Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Random Old Game of the Week: The day the 2009 offense blew up

Episode Date: June 21, 2023

Purple Insider launches a new weekly bit in which we look back at a random game each week during the summer. For the first episode, Matthew Coller and Judd Zulgad each watch back the Vikings' 2009 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in which Brett Favre made it clear that the Vikings were going to have an elite offense. The wild game opened up a lot to talk about from the 2009 season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purple Insider is presented by Oakley. Express yourself. Build a look that's made for you. When you wear Oakley, there really is more than meets the eye. Try it for yourself. Oakley is not only the best looking, but the best quality. So head on over to oakley.com for more information today. Hello, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Pollard here and Judd Zolgat is joining me because I am launching a new little bit we're going to do here on the show because it is June and there isn't much breaking news outside of delusional Packers fans thinking that their players are going to be better than Justin Jefferson online.

So we don't deal in delusions here, but we do deal in Vikings history. So each week we're going to look at a random old game of the week. And it truly is random. I just started asking people, hey, give me a game that Vikings fans might not remember, but was actually awesome. And our friend Sam Ekstrom said, you got to go back and look at that 0-9 game between the Vikings and Baltimore Ravens. And of course, Judd, you were covering this game.

So we're going to talk all about this and maybe make some comparisons to modern day, go through some of the things that we would have remembered from this game, but then also things that we didn't because both of us watched this back and we'll have a fun time. And I think this is better than going through classic games that everyone remembers because watching this back, this was an amazing game and also kind of this is a mid-october game in 2009 but a turning point to be able to say like wow this vikings team is not only six and oh after beating baltimore spoiler alert we're gonna cover wins uh but also the offense taking this huge explosion with Brett Favre,

and he's throwing rockets and fastballs everywhere, and it feels like it was kind of one of those, hey, the Vikings are really for real with this offense. So a really fun game, Judd, to go back and watch. And so just to set this up too, what this was was 2009. Favre, of course, joins the, you you know he's not going to join the team he's not going to join the team joins the team shockingly after the Mankato portion training camp and the first two games the Vikings won against Cleveland at Cleveland and at Detroit and those two games were like Favre was fine but he wasn't outstanding and it was sort of the Adrian Peterson

show and so I remember at the time writing you know hey Brett Favre has clearly returned here to become a game manager he's doing a great job like this is the new Brett Favre and then of course uh the home opener week three San Francisco the Greg Lewis game that all changes and so this is where we firmly I think by week six got into the oh my god like Brett Favre is now that that's you know the San Fran win was incredibly impressive but that's one game so this now we're to a point where at six and oh it's like oh oh the vengeance the Favre vengeance is real and so this game was a very defining important game because i think it really signified just how much far was going to chase a potential mvp and how much he was not brought into in his mind manage the game he was brought in to try and whoop teams

including his former packers team twice and uh just a note before we get deeper into this when it comes to Brett Favre and also Ray Rice we're just going to focus on the football players here and not anything else involving Brett Favre and Ray Rice because Ray Rice had an amazing game that we need to talk about as well so this one starts out uh with Brett Favre andikings offense just jumping all over the ravens and they start up 17 to 3 something that i really noticed though judd because i want to make observations across the board also about the playing style that team far of himself and everything we kind of learned from re-watching this game and also this takes you a little behind

the scenes for both of us that we have hobbies of going back and watching old games. So this is how I would talk to you about this on the sidelines of TCO Performance Center after I watched some old game. But what I noticed the most about this offense that I didn't remember or really realize is how involved the big people were. So as Kevin O'connell's going back and saying how can i use that josh oliver how can i use my two tight end systems can i mix in a cj ham successfully this year i was surprised because i didn't realize it was vasante shanko klein saucers out there they're running a full back at a lot of times and defenses are having to load up and then he just kept whipping the ball to either cj right or not cj uh sydney rice or uh or vasante shanko or you know checking it down to tight ends but i

didn't realize how much big personnel they were using in that offense so and this was classic brett too um so in the 90s if you go back, Brett actually, you know, absolutely in Green Bay, loved his tight ends. Mark Chimura, Keith Jackson, who came from Philadelphia. And so, you know, Shanko, who was signed, I think, as a free agent in 2000, was it 2007? And was a complete bust that year. He couldn't catch the ball. It was terrible. He had become, by 2009, an instrumental part of of the offense and Favre loved his tight ends and the the thing that I had covered in 2000, I think it

was three, my the first of my two years on the Packer beat was Sidney Rice became his Javon Walker. Like Brett always had the ability to turn one guy into this unbelievable career season oh my god pro bowl player and the year that I had covered the Packers in 03 Javon Walker went from this high draft pick sort of a bust to phenomenal year well in this case it was Rice who if I'm not mistaken it had been a second round pick had been injured a ton real disappointment and Brett Favre at some point in time decided I'm not mistaken, it had been a second-round pick, had been injured a ton, real disappointment, and Brett Favre at some point in time decided, I'm going to make this guy. And so it very much fit the Favre template,

and we all know, too, Brett Favre loved his big men. He loved the fullbacks. He loved the tight ends. So this was sort of quintessential Favre at his best, which is, I'm going to get everybody involved and and i'm also going to use tight ends fullbacks as much as i possibly can where at this point in time too i think the league was sort of going not away from that but certainly not everyone was doing it brett farve didn't care yeah it was definitely going more toward three wide receiver already in 2009. Sometimes we talk about, you know, a decade and a half ago as if it was like 1993.

But offenses had already started to modernize and we were coming out a little bit. And that's what's sort of ironic about the Adrian Peterson era is it is on the coattails of where running backs had peaked in the early 2000s with your Sean Alexanders and so forth. And he's coming out of that. So he's like that next wave as the league is starting to shift over to the passing. But I feel like it also made life hellacious on defenses to have Favre with the ability to throw in between linebackers the way he did and also have these big men out there. And that's the thing about Favre that maybe we don't give him enough credit for

in hindsight is how good he was at knowing when to check down. I mean, he's famous for the interceptions that he's forcing the ball. But 90% of the time, he's making a lot of really good decisions in this game. And I also had the thought about Sidney Rice because he is one of the all-time kind of one-year wonders, maybe not in NFL history, but definitely in Viking history. And there's a play early in the game where he runs kind of a slant over the middle and far throws the fastest football that has ever been launched by any human being. And it just sticks to Sidney Rice. And I think Dan Deardorff, which is interesting because

they're playing the Ravens. So it's Deardorff and gumball which probably never called vikings game and they're like what a catch and it was like it wasn't what a catcher did that just stick in him like a dartboard i mean it was amazing how he made this guy who had a relatively average skill set and there's nothing he does in this game that blows you away except for farb is just putting it on him over and over and over again into these tight windows can we talk about also farbs not just his release of the football but his footwork to make throws where he sets himself and like every throw i went back and watched it and i had forgotten this it's like how did he not throw his shoulder out on that throw? Like his plant and throw. And like, you can see why at key times it cost him

because his confidence to what you're saying about threading the ball in there was so high because he threw fastballs. Like those are like Roger Clemens fastballs, but I just think his footwork and his plant to throw is so interesting because you know the majority guys now a lot of them have good arms but does anybody have that like violent a footwork it was almost like far was jumping and throwing and it's like I honest to God thought like three times how did his arm not just like come out of the socket there I love going back and watching it because I don't think we've seen a lot of guys, especially now who have the mechanics that Brett Favre did.

I don't know of almost anybody. It's there's sort of these relics of how to do things as a quarterback. There used to be the straight drop back. So when you watch John Elway, you're like, what is he doing? Why is he dropping straight back with his shoulders or the warren moon opposite drop back where he would drop back and his shoulders would be pointing toward his left and then he would spin around and throw like nobody would do that now you'd probably get sacked like 500 times if you were trying to do that anyway and farve had this remember how relievers who threw 97 now it looks like oh 97 they're just flinging it in there but they used to fall off the side of the mound and you'd always have some broadcaster in baseball being like

well you know he throws hard but he can't feel this position because he's falling off to the side that's what farv looks like in this and i was also amazed too at how open some of the guys were and i guess you could speak to this because the offensive scheme obviously did not carry through with Chile from year to year to year. And a part of that is just Favre falling off and injuries and everything else the following season. But Schenkel and Bernard Berrien,

I mean, these guys are wide open for touchdowns in this game. Was it like the league being a little surprised by the way they were using Favre? Or was like Brad Childress better at his job than we remember? Or was it Favre just making the right decisions? Because it seems like in this game, the Ravens shouldn't have a bad defense. And yet there's guys wide open all over the place. I think it's a few things.

I think one thing was, you know brad childress came here and put in the west coast as he said kick-ass offense but the reality is like brett was the professor of that by this point in time brett farve like i'm sure brad called plays okay but farve checked to things farve knew exactly what he was doing. So I hesitate to give Brad a lot of credit. It was basically Brett who ran the show. And by this time, keep in mind too, Daryl Bevel was actually calling plays and Bev and Favre were tight. And so it was basically, hey, Brett, go be Brett. But I know what you're talking about. And there is no question about it i think that flat out and you know it's what 2009 to now 13 years or so 14 years after the fact i think there is no question and i saw this on both sides too and i guess i didn't appreciate it at the time or now as much as i i did in

watching this matthew but you know to call a spade a spade, cornerback play wasn't that good. Like in this game, cornerback play, and look, there were certain corners at the time who were very good. I'm not saying that there weren't. But I feel like a lot of corners now who probably aren't considered shut down guys are probably far more skilled. And if you go back and watch the Vikings defense in that game same thing I mean Joe Flacco is schooling them and you know I at the time not a bad player but as I recall Benny Sapp

got a lot of playing time back then and I don't know that Benny Sapp would qualify to play in the league in any type of role today and so I think it's a combination of things I think it's arm strength I think it is the the fact that Brett was you know Shanko was good Rice was you know great that season Percy Harvin was a guy that had to be accounted for constantly Berrien at that time was pretty doggone good so I think it was also difficult but flat out I know exactly what you're saying and I'm gonna say I think cornerback play in 2009 probably not near what it is as far as competency now in 2023 yeah and in this game Percy Harvin kind of a non-factor which I think

if I told you that they were going to score 33 points that he basically did nothing in this game you'd be pretty surprised. Well, you're ahead of me a little bit in my notes, because one of the things I wrote down as in this game, the Ravens start to come back. And the reason is because of the secondary with the Vikings. But this is, this is really telling about football a little bit. I think it's a good example to like how I would explain this. A few years ago, PFF put out something that sort of showed that the secondary performance had more to do with your overall success as a defense than your pass rush. And I think people got like a little weird about that because pass rush does affect the

secondary. But maybe, you know, good example here where Jared Allen is getting after Joe Flacco time after time after time he is getting beat up through this entire game and it does not matter he's pushing the ball down the field also early career Joe Flacco what a cannon um I don't think he was the most accurate and he missed oh my gosh he missed a couple of wide open throws in this game they're like yes where the guy's just running completely free but he gets smacked on the play and there's a bunch of plays in this game where he gets crushed and i think this was one of the like if there was one weakness to this all-time great vikings team led by farve and led by jared allen on the defensive side it was the secondary and you

saw it there how you can't just like stop a quarterback from hitting people even if he's getting beat up a little when receivers are wide open i'm not sure what the pff grades were at the time um or if they've gone back and done them but you know cedric griffin number 23 was a key cornerback on that team. And I'm going to tell you right now, not that good. As I recall, Tyrell Johnson, who I think was a second round pick in 2008, was at safety. Not that good. So yes, there is no question that Vikings team, for the most part, and they had a ton of success doing it, often had to outscore teams. Like they had, they could stop the run really, really well,

which they had like a four-year period where phenomenal because of the Williams wall against the run. But there is no question that secondary was a little bit scary. And that's where Favre came in because Favre, as we see in this game, can basically say, okay, screw it. And that's where Favre came in because Favre, as we see in this game, can basically say, okay, screw it. And that's the thing, too. It's hard to appreciate now. And we saw this to Kirk's credit and O'Connell's credit last season. But Matthew, how long did we watch Vikings games where that type of fourth quarter comeback was really really rare like Brett Favre they they go down Brett Favre's not like oh my god we're down he's like yeah let's go and you can see it and and I think the thing is at the end of 2000 so end of 2007 in his last year as a Packer when he threw that awful pick against the Giants in the conference title game at Lambeau and then of course at the end of 2009 same thing against the Saints

Favre had such superior confidence in his arm that he made dumb throws but like in this game you're exactly right I mean there were a lot of really sound really great throws Brett Favre certainly had some problems when when he got overconfident and the pressure was on and he tried to be the difference but there were a lot of games where he flat out was the difference and this game is like a perfect example of a game that farv took by the throat and said we're not going to lose folks i know you have heard me talk a ton about my oakley sunglasses this summer but the more i wear them the more i like them i went on a little summer vacation and spent a ton of time outside in the sun.

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but the best quality as well. Head on over to Oakley.com for more information today. Oakley, express your style and build a look that's made for you. So to your question on the cornerbacks, the top three guys with the most coverage snaps graded by PFF out of 100, 63, 64, and 57. So it was not the most banner year for the cornerbacks. I am curious how many turnover worthy plays Brett Favre had in 2009, because it, at least by the traditional numbers, it is his safest season. Yeah. Wow. He only had 11 turnover worthy plays the entire year,

which was one of the best in the entire league. That's like Phillipilip rivers and drew brie that's actually better than drew breeze that year and consider that drew breeze had the number one offense and barely turned the ball over ever uh remarkable for him that season because normally farve was uh such a risk taker that he would have uh you know higher numbers on that and i haven't ever looked at the 2009 pff grades because it does go back to 2008 so it's kind of enlightening because sometimes that's just pure fluke that's just like oh the guy only had five interceptions but had 12 dropped interceptions which happens

all the time and not to jump around too much but on the final drive where for far where they take the lead before i won't spoil the ending because it's fun if you don't remember it uh but he makes this this throw where he gets out of the pocket escapes a little bit of pressure and just launches it to sydney rice yes like every bit every bit of his arm talent is just on display but also the moxie there or it's like you could try to kind of methodically work your way down the field he's like nah this is this is brett time and he completes i think it's like a 64 yard pass or something to set up um a go-ahead score there

at the end but uh just kind of circling back something that stuck out to me that is funny now is steven haushka 29 yard field field goal. Vikings get up 20 to 10. Ryan Longwell, 22 yard field goal following another bomb to Sidney Rice that Favre had. Do you ever wonder how many points teams would have scored like the 98 Vikings and the 09 Vikings if they just didn't kick stupid senseless field goals and let Brett Favre try to throw a touchdown? It's funny too, because Favre's entire career was basically played in an era where they did kick the field goal. So it's like, I think that question applies to a bunch of Favre's career, but yeah, it is.

It's remarkable how much the game has changed as far as the, the philosophical thinking as well, just since then, you're right they're kicking these they're kicking these field goals that in retrospect you'd probably go for it now or at least you would some of the time now a guy like Childress I'm not sure he would consistently but he probably should and then the funniest thing too is the one thing and I think I texted you texted you this Justin Tucker doesn't lose this game I mean Stephen Hauschka had been Longwell's understudy I think the year before in training camp and in fact they jokingly called him Victor the Viking the team mascot because he was just

like always around and didn't and they had no idea what he was doing. But, yeah, it is. That's another thing. The legs now. Stephen Hauschka replaced by a guy like Tucker. Baltimore leaves with a win. Well, you think about Ryan Longwell, and I'm going to look this up right now. I have all my notes on my phone, so that's why I keep looking down.

But he made 83% of his kicks, Ryan Longwell and I'm going to look this up right now I have all my notes on my phone so that's why I keep looking down um but uh he made 83 percent of his kicks Ryan Longwell and he's one of the best kickers of all time when he retires if he was playing now he'd be fighting with Greg Joseph in camp to try to get a job at that percentage I'm sure he'd be better now right in the same way that any player from another era if they were playing now they have all the same advantages kicking coaches and everything else and whatever I don't know how different the k balls are now from 09 or so forth but greg joseph that's like what he has for a career he has like 84 percent and there's no one that would ever think of greg joseph in the same breath as ryan longwell for excellence so yes stephen haushka does miss a potential game-winning field goal that wasn't that far away, maybe 45 yards,

something like that, that he ends up missing it. And that's how the Vikings get this win. So they blew it. They were up 27 to 10 in this game and they allow the Ravens to come back. And I have to say that I do miss a little bit the old school, and do miss a little bit, the old school. And this was just, again, on the kind of edge of this running back battles.

This was a great one. This was, and sometimes I get frustrated a little bit, Judd, with the running backs don't matter sort of thing where it's like, it's not that running backs don't matter. It's that running backs are usually replaceable and have short peaks and you probably shouldn't pay them second contracts it's not that you can just go out and have any old ontario smith play instead of adrian peterson or something right it's it's it's not bad it's usually about the price tag and how short their windows for success usually are and how beat up they get. So just to clear that, but running backs mattered in this game. I forgot with Ray Rice, how thick he was.

He was like shifty, Barry Sanders, kind of shifty at times, but also dudes bounce off him. And with Adrian Peterson, and then this is what I want to talk about a little bit with Adrian Peterson, because Ray Rice begins the comeback. He's got this 22 yard touchdown or the Vikings are just falling off of him. For a guy who's like 5'7 or something. It's pathetic, though, man.

Wild. The lack of tackling on that. I can just hear a young Judd Zolgat in the press box being like, look at this tackling. Scoggins, what are they doing? But Adrian at this time is, I think his 09 season is kind of interesting it's not the best statistical season he is a little bit more used by farv on those checkdowns and things like that but when you see the way he was able to accelerate and the attention that he

still was drawing like that brought it together and i this was one of his best games of that season where he broke out for multiple big runs and then you you see throughout the game so much attention being drawn to him and it it became a ap cliche and it applies to rice as well but the violence which they run with like the absolute head of steam like dare to tackle me but I mean this was you know in Peterson's entire time here there were certainly far more impressive statistical years but it was the perfect year because he had a quarterback with a bunch of weapons you couldn't just stack the box or Brett Favre would rip you apart as as you saw because teams basically picked their poison a lot and said we are not going to let 28 beat us which is fine but then four is going stack the box or Brett Favre would rip you apart as as you saw because teams basically picked their

poison a lot and said we are not going to let 28 beat us which is fine but then four is going to so um we get so caught up in stats then and now right like with Kirk oh stats were down in 2022 but yeah but they won 13 games I'll take take 13 wins over garbage time, crappy stats. And that was the Peterson thing too. I mean, this was the perfect season offensively because he was an absolute bell cow, probably at that time, the best running back in the entire league. You know, the Vikings had a tight end that could block, a tight end that could catch, Harvin. And the only thing now is, what if you were to put that offense in today's game with Percy? Because that's my other question. I mean, Percy Harvin was used in a lot of different sort of packages,

but the uptick now would be so different. Percy Harvin would be an absolute nightmare now but this offense had a lot including a really solid line going for it and I think the first three years of Percy Harvin are three of the most impressive to start a season and then it just never materialized for many reasons after that but with the fact that offensive coordinators have gotten even more creative and I think they really were with Harvin. Sometimes it's like we kind of fall in love with some new trend and forget that people were doing it before or that it came and went. And with Harvin, there are times where he lined up in the backfield actually quite a bit.

And they moved him around. Chester Taylor makes a few appearances in this. So teams using guys to their strengths and their situations. And Harvin was a guy that they would put in the slot. Now we talk all about slot receivers underneath passes to get the ball in guys' hands. And again, that didn't happen a lot in this game because Favre was either throwing shorts with tight end or launching the ball. But I also think that the big personnel, the personnel versatility where they could bring in Harvin and Berrien

or they could go to the two tight ends, I thought that made things really difficult on the defense, especially from a running perspective because they could run out of any of those looks. And I just think when we remember Adrian Peterson, we're going to remember the long runs and everything else. But the fear of God that that man struck into a defense every time. And they did have a very good offensive line in 2009.

And you just see how little space he needed to be at full speed. That's the thing that you just in your mind, you kind of remember like, oh, it's great. Or you see some highlight reels or whatever. But when you see play to play a five yard game, but how fast that happens with him. And when we were talking about like the Mount Rushmore of Vikings running backs and everything, like just a reminder watching this game. Oh yeah. It's Adrian. And then like a hundred miles. And we can then start talking about those other Viking running backs. It's just so not even close, but the farther we get away from it, if we're not seeing like Randy Moss highlights every day on Twitter, it's easy to kind of forget what that looks like.

And I think this was a nice refresher to be like, wow, at his peak. Because the last time I saw him was 2016. And that was not similar to the version that was in 09. No. And the only thing that Peterson struggled with back then was actually being patient enough to wait for his blocks. So if he did did he was unstoppable because but and that's why so he always said that he didn't really like having a fullback that much but they often had one because he could follow him in fact in his rookie year here 2007 if I'm not mistaken it might have been the one and only season of Tony Richardson the fullback who had been with the Jets and Chiefs and was a consummate professional and basically at one point in time

Tony just said follow me just follow me like wherever I go you go because I will I I know when to wait and I know how to block and so like if you gave Peterson the map he was damn near unstoppable and that and this game totally shows that absolutely shows that yeah this is just a complete unstoppable offensive performance on the whole um for both teams i had a great moment in the fourth quarter early in the fourth quarter of and and tell me if you had some of this remember that guy moment and for me that was mark clayton but not the mark clayton that played for the dolphins who was an excellent player but the mark clayton who was basically like just the guy for the ravens but had this flash in 06 where he

caught like 60 passes or something he was but it was like wait remember the other mark clayton and then derrick mason shows up and he catches a touchdown and and again like the vikings defense is just flailing and falling apart at this point but mark clayton and derrick mason catching touchdowns in this game was definitely my like this is why we watch old games to remember guys like that moment and todd heap right at tight end yes yes baltimore tot heap that's i had forgotten about and you know what at that time that guy as i recall was pretty damn good but i'd completely forgotten about him and was the was the blind side guy the tackle, who was trying to block Jared? Yes, and getting killed. Michael Orr, right?

Michael Orr was getting murdered. I mean, Jared, that's the thing, too, is, you know, for all we can and should praise guys like Favre and AP, you forget just, I mean, that addition in 2008 in the trade with KC, you forget what a monumental seismic shift that was for a team that hadn't had a guy that could rush from the right end. I mean, Erasmus James, Udeza, like the last guy who had successfully gotten home quite a bit before Jared Allen was Lance Johnstone, who was a situational guy, like he was a third down rusher. And you get jared who one won't come out of games and two

spent his entire afternoon back then in the backfield like that his game when you go back and watch that it is if it's not dominance it borders on dominance actually i wonder if i can look up how many pressures jared goff or not jared goff Why would I call him Jared Goff? Jared Allen had in that, in that game. I know he had over the season, he had 64 pressures, which is a pretty good season at the time. He should be offended by that.

Let me look this up. So it only, it gives them five, which is a really good game along with a sack, couple of hits, couple of tackles. I would argue that the total impact from Jared Allen was more significant than five, but I mean, five is still a great game. If you did that every game, you'd be

incredible. So, and that's, that's why Flacco's performance is so wild to me and really tells you about score effects a little bit, cause they're down 27 to 10 and flacco finishes the game with 385 and two touchdowns the vikings start to melt and here's where i had another thought though because ray rice catches a touchdown toward the end they take the lead 31 to 30 but something i thought of was how we don't really have a dan deardorff broadcaster anymore like Like there was a kind of a run. And I think this was part because of John Madden, but also Deardorff was great where it was just these football guys. And Dan Deardorff is just losing his mind at this point when they're coming back. And I used to really enjoy the intensity of Dan Deardorff. and I haven't listened to a Deardorff

game in quite some time so they had this really kind of it was clear that they were trying to repeat like the Summerall and Madden just with another you know big guy and a kind of a smooth broadcaster so you have the like Percy Arvin you know kind of calls or Derek Mason where it's not like this huge call from the play-by-play guy. And then Deardorff comes flying in with just the most intense football commentary. They were kind of going that way with Tony Romo and then maybe lost their way a little bit. But it just, it feels like the personality,

but big, massive football guy has kind of of been lost i don't know if you like deardorff but i loved deardorff growing up actually you know what he was really really good i remember so he was he was working at kmo kmox radio in st louis uh when he was a cardinals as i recall offensive lineman and he transitioned right to the booth with CBS then he got the Monday Night Football gig and then when he left there went back to CBS and as I recall at that time if I'm not mistaken their number one team was Nance and Sims I think I think Phil Sims was the top team. But yeah, there was, I've always contended this. So like that Madden group had to be offensive or defensive linemen or linebackers.

Because Matt Millen, if you recall, before he took the Lions job, he was in line to be the next, you know, John Madden. Like, and you know, with the sound effects. Deardorff was not as exaggerated as Madden was, especially as Madden progressed and became almost at times a character of himself. But, yes, it's great. In fact, there's the one call where it's right before a huge Peterson run, and Deardorff goes, yeah, it's Adrian Peterson time. And then the next thing, Gumbel's like, Adrian Peterson's loose. And then you go, oh, man, yeah.

Yeah, it's great. I sort of miss that just in a vacuum. I don't miss it every week, but it feels like now announcer-wise, right, it's gone to more of the quarterbacks and like the cerebral guys as opposed to the guys who are just like, just get in the dirt and show me some football. Yeah, and you had the Brian Baldingers.

They were trying to develop the kind of next guy like that with Kevin, what was his name, Kevin Moss or something, like this former Chiefs offensive lineman. They were always trying to find the next John Madden. I don't think they ever really found it. Oh, Bill Moss. I think it. Bill Moss. Oh, Bill Moss. I think it was Bill Moss. Yeah, just a big gruff.

Had just kicked. And this is back when those guys didn't immediately retire and drop 80 pounds. Oh, yeah, right. So they'd come in the booth and you'd be like, yeah, I remember that guy. Now it's like, that's Steve Hutchinson. He weighs about a buck 20. Yeah, I know.

I saw Steve out at at tco i'm sure you did too and it does not uh does not look like he used to and and joe thomas is the ultimate example of that watching an old game the other day and just even the close-up on his face like that's not joe thomas now or anywhere close uh but anyway i i thought you're right that he could be so intense that you'd be like okay stop that was a three yard run you need to stop losing your mind there is a play in this game that also is reflective of sign of the times Kelly Washington kind of a random receiver for the Ravens goes over the middle and just gets laid out and of course Deardorff's like awesome hit

great job whatever I think today there's flags coming from every part of the field oh yeah Roger Goodell probably runs on the field and pulls the safety off of uh you know out of the out of the dome at that you know if that had happened now but also I'm glad they've gotten rid of those hits I know it's really hard for the safeties and this was a big debate with Harrison Smith a couple years ago when it seemed like the league was kind of out to get him a little bit for the head hunting. But those types of hits, like you watch how hard Kelly Washington gets smacked. And that was just routine and something you could totally do.

And I think he stayed in the game, which was not a good idea. And they used to do that a lot more. And it's amazing how far we've come in a short period of time, because to me, and I'm sure to you, 09 doesn't feel like that long ago. And yet we could kind of see those reflections of how the game is different. So then, you know, Favre comes up with this incredible throw to Sidney Rice to put them ahead 33

to 31. And then here comes the Ravens again. Hauschka gets the kick, misses the kick. The Vikings go to six and L what was the feeling when they won this game? Because I mean, obviously like from an objective standpoint, there's stuff to criticize here. You let them back in the game and so forth, but it's six and O and I remember the 2016 5-0 and what that felt like 6-0 had to feel like this team is legit yes in fact I believe the next week week seven they went to Pittsburgh and lost their first game but that was quickly erased by the Monday night game against the Packers and Aaron Rogers at the Metrodome which was um so I had forgotten or perhaps i just didn't pay attention how bad the vikings

defense was in this particular game um because we were also and not surprisingly so caught up in the far of magic carpet ride experience and it was cool look i mean it took weeks well beyond week six of 2009 to acclimate yourself to seeing Brett Favre in purple. Seeing Brett Favre still come out in Lambeau and get booed as loud as anyone I've ever heard get booed in a Vikings jersey still remains one of the most jarring things of my career because it doesn't make sense in your brain. So I think there was nothing but excitement because it's like and and again keep in mind in this town how many guys you know in the last i don't know now 20 years or so how many guys have taken the football or baseball or puck or basketball and said we're

not going to lose because you had the feeling when the vikings you know that the incredible thing is it wasn't a surprise. It wasn't a surprise, in part because we had seen Favre do that to the Vikings. But I hearken back to 91, Game 7, Jack Morris. You know, he doesn't come out. He stays in. Incredible win. If you're of a certain age now, it's almost damn near impossible.

And you were probably pretty small if born in 2009, but it's probably really, really doggone hard to appreciate that, like appreciate the cockiness. You know, for Kirk, eight comeback wins in the fourth quarter. But one, that was off the charts weird for Kirk. Like that's not the normal Kirk. And two, there wasn't this hubris from Kirk. Like, there was this Favre Sonner back on the field,

starting with that ridiculous week three pass to Greg Lewis to end the game and give the Vikings a win. Favre Sonner's on the field, and it's just like, oh, yeah, my arm? I got this. And so for as bad as the defense, and again, I had forgotten, as bad as the defense looked in that game, it wasn't a concern when you had Brett Favre and a team that at that point in time and for a long time, I think, looked like a team of destiny.

As far as the Vikings teams I've covered, because I didn't technically cover the 98 team, this is easily the biggest letdown. Like 17, which we covered together, was fun. And I was surprised they got blown out. But I wasn't shocked they didn't get to the Super Bowl. This is the one where I've always said, I think if they make the Super Bowl, I think they beat the Colts because they had enough firepower

that it was certainly not unrealistic and again if you go back to the conference championship game in 09 and look at the stats the Vikings kicked the Saints ass so it wasn't like when we covered the game with a link and it's like what the hell is this it was a you should have won that game um but yeah this this was just like it just the season until the end when it got sort of weird the season just kept crescendoing at this point and this was this was another in the markers the checkpoints of oh my god this team is legit and brett farve is. Well, first, you're giving me way too much credit for my age. I was 23 when this happened. So I do remember this season quite well.

But I appreciate that because I have, with my birthday coming up, I have been feeling a little bit old. Well, I'm glad to help you out. I'm glad to help you out. But I mean, there's a lot of young Vikings fans who would have would have you know just a sort of a recollection perhaps of this team and i'm just saying we you know when's the last time in this town we literally had a guy say i'm not gonna lose this game and you believed him totally yeah that's totally right and you know i guess what i'm curious about from you though because i wouldn't have lived here and and don't have quite the perspective on that season.

The cynicism level of Minnesota sports fans right now, which I totally understand is well earned by the teams as they are told by, you know, new regime after new regime that this time it's going to be different and but last year I felt it big time and look I was at the center of it when they're going 13 and 4 and we're talking about negative point differential and every time they played a great team they got their doors blown off in the second half of the season and then the loss but after the loss in Green Bay I just felt the entire wind go out of the sails of the Vikings fan base because they knew it wasn't going anywhere and then they were right and there's been so many times where it's like even with the twins or the wolves like oh you're playing uh Houston in the first round huh you're probably gonna lose and then they do and the twins obviously in their playoff uh lack of success to put it very Minnesota

nice was it that way then I i or is this like always been a thing or was that like everybody was just believing um boy i feel like a lot of people believed now i had seen i had covered farve so i had seen now i did not cover the 2007 um conference championship game meltdown against the giants at lambeau but i not cover the 2007 Conference Championship game meltdown against the Giants at Lambeau. But I did cover the 2003 playoff loss at Philadelphia where I think the Packers went up 14-rip. That's the fourth and 26th game. But in overtime, don't forget, Favre threw what looked like a punt that was picked up, if I'm not mistaken, by Brian Dawkins. And Akers hit the field goal.

And so I had seen Favre break hearts before. So I was actually not shocked that he broke hearts. I am shocked the Vikings fumbled like four times that day. Like there's a lot of factors to why the Vikings lost that game. But I want to say, Matthew, that it felt like there were a lot of people that really believed I mean that was a offensively that was a damn good team and my I guess my cynicism didn't come as much at that time from from Minnesota sports which it would now it came from I've seen Favre go down this path before and you know his career is littered with times he has decided to make decisions in huge games that are just baffling and just terrible, including that pass. But, no, I think there were a lot of people that thought, you know, to go back to 2009 and 98, I think there were a lot of people that thought, no, you know what?

This team has a legit chance. And, again, what's so frustrating is if you look at the damn box score from the Superdome, they did. They did. But I mean, Percy Harvin hadn't fumbled all year. He fumbled. Berrien had an inexplicable fumble.

I mean, there were just so many things about that that I think, I actually think that that game has played a role in people being as guarded with their sports hearts as they are now. Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say. That 0-9 and the certain amount of people in the huddle, which is illegal and gets you a five-year penalty. I don't think anything compares to Gary Anderson. I mean, there are a few things in all of sports from all the teams that compare to Gary Anderson.

Not only has it missed all year, but that was the best team in football. It was historically great. But this Vikings team had an argument for being the best team in football and seemed to have that angel on its shoulder the entire year, especially on Brett's shoulder coming off of what happened in New York. But I agree with you that it would have been way less shocking maybe than Gary missing, that he threw that interception. More having Vikings fans seen it many times in the playoffs,

they probably went, oh no, it showed up. And I'm sure that even though they were trying to keep it out of their mind, that it was in the back of their mind that at some point, Favre could throw that horrendous interception and cost them and not make the Superbowl because he had done that. And that's why he wasn't in green Bay anymore, because he had made one more Superbowl. They never draft, you know, another quarterback or whatever else.

So he had kind of earned his way there a little bit, maybe like not of the same level of case keenum where each week we were talking about it though it doesn't seem like that was the the case no that no pun intended there um that that people would believe but i i think that played by the time that i arrive in 2016 this fan base is so cynical about everything and some sometimes and you're like the king leader of this movement but uh but but some but sometimes i i'm sure that it can be like for fans overwhelming but i do think that this uh plays a big role is this just to put a bow on it i mean i think that this was one of the peaks of that season to see everything that they could

be offensively. The 0-9 season, is that in your mind clearly the second best team that the Vikings have had past the Super Bowl years to 1998? The 87 team, which lost three consecutive games with replacement players, which wouldn't have lost those games but unfortunately well i the vikings just didn't care like this like the strike hit and they're like yeah we gotta feel the team where's tony adams to play quarterback um that team was actually really good and that's the team of course that went and played the saints and then blew the drawers off san fran ac and anthony carter marvelous game and then blew the drawers off San Fran. A.C. and Anthony Carter, marvelous game.

And then they lost on the Wade Wilson, not so great pass. Darren Nelson drop. That team probably factors in, but I would say that that was the second. I would say 0-0-9 is second to me just because you got the last gasp from Favre. And look, going into training camp, that team needed one position quarterback you know the quarterback would have been tavaris or sage and i've always said the last practice in mankato before brett shockingly came back after mankato the last practice um it's one of the worst practices i've seen. Balls were being skipped on the ground. But it was weird.

In retrospect, we should have known something was up. Because in retrospect, that practice got done. And Childress wasn't angry. And it's like he knew. He knew. He's like, my guy is coming. But, yeah, that's one of, like, I would say the heartbreaks on, if we were to break down NFC Championship season game heartbreaks, right?

98 is one. 2009, to me, clearly two. I personally think that the 2000, the 41 donut game is probably three. And then I would put the 17 game, if I'm going to not use, because I would put 87 third if I included that, but that's now what, 40 years ago or 35 years ago? So yeah, I would put this one 2009.

I would put it clearly two, just because of the presence of Favre was basically supposed to be the magic potion and ultimately brett was brett at the end of that right i don't think i've ever categorized 17 as heartbreaking so much as just disappointing for everybody 41 donuts same way right yeah yeah if you get your drawers blown off i can't go heartbreak right right right it's i i thought that well the only thing that probably really hurts is that they started off the game with a marvelous drive and a touchdown pass to kyle rudolph and then they actually got a stop and got the ball back it was like oh my gosh

are they going to the super bowl and they're like no they're not going to the super bowl but yeah i agree with you when you get smacked then you just weren't worthy of facing the opponent. You had to go on the road anyway. And, you know, it is what it is. I don't look at that as heartbreaking so much as just kind of, well, you know, I guess you weren't good enough because you got absolutely killed. Last thing, is this your favorite season to cover of any that you ever covered? Oh, no. Oh, absolutely. It's not even close. It's not even close. And you know, Favre was, I've always made this comparison. Favre was football's Elvis Presley. It was on a, I can't even explain it. Like it's, he's not, he was a celebrity. Like he was not an

athlete. He was not, it was not like, oh, my God, he's really good. You know, Peterson was a phenomenal talent. But Brett Favre, Brett Favre was like going to Graceland. It was the most surreal thing to cover him, to have him do press conferences where he would get up and give you at least one or two scoops because he didn't like Brad much. And so he would purposely leak stuff. But it was like, I mean, it's as close as I've ever come to covering what would probably amount to a Hollywood celebrity.

It was like that. And you know, in 2010, you had TMZ and at the time Deadspin with the pictures and all that. But I mean, that speaks to how important Favre was. And so, yes, it was the most fun. And it was the type of year where you're like, these aren't going to come around much. And I would argue that while 17 was fun, 17 didn't come close. Like, it wasn't close. The only similarity I see between 2009 and 2017 is with very different quarterbacks,

the Magic Carpet Ride came to an abrupt end. And look, when Favre threw that pick, I've told this story before, but I had told Doogie, I had said at my birthday party I turned 40 that November I had said cuz Dukes is like he's gonna be MVP it's unbelievable and I said watch out I said he's gonna break your heart and and after far through that pick in the Superdome doogie was like four rows behind me in the old press box there it's changed since and before I did anything I ran up I grabbed him by the shoulders and I said I told you

he would break your heart and then fast forward 17 how often on air did we talk about the kingdom thing is going to end and it's going to end abruptly at some point and and we got like pushback you guys are just bleep holes blah blah blah when that ball got tipped and returned for a touchdown I remember i looked at you and you looked at me and we're like there it was and the funny part about that is he also threw a there it was interception in the minneapolis miracle game that was forgotten that opened the door yes new orleans to come back in great point that game we also looked at each other went there it is that was the one that that mike zimmer was afraid of the entire season long so uh anyway well this is the reason why i wanted to do a random old game

of the week because it's a very fun conversation and i enjoyed both you and i going back watching through that game and uh talking about what we came away with from that one and an incredible season to cover so uh judd great to get together with you again. I'm sure that we will do it at some point very soon when you are getting your suntan out at training camp in a few weeks. So I appreciate the time and you taking the time to go back and watch the game as well. And we'll talk again soon, man. Thanks for doing this. Thank you.