Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Ryan Dyrud of LA Football Network breaks down Jordan Addison and Mekhi Blackmon

Episode Date: May 7, 2023

Matthew Coller is joined by Ryan Dyrud of LA Football Network. He talks about what made Jordan Addison successful at USC and why Mekhi Blackmon's aggressiveness made him stand out. Plus they discuss where the Rams stand in the NFC and whether they are a playoff contender again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here joining me on the show. We've done some home and homes here with Los Angeles Football Network. Ryan Dyrude, one of my favorite people to follow. And guess what, Ryan? We got USC all over the place. So you cover the Rams, Chargers, USC, UCLA, and we have the top two picks coming from

USC. So we're going to break down Jordan Addison, Makai Blackman. How are you doing, man? Hey, man, I'm great. Thank you so much for having me on. You're a great follow as well. Obviously, have you on our show and you do great. And I could be wrong here because I've just, you know, following through Twitter. But so if I'm incorrect, I apologize, but congrats on the book release. Did I see that right? You are right. Yes. Thank you. Congratulations. Huge accomplishment. Huge accomplishment. I appreciate that for everybody who hasn't heard yet. Football is a numbers game.

Went kind of behind the scenes with pro football focus for about a year and a half reporting on where they came from the grades everybody likes to debate but so much more than that what they do for nfl teams how the business got started what chris collinsworth does and uh a lot more drama than i thought was actually going to happen so there's your tease and you can go to amazon you brought it up not me i'm just saying but you can go to amazon search football is a numbers game and you can get it there so thank you so much for that uh how was it it's funny because we were talking just before and uh the Los Angeles Rams I was like well they're always you know bleep

them picks and I didn't see you guys on the first night of the draft so they must have had no draft picks right and then uh you corrected me there were 14 draft picks for the Rams. You guys must have been crazy busy. Yeah, very busy. They had the four-team. Chargers had their standard seven. They always are just chalk one through seven. But, yeah, Matt, it's always a funny misconception because I was on Radio Road in Phoenix,

and we're at the media party talking with everyone, and everyone automatically is like, Oh, Rams, no picks, no picks. And I'm like, just cause I don't have a first round pick. It doesn't mean they have no picks. Uh, they, they started with 11, ended up trading back. I think five different times to end up with 14. Um, the bulk of those obviously in six and seventh rounds. So I know a lot of fans don't get excited about those, but that's kind of how the Rams have built their roster. And they added 26 undrafted free agents. So a total of 38 new players added on draft weekend,

almost doubling what was on the roster. They had 45 going into the draft, added 38. So they're getting close to that 90 finally. But yeah, busy weekend, a lot of fun. Yeah, that is a lot of bios for you to read and to start to understand who these players are. Although my rule is with UDFAs, a lot of bios for you to read and to start to understand who these players are. Although my rule is with UDFA is you got to make me learn your name in training camp. If you do, then we got something there, but if not,

I'm not going to bother. But I, I mean, well, just while we're on the subject though, can we just talk about the Rams for a second? Because it is a little bit of a misconception of the bleep them picks just because it was a tweet turned of a misconception of the bleep them picks just because it was a tweet turned into a t-shirt uh they really did build the super bowl team a lot through the draft and finding players i mean aaron donald was a first round draft pick and is one of the most important players there uh but it is interesting that they become sort of this beacon for teams

pushing the chips to the middle of the table and the vikings did do this last year they brought back patrick peterson zadaria smith they trade for tj hockinson in the deadline and i think it's interesting because the rams are the team that everyone's going to look at and say hey that year with the rams they went and got odell beckham von miller but as then buffalo tried to get von Miller, that didn't really work out. It's kind of an outlier situation that really worked for that team and they won the Super Bowl and they never have to give it back. But at the same time, it's not like something you would tell everybody else to do. Yeah, they definitely went about building the house with a very different

blueprint. And if you look at contractors and they have like, this is how we build blueprints is how we do Trek homes. They were the, the dreamer that did something very different and made the first Lincoln log home or something, or, and we'll see if it ever catches on. Like you said, some teams have kind of taken it, you know, with the Vikings, you guys, I feel like could either be called the Los Angeles Vikings or the Minnesota Trojans, whatever you want. Cause you got kind of blends there obviously with Kevin O'Connell, but yeah, it's a model that worked for them. They still kind of are abiding by that.

Now, a lot of people not to go too deep, cause obviously we'll focus more on, on your team, the Vikings, but a lot of people will see this off season as a, well, now the Pied Pipers come to take its due and they had to release everybody and cut all this cap and they have like 76 million. I think they have more in dead money than they're actually paying roster players um and it certainly looks like that now this season could be an absolute disaster they win three games and it'll prove everyone right i'm of the belief that they're more in a remodel year instead of a re you know rebuild year like so many people like to say if we're going back to

the home home analogy there um and and so they kept their three core with stafford aaron donald and cooper cup and if you look at around the league like if a team if you have three core players that's kind of what you want to start with and they they've decided to really go with a lot of youth and and they've brought in coaches that can mentor you when you look at the defensive staff raheem morris great teacher great coach obviously he's been there now for three years. They added Jimmy Lake, formerly of Washington. I know not a great tenure as a head coach at Washington, but a phenomenal secondary coach.

They've added him as an assistant head coach on defense, but to also coach up their very, very young secondary that is without Jalen Ramsey now. And so you look at just kind of the way the staff has been formed this offseason and then what they've done in free agency and then obviously adding these 38 rookies, they're kind of taking the approach of a, we're going to teach and mentor and get back to what made us love football with Sean McVay has said many times he was kind of burnt out after last year. And B we believe that the NFC outside of

the Eagles outside of probably the Vikings and outside of the, you know, the Niners to have quarterback question marks, like we can still make some noise. Cause we got the best defensive player in football. We have the only quarterback in the entire NFC with a ring and Matthew Stafford, and we still have our head coach. So we'll see, it could blow up in their faces, but if it does, then maybe they'll just get Caleb Williams in 2024. I'm not sure I would say outside of the Vikings to tell you the truth. They're going to have to prove that to me because this year is one of those. They're showing you to be respectful. Well, they won 13 games, and it's a very weird 13 games to talk about

because when you win 13 games but have a negative point differential and lose in the first round, it's hard to be like, yeah, they'll just run it back and do that again, but have a negative point differential and losing the first round. It's hard to be like, yeah, they'll just run it back and do that again. But wait a minute. Is that a good thing to run back and do again? And for a lot of intents and purposes, they are running it back with the same quarterback. Thielen is gone. Kendricks is gone, but Harrison Smith is still here. There's moving parts with Brian Flores, but it's's like if you're ranking the teams in the nfc for who's the most dangerous who you're the most scared of i think that the vikings probably end up like fifth or sixth which is kind of where they always go into every season ranking that way

and i think but i do think that los angeles and the rams because this is a team that i think the vikings and rams could be battling for playoff spots this year. If Matthew Stafford remains healthy, but it's also so interesting to talk about the all in thing and what's happened since and how, and I'm sure you guys talk about this from time to time. Like if the guy catches the interception, right? I mean,

San Francisco, it's just so much different of a conversation about the Rams. It's they went all in they failed it didn't work because that's what's really been the conversation here for years with Kirk Cousins coming off the NFC championship appearance was they pushed the chips to the middle of the table with Kirk every offseason was Phil needs Phil needs Phil needs they panicked and they you know came up short so many And I just think about how like razor thin it is between being a team that everyone talks about, Hey, those Rams, we should do what they

did. And can you believe how dumb those Rams were? It's really remarkable to think about like how, how like small that line is. Oh, it's extremely razor thin, a tight rope, whatever you want to call it. And yeah, it could be a very different conversation, but I'm always the, the glass glass half full approach. And I look at it as, you know, you look at a lot of things in sports and you read that same conversation, right? If, if Ryan Tannehill doesn't throw three interceptions in that playoff and Cincinnati's kicker goes four for four,

then we're not talking about Joe Burrow as the great young QB that he has going on that run. If you know the tuck rule and Tom Brady, maybe that dynasty never starts if Charles Woodson ends up getting that fumble in that game. But the differences and what you're alluding to is those were still teams constructed in a normal fashion, whereas the Rams did something so different that if they had that failure, it would be seen as a colossal failure because they didn't set themselves up for the future. They set themselves up essentially for that one or two year window so to your point absolutely things had to go their way in sports as you know as i'm sure is in your book a little bit there's an there's analytics but also there's got to be some luck involved in order for you to win the big one and the rams certainly had that and you know that tart dropped interception was one but what i always say is jaylensey also dropped an interception in the possession before that in the red zone. They could have put the Rams up.

So you never know. Oh, you could go back 100 times. And look, no one knows this better than Vikings fans, right? Of all the, like, what if this went that way? And we did an entire show, I think a summer ago, about whether we could prove that the Vikings are cursed. And the best argument was that the odds of all these things going wrong for them are almost impossible.

There's no other team you can find who had two quarterbacks have their knees fall apart and like ruin where the franchise was at that time. Or Gary Anderson made every kick or, you know, all the things we could talk about. So certainly, but that's my thing is like, you don't have to give it back i mean they certainly earned it and look matthew stafford had to make one of the all-time great throws in nfl history and lead one of the all-time great drives to win it so they earned it it's just interesting to think about like with the vikings last season you're trading for tj hawkinson with kind of this idea of like, look, the NFC is weak.

We need to kind of push the chips to the middle of the table, take this shot, add this extra weapon. And then you get to now and you go, okay, well, if Hawkinson doesn't sign an extension and you just did that for a half a season, like, was that the good thing to do? So I'm always thinking about that. And the Rams are sort of at the top of that list but let's talk about let's talk about Jordan Addison because um everybody has figured out by now on the show how much I liked the pick and had been sort of uh on Jordan Addison as a potential player for them it's really the first time this has happened for me so I have to keep bringing it up where I picked the guy in mock drafts and draft simulations who they actually picked. But no, I mean, I watch a lot.

I'm a Pac-12 after dark guy. So I stay up late, watch those games. He impressed me so many times, but you would have watched him closer than me and know him better than me. So what are the Vikings getting in Jordan Addison? Yeah, you know, I obviously cover all four teams, but i'm at i cover usc probably the most up close and personal at practices and at games and was at the pac-12 title game and um which he didn't play in but addison i mean this is a home run pick first of all i don't know if there's a better fit in the nfl he could have fit anywhere but the best fit for me was

minnesota just being able to line up alongside Justin Jefferson, the style. I know there's different opinions on Kirk cousins, but the style of quarterback he is, I feel like just fits really well with Addison does well, which is, you know, he's a route running tactician. He's fascinating looks. I know he ran a four, four, nine at the combine, but I mean, just put on the Stanford tape. He was blowing by guys, had a 75 yard touchdown where he broke free over the top and then also broke a tackle after the catch. So definitely has elusive speed. He's bigger than people give him credit for. I think he's listed at like six, one, six foot one 75 or something, but I think he'll play in around one

85, one 90. So he has good enough size, but it's just a competitor. I mean, when he came to USC, we talked to him at, um, at, uh, USC media day, and you could tell he was definitely happy to be at USC. And I don't want this to get misconstrued or misquoted at all. He was happy to be at USC, but his singular goal was the NFL. Like that was in USC gave him the best opportunity to get to where he wanted the NFL, even though he won the Blitnikoff the year prior at Pitt with, you know, Kenny pick it there, but he know his projection at USC would push him even higher. Obviously being with Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams certainly helps that, but yeah, you just could feel it from him. And you guys will see in the interviews, he's very kind of short and to the

point and dry, but he's just professional. You ask him a question, he's not going to sugarcoat things. He's not going to give you a nice, like very kind hearted two minute answer, but he's just professional. You ask him a question, he's not going to sugarcoat things. He's not going to give you a nice, like very kind hearted two minute answer, but he's just going to tell you straight up, Hey, what happened to this play? Oh, we ran the wrong route. Some people see it as rude. If you will. I saw it as, this is the guy that's just, he's just there for business. He's just a businessman. He's there to play football, there to compete. And he did it on the field. He was a great teammate, uh, great in practice. So, I mean, the Vikings to me, this was an absolute home run pick for you guys and couldn't be a better fit for him with that offense. There have been a few players that I've covered along the way who

end answers before you think, and they catch you off guard. And that's him. Irv Smith did this. So he'll start talking and you're like okay okay and then he'll just kind of like now i'm done saying anything about that and you're like oh uh okay on to the next question so maybe he'll develop that in the nfl like uh finishing his third or fourth sentence but all rookies and all young players i think before they get totally comfortable talking to the media they kind of don't know how to navigate that yet. Not a red flag in my world, but I did pick up on the same thing from you that this seems like a guy from the time he left high school who just had NFL on his mind and who knew that he could do it and who has got a supreme confidence about him but i didn't get arrogance from him um

it just seemed like he's somebody that is kind of an all football guy that all of these coaches always are looking for right i mean uh it's good to be well-rounded in life but sometimes in football you have to be all about football and i really like that he talked about kind of obsessing over stefan diggs and how diggs runs his routes and studying receivers and things like that. Uh, it takes a ton of dedication to be good at this, especially at route running. And this guy is like, in my mind, he was the best route runner of all of those first round picks who are kind of taken in the same area. A hundred percent. And it's such a lost art, right? Uh, route running. And we talk about it every year at draft time. And it's such a lost art right uh route running and we talk about it every year

at draft time and it's like who really is a good route runner i mean i for myself obviously i was not very good but i played receiver in high school the only thing that kept me on the field was my route running i mean i'm five seven you know 165 wet so i wasn't bringing much athletically to the table but i could run routes and when you look at the NFL today, even some of the greatest receivers are not great route runners. And so if you're a good athletic receiver and you can run routes, when you look at the likes of Cooper cup, Devante Adams, Justin Jefferson, who just like these guys that just create space, whether it's on the sideline, the open field in the backfield, whatever it may be, because they're out running, that just opens up another level of the playbook and especially what made jordan addison i think so dynamic and what

will make him so much fun to watch in this vikings offense because i can already picture what kevin o'connell coach o'connell can do is um in the goal line situation and everyone wants to talk about his speed what he's like in space if he can play slot or inside. But when you think about that first and goal from the five to seven or even the seven yard in, and he can put people in like a washing machine at the goal line and be wide open at the pylon. That's I think where people get excited. And the fact that you have two options with him and Jefferson and obviously Hawkinson at tight end.

So that is where I think he'll really make his, his, his name felt as a rookie is at that goal line. And then obviously as they open things up and the intermediate game and what he can do in Yak. But yeah, the route running is what separates him for me too. So me and you are definitely in agreement there. Well, and I think, I mean, with Adam Thielen being gone, that was really his role was everyone's giving attention to Justin Jefferson and then Thielen would get open in the red zone and ended up fantasy owners really enjoyed that for a while and I think Addison

could be the same thing I think it was 25 touchdowns in two years over the last two seasons but give me give me the concern there's got to be a concern here I mean I do think so you mentioned that he could put on some weight and i think that's true but i did kind of like my eyes popped open a little bit when i first saw him like oh this guy is very skinny like you know you've been around the nfl dudes they are jacked i mean they have popcorn muscles most of the time even the wide receivers are pretty jacked i think that either there has to be muscle that's put on or it's going to have to be some craftiness from Kevin O'Connell, which I think is probably the answer here. But what's like what's the downside? Like, why would Jordan Edison not be a top 10 receiver as opposed to the 23rd pick?

Yeah, I mean, you said it's got to be the size. And I spoke very I said before before I'm a glass half full. So I, you know, I think he can put on weight, um, but obviously banged up last year at USC here and there, missed some games, missed the end of the season. Um, at the end of the season was more just prepping for the draft. I think it was more, uh, just to stay healthy for, for this process since that's been his goal, but missed, you know, obviously a good middle portion of the season. Um, and so that I think would be the concern. What he needs to do is obviously take notes from a guy like Devonta Smith, you know, with Philly, who has become a very nice

young player. That was his biggest concern, right? He was still drafted very early, but it was the size of that dude is literally a stick out there. You wonder how he doesn't just lose his head after getting one hit over the middle. So I think schematically they'll have to do things to be smart with him. But also just learning your body. And he did this fairly well. See, I look back to the UCLA game. When did not take a hit, how to avoid hits over the middle, how to go out of bounds at the right time. And in the NFL, obviously that's just compounded because of how much bigger and stronger and faster the rest of the defenders are.

So to your point, if there is a concern, I mean, let's be real. real if this guy was six three two ten this he would have been a top 10 pick so i think the reason why he fell to 24 i think it was was because it's you know he's 5 11 6 foot 175 um because i don't have any concerns with his catching with his speed with his route running with his um personality anything like that it's definitely would be the size that hopefully they can get beyond and you know we've seen a lot of 5 11 6 foot guys have a lot of success so we'll see yeah I think that every one of these wide receivers had that one thing that kind of held them back from being that like they all had talent Quinton Johnston who I really liked you really liked but if you tell me that he didn't go up and moss people, you're absolutely right. And Smith Najigbo was mostly a slot receiver. Like every guy kind of

had his one wart that allowed them to drop. But I also think we've seen a lot of guys that have some shortcoming end up working out in the NFL. So we'll kind of see how that plays out. And if he is wide receiver two or three to start the season, is it going to be him or is it going to be kj osborne how does he work into the whole mix so there's a lot to follow along now a guy that was uh i want to say as controversial as a late third round pick can be within the fan base and uh i think some of this was people want something on draft night to get jacked up about and to maybe debate and things but mckay blackman i don't know if you thought he was going to be that this high of a draft pick i know that the mock drafters did not think he was going to be this high of a draft pick but i'm intrigued because i

look at his pff kind of profile man coverage zone coverage tackling coverage grade and i know he's 24 so this probably helped him. But across the board, he scored really high in different coverages, good as a tackler. I think they see him as a nickel corner. Give me your view on Makai Blackman. Yeah, so I mean, I was thrilled for Makai. Great young kid. He was transferred twice, started up in San Mateo, California. Then he went to Colorado, got like an extra COVID year while there redshirt one year, had some injuries and then obviously transferred to USC last year. So I was absolutely thrilled for him and his journey.

I was definitely surprised he went that early. Um, and not because he's a bad player by any means, just cause there's not a lot of. A, there's not a lot of great tape because of the injuries that followed him. And then B USC's defense overall was just so terrible last year. Now, that being said, he was one of the few bright spots in the defense. You basically had Tuli Tuli Palo to you had him and Kalen Bullock were like your three bright spots of the whole defense. So he definitely was one of those top players. Definitely, in my opinion, a much better man corner. He's extremely aggressive in, know in press man and so if

you want a guy that's going to lock a guy down at the line of scrimmage and now we'll see how that translates the NFL obviously officials are more flag happy in the NFL so we'll see if he gets holding calls early on or whatnot but definitely is very physical strong and and can run really with any of the best uh size of receivers out there uh it can definitely play zone um grinch's system alex grinch that is for usc runs a very complicated system it's a real mix of man and zone and i think that's why they struggled last year is just they had so many new bodies and it was a brand new system and it was like guys just thinking all the time instead of just playing and and so i think he can do both, but with man, right, there's less thinking. You're just like, this is my guy.

I'm locking you down. I'm taking you for a ride. And he was very good at that. And he had, I think three interceptions or so we had like 12 passes defense. So statistically, you know, I think he finished all pack 12, a third, all, all American. So, I mean, really he is a, he's a good draft pick in my opinion. He's just a little more raw for maybe what people want to see as a third round pick. But at the end of the day, I mean,

we've seen raw guys that get developed well and do good things. And he is older, as you mentioned too, I mean, having a longer collegiate career. So he has a lot of at least tread that he's in a lot of different systems he had to work through. So I think he'll learn quickly and be able to get up to speed very quickly in this Brian Flores defense, who I think fits him very well. So if you look at Addison as a perfect fit on offense, the system, I think fits Blackman very well as well with what Flores wants to do there. So it should be fun. So to answer your question, Troy, I think it was probably a little high. I'm thrilled for him as a young man and the guy he is and the character he is. But I think over time, Vikings fans will learn to like this guy just because of what he brings.

Now, last thing I'll say, he does have the option to get burned because of how aggressive he plays. And so it depends how often they're going to play too high shell or whatever to kind of cover his back, or if he does more nickel like you alluded to. So that's the one thing to watch for. But just him as a physical corner, athletic and smart. I mean, they definitely got a good one in him.

Yeah, I definitely think also when we're talking about someone who's drafted at the very last pick of the third round, like we have to kind of manage what our expectations are. I mean, when you draft a player, everybody makes out their depth chart and they put in all the draft picks like starting or direct backup or something and you know sometimes that takes a couple of years before it happens and cornerback is a position that usually does not come along quickly but i think that there's a projection there for him to be a nickel corner which has become extremely important and you would know this i mean with the rams like nicole Roby Coleman for years, that was kind of the comparison I made for someone who's, he's not quite as short as Roby Coleman, but still like undersized, but super aggressive, kind of a, kind of a baller guy that wants to go out and get it. player developed developed and finally became a consistent role player who nobody was like

wanting his autograph or something after practice you want aaron donalds but you need solid players so i guess i look at the pick as it's not going to blow anybody's socks off but it was the last pick of the third round i guess the only other criticism would be that they traded down but they needed to do that to pick up some extra capital but But I kind of see him as like, if he becomes a nickel corner for you, that's a pretty big win. Oh, a hundred percent. And, you know, we all, we all do this. We all fall victim to this. That's why we do what we do. And, and that's why people watch what we say, but it's like, there's this paralysis by over-analysis, but also there's this instant reaction society that, Hey, as soon as the

pick, we have to have our grades and have to say projected what this is going to be. Whereas three years from now, if Makai Blackman is playing at a Bryce Callahan like level who Bryce Callahan went undrafted and became one of the premier kind of slot nickel corners in the game for, for a number of years, three years from now, if he's doing that, like who cares if he was a first round pick a seventh round pick and undrafted round pick, it's like, Hey, this dude's on our team and it makes our GM look smart. So we have to do what we do. We have to analyze, right. But, uh, third round at the time might seem rich, but Hey, if in three years, this guy's starting, then that's a phenomenal pick. Cause you don't care where he went as long as on the field,

uh, producing. Okay. Two more quick things. Uh, listeners to this show wanted dorian thompson robinson what did you kind of make of where he got drafted and and were you a thompson robinson truther i love dtr uh it would have been fun if he went to minnesota he's you know it's it's so odd saying this because he was literally started outside of a couple games missed by injury but started almost every game five years at ucla from a true freshman played five years so going into his freshman year played literally no high school ball um was a backup uh at bishop gorman and then came in very raw into college where then kind of chip kelly molded him and built him up um as a as a leader and as a competitor you'll'll find no one better. We always compare him to the Russell Westbrook of football, just that raw passion and emotion.

Um, I'm not saying the skill exactly, but just like the demeanor that they play on the field. Like he is just so raw, passionate, his love for the game, his leadership. Uh, you know, he's a gifted passer. Obviously everyone knows how athletically gifted he is. Um, I, I, I will he be a starter one day i don't know i i don't know if he's quite i don't want to say this like he's he's a very smart i'm not saying he's not smart but his decision making is the thing that kind of has kept him back even

in this last year where you cut the interceptions down substantially it was still like his progressions were not quite there yet to make you a true elite NFL level quarterback. And usually after five years, if you're still not going through your progressions quickly, that's not something that just like happens in the NFL. That's usually a tell. But you know, he's gotten better every single year. So who's to say he can't now to answer your question about his, his fit with Cleveland, like as a DTR fan. And as we all, we're not going to get into it,

but as everyone knows about the Sean Watson's off the field stuff, nothing would make me happier if in two years they eat that contract and DTR starting in Cleveland. So he certainly fits with Stefanski and fits behind Sean though, in terms of just how they play in their play style. Well, right. And you know, Stefanski is going to want to run bootlegs and things like that and play actions which I think Deshaun Watson maybe struggled with last year adjusting but for a

quarterback that if he does struggle with reads that's kind of one easy hack to make it easier for him I was always in the camp on him of, look, I really enjoyed watching him play pack 12 after dark all day. Loved watching this guy play super fun, super passionate. But when you are six, one, 200 pounds at the quarterback position, and you aren't a freak in any other way, you're not a four, three. You're not like Russell Wilson, freak arms and hands and muscles. It's pretty tough. It's pretty tough to stay healthy. It's pretty tough to make it like he doesn't have a cannon. He's got a good arm and not a can. Like all those things to me said, like this guy could be a nice career backup. I think the same of Jaron Hall that the Vikings picked, but if they had picked them, it would

have been like, okay, I'm fine with it. I wouldn't put any expectations on the guy but i know that everybody from ucla absolutely loved the kid and i'm not surprised that that you did as well and i think also people would be interested in where eric kendricks fits in to the los angeles chargers because this was a chargers defense that improved i think last year from the first year that Staley took over, but still needs help. Right. So where does Kendricks kind of fit into that mix? Yeah. Well, funny ask, obviously you came on my show to talk about Eric Kendricks when they first signed him. Um, and I love the pickup, obviously UCLA alum, he's LA royalty out here. So it's great. You know, I'd loved watching his career at Minnesota. I would hope, uh, Viking fans, regardless of him leaving,

will see him as a Viking for life and whatnot because of obviously the career he had there. But I think it's a great get for the Chargers. The interesting thing, Matt, is they had a guy in Drew Tranquil who kind of had a true breakout year last year at that middle linebacker, him and Kenneth Murray, who they took in the first round a few years back. But Drew Tranquil, outside of Derwin James, was like the heartbeat of the defense. I mean, emotionally, statistically, all those things.

I mean, he was the guy. And they decided, now there's been a bunch of different speculation, was he offered an extension, was he not? And that's all hearsay, and there's conflicting reports and whatnot. But they decided, essentially, without resigning him, to go in the direction of Eric Hendricks. And what I think, and you kind of alluded to this when you broke it down, what Eric Hendricks does so well is he's going to bring a different dynamic that Drew Tranquil

necessarily wasn't. And also a veteran presence and leadership that I think this defense really needs. Cause the biggest thing about this Chargers defense, you alluded to it perfectly as they improved year over year, but still weren't't great especially with the talent they had especially with the mind that Brandon Staley is and the thing we've talked about a lot on our show is at some point at some point you look at x's and o's and schematically when you look at the Chargers and you really break down the film they were not a problem schematically, when you look at the charges and you really break down the film, they were not a problem schematically. It was a problem more of the execution of it. Like it was a problem more of the onus of players taking on themselves and taking responsibility of what their job was, what their role was. And what's funny is when Derwin James was out for a considerable amount

of time with an injury, the defense actually played better. And it's almost like they were relying on the greatness of a guy like Derwin James to kind of carry them as opposed to just doing their job and doing their schematic fit. And so I think a guy like Eric Hendricks coming in all the greatness he brings in physicality, the speed that he still has at his age. You mentioned that he's actually really good in pass rush. Just wasn't maybe in the correct scheme schematically last year, which I think they'll use them a lot this year in Staley's scheme. But I think it's more of the leadership of why they're having of keeping guys accountable, doing their job.

Cause schematically, if you look at the film guys were in the right places, they were just missing tackles. I mean, you look at Nick Chubb ran all over them. It wasn't because he was having gaping wide open holes. He was breaking four tackles and guys weren't wrapping up. So when you have a guy like Kendrick's, it's been there, done that. He's going to hold, hold guys accountable and he's going to make them do their job when the

coach can coach, right. But if he's not out there making the tackles. So I think that's really what he's going to bring on top of all the giftedness that he has, even at his age. And maybe he's lost a step here and there, but I think that that leadership is really why they wanted him here, which is why I love the, the addition. And it's going to be a great, great season, hopefully here in LA with him. Well,

and I also think when you're trying to take a step from a good team to a great team, these are the players that you need. I mean, you see almost every team that makes it kind of do things like this and he does have something left in the tank. I believe that. I just think that their scheme last year was as horrendous of a fit for him as you could have found. And I thought it was really telling that when I asked him at the end of the year, like, what did you make of kind of the defensive scheme and how it fit with you and everything? He just said, the Giants scored more points than us and we lost, and I wish we didn't.

You know, like he just, he did not want to talk about that, but I, you know, I've covered him long enough. I knew kind of what he was trying to say. And I think that everybody, because they were winning games, that but I you know I've covered him long enough I knew kind of what he was trying to say and I think that everybody because they were winning games didn't want to come out and say the quiet part out loud that the scheme was a horrible fit for some of their most important players him and Harrison Smith so I think it will fit a lot better and I mean that guy is like you said royalty in Los Angeles but also one of the best leaders I've ever covered. That's exactly the type of

person that you need for that team. I know I said that was the last question, but it popped into my mind that once upon a time, the Chargers went into a season where it was probably going to be the last for Phillip Rivers. And then they did not know what their quarterback future was going to be. That sort of describes the Vikings. Can you just take me back to the end of that before they draft Herbert, which obviously turns out to be a marvelous pick for him. And if they were in the NFC, they would be like the best team in the NFC just by having Justin Herbert. But I feel like it would have been a very similar uncertain feeling as the Vikings are dealing with right now. And we're talking about potentially drafting a

quarterback next year, or do you extend how long do you want it to go? It must've been difficult for that team to move on from somebody that they knew could still play as he showed with the Colts, but it was just sort of time. Yeah. It was so interesting because in 2018, right. They, I can't remember there. I think I think they won 12 games, but they went to the playoffs with Phillip. They beat the Ravens in the first round. They ended up getting blown out the second round by the Patriots. But it was like, okay, and that was their, you know, one of their first, I think it was their second year in L.A. So it was like they were trying to make a name for themselves in L.A.

Phillip Rivers was obviously a San Diego guy being there his whole career, but they make the playoffs right off the bat. The Rams were, you know, not quite, well, they were good but that both teams were in the playoffs and the very next year is when they you know when i think five wins or something like that and so it was at that time that it started feeling like okay can they ever reach that pinnacle again with philip rivers at their age um with his contract, with what the pieces they need, or do they need to go with this high of a draft pick, which who knows when that comes again, being sixth overall, after a pretty good quarterback class in general.

At the time, Tua was seen as number one, and then obviously Burrow went on his run, and then Herbert kind of started sneaking into the conversation of top three also. And so it's like, are we ever going to have this type of class again with this high draft capital without having to trade up that we are set then for again for the next 15 to 20 years so it was it was definitely interesting but the writing was on the wall when the season went south philip knew of it i mean if you saw the end of the season presser without him saying he was he was done like everyone knew it was his final game as a charger

and and so for the vikings what makes it interesting is like if they're if they make without him saying he was done. Everyone knew it was his final game as a Charger. And so for the Vikings, what makes it interesting is if they make the playoffs this year, what do you do? If they win four games, I think it's like, okay, look at this quarterback class. You know what you got to do. But if they win 12, 11, 13 games again, they're going to be drafting at the back end of the round. Do you trade up? Are you consistent?

So it's a tough spot to be in. The Chargers made it easier because they were just so bad that year and they had the sixth overall pick so they kind of made the decision for them in order to set themselves up to the future so not a great answer your question but it was definitely an interesting time um obviously i think they made the right decision because you got a guy like justin herbert now as a top six you know top three arm top six quarterback in the league and uh yeah you you can't complain with that even with philip maybe having a, top six quarterback in the league. And yeah, you, you can't complain with that. Even with Phillip, maybe having a year or two left in the tank.

No, I think that's really great context because it's always good to move on one year early rather than one or two years late. And I thought that they handled it brilliantly. And the thing is that I've been calling it is the natural tank where you go into a season thinking you're going to be fine. And if I remember that five win season, they lost like every game by one score, which is basically the opposite of what happened to the Vikings last year. And even if you adjust for like, Oh,

this team scored at the end to make it a one score game, the Vikings, if you switched everything around, even games that were not like that, they could have just as easily won seven last year or won six last year. If that happens to them, it could be to their long-term benefit. And the chargers are a team I'm going to point at and be like, look, the natural tank is okay. It's okay. If everything goes wrong for your team, it'll be painful, but that might be what

they need to get a future quarterback. But you're, you're spot on in saying that if they win 11 games, what are you supposed to do about, are you supposed to pay Kirk? What if you're eliminating the first round again? Right. Kirk cousins, here's a crazy stat for you. And I'll let you go.

Cause I go on for this all night, but like it's great. Kirk cousins has made in cash in his career, $230 million and has one playoff win. I mean, you just can't keep doing that. Right. So there, there are in a fascinating spot that I think would have been very similar to the chargers going into rivers final season. And there's maybe even some comps there with those two as quarterbacks. So I'd say rivers and his peak is like much better, but like late career eight and

eight rivers. So anyway but we could just talk ball all night i really appreciate all the context from you ryan dyrood lafb not hard to find on twitter um and just la football network super cool like i love that you did this to cover all of these teams uh it's great stuff and i mentioned i follow on Twitter, so people should go do that as well. And, and follow your work out there, but thanks, man. I'm glad that I could come on your show. You come on mine and we'll just, we'll keep on doing this. So appreciate it. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much for having me really do appreciate it. And you know, I don't just say this, I say it off air too, but you are one of the best. love uh what you do out there and obviously vikings

fans should be very thankful and congrats again on the book and we'll definitely catch up more football all throughout the off season and enter the season though appreciate it thanks for having me on you you mean the book that pre-order is available now on amazon football is i'm just going to be the worst with this i almost i almost feel bad like if you i feel bad because i didn't even ask you you may have had this like planned like release and i just ruined it by just dropping it oh congrats by the way and you're like oh great now i gotta now i gotta plug it so my i already did the twitter thing i already did the self-promotion twitter thing we did a video where i like had a little banner show up near my head like i mean i'm just I'm just, I'm just that guy. So if any of you should be,

if there's any fans of the show, the critic, if you've ever seen that, there's a scene where he just says like, buy my book, buy my book. But that's me now, essentially for months. So everybody can get used to it. But anyway, Ryan, thanks again, man. And we will definitely talk again soon.

Yes. Thanks brother.