Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Viking legend Scott Studwell talks about his new book, Bud Grant, Randy Moss and NFL scouting

Episode Date: September 7, 2021

Scott Studwell's new book "Viking For Life" is out now and he joined Matthew Coller to talk about his career in the NFL that spanned four decades. Studwell talks about his decision to write the book, what it was like to play for Bud Grant and Jerry Burns, scouting Randy Moss, how he watches football now that he's retired and even why he used to wear an amazing neckroll. Buy his book here: https://www.triumphbooks.com/viking-for-life-products-9781629378909.php?page_id=30&cid=593221 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to another episode of Purple Insider, Matthew Collar here and a very special guest joining the show, a Vikings legend and author of the new book, Viking for Life, a four decade football love affair, linebacker Scott Studwell. What is up, Scott? How are you? I'm doing great. Thanks. How are you?

I'm doing great. I want you to tell everyone what just happened to you right before we were talking here, because I think it's a great's a great start to our interview. Well, I was delivering some cabinets to my son's house that he purchased and is renovating. And inadvertently, I opened the garage door and he had an alarm set. And the Bloomington police department showed up. And, uh, so I, so anyway, he's, uh, he was leaving now he's coming back. So anyway, so if our, if our conversation gets stopped by the police, then people will know why. But I was

just thinking about how you probably made this officer's day of like going out to a call and discovers that it's Scott Studwell who has set off his son's alarm. So I thought, well, I don't know about that, but actually, as a matter of fact, it's ironic that I was at a first responders coffee and donut giveaway at the Vikings facility this morning. There's some Bloomington fire truck came in and gave me a patch. So I pulled it out of my pocket because it's the exact match to the one on his uniform. Oh, how about that? Yeah, no, that is ironic. So it was a good calling card.

There you go. Well, now that you've got that sorted out, we could talk about your book. And I was going to start out by asking you how retirement is treating you. I remember being there when you announced that you were retiring, and Rick Spielman was very emotional.

I wonder how it's gone for you well you you know i mean the the actual retirement itself has been great um i was ready it was time uh you know unfortunately uh soon after I retired the pandemic hit so you know we've been kind of cooped up like everybody else but it did allow us to spend a lot of time up at our lake place and

so we became we became residents almost up there and and, you know, it was fine. My mom, we lost my mom. She was kind of a long-haul COVID, not survivor anymore, but she got it, and it was a bit of a struggle for her. But she also had congestive heart failure. But you know what?

I mean, it's been good. I would have had a hard time doing what the scouts are doing these days in the current environment. That would have been really hard. So I think it was the right time for me to step away from a work standpoint. But we're kind of getting back into the social part of being able to move around and go places like everybody else is. But, yeah, it's for the most part, you know, being able to spend a lot of time with our kids and our grandkids has been real special. Yeah, I'm very sorry to hear about your mom, Scott.

I was wondering as I was reading your book how someone like you who was on the road so much, you went from NFL player to the scouting life, which is not easy. You're traveling a lot. You're working all the time. And I love how in this book you spend a lot of time laying out what your schedule is like as a scout because I think that football fans don't really know that. And so to go from that type of work ethic constantly for your entire career to you don't have to work today, that had to be quite a transition for you. Well, it was, you know, and, you know, I had, you know, once I stepped down from being a college director and just doing a regional role, you know, a lot of that, you know, the 225 days a night on the road, um,

uh, uh, you know, cut back to maybe a hundred nights on the road or 120 nights on the road. So, I mean, I, I had scaled back some, but, um, you know, it's, it's something that you, you, you kinda, you get in your system and it's something that you kind of, you get in your system and it's hard to get rid of it. And, you know, you're just going and going and going all the time as opposed to, you know, I wake up in the morning

and have a cup of coffee and try and figure out what I'm going to do today. So, you know, which is fine. It's a good problem to have, but I miss the people. I miss the inner workings of the game, but I don't miss the grind. It was taking its toll on me and probably more so emotionally than anything else. And it was time to spend more time with the people that you should love the most,

and I do love the most, and that's my family. And so I'm grateful for that opportunity opportunity and and certainly very appreciative of the Vikings allowing me to stick around for 42 years yeah right they couldn't push you out the door at any point from the 70s all the way to the to the 20 what was it, 2019, 2020? Yep, yep. So, Scott, what inspired you to write the book? Well, to be honest with you, you know, I really, I didn't really have, it wasn't something that I initiated. You know, Jim Bruton, who I've gotten to know, you know, over the years, is a good friend. I don't see him a lot, but I've always respected him. And he's just a very kind, genuine person.

And he approached me about writing this book and, and, um, you know, I, I, I guess, uh, the thing that pushed me over the top as far as doing the book was the fact that I, how much I respected him. And I knew that, that, you know, he was gonna write it in the proper context. And, you know, it was it was a story that that he and I talked about for a lot of time. You know, not every day, but, you know, not a lot in person, although we did do some in person. So it was just something that I felt not necessarily compelled to do, but because of my respect I have for Jim, I went ahead and did it. Yeah, well, I think that Vikings fans who read it will get a ton out of it because of how many people you were around and how long your era spanned here with the Vikings.

I mean, going back to the 70s, I've really enjoyed reading the stories about Bud Grant. And I'd like you to talk about that because it's so interesting the way that you present Bud Grant in a way that I think nobody would know except for the guys who played for him about when you talk about if bud grant gave you a look then you know exactly what's on his mind and i love the story about how you're standing there next to him one day and he starts talking about the migration of butterflies to you then he as a young player he didn't say almost anything to you and then he starts talking about butterflies. So tell me more about what it was like to play for Bud Grant. Well, you know, I mean, it was, well, first of all,

it was certainly an honor, and it was a privilege to be able to play for Bud. You know, and I've said it you know numerous times he was and probably still is had one of the most common sense approaches uh to the game of football that that anybody i ever came in contact with or was around um he wasn't a man of, you know, he did not say a lot. It wasn't, you know, there weren't any pregame rah-rah speeches. He just, you know, when he said something, it would sink in and it would soak in. And it just made so much sense.

And he was, you know, he was, you knew who was in charge, obviously, when Bud was the head coach. And, you know, and he didn't, you know, because he was such a man of few words, he was, when he'd give you that look um you knew that that that you had made a mistake and you knew that you had done something wrong and if he gave it to you too many times you were out the door so right um you know but uh he was you know i i got to know him more as a scout than I did as a player. He's a very intelligent, well-rounded individual. He's got a lot of opinions on a lot of subjects,

but they're all very well thought out. It's like everything else. I mean, he's just, you know, you can't sit and argue with him because you're going to lose. And, you know, it's one of those things that, you know, he doesn't command it, but he deserves all the respect in the world. And, you know, he's a very easy person to approach, at least now, probably more so than, you know, when you're working for him as a player but um you know he's he's got a sense of humor and he's he's um he's just he he's a he's a pleasure to be around well and just to demonstrate some of the nuggets in your book you

mentioned that the players used to wonder because bud's known for his toughness and players not wearing sleeves and things like that if uh he secretly had the hand warmers with him, that that was a conversation. If he had those in his pocket, maybe you don't, you don't think that he did. Well, I, you know what, I don't, I don't know. And even if I did know I wouldn't rat him out, you know, the only guy that would tell you right or wrong, maybe Bud, but my guess is that he wouldn't.

You know, that was just speculation. But, you know, the only one that truly knows is him. Right. And maybe the equipment people, but good luck getting straight. Yeah. I just, I got to chuckle out of that part of it because I could see the players wondering, like, do you think he's got the hand warmers?

Cause he won't let us have the hand warmers. But I don't know if that was a, I don't know if there are a lot of people that knew about that. It just came up in a conversation one day. So whoever was in that conversation kind of ran with it well yeah that that's what i like it throughout the book that if you're a vikings fan or someone like me covering the team there's a lot of little things that you uh wouldn't know on the outside um you know you talked about jerry burns and his personality and i i really liked how you presented him and bud as being so different that, you know, Bud is not a guy who has a lot to say.

And Jerry Burns is the loudest person. And I just I wonder what it was like when he got that job, because obviously Les Steckle was first in line for some reason. And then Jerry Burns takes over after Bud had returned and then they gave it over to Jerry and he had a lot of great success and, uh, does not get the credit that he's deserved when it comes to being an offensive innovator either. You mentioned that Bill Walsh sort of gets the whole, Hey, you were the West coast offense, but Jerry Burns was doing that. Um, when he was a college coach and and was very innovative so what what was it like to play for someone who was as animated as jerry burns well it's it's uh there there were a lot of expletives in this conversation and and he was a very colorful individual and had a just an unbelievable sense of humor and uh you know he

just had that that little aura about him that was you know when he was serious uh you needed to be serious and when he was having fun you could easily have fun and And he was just, you know, he was approaching. He was a very good communicator in spite of the fact that you'd have to blank out a lot of the words that he would use to explain himself, but, you know, it was just a very colorful individual, a great offensive mind, you know, and I just had a lot of world of respect for Bernsie. You know, he was a good friend as well as being a great offensive coordinator and a very good head coach.

And, you know, so, I mean, he's one of those guys that, you know, his name comes up and you just get a smile on your face because the memories are so, you know, so fond and just, he's one of those guys that you just cherish. Yeah. I remember, uh, even, um, talking about his use of the English language, Mike Zimmer said that, um, Jerry would use so much off color language. It would make him blush. And we know that Mike Zimmer is certainly capable of using some color. So now what's fascinating about your career, Scott, is that when you come into the league, you've got Alan Page and Jim Marshall on the team. And when you leave the league,

it's like Chris Dolman and it's Chris Carter is coming on to the Vikings. And it's so interesting. I wonder in those early days, as you're trying to make the team and you're not a high draft pick and you're a special team guy and here's Jim Marshall on the team. I mean, what did you learn from those legends early on? Because you kind of got there at the end of their careers, but we're still able to see how they operated. Well, you know, I mean, they were guys that, that, that once you finally got, you know, I mean, they were guys that once you finally got, you know, once I got to the Vikings, I really didn't, you know, I didn't really follow professional football that much. Especially the Vikings, you know, I'm being, playing, born and raised in Evansville,, and playing at the University of Illinois. You know, the only teams you would potentially watch were the Cardinals and the Bears.

So the Vikings were somewhat of an unknown to me when I got here. But, you know, when you see a guy that's probably, when I got here, Jim was probably in his late 30s. You know, and here's a guy that could just run like a deer and had a great command in the locker room. And everybody looked up to him and everybody respected him. And, you know, he was kind of Bud's go-to guy when Bud needed something done in the locker room. It was Captain Jim that would handle it. You know, and just to see how those guys, you know, most of them were at the tail end of their careers,

so they weren't, you know, they didn't go two days every day. But they lined up on Sunday, and they were ready to go. So it was always fun just to see how they prepared and how they worked and how they showed and how they, you know, how they showed up on Sundays that, you know, it was one of those things that they set the bar very high and, you know, the expectation was there. And if you, if you didn't fulfill it, you know, you probably weren't going to be around very long. Folks, football season is finally here, and it is time to stock up on your Minnesota football gear.

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Super soft, comfortable shirts. You will love it. Yeah, I remember somebody saying, and I forget who this was, that like your culture is sort of a reflection of your best players. And I think that that in that case makes a lot of sense of, of course, combined with the coach and so forth, but to have those guys there, um, is, is probably a great indoctrination into the NFL for a young player. Now I could go through almost every year of your career and just fire names at you because, uh, you played with so many great players, but I wanted to ask you about, uh, 87, it is so close and it is just

so classic Vikings to be so close so many times. I wonder what that was, that experience meant to you and kind of, if you've ever shaken it off, how close you were to the Superbowl. You know, it was, it was obviously for a lot of different reasons. It was a, it was a difficult year from the standpoint of, you know, the strike season, you know, losing three games with the strike players. And, and, you know, we had a, the nucleus of our football team was a very good, we had a very good football team. We had tremendous talent on both sides of the ball. You know, so, you know, we, we, we kinda,

and then we didn't play very well towards the end of the season. And, and quite honestly, I think we almost snuck in the back door to get into the playoffs. And then we went on a run that was magical and difficult because we were basically on the road for about three or three weeks. Right. Because we were, because it was so cold up here and there was snow on the ground. And so we were running off to Phoenix or Arizona and Florida and traveling all over the place.

But we were winning games. You know, everybody kind of, everything just kind of clicked until we got to Washington. And, you know, we were so close there as well that it was certainly heartbreaking. I do remember the time when we were there and we were on the bus and the wives were all there. And my wife, I had, I got a big black eye and I had a cut under my eye. And I told her that I got down and cried in the locker room after the game. And she just smacked me and said well you didn't even cry when

our babies were born so no sympathy from the wife i feel that i feel that none whatsoever so i'm like well okay never mind you know but it was just you know we were so close, you know, we were so close. And, you know, I went to the NFC Championship my rookie season. And, you know, when you get that taste, you know, you think you're going to be there every year. And, you know, it took 10 years to get back. And, you know, after the loss there, you know, you didn't know if you're going to get another chance and um you know so that you know that in itself was was was heartbreaking and it's but it you know it's just it's a game and that's the way things go and and um you know, you absorb it and you move on and you just keep going. But, yeah, that was a heartbreaker for sure.

I don't mean to pour any salt in the wounds, but that's the team that I think wins the Super Bowl if you get there. I mean, of all the teams that have went up to the NFC Championship, considering what Washington did to Denver in the Super Bowl, that's the one where you go, gosh, I think they would have done it. Sorry. Sorry about that. I do, too. But you know what? You never know. So, yeah, no, for sure. And the Vikings always prove to us that you never know in this sport. Now, after your career is over, you go into scouting and one of the things I really enjoy about the book is that you go through position by position of your thoughts on different positions that through

the early years you learned how to scout different positions and to understand sort of the makeup of the different players and even how that relates to different coaches and what they want what what do you what would you like people to understand about how scouting works? Because I feel like this is, even though there's a lot of draft coverage, I feel like it's sort of mysterious in a lot of ways to people on the outside, including someone like myself. Well, you know, I mean, I don't think there's a right or wrong script and how to do it, or, you know, there's,

there's not a, you, you, you can't learn how to do it by reading a book. You can't learn how to do it by, you know, listen to somebody speak about it. It's,

it's, it's, it's a unique position. It helps, I think, to have been around the game, obviously. I think it helps even more to have played the game. But there's a lot of people that are in the business, in the industry, that did not play the game. You know, I mean, we had a gal by the name of Kelly Klein working for us, who is a very talented young lady. And obviously she didn't play football, but she'd been around it all her life.

And she's, you know, she's an athlete herself. And, you know, she just got hired. George Payton went to Denver as a GM and brought her with him. So, you know, I mean, it's so there's a lot of different ways to go about this business. But, you know, I mean, it can be learned, but I think there also has to be a natural instinct to be really good at it or to, and work ethic is extremely important just because of the days, the long days, being on the road, being gone, being away from your family.

You know, there's, I mean, a lot of people that have high-profile jobs, you know, have that kind of work ethic, but it's, you know, you can't, you can't fool your way through the scouting business. You got to do the work. You have to have an opinion. You, you know, you have to back it up. You have to, you know, and you're never going to be right on everybody. And, but it's just, you know, it's it's it's it's a lot of hard work combined with some solid instincts for have are they're great players, they're great athletes, but they don't have that it factor. They don't have what it takes to, whether it's the money or the pressure

or whatever the case may be. But, you know, it's a tough game and it's played by a lot of tough people. And, you know, it's just, I think it's one of those businesses, it's one of the businesses that once you get your foot in the door, you can stay in the league if you just keep your head down and work hard and keep your nose clean and go about your business. Yeah, it's so interesting because there's so many players who have the physical talent,

but I like to say this during training camp that with the draft picks, when the pads come on, you can start to tell who can play because they have to look at Linval Joseph and pads and, and you've never, you've never seen anyone in college like Linval Joseph or Daniel Hunter and how you react to stuff like that sort of tells you pretty early on. I wonder about when you were scouting guys, if you have a guy on either side of this one where you were really sure, like when, when you, you guys drafted them

in your head, you went, that guy's going to make it. And then they did. And maybe one that you didn't expect necessarily to be a great player that turned out to be eventually? Well, you know, yeah, I mean, there's a lot of examples for both sides of that coin. You know, I think, I guess for me, you know, you look at a guy like E.J. Henderson or Chad Greenway or Randy Moss or, you know, guys that you just felt really good about. They all came in the league and transitioned very well. They were all really good players in in the nfl um you know so you know that's when you take players with the first and second round and early picks you know that's the way they should play and then there's also there's always guys that that sometimes you do take with those early picks

that don't pan out and i'm probably not going to name names, but no. And then you look at a guy like an Adam Thielen, you know, who, you know, who's, he's an undrafted free agent. We bring him to a rookie mini camp, ended up signing him. He makes the Ross, you know, he makes a practice squad first year and then he's a special teamer. And then he's and then he's a special teamer, and then he's a pro bowler. So it's just whether or not did we miss something, or was he a late bloomer,

or was this just the right time, the right place. You know, but I think the, you know, what players today need to realize is that, you know, if for some reason you don't make it with, like the Minnesota Vikings, there's 31 other teams that are looking at you. And, you know, so it's important to stay on top of your game, to stay on top of your business. And if you're good enough, they're going to find you. And because there's, you know, they go through every roster

with a fine-tooth comb, you know, just like we do in college with the college scouting staffs. You know, there's always guys who are going to fall through the cracks. And, you know, sometimes you just need to get lucky, quite honestly. do the work and, and Rick Spielman does a great job of managing that whole process and, and identifying the players that, that he thinks are going to be good fits for the Vikings. And, and he, you know,

that's, he, he listens to everybody. He, he understands everybody. Um, but at the end of the day, somebody has got to make that decision.

Right. And that's him. And, you know, there's nobody in that room that questions that when the time comes. Right. What was Randy Moss like to scout? Oh, he was a no-brainer. I mean, he was, you know, I mean, and there's obviously there was, you know, the physical ability was obviously you could turn on, you know,

the great players you could watch about a half of a game and you could write a report already. And the bad players be the same way. It's those guys in between that make plays, don't make plays, have a good week this week, have a bad week next week, have a mediocre week the following week. Those guys that are in the middle of the pack, a lot of times those guys

they go north or they go south. But, you know, that's, I mean, Randy was just a Randy was a game changer. He changed our game when he got into the league. And he was, you know, and there were some obviously obvious issues that he brought with him. But, you know, when you get to know him and you get to and you spend time around him, you know, he's an intelligent guy.

He gets it, you know, and he's managed his career. And, you know, I think in a remarkable way and has done extremely well for himself. And, you know, and his obviously was one of the greatest players to ever play the game yeah and we've realized really in his post career his personality much more than i think outsiders knew him every teammate i've ever talked to said you guys just don't know who he is until now and now you realize when he's on tv like this is a smart guy this is a diligent guy really knows the game and i think that's a part that kind of, uh, came out later, um, from when he was a player because he was very, uh, I guess you would say like closed off to a lot of people. Um, so Scott, I could talk to you all day

about all the players that you've scouted and everything else, but I won't take up all of your time. Um, but I wanted to ask how you watch the games now. Like, do you get out the old neck roll and put it on? Like, I mean, is it, what is it? I mean, how do you watch it when you're not, when you don't have the same sort of, uh, intensity, can you just kind of relax? Yeah. You know, I mean, it's, it's, it's different. Um, you're not as vested as you were and obviously number one as a player uh number two as as a as a scout and now it's you know it's it's it's um it's i guess you're not you're not as wrapped up in it as you used to be. You know, you don't grimace every time they make a mistake. You know, but this was, I mean, I'm back going to the games now, which is really fun and really, you know, something that I missed tremendously. But, you know, you're kind from on the outside looking in now um

so you know you just kind of keep quiet and you you watch and you you know you listen and you you learn and you um you know i just i try not to get too wrapped up in it emotionally just because you know it's just i i that's that was a different time in my life um you know and there's more important things to do about um but you know you obviously you you wish them the best and you want them to win you want them to prosper you want them to succeed you know because there's you know there's a lot riding on this and obviously everybody's looking for that championship but you know it's it's unfortunately for us it's always been next year but it's just you know it's it's it's you're you're hopeful that they have a good enough team that they can get a chance to be in the hunt at the end and um you

know because there's a lot of good people a lot of good friends that that that you know are suffering when that doesn't happen right and and i just you know and you i feel their pain but it's not the same for me right right i i'm sure there's it's a little bit relieving in some ways to not have to live and die with every play um yeah just okay one last question what happened to the neck roll man? Like, did it not do anything? Like, where did it go? Why don't guys wear the neck roll anymore? Well, you know what? It was probably more for decoration than anything else. But, you know, I did have a legitimate bad neck, and I still have a bad neck and it's, it's, you know,

it just, it did help some with some of the, you know, with some of the, the contact, you know, that you, when you lead with your head and you lead with your helmet and, you know, I had nerve problems on both sides and, and that was not fun you know i wouldn't imagine uh you know so there was a i i think it probably worked maybe just a little bit but it was one of those psychological things right that that you know you gotta play with a neck roll on Sunday or you're, you're missing out on something. At least that's what I thought.

I probably wasn't, but you know, that just, it was part of the deal. I just, I remember I used to collect football cards as a kid and I had a Scott Studwell card where you had the coolest neck roll. And I thought like this, this is a linebacker,

ladies and gentlemen. So that doesn't happen anymore but that's that's how it goes uh scott the book viking for life is a super fun read a four decade football love affair triumph books i'm sure people could get it wherever you get your books also uh all of the proceeds from this going to charitable organizations which is really cool of you and thanks so much for all the time, man. I really love this conversation. We could talk for much longer, but you've got to evade police. So we'll wrap it up here. But I know it's seriously, it's been such a fun conversation, Scott. Thanks so much for doing this. My pleasure, man. Hey, listen, call back anytime you want.

Sounds great. Thanks, Scott. Appreciate it. Yep. Take care.