hargrave, you add Jonathan Allen, and you still throw in a Jalen Redmond who was having success towards the end of last season.

I mean, the depth is just there for that team where they can get after quarterbacks and just be relentless, especially in Brian Flores's fronts where they confuse the quarterback and those young quarterbacks and whatnot. So I think if you look on paper right now, this is a top five offensive line and the top five defensive line. And I think especially defensively, you know,

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That is tempolemeals.com slash purple insider. 60% off your first box. Tempolemeals.com slash purple insider. Rules and restrictions apply. Right, in years past, we would have said best case scenario, maybe they're just good enough to survive. And that was really the case when Darasaw was still in last year that I thought they had an above average offensive line as soon as he went out, not so much. And that's what the questions are all going to be about for both of these

trenches, because I agree with you that they have the potential to be that if Jonathan Allen is what he was maybe two years ago and Javon Hargrave was what he was two years ago. Like if that happens, then absolutely they're going to be completely dominant because I think we can lock in what Jonathan Grenard and Andrew van Ginkel are. I don't know if he's going to have the pick sixes for this year, but we know he's going to be effective in coverage. We know he's going to rush the passer pretty well and that he fits perfectly in this defense. I also think that Dallas Turner, if he takes a big step forward, you're talking about an additional weapon to that. And the same goes for some of the other developmental guys on defense. Levi Drake, Rodriguez, Takita, Imani.

We saw a little bit from them last year, but they didn't go out and get more depth guys, so there's going to be an opportunity there. I think it just entirely comes down to how does Ryan Kelly stay healthy? The last two years he has, I think about 1400 total snaps. If you only play 700 this year,

that's not really going to be what you're looking for, and I think will fry should come back OK, but there's just a lot of those If you only play 700 this year, that's not really going to be what you're looking for. And I think Will Fry should come back. Okay, but there's just a lot of those kind of question marks hovering in the air. And even with Donovan Jackson, I'm impressed by him. I'm sure you were when you listen to his press conference

as well, but he's still a rookie trying to play guard in the NFL. What is that learning curve like? Because in other top five offenses and defenses, maybe they don't have a rookie that they're asking to do as much as Donovan Jackson. Yeah, and you know, Donovan Jackson has a lot on his plate when you're talking about the NFC North and just the way these defensive lines are built all the way across the board. So yes, that's that's why I say they have the potential to be a top five offensive line on paper right now.

I believe they are, but you have to go out there and go prove that now I do think it's going to take some time for donovan jackson to mesh with this the rest of the offensive line But I think having a guy like ryan kelly and will france who hopefully comes back from injury, you know And ready to go full speed and then daris are right there to help him Especially daris all because you remember that play that he made Um during the season where he's you know, blocking a guy down Daris are right there to help him, especially Daris saw, because you remember that play that he made during the season where he's blocking a guy down, then he just flips his hips, turns around blindly

and picks up another guy, having a guy like that alongside you is gonna be a weapon, because he's gonna be able to tell you a lot of things that maybe an inexperienced guard playing next to an inexperienced tackle wouldn't be able to capture. And so I think that'll help Donovan Jackson, but certainly there will be growing pains for him seeing how these guys don't play a lot during the preseason. So he'll be learning on the job.

And I'm sure his best football will be towards the end of the season. I think to address specifically the high end outcome. I mean, worst case scenario is always just that everybody gets hurt. Like that's every position group, no matter what, because we play football here. But the median outcome of trying to project it the most reasonably we can, I still think is top 10 for both units because they've built up depth on the offensive line to where if Donovan Jackson isn't ready right away, Blake Brandle can step in. They brought in Justin school as a left tackle to be able to start if Daris is ready.

And so it's not like if one thing goes wrong, that the entire unit collapses. I think both of them at, at median case scenario are probably pretty darn good. Yeah, absolutely. And I think they're good enough to compete not only in the NFC, but the entire NFL. So I think Quacey Adolfo, Mensa, Kevin, O'Connell, Brian, Flores, they've done a tremendous job of putting the right team on paper to go out there and compete. Now they just have to get the job done. All right, let's go to our next question comes from Stane12 says, the Vikings seem to still be talked about like they're well below the conference leaders, the Eagles, the Lions in terms of their rosters. But when we look at it, there doesn't seem to be any real weak spots.

Is it just a prove it situation or are we still not there yet this year? And, uh, that goes to the over under eight and a half. As far as I saw, it didn't move from where the Vikings were in the draft, but they only got five players and one guard. So I didn't expect it to take a massive jump one way or the other. But if they're being looked at from the outside world, the mod with being below the Eagles and Lions for roster wise, is

that fair or should they be in that conversation? I think it's fair right now. I think it's fair because when you look at these other teams and what they've accomplished, they've won. They've won division championships, they've gone to the Super Bowl. When you talk about the Eagles, I mean, these dudes are drafting like first rounders that were on national championship teams, like guys that play at a really high level. Do the Vikings have players that play at a high level? Absolutely. But when you look at the entire Eagles defensive front,

it feels like every guy was an SEC starter on the championship team, or you know, SEC championship teams are like, yes, there's levels when it comes to like, rosters and things like that. Are the Vikings one of the top tier teams in the NFL? Probably not right now. But are they one of the top 10 teams in the NFL?

Yes, and I think the only way you become a top tier team NFL? Probably not right now. But are they one of the top 10 teams in the NFL? Yes. And I think the only way you become a top tier team or a top tier roster is winning when it matters. And I think getting to the playoffs is that first hurdle. But now you have to get over that hurdle and you have to prove that you're one of those top tier talented rosters that can get the job done because you can be as good as you want during 17 games in the regular season. But if you fold during week one of the playoffs, the world, are you really that talented? Is your roster really that good?

So I think yes, on paper they are, but they have to go prove it. Yeah. I mean, the fact is that, you know, with the Eagles, they just deserve the benefit of the doubt. Even if they lost some talent from last year in the form of Josh Sweatt and Milton Williams, they've always had other guys coming through the pipeline on that D line. And then you go through the rest of their team. They've got the weapons.

They've got the running game. They've got the quarterback. They've got really the secondary is incredible for them with Cooper de Jean Quinian Mitchell. So there is not only just not weak spots. It's also just stars all over the field for them. I think you can make largely the same argument for the Vikings. The difference is that Jalen hurts has won the Super Bowl and

been to another one and we haven't seen JJ McCarthy play. But if you went position by position, I think you can make a pretty good case. The Lions on the other hand, I think their rosters probably the best top to bottom in the entire NFL. I mean, when it just every single position, uh, their offensive line is still very strong, their defense with Aiden Hutchinson coming back is going to get better.

I think even schematically they could improve from where they were last year. Uh, I think Aaron Glenn's a great leader of men, but sometimes I felt like the Vikings were a step ahead of them, but it's not, it's not far. Like the gap has been closed, I think a lot, but it's not, it's not far. Like the gap has been closed, I think a lot, but until we really see it play out on the field, like we're so far away from that, then I think those teams deserve the benefit of the doubt. Yeah. I think you give credit where credit is due. And right now those teams have gone out and shown the beginning stages of their development. They trusted the process. They've gotten over the I wouldn't say gotten over to the mountaintop, but

the Eagles did, but the Lions are right there. They're climbing up that mountain and I think the Vikings are right behind them. They're looking at the blueprint of success and that's what the Vikings are doing right now. They're getting that offensive line. They're getting that defensive line and then they're adding weapons around that. They have their young quarterback now where they can go out and go pay other guys to make him look good.

So are the Vikings right there? Yeah, but they're not there yet. They have to go out there and prove it this season. I think, and they just need to answer some questions. I mean, we talked about the secondary a little and we're saying, well, if Isaiah Rogers, well, if McKay black men, well, and I'll throw Theo Jackson in this as, as well, everybody loves Theo Jackson and we saw training camp and how good he was, but he has only played a handful of snaps in his career.

I think the Eagles and lions have fewer of those players where we're saying, Hey, this guy has to show that he can do it. Then maybe the Vikings do. Uh, sure. Sorry, go ahead. No, I mean, and then you just look at like the guys that they threw in last year and the impacts that they threw in last year and the impact that they were making right away.

You talk about Kouyan Mitchell, you talk about Cooper Dejean, you talk about Reed Blankenship, you know, like all these guys are just like plug and play players. And then you had a guy like Jahiah Campbell, you know, from Alabama and, you know, early on in the draft. So it's just like the rich just get a little richer in that situation. And the benefit for them is their first round draft picks didn't have to step in and play right away, but it was a luxury for them to have

if they did need to play right away. And I think right now you look at the Vikings where it's like, well, we kind of need our best players to be our best players. Like that's the way to success. Whereas you look at the Eagles and it's like, well, if one person goes down, they still got another first round or another second round or that they're ready to roll out.

So the Vikings are almost there. Almost. Uh, next question comes from, I'm not sure how to pronounce this entirely. Uh, cool full ch. Uh, I'm sure that's not right, but, uh, here's the question. Anyway, it's good question. When the season arrives, especially in critical situations, will KOC really run a balanced offense and lean on the run game?

There have been times in previous years when the run game has been working, but he has reverted back to throwing it too often. In my opinion, do you think KOC can actually believe in the run game? Ahmad? That's a really good question. Um, I feel like Kevin O'Connell gets like me when I'm playing football video games. Sometimes you just get a little pass heavy

because like you got a good quarterback, you got a lot of weapons and you just want to throw the ball because it's a lot more fun. It's a lot easier sometimes and things happen a lot quicker. I don't think they went out and got Jordan Mason for no reason though.

I don't think they went out and got Will Fries and Ryan Kelly for no reason. Like I think these guys are gonna be, they going to help the Vikings and Kevin O'Connell make that next commitment to the running game because I feel like the lanes are going to open up so much more that he's just going to be like, man, we're getting seven, eight yards of pops. We got to keep running the ball. Like, whereas last year, the last couple of years, you know, you had to fight for every yard. Like Aaron Jones got a couple of big plays that we hadn't seen, you know, since the the prime of Dalvin Cook, but it was like, all right, he's still working hard for these four to five yards.

Whereas I think it'll be a lot easier to commit to the running game because you'll have a little bit more success. You'll have a, you know, a thunder lightning type backfield, you know, that we've seen around the NFL. So, but that being said, if JJ McCarthy goes out there and shows he can sling the ball with the best of them and Ty Phelan is this guy they've been looking for, as a number three receiver to get on the edge and be a decoy to get Justin Jefferson open, you could also see Kevin O'Connell throwing the ball,

65% of the time during the game, maybe 60%. So that's a really tough question. I really just think that boils down to how healthy the offensive line is and how good that running game is the first couple of weeks, because if they're good enough to average six yards of carry, then I think certainly you have to commit to the running game and it makes it a little bit easier to commit to it. One thing that I think we all do just because we all watch every single Vikings game, whether it's you and I covering it or every single Vikings fan is sometimes we can

really latch onto one subject or one thing that we feel like the coach doesn't do that well, but miss the big picture, which is that passing the ball still is driving success in the NFL. I know the Eagles won the super bowl, but also Jalen Hertz was amazing throwing the football in the Super Bowl was an efficient passer all year long. It's just that it's always going to drive success in the NFL. Who's passing the ball the best. So I don't want the head coach of the team to go, you know what?

We're just going to run all the time. We're going to be in second and six all the time. You want Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to be the drivers of this offense. And then for Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason to make the other team pay for putting all their attention on to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, I think it's a pass sets up the run type of situation where I was critical last year at times and they won all these games anyway. So it didn't matter what I said, but when you're up 21 points or 17 points against the green Bay Packers, whatever

it might be, a couple of touchdowns and you throw an interception with Sam Darnold just outside the red zone. It's like, don't do that. Like I think, I think that they will trust the run more because of the personnel, but I also think that there's a little bit of a aggressive to the point of being a tad reckless at times when it comes to the game management and maybe just having Mason there having these offensive linemen can be encouraging to Kevin O'Connell to just blast somebody's face in at the end of a game. And he actually did it in one game. It

was against Atlanta where they got up. They got the interception. Remember that. And then they ran, I think, 10 out of the next 12 plays and close that or something like that and closed out Atlanta. I don't think he's totally against it. I think he just believes in being aggressive so much to a point where he's like, hey, we're up 14 here. If we score a touchdown, then it's absolutely over as opposed to maybe

running and settling for a field goal. And that is a delicate thing to walk. I think. Yeah. I think that's just the former quarterback and Kevin O'Connell and believing in his guys and saying, you know what? Here's the dagger. We got this play.

We worked hard. We put this in our install this week. We got to make sure that we get it in and we get to this play. It's going to be a home run where it's like you know what let's just hit them where it hurts let's just punch them over and over again take their will you know just end their souls and just go out here and finish the game that way i think he's still learning that as a head coach and i don't think that he's quite had the personnel to be able to go out there and go do those things you look at dalvin cook, yes, he was good,

but the offensive line wasn't great. So when you got him the goal line and the red zone, like you had a tough time running the football. The last couple of years, like I said, they've just put a bandaid over it. Whereas now they actually went out and addressed the situation and got better. And so I think now it will make his job

a little bit easier as a play caller, because he'll be able to say, you know what? On a third and goal on the seven yard line or the four yard line, I don't need to trust my quarterback to find Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison or tight end delay going across the field. I can just turn around, hand it off to Jordan Mason and go follow Ryan Kelly, go find, go follow Christian Daris. I'll one of these guys to get in the end zone. And I think that's the luxury he's never had. I think you're right that this will be the true test case if he doesn't lean on the run this year a little bit more than He's never gonna do it no matter what which I'm mostly okay with but you're right some of that red zone stuff

You got five different receivers running all over the place in these tight condensed areas Or you just hand it to Jordan Mason and he runs in the end zone It's a lot easier next question comes from skull doc says, uh, would you like to see the Vikings on hard knocks? Are they one of the more compelling teams for the show this year? Vikings on hard knocks. What do you think? As much as I will want to see that because I'm a huge fan of inside sports documentaries where you get to go in the locker rooms and see the behind the scenes.

I just don't think that you will see what you want to see on hard knocks from this team I think Kevin O'Connell, I think quasi I think they will limit a lot of access of in terms of what hard knocks was able to those episodes. I think Kevin O'Connell is a great guy, but he loves to get in his coach speak a little bit much, and he just gives you a lot of cliche answers. So he's not gonna be one of those more entertaining guys. Although I do think that the relationship that he has with his players that we do get a glimpse of through the Vikings Entertainment Network, he is pretty comical and whatnot, but I just don't think the Vikings want JJ McCarthy

to be in the spotlight, going into his first true season being a starting quarterback. I don't think they want all those cameras around him, all that added pressure and whatnot. So I just don't think, especially seeing how they don't have to be one of those teams that are signed up for, I just don't think that we'll see them on that show as much as I would love to see them. We've gotten lucky with quarterback and wide receiver and Anthony Edwards is starting five all here in Minnesota.

I just don't think we're going to get a hard knocks with Kevin O'Connell. And then one of the things I think about with a hard knocks here is I'm not sure the fans would get much more than they usually get because this team under Kevin O'Connell has been so media friendly to tell you the truth. I mean, we have a lot of access to these players and a lot of them are available to us. I think it's gotten a lot easier under O'Connell than it was with Mike Zimmer. He encourages his players to be in the media and be on TV and talk. So you've heard a lot of their stories already.

I think that's what hard knocks does really well is tell some of these stories. I also think it's been smoothed over over time because as you mentioned, the teams do have say in what gets out there. And so the saw a lot of the tension has been removed. Plus if you have a team where they have a great culture, they get along with each other, they have a lot of good leaders and everything else. Where is the conflict? Like if you're going to make great TV, there has to be conflict. And even like the crazy Antonio Brown, hard knocks, like there's conflict there. I didn't think they did a good enough job of showing it, but where is the conflict? Really?

It would just be what is Kevin O'Connell school of teaching a quarterback really, really like inside of the room. And then again, how much of that are we actually going to see? So I don't think that they're one of the more compelling teams in that way. I think they're interesting that they have all these veteran players and a team that's trying to compete for the Super Bowl right now with a quarterback who's never played before. Like that's interesting.

But aside from that, there's probably more circuses that hard knocks wants to be involved with and the Vikings just are not that dramatic man. I mean over the last couple years since KOC took over. It's just not the Vikings of old where it seemed to be a controversy all the time. No, and you know what if any hard knocks that the Vikings will be chosen for I wouldn't want to see it for the one during the preseason.

I will want to see the one like they did this past season with the AFC North, like follow around one of the best divisions in football, show us that heated playoff push that teams are going to be on. I think that would be more compelling because then you get into the week to week processes, the development, how guys are talking to their teams

and bonding that, building that trust and that bond with one another. I think that would be more compelling for fans, especially from the NFC North standpoint, because every team has the capability of being really good this year. Every team has a chance of making the playoffs. You can't say that about every division.

And so I think if the Vikings were to be on a hard knocks, that one that they did this previous season for the very first time will be the one that they should sign up for. I 100% agree because halfway through the season, we might be talking about that race being neck and neck and neck and neck between those four teams. And they're all all in at this point with Caleb Williams in year two, the lions feeling like if they don't do it this year, then who knows what's going to happen in the future.

The Packers needing to really be sure about Jordan Love after this year. And then here's yeah, no, I totally agree with that. Yeah, just storyline. Yeah, I definitely think so. So the the next question from Joe draft says, what's Dallas Turner's role this year? It feels like a pivotal year and what they gave up to get him significantly impacting the 20, 25 draft capital. Can I just say real quick first? Can we just, can we just evaluate Dallas Turner as an NFL player

on the Minnesota Vikings? It gets very tiresome to the every time they talk about, well, they gave up so much for him. It's like, okay, well, they gave up so much that if he's anything short of Bruce Smith or Reggie white, that we're going to be like, it wasn't enough. He only got eight sacks. I mean, I get it. I get it.

They moved up in the draft to get them the whole thing and had context with it. I think we can just evaluate him as was he valuable to the Minnesota Vikings, 2025 defense. We don't have to do the draft thing every single time we talk about. Right. Yeah. It's one of those old storylines where it's like, just let it go. Like they gave up what they gave up for him. He's here. He's in the purple and gold. Let's just judge him off. What's what he did last year. Did he produce a lot? No. Did he show a lot of flashes? Absolutely.

But I also think you have to look at like Jonathan Grenard in front of him. Andrew van Ginkle. These were two of the best football players on defense last year So who are you telling to step off the field so Dallas Turner can get in there? Right know what I'm saying So give him a year to get acclimated to the NFL give him a year to figure out his routine his regimen and look at These guys and their work ethic develop some more moves like put some more Tricks in his bag and then come back next season and put more on his plate and say, you know what? Now you've learned.

Now we want you to contribute. And I can see a scenario where Dallas Turner, Andrew van Genklo and Jonathan Granar are all on the field at the same time. And good luck to quarterbacks and offensive lines, trying to stop all of those guys at the same time. So I think as a first round draft pick, you have a lot of unwanted pressure put on your shoulders and a lot of expectations, lofty expectations at that. But I think Dallas Turner benefited from coming in a good situation, a good

scenario where he didn't need to play right away. He did need to show all his flaws or his red flags and where the Vikings could hide that and develop him more. And so I think he's only going to benefit from that this season. As far as his role goes, uh, they allowed Patrick Jones to go in free agency and he signed with Carolina. I think the Patrick Jones role makes a lot of sense. He played around 500 snaps last year. He was a dynamic player. They used him dropping back in coverage.

They used him on third down rushes. They would rotate him in. Sometimes I do think that it's okay. Brian Flores, if you take your best player off the field a little bit sometimes, I mean, Jonathan Grenard was, uh, pressing a thousand snaps last year, which is just not something we see so much. I think you can rotate him in spot them in different positions, use them in different ways.

And again, if he doesn't come out with 12 sacks or something, we don't need to look at it like that was a failure. If he played that particular role, uh, where he fits in right now, but I think this is the right kind of defense to have somebody that is rotating and in playing about a lot of different spots. It just might not result in the biggest box score stats for him. You know, and the one thing that I really dislike when fans look at the game and they judge players, they only look at the box score sometimes. And they in like, especially for defensive ends and outside linebackers, they just look at that sack production.

And I understand that's what gets them paid. But are you a disruptive football player? Can you eat up to football players to offensive linemen And I understand that's what gets them paid. But are you a disruptive football player? Can you eat up two football players, two offensive linemen, to allow one of your buddies to get on the edge and get free? And all the stunts and twists that Brian Flores does in this defense, you have to be a complimentary

football player. And kind of like you talked about, can you put your hand in the dirt and then drop back? You know, that's one of those things that Brian Flores excels at for a quarterback that sees pressure coming from his left side and Dallas Turner's on the right side with his hand in the dirt. And then the next thing you know, pressure falls, you know, comes and then Dallas Turner's dropping back. Like those are skills that he had to learn and develop and things like that. And so, sacks is not just something where, all right, he had 12 sacks, he's productive.

Because a guy can have 12 sacks, but be useless in the run game or useless, you know, like defending in zones and things like that. So you want a guy who's a complimentary football player. And I think Dallas Turner is that he just didn't have a lot of chances to show that this past season. But I think, like you said, in that Patrick Jones role, where you just come in, you get after the quarterback and then maybe, you know, you give Jonathan Granada blow and you come in and you do some other stuff.

I think he's going to be a really good football player for a long time. I think their actions show us what they think. And we heard it the other day from Granada Mattel is what they think about his mentality. Uh, I, from my perspective, I just don't like to judge a player on his rookie year. There's just way too many players in the NFL who have come in slow as rookies that are 21 years old and then take big steps after that. But this will be pivotal for us to know what he's going to be.

Uh, there's still three questions left to go because we've had a lot of great conversations here so we can rapid fire them a little bit more because you have a life and a career and so forth. Uh, this one comes from Eric VK 76 says re rank the 20, 24 draft quarterbacks. Well, this is going to be hard for us, Eric, because, um, JJ McCarthy hasn't thrown any passes yet, but if you were re, if you were redrafting them, how would you do it? The first round quarterbacks from 2024.

I think the conversation has to start with Jayaden Daniels as the number one pick there. That's unanimous. There's no question about it. He dominated let it seem to the playoffs. I mean nearly the NFC championship. So yeah, gotta go Jaden Daniels. Caleb Williams certainly not number one after what he showcased. Um, would you go Drake may, or would you stay with Caleb Williams for the number two? Because I mean, again, we were just talking about how they don't judge

Dallas Turner too much. Right. That he refusals his coach. It's not, it was kind of a disaster situation. Williams too. Yeah. I still think you have to go with Caleb Williams too. Uh, you know, he did show flashes. I think he's just one of those guys that try to continue doing what he was I still think you have to go to Caleb Williams too. He did show flashes.

I think he's just one of those guys that try to continue doing what he was doing in college. And he didn't have a good offensive coordinator around him to say, hey, you got to get the ball out. You got to play with a little bit more pace in the National Football League. I think with Ben Johnson, he gets him on pace, gets him up to speed like an NFL quarterback. I'm really not sold on Drake May, but like you said, you can't judge him off

his rookie season. So like, I really don't know what we have there, but I want to, you want to throw JJ McCarthy in there, but you don't know what he did, you know? So it's like, it's hard to, to reclassify that. I think you have to wait a couple of years before you do that. You have to get numerous seasons under their belts before you go back and trade it. But obviously Jay Daniels would be the first number, he would be the number one overall pick if teams will go back. I'm sure the hard one is Bo Nix and where to put him because he had a good season

and he got them to the playoffs. But is there more there or is that all the Denver is going to get out of him? And I thought it was just bizarre that they didn't add another wide receiver to that mix. They got a tight end for him to check down more to. I don't. Yeah, I don't really get the team building strategy there. But I love what you brought up because I think like did he reach his potential last year? Probably not. But did we see what we'll probably see from him the rest of his career?

Probably. I'm sure he'll grow a little bit. But yeah, that's tough. Bo Nicks would probably be I mean, he's probably still take Drake May over Bo N, uh, just because of upside and you know, JJ McCarthy were just not sold on yet because he hasn't played. But I'm certainly sure after this year, he'll be able to put his name in the top three. Right. You don't have to put it's weird, but you'd have to put Nick's ahead of McCarthy at this moment because of the fact that he's played and shown he could play well. moment because of the fact that he's played and shown, he could play well, but almost the minute we see JJ McCarthy show upside is like, Nope, actually that's going to go ahead of that, right? Because of the age, the talent and so forth. I think that's a fun question, but it's a really hard exercise when every guy was in a different place in his career. All right. Two more, Iman, uh, medieval sports too says, uh,

how do you feel about, uh, Jordan Addison's long-term future with the team or so extending him versus whatever his suspension is? Does he remain a Viking for a second contract and how much is he getting, or he is an asset to be moved? Well, I'll, I'll start with the last part. I don't think that he is any guy you consider moving unless there's other off the field stuff. He is just too good. Wide receivers are too valuable. Absolutely not.

I think as far as the, I know these are questions for you. Sorry. I just went in on this, but like the, but as far as the, uh, the contract in the future, that's yet to be determined. I mean, he's got to have a good off season that doesn't have any police blotter and then he's got to stay healthy and he's got to continue to perform. But then you might be looking at a T Higgins and Jamar chase situation where they do pay both of those guys.

You know, I, you drafted them in the first round. I just don't see them letting him walk for nothing. I don't see them trading him at this point in his career because of the production that he's had already and what he's proved he can do when Justin Jefferson is out. He's certainly proved to be a number one wide receiver and those are hard to come by especially. And then in the, in this day and age, when you talk about the passing and all those things, you have to have a one a and one B type wide receiver. So I don't see the Vikings moving on from him resigning. I mean, we're just so far away.

He's having a good off season right now. You haven't heard his name in anything. He went to Ghana with Brian Asimwine and Aaron Jones. They did some stuff for, you know, the NFL flag football team there over in Ghana. So, you know, he's doing good right now. He's here for OTAs and doing what he needs to do. He's showing his face at the Timberwolves games

like he always does. So I think he compliments the Vikings and what they do here. I think the Vikings compliment him well. I think he understands Kevin O'Connell. And I asked Jordan, I know we're supposed to be rapid firing this, but Jordan Addison, I asked him last year, I was like, how do you get along

and stay focused locked in mentally as a wide receiver, knowing that you have the potential to be wide receiver one But obviously you have to concede to Justin Jefferson and he was like you just got to trust the process keep working He was like he's like coaches see me on tape. He said they watch film. He's like they see me getting open He was like they know what's up He was like so I feel like I don't think he's one of those guys that will be greedy and be like, you know I need 90 million guaranteed. I want to be the highest pay receiver. I think he's like, you know what?

If you pay me well, and you pay me enough, I'm here as long as we have a chance to win. So I think he'll be here as long as the Vikings show their Super Bowl contenders and the Vikings will also have a fifth year option if they want to push this down the road anymore. But I think the answer entirely to that question is it's up to him. It's up to we know that the potential is there. I think there's even more room for growth with him on a little bit more of a consistent basis. But the talent, the ability to track the football, the ability to get open one on one, the touchdown

that he had against must have been the Packers where he ran that stop route spun around and went to the end zone. I mean, stuff like that is just rare talent. That one got a Steve Smith breakdown on YouTube because it was so good. It is first round caliber talent. So if you just keep doing what you're doing, you're worth a lot of money and worth finding a way

to make sure that he's here with Jefferson long-term, but we also know there are potential pitfalls there. All right, last question for you from on Kels Chiro, you guys in your Twitter names, will you watch the fall of farve when it's released on Netflix? Oh, you're gonna. Okay. All right. Yeah. I'm viewing. Honestly, I saw that trailer the other day. I was like, Oh, I was like, cause some of these stories, like I kind of knew about far, but it's like, you know, I was a little younger coming up. So it's like, you hear about this stuff, but you're not really invested in it. And then you become an adult. And you're like, wait, he did this, he did what? And so I saw that trailer the other day, while we were actually filming something on Fox Local called First to North, where it's a show where we have all the sports directors or sports media talent from the NFC North teams in Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago.

And I was playing that trailer and they're like, Oh, that sounds juicy. I was like, yeah, I was like, I'm tuning in when this comes out. So I was never one of those far of haters. Um, but certainly he's done some things where it's kind of questionable. And I just want to see what went on behind the scenes and what really went down. So yes, I will absolutely be tuning in. Will I be bashing him on X? No, I won't care to do that,

but I do care to see what went on it from this quarterback that I love watching to all the off the field antics. So I actually don't know how old you are. Like how much of Favre did you see? Okay, so you saw a lot of Favre. I watched a lot of Favre. I didn't see his beginning days

and when he won the Super Bowl So 99 2000 was the year that I really got invested in football the the Rams the greatest show on turf growing up in st Louis so that was my first team that I ever got a chance to watch so I was really spoiled and then we were just you Know put in misery for the next 10 to 12 years and say but yes, I did watch a lot of farm I was a big fan of it a st. Louis battle Hawks are a heck of a ticket there and the UFL. So this is what it's a, the small age gap between us is enough to be different with farve because for me, this could be hard farve was like the guy that makes you love football when you grew up from.

I mean, for me, it was 1994 is probably the first year that I become like very aware of all things in sports. And I was that the year that he shared the co-MVP with Barry Sanders. My brother and I backyard football, the kids in the neighborhood were far. We're Sanders, we're Dion. We're like all this stuff. Right. And for him to have the things happen that he happened, uh, along the way, whether it was the Jen Sturger thing or, you know, definitely what's gone on

since then, it's just hard to look at. Right. If you know, because you appreciate so much the way that he played, it wasn't just how good he was. It was also the way that he played. It wasn't just how good he was. It was also the joy that he played with. I mean, I think every person who grew up watching him, he's one of the main reasons that you have this deep ingrained joy for football,

that every time you turn it on, you love football is because of how much he loved football. So seeing the pain of that behind the scenes, some of the things that are going to be pretty ugly. I don't know if I want to do it, man. I don't know. That's just, that's just hard. And I know we're, we're journalists. So like, we always look at the burning building, right? But it's like, man, I don't know. I don't want to reject myself. Because that could just take it kind of make you look at your childhood entirely

different, you know, like you're like, man, like this is the guy I idolized, but I think it's okay to separate the two. Like, you know what, like this is still a good part of my childhood. Like these memories help form me into who I am today. But I understand, you know, you questioning if you want to watch it. That's a tough thing to do, especially for a player you idolize. But, um, me just being the sports junkie that I am in those documentary type things, it's like, I can't stay away from it, man. Like I just love that stuff. That's why I'm in news right now. Cause like I love telling

those untold stories, you know, like I feel like everyone has a story, but just because you're an athlete, you'd only get to hear the good all the time. And it's something I talk about on my podcast with my buddy who's in the NFL must be two sides like athletes always want to be covered a certain way. But us as media members and journalists, we have an obligation to our viewers and the fans at home to cover you the way you know, that not the way they want to be covered, but the way they should be covered. And we have to cover the good, but we also have to cover the bad. And so that's why I'm a junkie for documentaries and specials like that. the bad and uh so that's why I'm a junkie for uh documentaries and specials like that. Ahmad Hicks TV on Twitter slash X we'll go with uh but you mentioned the podcast it's not just a friend of yours it's also a former Minnesota Viking Michael Pruitt uh who was a tight end for

the Vikings has played for a bunch of different teams and you're doing the NFC North podcast so please tell people where they can find those two things. So the must be two sides podcast with my buddy, my best friend since high school, Michael Pruitt, you can find that on YouTube. Just search our podcast channel, must be two sides. And then first and North is something you can find on Fox local.

That is something we stream every Tuesday and then it airs in Chicago. And I think it touches our platforms Fox Local around like nine o'clock so if you just search first and north you'll be able to see us talk about the NFC North all year long literally we we we don't stop uh we we start during well we started last year during pre-season and we haven't stopped talking about the football in the NFC North you know every Tuesday so it continues there on Fox Local. That is very cool. Well, nine questions with Fox 9, some on Hicks really appreciate it.

I like the bit. I think we got to do it again. We'll have to improve our ability to do rapid fire, but this was really great to have you on the show for the first time, Ahmad. And we will absolutely do it again. Thanks for your time, man. I appreciate you having me in. I saw I'm sorry.

I'm a little long winded at times. I don't think I don't think that's I've ever been accused of that myself, but I enjoyed it. I appreciate you, man. Thanks for having me.