Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Pleading with the Vikings to go for it

Episode Date: October 27, 2022

Matthew Coller is joined by Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated and Alec Lewis of The Athletic to talk about the things they would plead with the Vikings to do, including pushing the ball downfield more often, taking a big swing to win this year, playing a different right guard if need be and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purple Insider presented by Liquid Death. Go to liquiddeath.com slash insider and learn about the Tallboy can, which actually has water. Find out where you can get it near you at liquiddeath.com slash insider. Hello, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here, and this is a Raggetts Roundtable. We haven't had it in a while.

Sports Illustrated's Will Raggetts and our guest on the Raggetts Roundtable, Alec Lewis from The Athletic. And I'm going to pass it over to you because off the air we had plenty of ideas for this and where we wanted to go, and I'm going to make it entirely your call, Will, what you want to make the show about. Go ahead. Well, I think we should kind of utilize the idea that you presented, which was we're coming out of the bye week and the Vikings are five and one and they have, they're in a really good position in the NFC, but there are a lot of

things that maybe haven't gone super, super well, or some underlying metrics that indicate they've overachieved by winning these close games. So I think at least to start, we are going to kind of ask the Vikings or plead with the Vikings, might we say, for various things that we want to see going forward that might help them sustain the success and win games an obvious one if you watch this team and look at the numbers is hit explosive passes and throw the ball deep like Kirk Cousins somebody tweeted out a stat where he is throwing the ball 15 or more air yards like seven percent of the time it's towards the bottom of the league and his success rate when doing that is is really good and he's had success with that throughout his whole career. You go back to his Washington days when he had Deshaun Jackson. In 2019, the first year I was on this beat, I mean, the Gary Kubiak offense,

they were throwing it deep to Stephon Diggs all the time, and that worked incredibly well. Kirk Cousins off the boots, off play action. Like, that's a skill that he really has. Hasn't been utilized this year. And a part of that is this whole Vic Fangio too high defense thing that the Vikings run and that a lot of other teams run where they try to put a roof on the defense they don't want to let you do that but there are still ways that you can kind of

try to make that happen and set it up by hitting those underneath and intermediate routes over and over and then once you get a certain look take a shot and you have Justin Jefferson like that is that is the thing like you can he does not have to be wide open or schemed into some completely open look you can throw the ball deep and give him chances to make plays and I think that's just going to be a way for the Vikings to become a more sustainable and efficient offense by not having to dink and dunk seven yards per play the entire time. Okay. Let me make a quick suggestion is before you go into it, say, I'm pleading with you.

Yeah. Because right there, I could feel your pleas. I could feel your cries for more deep shots. And I thought it was very emotionally done. And I think that's what this is really about. Kevin O'Connell, Wes Phillipsips i'm pleading with you kirk cousins i'm pleading with you to throw the ball deep and hit some explosive passes i like at least attempt them you'll probably hit some of them okay why don't we alec why don't we react to his pleas and then we can go around the room and bring our

own it's a classic plea reaction you You've got to love a plea reaction. No, I mean, it's interesting. Like the other day I went back and watched the film of the offense through every single game. I mean, it was a lot to watch Kirk and to watch just how he'd approached downfield passing. Hold the microphone near your face. Sorry. And some of his passing and his check downs.

And to your point, Will, like it's complicated in the sense that it's so easy, I think, even for me to just watch and be like, throw the ball down the field. There's the protection situation at times. You mentioned the defensive stuff. And, I mean, I dug into the numbers. They're facing too high coverage on a percentage basis more than any other team in the league other than the Kansas City Chiefs. So, I mean, defense are defending them deep to short.

I think that dictates a lot of what we're seeing. Now, again, that's not to say that Kirk can't be more aggressive. He even has talked about it in some of these high-low reads. He takes a check down way early rather than kind of forcing the ball to the sideline. So, I'm with the plea, 100%. I mean, it's more fun to watch. That's why I think the NFL this year, as it feels like we just look around the league every week,

it's like these games are ugly. It's just not as entertaining. Like, I always think of that Chiefs-Rams game that was just, I mean, you sat there and it was such a joy. There's so little of that, and I think a lot of it is the defense has kind of adapted to some of these offensive developments. So, yeah, in the end, a lot of rambling. I'm with your plea.

More downfield passing would be a joy. Okay, I think the plea is correct. Now my question would be how do we execute that? It's sort of like if I, you know, plea with McDonald's to start, you know, bringing in real ribs as opposed to the McRib, if you guys saw that video. They made the McRib exactly how you're supposed to.

Somebody got mad. Right, and people were like, oh, it's horrifying. Like, what? How did you think they got there? They shipped the pig? Like, do you think they were slaughtering pigs in the back? My favorite quote, too, was like, do you think they're slow cooking the ribs in the back my favorite quote too was like do you

do you think they're slow cooking the ribs in the back like that's right this is mcdonald's right they they have to send it to it's probably what do they got like a million stores they have to send it to a million stores folks they can't all buy these giant cookers and like have the hog spinning over an open fire you're down McDonald's. I don't know. I mean, yeah, it's an impressive operation. But as a former McDonald's employee in high school, I thought that the execution of the person who's making it was flawless. They changed their gloves multiple times.

They took it off the grill at the right time. As soon as it popped up, well done. The point is, though that like they're not capable of having a bunch of pigs that are rotating over the open fire just like i don't know if the vikings are capable of doing the things that you're pleading them to do for a few reasons i mean one the pass protection is is a great reason i mean this week they're facing zach allen and jj watt that is a mismatch for their interior that's going to continue to happen throughout the season that they're still going to get pressure. Even if Darisaw and O'Neal are great up the middle, which is the hardest for cousins when it's coming up the middle

to start pushing the ball downfield. And the other thing is too, that there's just nobody else to beat people down the field. Adam Thielen is not doing it. It was never really K.J. Osborne's deal. So unless they trade for someone, which might be the next plea from somebody to trade for somebody, I don't really see this changing. I think what they have to do is just accept that if you throw to Justin Jefferson

eight-yard passes all the time, he's going to run some of them for 40 yards, and that might be your best option. Yeah, and short of petitioning the league to limit or ban these two high looks in the effort of juicing the balls in baseball or something to make the games more exciting. Illegal contact? They're trying.

Yeah, they are things that they're trying to do to get offense going. But, yeah, I mean, short of that, you're right. I'm pleading for the Vikings to throw deep more. I am not trying to make it seem like I'm irrationally asking them to do that every single play or even every single series. It's just when you have those opportunities, some of it is being a little bit more aggressive from a play-calling standpoint about calling it and trying to beat those two high looks and then some of it is on Kirk to actually just take the chances and and I will say that your point is is valid that Adam Thielen in the year of our lord 2022 is not really beating people downfield if if he is going deep you're just hoping for a pass interference call which

we've already seen once this year so yeah you you make a valid point that it is personnel based as well with kind of the reasons they're not doing it a ton right now yeah this is not christ's 2018th birthday folks this is his 2022 all right alec what would you like to plea it could be the entire nfl but uh or uh the vikings what would you like to plea well i was gonna i was gonna add one more thing and i like they had talent talent like Jalen Rieger in terms of speed. And I always think, like you hear some of these coaches talk about stretching the field vertically and opening up more space. I think, I mean, I don't know what it would look like if you had Jalen Rieger on the other side

and stretched the field to maybe open up more. So in terms of answers to that plea, I think they have some some different types of receivers that may or may not be able to enhance things but we'll see my plea is more 73 yard punts from Ryan Wright no no that was it was funny to listen to today I think the plea is just for they need more pass rush if the coverage is is going to be a little bit as as porous as it has been over these first six weeks I think the pass rush has has to be better has to be more consistent I mean obviously this recent game against the Miami

Dolphins the pass rush was was phenomenal but Miami did not have Teron Armstead that really helped the situation I think if you look at the numbers Zedaria Smith has been pretty phenomenal Daniil Hunter we've talked a lot about I think there's a lot of of context behind his situation but you talked you mentioned trade earlier I don't know if it'd be possible to get another pass rusher in here but it would it would I think really behoove them to, to add, um, that type of, uh, of talent that could be more consistent and kind of aid the, the coverage a little bit. So here's my question. Are you pleading with them just to figure out how

to do it? Or are you pleading for a trade or are you pleading for Ed Donatel to figure out something else? Because I could see where there would be sort of like a, let me tack on to your plea and say, Ed, you are allowed to tell someone on your team other than the front guys that they can run after the quarterback. And the Miami film was interesting because when Skylar Thompson was in there, they did it. And they sent Jordan Hicks a couple times.

They sent Eric Hendricks. But how about even pleading with them to send Harrison Smith? I mean, Harrison Smith is one of the best blitzers in the NFL, and I believe they've blitzed him one time all season long. And it worked. So here's my question for you, Will. Is it a better idea to get another human being who can rush in the front four or for Ed Donatel to try to send other people on his present squad at the quarterback?

I don't think it has to be an either or situation. I think that bringing in another pass rush, I mean, you can never have too many pass rushers. That is kind of an age old adage in the NFL. And I think it's true, especially when you look at Z'Darrius Smith, Daniil Hunter. They have stayed healthy so far. Z'Darrius had one game where he had to play like half of his snaps with a knee thing, but they've both missed time in recent years, and right now, as currently constructed, if either one of those guys had to miss a full game, DJ Wanham and Patrick Jones have looked solid in their roles this year. I would not be confident, really, in either one to kind of step up and play in a starting role.

So I think getting another pass rusher in here, I think that's something that I would be willing to put out there as a plead to the Vikings front office. I mean, there are several positions that they could potentially address before this Tuesday trade deadline, but I think that's got to be near the top of the consideration. Somebody like a Jerry Hughes from Houston Texans who has still got some life left and is playing on an absolutely terrible team. That could be an interesting one. But I think if I had to choose one, it might just be like the more important thing. One guy is not going to change what you're doing.

The more important thing might be to, like you said, use the people you have. And Ed Donatel, send some blitzes and help out your coverage a little bit by trying to get home. And I know that when you blitz people, you are taking numbers out of coverage. But blitzing works. I watch a lot of football in the NFL college, and it's like when you blitz, it just seems to work a lot.

And I know it potentially leaves one-on-ones, but ideally you do it in a way that it gets home quick enough and that quarterback can't go through the progression to find his advantageous matchup. So I would say all four bringing in another pass rusher, but more importantly, because percentage-wise, the odds are they don't bring in another pass rusher. They might trade for a corner or a receiver or a tight end or do absolutely nothing because they might not actually be that good of a 5-1 team. But that's a whole different conversation.

Just blitz more. I know that seems like it's boiling it down to this really simple idea, but I think there's validity to it. Instead of just sitting back, I mean, there's times where that works, just go after the quarterback and try to force some some sacks and turnovers you know will right now he's so good as a head on and is holding the mic and is also like pleading so he's moving around and it's like i'm ready for you i usually sit down i like that i'm standing up right yeah i i was gonna say like he he's just dropping bars over here. You know slam poetry? I feel like he's just hitting.

No, it's been phenomenal. I also think with that conversation, another answer might just be more simulated pressures. And for people listening to this, obviously that's lining up a lot of guys in the line of scrimmage but only bringing four. It's just adding more deception to the picture and to the protection that kind of

obviously Ed Donatel knows with this defense he wants to keep as many guys in coverage as possible if you want to do that but also aid the pass rush maybe that's adding more simulated pressures and is another answer so I do think there there are numerous avenues here but but I'm not throwing bars like Will, so I'll kick it back to you. No, I mean, he really has the entire look. Pressures, blitzes, footballs. Hey, came out of the bye week fired up, ready to talk football. A lot of energy.

I'm going to make maybe a different style plea. I want them – I'm going to make a, maybe a different style plea. I want them, I'm going to channel Denny green here and, uh, ask that. No, wait, not Denny green, uh, Herm Edwards, Herm Edwards. And I am going to plea with them to play, to win the game. And, and I, and I mean this in, in many different areas. I mean, in the trade deadline, if there's an opportunity to play, to win the game by trading for a pass rusher, a nickel corner, which we don't talk about a whole lot, but you look at the numbers and that's where everybody's attacking and Hey, Deandre Hopkins is

probably going to rip apart the Vikings in their nickel corner position this year or this week. So play to win the game at the trade week so play to win the game at the trade deadline play to win the game in the actual game where they really have not gone for fourth downs a lot where they have sort of said ah you know we're going to settle for some of those field goals from 56 there's no reason to kick a 56 yard field goal unless it's a game winner go for it or it's fourth and 20 which it has been sometimes but like go for it try to try to get first downs you have justin jefferson he is unstoppable you can go for fourth downs when you're in the red zone do not kick a 28 yard field goal ever go to try to win the game because i know that they did a little half stepping in the off season and competitive

rebuilding and everything else but you are five and one and even if this doesn't go well this week you're five and two and who is catching you the green bay has no idea what they're doing and and aaron rogers is calling out people and aaron rogers quarterback coach is going on tv saying rogers was wonderful like what is even going on with them the bears aren't good the lions aren't good nobody but the eagles and maybe the cowboys has is better than you like arguably better than you so play to win the game in any possible way you can because if you wimp out on this season and then you go into next year players get older cap situations get harder draft picks don't work out whatever like god has laid this out for you accept his gift my brother my brothers i i agree with you completely i think like two things are going

on here the vikings are five and one and i still am not sure if they're actually good and we've been talking about this ever since they were two and one and three and one and four and one. And like, they just keep finding ways to win games. But I'm not sure how much that really matters. Because look around you. It's not just the NFC North, which is the Packers are abnormally bad. Like the entire conference, you mentioned the Cowboys, I think the 49ers are frisky now that they traded for Christian McCaffrey, and they have a really good defense. But they're three and four. you have two two and a half three game leads on all these other NFC teams there's 11 games to play and you have a schedule where you're facing so many terrible quarterbacks the rest of the way like Kyler Murray on he hasn't been playing well

at all this year if you look at the stats by the way but he's still dangerous then you get Taylor Heineke Vikings legend Taylor Heineke the week after that later in the year they're playing sam ellinger who like i didn't even think was that good in college like i don't know how he's an nfl starting quarterback it'll be nick falls by then yeah quite quite possibly you're right that's that's a ways down the line but like zach wilson has been maybe the worst quarterback in the league this year you get him later unless unless that's jo Flacco. I don't even know if the Jets actually want to make the playoffs. But, yeah, I agree with you. Could be Mac Jones.

Mac Jones or Bailey Zappi on Thanksgiving night in U.S. Bank Stadium. There's going to be a lot of bad quarterbacks that you can take advantage of and win games, and I think this Vikings team has the talent to improve on what we've seen, which is usually if you're a 5-1, you say just keep doing what you've been doing. I don't think that's sustainable. I think they need to improve, but I think they can personnel-wise. Folks, I'm seeing that Liquid Death is starting to catch on.

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that's liquiddeath.com slash insider. So I noticed the other day and I did a little comparison between the first six weeks of last season and this season in point differential around the league. And it's not even close. Like last year, teams were starting to pull away early, including the teams that ended up in the Super Bowl. They showed very early on that they had the ability to be Super Bowl teams. Cincinnati and Los Angeles were both in the top five, even after six weeks. And a lot of times that's the case, is that early in the season, you can spot who the great teams are. And you look back and you go, you know what? By week six, seven, eight, we really knew. And we do know, except for most of them are in the AFC.

And I think three of them are in the AFC. And the NFC, the Vikings are in the top, I think, six in point differential at plus 21, which is preposterous, like in comparison to what you'd usually expect. I think at this time last year, there were six or seven teams over plus 60, which just tells you that even if they're not good, we have to recalibrate what we determined to be good because in previous years, it was like, okay, well, look, this team right here,

I would die on the hill that they're not as good as a 2019 roster, but it doesn't matter if you're not as good because it really is based on who else you're facing, and I don't believe that they can beat philly head to head but i think you got to find out by doing everything you possibly can to get better no matter what that is and that also might be putting egos aside and here's where i want to throw this out there like if you have to run delvin cook 30 times a game you run that man you run he's done after this year, right? Like you run

that guy because I was looking at rushing. Rushing is more successful this year than basically it's ever been for yards per attempt. And the Vikings are pretty much falling behind. I think they're 25th in attempts, 4.3 yards per carry. Like you can do better than that with this running back and this run blocking. And if you have to put your ego aside, I'm sure Kevin O'Connell, since the time he decided he was going to be a coach, had a little whiteboard. He's drawn up little X's and O's and little post routes and 9-8-9's and scissors and go deep. But if you got to run Delvin Cook 46 times per game to win because everybody's playing the too deep stuff, then you do that.

You put your ego aside and you do everything you possibly can to win, even if it's something that you know isn't what you wanted to do when you got here. And he mentioned yesterday when asked about, like, how can the offense improve, be more efficient on early downs, the first thing he said was feature the run game more. So I think he's very aware of that. I do, for a second, though, want to play devil's advocate to the plea. I like the plea, but, but I feel like it's, I feel like it'll be valuable to go through the conversation considering the point differential

and where things stand in the NFC. Could you argue that, that the variance of this whole thing may, I mean, you might be worth, it might be worthwhile not to go crazy and to just allow the variance to play out and it might succeed. And you also hold pieces for the future and draft picks, et cetera, by playing out the variance. I just, I think it's interesting to think about it the other way, Because of how random this thing is this year, obviously every year, but especially this year, could things go right even without going all in, all in? They definitely shouldn't go all in. This is not the 2021 Rams where, like, screw them picks.

We're going to go win the Super Bowl because we have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey and all these amazing top three players at their position and like the Vikings don't have that roster they also don't have like that many picks like I'm so used to Rick Spielman drafts I was looking at the Vikings future draft picks I'm like oh yeah they'll have like nine or ten they have like six next year because they already traded a fourth to trade up for a Caleb Evans they traded like a sixth and to get Ross Blacklock and all these different moves. They've given up some picks. So you could make the argument for sure

with what we've seen so far from this Vikings team that like, don't get too crazy now. Like let's stick to the competitive rebuild theory and strategy that we have said we're in. But I mean, I just look around the NFC and I see this really clear path for the Vikings to be if not the number two seed the three or the four with they could go like six and five the rest of the way and do that then you get a home playoff game maybe you get two home playoff games and then

maybe you go to Philly for an NFC championship and give yourself a chance to lose by less than 31 and let me throw this out there to you in the Rams comparison. And I know Kwesi told USA Today everything he ever thought, including we don't want to go full Rams, and other stuff about the quarterback. So last year at this point, through week seven, the Rams were plus 61, which was the fourth best point differential, and they were six and one.

Okay. Now I'm going to, in one second here flip that to 2022 and where the vikings stand uh and we'll allow it to fetch the results okay here we are the vikings are 21 right the vikings are plus 21 which is the seventh best point differential and they are five and one if they were to win this week they would be still at the top in point differential and a six and one record which was where the rams were last year there was a hot team that everybody thought was going to be the team to beat with a running quarterback with a sexy young coach and everything else that was

the arizona cardinals who faded in the second half of the seven and oh right seven and oh correct and i'm not saying that philly's going to do that but the rams when they decided to go all in were not the best team in the nfl and were basically in the same spot as the vikings as far as point differential where they were also similar is that their quarterback was old and that they really had no future and this vikings roster has no future and this Vikings roster has no future you look at every position outside of Justin Jefferson and Christian Derrissaw there is no future Zedarius Smith Patrick Peterson Harrison Smith Adam Thielen these are not future players Kirk Cousins is not a future player like what are you waiting for what are you competitive rebuilding for like, if you got to say it bleep them picks, then say it. Because I think that after this year, you are in a lot of trouble.

And save for the first round quarterback, which good luck getting one with 11 billion teams needing first round quarterbacks that are going to be ahead of you. Like, you might have to save that conversation for 2023 anyway. And if you think 2024 2023 anyway and if you think 2024 anyway and if you think about like cousins if cousins leads them to a 12 win season i mean are they like cutting him or trading it like probably not right so you're you're kicking that thing down the road by having a good season anyway i think so even though i don't entirely believe that as in trade a second third and fourth for a running back like like don't do cocaine first but like

if there's an opportunity to get somebody great a vaughn miller caliber player sure i i would say at this point you just have to take a swing at it would you would you trade a first or maybe a first and change for like a Bradley Chubb from the Broncos because that makes a statement to me that you think this team can win a Super Bowl because I I understand your point and I'm with you like I I want to see the Vikings they're five and one capitalize on this this moment the the state of the NFC and and kind of go for it. But there are future ramifications to that. And you said when there's not much of a future, in order to then build a future, those draft

picks are going to be important. So if you don't think that this team can win a Super Bowl, and I look at the Eagles, and I look at whoever you'd theoretically play in the Super Bowl, which would be the Bills or Chiefs, who look like they're playing a different sport than the rest of the league. That's where I get a little bit hesitant to do something like, let me trade a first or even let me trade a second for Jerry Judy or just various things like that where you're mortgaging the future a little bit i don't that's why it's a fun debate because hey jerry judy bradley chubb brandon cooks whoever it is that would make the current vikings a lot better but would it make them good enough i'm not sure yeah well you'll never know that i mean at this point in the season because you know last year like you said that arizona was seven no like

you'll never know that for sure all you know is whether you have a chance or not whether you can increase your chances from five percent to twelve percent to win the super bowl you never have a good chance to win the super bowl you go in there's a bunch of other teams everybody's good it's random as hell who knows but that's actually one of the reasons you do it i mean we've sort of been all trained and and myself included to be the front office big brain let's trade alexander madison for a ninth round pick because future like i i get and i get that and i think that if you had done that last off season i'd be like okay let's just play this thing out because we're competitive rebuilding but they're not they're not So run it till the wheels come off because the wheels are coming off eventually. I do think, I mean, that's why really this is, it's, it's Kwesi's first test, really

not test, but it's an, it'll be interesting to see the route that he chooses. And I mean, he's talked about it before in pressers. Like this is a guy who was a trader who knew risk and new reward and had to make decisions off of it this is this is really like a prime example of like what is the risk what is the reward what would a move here mean to that locker room to to to express belief to guys in there that like we do think this team is is good enough doing nothing what does that say I think there's just there's a lot of elements that that make this pretty fascinating really i like i like that point and i can kind of tell that you are a former baseball writer because that's such a big thing at the mlb trade deadline is like

if you're a decent team like you got your team is expecting like hey let's get a reliever in here like let's bring in some help to show that you believe in us and like the twins did that and then the Jorge Lopez turned terrible but i'm not to talk about that's my guy anyways um but yeah it's a good point though that like there is some idea of like I wonder if if Viking the Vikings players would look around if nothing happens and be like so you don't think we're that good and I think it's that's less of a thing in the NFL than baseball by a lot by a lot other teams are doing it though but other teams are making moves trading for Robert Quinn and I also want to say really quick i liked your your tweet the other day about how this is like the 90s with like oh very much running games matter and like running

backs getting traded like christian mcafree james robinson like what i thought this was 2022 anyways i look forward to christian mcafree running for office in 30 years that's a herschel walker joke uh hopefully his platforms are better hey oh so anyway um uh no i was gonna say when they said the thing about the competitive rebuild it was just a hedge like guys we don't think it's gonna be that good this year but like we should be okay that's what you're really saying when you tell the fans competitive rebuild is basically like it's not really my team, so don't blame me if we go 8-9, but that's not the case now. So you have to adapt and adjust and take a shot at your opportunity here.

And I also think that it doesn't have to mean that your franchise has blown up for the next 43 years. Eventually, you will have to take a step back. You will have to find a new quarterback. This is based on age and any possible logic regarding paying Kirk Cousins again so you're gonna have to do that eventually where you're going to have to say we're playing a rookie quarterback this year and there's going to be bumps along the road and you're going to have to be Chicago someday so for now though you don't have to think about that day and and so that's i i guess that's

my plea as i'm pleading with you to the vikings if the opportunity arises make it happen take a shot and i think that the only reason anybody would sort of be against it would be their sort of own the like insecurity about this team in general which i think is fair if you're saying i don't believe that bradley chubb will change the result of this thing in the end i would say i i get that though like because i've watched the games like everyone else and there hasn't been any massive blowouts but then you look at the point differentials you're like well who is blowing people out the new york jets are the team that's equal with the Vikings, and they have no offense in point differential, right?

So crazy year. Anybody else want to plead for anything else? I've been pleading for a while now. Yeah, no, it's in the same vein, but just looking at, I mean, kind of the trade deadline stuff, some things that maybe were touched on a little bit or not, like position-wise, I would plea with them to and this I don't think we've talked about this like don't be married to your draft picks and

when I say that I'm specifically talking about the one rookie that is starting and his name is Ed Ingram I agree and I watched him play against the Miami Dolphins and he kind of looked like just one of those like turnstile things that you get into a concert in pass protection. It was just not good. His balance and his technique just seemed like they're very far away in pass protection. And I think he could end up being a really good player. It takes a little bit of time for offensive linemen sometimes. We saw that with Ezra Cleveland.

It took Garrett Bradbury four years to become competent. But Edringham's a good run blocker. I would say if you want to make a big upgrade on the offense, go call the Carolina Panthers about Austin Corbett, who played with Kevin O'Connell in L.A. the last two years and is a really good right guard and would just shore up the interior of your offensive line. I think I think

that could a move like that could go a long way and I know you're at Ingram would be like hey like what the heck I've been starting all year like I'm a second round pick hey like this is about this is about right now and there can't be feelings involved like go make an upgrade there go make an upgrade at slot cornerback where Channing Sullivan's been your defense's worst player like you said uh DeAndre Hopkins in his first game which was it was really weird he lined up in the slot like half the time which he never does he's the prototypical x outside receiver they're probably going to do that and that is not a matchup that favors the vikings at all on sunday so i would say look at your weaknesses those Those are your two weaknesses. Maybe go do something about it.

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and follow them at sodastick on twitter that is s-o-t-a-s-t-i-c C K.com on Twitter and use the code purple insider to get 15% off your purchase. Yeah, no, I, I think that's really good stuff. I mean, the, the Ed Ingram thing you mentioned, it's funny. Cause I, like I said, I'm going back and watching some of that offensive film. It just kind of, you're just like the right side the right side and and Wes Phillips I think has talked about like Brian O'Neill and and and I think Kevin O'Connell has too and just how much he's kind of assisted that right side and kept things afloat and I I me personally don't know protect rules enough to really see that as I'm watching film every single play but I I think you're spot on in those two spots.

Like we've talked about receiver. I have at least it's a flashy thing to go get. I mean, a pass rusher too. It's obviously such an impact position, but I mean, you mentioned Shannon Sullivan and the struggles. I mean, I think about Tyreek Hill in the slot two weeks ago. I think about on fourth and five. Yeah.

Shannon Sullivan covering him. It's – at times, it's – you can see the hole there. And so I do think if it's like, you know what, we're adding a piece here that shores up one of our weaknesses. Maybe it doesn't take our Super Bowl win percentage from five to 12, as you mentioned, but maybe it just it it balances some of that variance a little bit and if things fall your way they they do with an addition like that so I think and I do expect like Kwesi and this personnel staff to really be looking at this

thing I I do think whether they do something or not they're probably going to turn every stone to think about you would hope that's the case regardless. And so it'll be, again, just really interesting to see what they do come up with or don't. I'm kind of surprised they haven't traded for someone while we've recorded this podcast. Oh, I know. Because that would be really on brand.

Fully expecting. Right after it ends would be good. They've traded three firsts for Brian Burns or something. Wait, what? Yeah, that is almost likely. We are essentially essentially by even doing the podcast pleading for them to make that trade tempting fate uh but uh you know on the gods on the ed ingram issue uh first of all this was something that was very foreseeable on draft

night that they were going to force him into starting when switching positions where a guy had played left guard for three straight years, switch positions, put tomato cans in there to, for him to compete with in Jesse Davis. And then it would not go well because he's probably not a second round talent, right? And this is the risk you take. That doesn't mean he has to be horrendous forever, but horrendous is the only way to describe his pass protection right now worst in the league in pressures allowed is no different than the dakota dozers of the past he just wasn't a draft pick so fans got mad at him uh but if you watch closely it's been the same exact story and he's a better run blocker than dozer was i think the answer is right on the roster and it's chris reed like that it blows my mind that he's on the

inactive list every week with like five rookies right i mean chris reed like that it blows my mind that he's on the inactive list every week with like five rookies right i mean chris reed has started in the past and he's been okay now he did get banged up in training camp so that competition never really came to fruition with him at center or guard but his history would suggest that he is very close to an average guard which is not anywhere close to what you're getting at that position now so if Zach Allen and JJ Watt rip apart the interior of this offensive line again I think you have to start considering that and Reed is also a good run blocker so it's not like you're losing a ton of run blocking that was always the anti Brett Jones uh thing was like well he's a good pass blocker but he can't reach block or something like which one of those two things are more important but uh you know i think this is different where chris reed

has to be an upgrade and it sort of comes back to the play to win the game which is if you're playing for your ego because you drafted the guy and you want to be right then you'll keep playing the guy who's struggling if he continues to struggle if you're playing to win the game you'll play the veteran player who has a better chance to be good uh this year is there anything that you guys want to plea with before we wrap up for the entire national football league save for better games like come on if i'm going to get a bye week and sit home i want to watch like better than washington and green bay gave us which was just a nightmare so is there is there anything aside from that that you want to plea with the NFL? I don't know whose turn it was to plea.

I'll hit a little lightning. It's Ragatz's roundtable. Ragatz. Ragatz. Let's get the pronunciation right here. From Alabama. What did you expect? From the guy who called walleye Wally.

Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Sorry. No, that's fair. Yeah, my lightning round to the NFL, and this is still going to be a Vikings one, take notice of what Christian Derrissaw is doing. I would say to the entire football-watching public in the league, put some respect on Christian Derrissaw's name with how well he has been playing.

I just think he still feels – it feels to me – and I know he's only like six games into his second season, but that dude's been one of the best left tackles in the league this year. And I would say everyone should pay more attention, even Vikings fans, like just watch 71 when you're watching a game. Because that dude, and hopefully I'm not jinxing him here, but that dude has been balling and deserves a lot of praise as maybe the Vikings' second best player behind Justin Jefferson.

I'll stick with you. And I want to put some respect on defenses around the NFL. I just, I think so. It's like, man, Tom Brady struggling and Aaron Rodgers is struggling. And the Aaron,

Aaron doesn't have receivers and Brady, the protection is not great. All this, all that stuff's true. But I also think defenses have, have just evolved pretty quickly in terms of the deception that that they're throwing at offenses I mean for so long five years or what have you Kyle Shanahan Sean McVay I mean they they thrived off deceptive offenses that marry the run in the past and now

it feels like defenses are deceptive deceptively punching back yeah and it's happened pretty quick and so I just think I mean guys like a Jiro Evero in Denver deserves a lot of credit I mean I across the league Leslie Frazier in Buffalo has done a hell of a job they have personnel to do a hell of a job but I just think it's I get caught up even too as I'm watching game on Sunday I'm like good lord would somebody please score but if I'm really paying attention Sunday. I'm like, good Lord, will somebody please score? But if I'm really paying attention, it's like, good Lord, defenses are really doing a great job. And so I just think it's hard to remind ourselves of that.

Well, I like that. And a reminder to the NFL, you are allowed to hire black coaches. So there's quite a few of the defensive minds. D'Amico Ryan. D'Amico Ryan is a great one. But also, I mean, Les Frazier. Like, what did that guy do wrong to not get another opportunity other than just be, you know, Sean McDermott's right-hand man.

And McDermott gets a lot of the attention. Mine would just be to the will Levis is Bryce Young's Anthony Richardson's CJ Stroud's. Please don't be busts. Oh my God. Like there's just so much bad quarterback play. There has been what? I mean, how many straight draft classes that have barely produced a thing? I mean, we've gotten Justin Herbert in recent years. We're sort of too far past Mahomes and Allen.

Of course, those guys are basically legends at this point. They're on that trajectory. But after those guys. Burrow's good. Yeah, for sure, Burrow. for sure burrow after that no no no we cannot say not not yet on to it i don't think two is going to be a bad quarterback but is he like a kirk at best probably i mean this next wave this draft class has amazing athletes with huge arms that can take the spots of the Brady, the Rogers, the breeze, the Roth was burger, or at least I hope so because they're exciting to watch on Saturdays.

And I just can't take much more Andy Dalton in my life. I mean, like there's just like that draft class with fields and Mac Jones and Zach Wilson. Is anyone good? I mean, Trevor, Trevor Lawrence, like I was expecting much more from Trevor Lawrence this year than just mediocrity. But that draft class

that had so much hype has produced essentially nothing. And I'm just like, here's to the next draft class. Please return us to an era of greatness with quarterback play, because right now this is not it.

So, yes, credit to the defenses, but when you have quarterbacks, that half the league is running Marcus Mariota's out there. I mean, it's just not great. Mitch Trubisky's. The funniest thing to me is the Colts where they're like, all right, Phillip Rivers. All right, Carson Wentz. All right, what about Matt Ryan?

And then they bench him seven games. Like, figure it out, guys. Right, you mean picking like picking quarterbacks that someone else is getting rid of just like the scrap heap like just just be bad and like try to draft one like maybe they'll be bad that's the thing is that like the teams that have done this and i'm sure people be like this is why they keep kirk like okay fine but like it's just a run of bad luck there has been a run of of bad luck in recent years with the draft classes. And then this year produced one first round quarterback.

I think that it comes in waves and maybe the next wave is here. And I am pleading with these quarterbacks. CJ Stroud, I'm going to plead with you right now. Just because you went to Ohio State doesn't mean you have to be a bust. Okay. It doesn't mean you have to be a bust. Okay? It doesn't mean that. There's no correlation.

What a troll. There's no correlation. Hey, Justin Fields looked good on Monday night. He did. Okay. I don't know what time we're at or if you had anything else to say, but should we really quick do a Cardinals prediction? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you have to do it in plea form.

Okay. I don't really know how I'm gonna make that happen um just plea for your prediction to be right yeah well yeah the thing is i've picked the vikings in four straight weeks now and they have won four straight games i this this will be unpopular but i have a weird feeling the vikings are going to lose this game because I think the Cardinals are just such an entirely different offense with DeAndre Hopkins. And for all the praise that Patrick Peterson has gotten recently, and he's played well, like he's old and so is DeAndre Hopkins, to be fair. But I think this Cardinals offense is just

different with Hopkins in there. I think Kyler Murray is going to pose problems. I think this Cardinals offense is just different with Hopkins in there. I think Kyler Murray is going to pose problems. I think their defensive front with Zach Allen, J.J. Watt, Marcus Golden could pose some issues for the interior. And just like the whole post-buy thing, like it just feels like to me sometimes teams come out flat after that. I don't know if that's actually a thing rooted in fact, but I'm going going to i'm not going to plead that the vikings lose the game i'm just that's that is that is my prediction yeah

yeah i didn't think that through no i i totally understand the prediction it's funny because i think they played the bears at home a few weeks ago and and I think I explained the whole situation. The Bears have not been good. Justin Fields has not been good. The Vikings should win this game. And then the prediction was like a two-point win. And there was a commenter who was like, how could you say all that?

And it's like, that's how I feel every single week. Because they're the Vikings. Right. Just in general with the NFL this year. And, yeah, I mean, all these Viking games have been closed. But I think because they're at home home I'll say they win the game I do think to your point DeAndre Hopkins is going to be an absolute problem in the game but Arizona's defense as a whole just doesn't really put much fear in me and I do think the Vikings will come out with some some different

wrinkles I think they'll win a close game, shockingly, for the first time in a week. Well, I'm going to plea with the football gods to keep my streak alive of correctly picking Vikings games because I've never had this happen before of picking six in a row. We've made the same picks every time. Sorry, are you diverging

from me? We'll diverge so somebody's right and somebody's wrong. And I will say that the vikings also win a close game here home field advantage is a big deal and i also think that cliff kingsbury is just not that great his job and so i never i never want to put like the chips on that table with cliff kingsbury or on those cards or whatever the metaphor would be uh none of my money is going on cliff kingsbury is the point because i just don't believe in him as a coach and i think that arizona is as mediocre

as it comes and the vikings have an argument to be that too but i think that they're a little bit better and are at home i think that that uh will be difficult for kyler murray but you know i yeah i mean i don't know this is a this is a more difficult one to pick than a usual five and one versus three and four based on who these teams actually are and who they are right now but also real quick the injury report is pretty significant in its difference yeah i mean arizona's got a lot of injuries a lot of offensive line injuries left side of their offensive line didn't practice on Wednesday. It's just crazy when you see these Vikings injury reports every week. And you see it, and we get the document,

and it's literally like one little bar for the Vikings, and then the other team is just – and it's been part of the reason they're 5-1, but it's crazy. Tyler Williams. And Uriah. Tyler and Uriah, the country band. My brothers in Christ. Yeah.

All right, guys, this was great. I really enjoyed this pleading Raggits roundtable. We will have to bring that back. Good pronunciation. Alec Lewis, I don't know what your Twitter is. You don't need to know. Is it just Alec Lewis? Alec underscore Lewis, yep.

With a C, Alec. Yep. Okay. You got it. And you know Will. And we'll catch you all later. We'll see what happens.