00:00:00
Speaker 1: As the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL. Ticketmaster is the safest and most convenient marketplace to score fully verified Vikings tickets. So get those touchdown celebrations ready and score your tickets today at Ticketmaster.com slash Vikings. Join Paul Allen and Alec Lewis this Friday, October 9th at Buffalo Wild Wings in Savage, the Buffalo Wild Wings in Savage, for Friday football feast presented by Coors Light. Visit vikings.com slash BWW for full schedule and details. Before kickoff, there's one sign that it's game time, and that's when the mountains turn blue. Be sure to get your mountain cold Coors Light at U.S. Bank Stadium. Hey, everybody. Thanks for coming back to another episode of the Vikings tailgate with Chad Daniels and I. This is a really fun one. I know I say that a lot because they're all fun. The great Bryant McKinney joins us to discuss some of the amazing Viking teams he was on, what he's doing off the field nowadays, and just talk about his career in general. We think you're really going to like it. And then stick around. Chad and I preview the The Saints game. As always, give us a like and a rating if you like the show, guys. We really appreciate you being a part of it. Boom!
00:01:20
Speaker 2: I'm hot today.
00:01:21
Speaker 1: Wreck it. Wreck it. That's a bad man.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: Come on, baby.
00:01:25
Speaker 1: Turn me up. Yeah. Touchdown! Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Vikings Tailgate. He's the great Chad Daniels.
00:01:35
Speaker 4: Boop!
00:01:38
Speaker 1: And we have a great guest for you guys today. Joining us shortly will be Bryant McKinney. Talk a little bit about all the famous Viking teams he was on, some of his work on and off the field. It's going to be a fun one. But first, Chatty Daddy, our Minnesota Vikings have won again. They are one of three teams still undefeated. Can I be accused of being too positive, Guy?
00:02:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, you always ask me stuff and then you do it anyway, so just do it.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I'd just like you to be involved in the decision, even if you're not actually involved in the decision.
00:02:14
Speaker 2: Sure, go ahead.
00:02:16
Speaker 1: Having a number one unit in the NFL, right, the defense, number one unit in the league, they are the leagues currently, they are defined by the experts and the metrics as the number one unit in the league. Yep. I think it doesn't look pretty. If you don't have an offense to match with it, that's caught up to it or performing at the level it wants to to this point. But I think we're just so spoiled by offensive football that people are having a hard time understanding the potential and where this team is at. Because if you made me pick between having the number one offense in the league and the number one defense in the league, I'm always choosing defense. There's a lot of numbers and information behind that. And I think with the talent and the staff we have on offense and how it started with a QB injury and a Jefferson injury, I have faith that that's going to catch up. I'm just like, I have all bullishness right now. I know that's annoying, but I am pure bullish. This thing is going to, I feel so much better than I did even before the season started.
00:03:27
Speaker 4: Yeah, let's look at this offense as like an improv group, right? You have a bunch of people that haven't necessarily done improv together, and it might look weird and awkward for a little bit. But eventually, they're going to pick up on each other's cues. They're going to know each other, where they're going, where they're headed. And eventually, you're going to get some of these guys on SNL.
00:03:51
Speaker 1: And Kyler finishing those last two drives, 13 of 14 for 120 yards. And what would have been a touchdown if TJ Hawkinson didn't make the right play. Leave me alone in the comments. The right play. Just a good step in the right direction. I know you were a big Kyler guy before the season started. And I think it's going to take a minute for a coach with a system he loves and a quarterback who's been in the league a long time to figure each other out. And I'm hoping that's the start. And we really start going the right direction here because I think it could get real, real fun.
00:04:30
Speaker 4: I think you're right. It's going to take some time. I'd like to see it right now. I mean, we saw what Atlanta did down in New Orleans. And so it's gettable.
00:04:42
Speaker 2: It's gettable.
00:04:43
Speaker 1: It's gettable. But here's the thing. The only thing I care about being gettable is a win. If you'd have told me, if they get one this weekend, if you'd have told me going into the bye week, this team would be 5-0 with two division wins and the number one defense, probably the best kick returner in the league and the best kicker in the league.
00:05:02
Speaker 4: I'm going to go the best kick returner in the league. I'm just, I can't even allow the probably in this. Price is just, he is a magic man. It is so fun.
00:05:14
Speaker 1: I just haven't seen all the kick returners, so I'm going to agree with you. I'm going to jump on board with that. It's really, really, really fun. As you mentioned, we're headed for another showdown with the Saints. We'll get to the game preview in a minute, but let's get to our guest of the week, larger-than-life player on some of the greatest Vikings teams of the early 2000s. Let's jump into our conversation here with Vikings legend Bryant McKinney. All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are now joined by Super Bowl champion, former Minnesota Viking, former Hurricane, the great Bryant McKinney. Thanks for joining us, Bryant.
00:05:51
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me. You can't forget national champion as well.
00:05:54
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right, pro bowler.
00:05:55
Speaker 2: We forgot a bunch of stuff.
00:05:59
Speaker 1: Well, let's start. I mean, there's a lot of questions here, but let's start with this one because, you know, you played on so many great teams with so many great players and you had such a great career yourself. But I am always curious, for somebody who spent as long as you did in the league and had as many experiences as you did, do you have a welcome to the NFL moment?
00:06:19
Speaker 2: I do.
00:06:20
Speaker 3: There was a play in the Green Bay game. I think I was laid off the ball. I feel like it was Gilbert Brown or somebody like Boovers that messed up. I mean, I feel like it was the only time it was like a reverse pancake. It might have been like my second year, very early in the league. It might have been my first or second year in the league when that happened and we were on the road, we were in Green Bay and I don't know, maybe I wasn't using my peripheral vision. I was late and he fired off and yeah, I ended up backwards.
00:06:49
Speaker 2: I feel like that's probably the only time that ever happened.
00:06:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's not, I can't imagine a lot of, I mean, there's I believe you and Phil Lodeholt were together the two biggest human beings to ever bookend an offensive line yes so there can't be a lot of times in your career where you wound up on that end of stuff especially by a guy the size of Gilbert Brown he was he.
00:07:12
Speaker 3: Was heavy I feel like he was like my height I mean I'm I'm six eight but he was shorter but like he was like my.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: Weight or so like Yeah, he was like Jerry Ball. He's one of those back in the day where William Refrigerator Perry type guys.
00:07:27
Speaker 4: When you were on the other end of things, did you have a go-to smack talk? Like, was there anything that you loved to say in particular, like a catchphrase or anything?
00:07:36
Speaker 3: I didn't really talk that much because you had guys like Anthony Herrera. When you play, he talks so much, like, you know what I mean? A lot of guys didn't really, like, say anything to me, so I didn't say anything. I kind of just tried to stay more focused. I mean, God would try to think, I feel like God was trying to distract me and say things like, Oh, I remember when I seen you in Miami at Whit Willies, like just say like random stuff. Like, I don't know, try to write in the mood or something, but I would just try to block it out. So I didn't really talk much.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Yeah. It's interesting how that works with Anthony Herrera. Cause I remember talking to Kevin Williams and he would say with Jared and Pat on the O-line, I could just do my job. They were going to take care of all that nonstop. So it's, When you have somebody like Herrera, it's probably easy to focus because you know you have a maniac near you going crazy.
00:08:20
Speaker 2: He's arguing with everybody.
00:08:22
Speaker 3: Even if it's somebody way over here in my position, he's saying something. I'm going to tell you a funny argument was between him and Warren Sapp, though, because Warren Sapp kind of got the best of that argument one year when we played against him.
00:08:36
Speaker 2: But it was just funny to hear them go back and forth.
00:08:38
Speaker 1: Your career spanned kind of this golden era of a lot of Hall of Famers right you even mentioning Warren Sapp you're on the end of Warren Sapp against him you know you played against Brett Favre then Favre comes here you're here for the the end of Randy but then also the beginning of AP you know what was was there any of those guys that kind of stuck out for you as a kid who grew up playing football when you first saw him you went man this is magic to watch oh well.
00:09:06
Speaker 3: Definitely Brett Favre and Randy Moss um Brett Favre my mom was a big My mom was a big Brett Favre fan. I grew up in South Jersey, so we were a Reggie White fan. I was a Reggie White fan growing up with the Eagles. For some reason, my mom liked Brett Favre a lot, too. So I grew up watching him, too. And then Randy Moss. By the time I got to college and everything like that, Randy Moss was making a big name and everything. So having the opportunity to be a teammate with him, too, was actually a good experience. And then Adrian Peterson, I just got the chance to watch him develop from coming in from college. And then watching Eric being to be like really like kind of coach him and teaching the importance of not only being a runner ball well, but knowing the pass projection and who to pick up and things like that to help, you know, save the quarterback and O-line and stuff. So I watched that development happen and I watched them take over that position.
00:09:58
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:09:58
Speaker 4: You, you talk about protecting the quarterback in college, obviously you're in the college football hall of fame. You did not give up one sack your entire college career.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: That's wild.
00:10:09
Speaker 4: So when it, When you saw the college career winding down, was it you starting to feel more pressure, starting to feel like I absolutely am not gonna let anybody buy me?
00:10:18
Speaker 3: The thing about that was I didn't have any person until my senior year, because I never thought about it, never really came up until going into my senior year, and it became like a thing. I'm like, oh gosh, I never even realized it. I just didn't think about it. But then going into my senior year, the media kind of picked up on it, and then like, there were teams that we were playing, like Florida State one year, And we were blowing him out, but the guy had got a good start, a good jump off the edge.
00:10:44
Speaker 2: And he got close, but I was able to push him by.
00:10:46
Speaker 3: And their sideline, like, it was like an uproar on their sideline.
00:10:50
Speaker 2: I'm like, what? And they were, like, pointing at you. They don't get you today. I'm like, oh, I got to really.
00:10:56
Speaker 3: Like, focus in, you know, because not only am I playing a game with my teammates, it's a whole other battle within, you know, the person who's trying.
00:11:07
Speaker 2: To get a sack.
00:11:07
Speaker 4: So.
00:11:08
Speaker 2: That game right there let me know, like, oh, I have to really lock in.
00:11:12
Speaker 3: Because even if they don't win, they still want to get a small victory on being able to get a sack on me. So, yeah, my senior year became a little pressure. And then you had Dwight Freeney, who the year before, when I was at Syracuse, I didn't play against him because I think he was injured. So then now it's like he's the sack master.
00:11:26
Speaker 2: They had all these articles about him.
00:11:27
Speaker 3: And we both were seniors, so we had to, you know, have a head-to-head collision during that season, too.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: So that was, like, a lot of pressure, too.
00:11:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, because you were, I mean, University of Miami, you're not going up against chumps. Right. This is like the real deal. So that's insane.
00:11:44
Speaker 2: It was a good battle.
00:11:45
Speaker 1: I'm super competitive and also exhausting to people I'm competing with, as Chad knows. So, like, I always find it fascinating the things that I would really attach myself to in the achievements. Like, you've got this great resume, but the one that's so interesting, like, you finished 8th. in the Heisman voting. I mean, I think there's only eight guys in modern college football history who finished in the top 10 of Heisman voting. Like, I mean, you win a Super Bowl, you win a national championship, all pro, pro ball, all this stuff. But am I weird to think that that's like maybe the coolest notch on the belt, that you're an old lineman who got Heisman votes?
00:12:25
Speaker 3: As I look back at it, I definitely realize like how much of a statement that was for me in college. Because when they first, they told me afterwards, after the ceremony and everything, they were like, oh, you know, you finished A's.
00:12:38
Speaker 2: And I'm like, okay, what's that? I got a page in Omaha. Like, okay, what does that mean? Like, I didn't win.
00:12:45
Speaker 3: Like, I had no clue. But then later on, I'm fine. I was like, wait, that's a big deal. I'm an offensive lineman who, you know, we're getting first place votes and things like that, too. So I definitely appreciate it. The more I got away, like, in the moment, I forgot what was going on somewhere, where, like, one of my media guys, he mentioned it to me, and I was kind of like, okay, like, And I just kept going about my day. And then as I thought about it, like later on, I was like, wow, this is actually a big thing.
00:13:08
Speaker 1: It's a really, I mean, it's also a good thing you didn't know beforehand. Like as it would like, because how funny would it be to be an O-lineman who pancakes someone and then strikes the Heisman? You don't see that.
00:13:24
Speaker 2: That would have been creative though.
00:13:25
Speaker 3: That would have been funny.
00:13:28
Speaker 2: Probably would have got me a flag though.
00:13:31
Speaker 1: I think so.
00:13:33
Speaker 4: This is a football podcast, obviously, but I'm going to switch gears to the philanthropic side of things. You have the B Major Foundation that helps men with mental health. And then you're also a partner with another organization that helps build schools and clean water wells in Africa. What got you into those two things?
00:13:55
Speaker 3: It was a company, a group called Pros for Africa, who brought a bunch of us over there. Adrian Peterson was on a trip actually with me as well. We went over there, I feel like for like 12 to 15 days to Uganda and Rwanda, but we did like a lot of the mission work in Uganda. And I just really like enjoyed it. And then the company up in based in Minnesota called Starkey, they did the hearing aids. So we did the hearing aids and everything. We did the, you know, passed out food, gave them like filter straws. We just like a lot of things over there. So it was a great experience. And it kind of made you realize like to be more grateful for the things that you have, because a lot of people that are less fortunate and, still happy and still like thriving and living life. And I feel like we take a lot of things for granted here. So that kind of opened up my eyes. And then the mental health awareness piece, I added that on at the end of my career because when I was transitioning from football to life after, there was a few guys that was around the same time as me that was retiring and they were having like trouble transitioning. And I realized like, oh, mental health was real. And then they was getting arrested and one got Baker Act and they felt more comfortable talking to me because, you know, we've been in the same shoes and same thing than their family. So I had to learn, like, how to, you know, go through the NFL, NFLPA, to figure out how to get them help.
00:15:07
Speaker 2: And I knew they would go send them away to, like, Jacksonville. There's another location, I believe, in Michigan.
00:15:12
Speaker 3: And they would go there away for, like, 30 days to help them get treatment to, like, you know, recover for some of these things. But I then wanted to add that onto my mission statement because I realized how important mental health was. And then kind of knowing signs and learning signs to win a check on people and just sometimes just, you don't have to see silence. Sometimes just check on people, see how they're doing because some people are suffering silence and I learned that as well. So you always just want to check on people, see what their mental is.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think it's one of the interesting imprints of your generation. And, you know, we're all kind of in the same age range here, our generation of humans, but especially the athletes, your generation of athletes, you think even across other sports, Kevin Love and other, like, are the first ones to go like, hey, hey, hey, hey, you can, it's okay. This is a thing. And I think, you know, 20, 30 years from now, as much as the on-the-field achievements were a big deal, I think that's going to be a hallmark of the people that played in your era of professional sports.
00:16:10
Speaker 2: It definitely is.
00:16:10
Speaker 3: I think Brandon Marshall was one of the first players during my era who I heard speak on mental health. And from there, then I just started seeing just, you know, different things come about. And then I just, I felt like I needed to take part and, and help kind of educate people. So I do, I do an event here every May where I have a panel of former athletes and entertainers and therapists.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: And we, we get up there and we, we talk about it and we give.
00:16:36
Speaker 3: Them like information on, you know, how to, what to look out for, who to reach out to, things like that. And then I've been up to Minnesota a few times. And they brought me up to speak to the players. I feel like two or three years now. So I've done that as well. And I always appreciate the Vikings because they've always been a big, And they're always like, I'll be a sponsor and, you know, help me with this whole mental health awareness event.
00:16:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, they do a really, really good job with that. Let me shift back towards the field with a question because, you know, one of the guys that you blocked for, Percy Harvin, I think about a lot now because can you imagine with the way these offenses have changed? And you, the Debo Samuels of the world, and even what Patterson did at the end of his career with Atlanta, you know, I think there's a chance I get a little dramatic, but I think there's a chance Percy's one of the most talented people to ever step foot on a football field ever. Imagine him in this day and age. What was it like when you guys saw him come into camp and you started blocking for him and you realize like, what is this interesting athlete that does all these things way before his time?
00:17:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he was, like you said, a little bit before his time. But very exciting to watch. So to have him and AP on the same team was very exciting because you had by air and by land, you know what I mean? And you also had Sidney Rice to accompany Percy, too. So I just feel like we had a great combination of guys on, you know, receiver and running back.
00:18:08
Speaker 2: And I feel like he was a spectacular player.
00:18:11
Speaker 1: Do you think about that 0-9 team? I mean, because obviously you won a Super Bowl, which had to have taken... You know, I assume you strive your whole career and got so close in 09. And so when you and Burke won one with the Ravens, that had to have, you know, I don't know that relief is the right word. It was probably joy, but have or have not gone through it. What does that 09 team mean to you as you look back on it?
00:18:31
Speaker 3: The 09 team means a lot to me because I really feel like that was the most talented team that season in the NFL. However, we just fell short because we had like five turnovers and still only lost by, you know, a field goal, which, you know, later on they changed that sudden death a year after.
00:18:48
Speaker 2: So, you know, now both teams are able to get possession. So it could have been a little different.
00:18:52
Speaker 3: It was a lot of things that kind of went into the game that kind of like crushed me because then it was like Super Bowl was in Miami. I already had an opportunity to come back to Miami and play in Miami, things like that. I feel like that was the most complete team I played on, you know, thus far, especially as a Viking. That was the best record I had playing with the Vikings being 12 and four in the regular season. So I just felt like it was a lot of positive things that happened that season. Still, to me, one of the greatest seasons I've had in my whole NFL career.
00:19:22
Speaker 4: Do you have a favorite, and I'm going to start asking this of everybody, do you have a favorite off the field story, like a prank in the locker room?
00:19:32
Speaker 3: People would do things like, you know, it gets so cold in Minnesota, people would take people's jeans and I put them like in a hot tub and then I hang them outside. And they'll be like, brick hard by the time you get out of meetings and things like that. They were doing some things. Somebody took somebody's tires off their car before. I feel like the D lineman did that before. I took somebody's tires off the car. I want to say like Pat Williams or Brian Robeson, somebody in that crew, they did that to each other. They played some pretty, nobody really bothered me too much, but they played some pretty good tricks on each other.
00:20:09
Speaker 1: Nobody bothered the six-foot, eight-and-a-half left tackle. They didn't think that was a good idea.
00:20:14
Speaker 2: I think they were smart.
00:20:17
Speaker 1: Well, let's close it out. Let's jump from the past up to the future. Teams 4-0. It's funny. I'd love your football perspective on this because I think there's a lot of angst in the fan base because it's not pretty right now. The offense isn't scoring a lot. But when you have a number one unit, You know, number one unit in the whole league with the defense and the special teams is great. They're winning games. You know, what do you think of the team's 4-0 start? And what are you feeling about the game on Sunday?
00:20:47
Speaker 3: I love the game. The team's 4-0 start. A lot of people are. I mean, if you looked at the beginning of the season, they had the Vikings at the bottom of the NFC North. And they went on to beat two division opponents already. So I like the start. Just keep everything going. And I just feel like the offense, you know, the offense takes longer to gel and get together and then, you know, make sure, you know, as long as the offensive line stays healthy too, I feel like that's a big part too. Because last season, there was a lot of people interchanging in and out. But then when the O-line all came back together as one, the last five games, they won the last five games. So I feel like a good team is always going to find a way to win, even though it may not look pretty. But just keep that mindset and just go out there and just play at a level that your opponent is unwilling or unable to match.
00:21:29
Speaker 1: Well, we really appreciate the time, Brian. And, uh, thank you. And we'll put a link to the charity in the, uh, in the description so people can check out some of your philanthropic stuff. And we really appreciate you spending time with us, man.
00:21:42
Speaker 2: Oh, well, thank you for having me. Yeah. Thanks, Brian.
00:21:45
Speaker 1: That was so fun. Uh, this is, I think we keep getting access to players that played on teams when we were still young guys. And, you know, like when sports are so magical as you're growing, like, That was a really fun one to hear him talk about AP and Favre and Percy Harvin. That was a really, really fun one.
00:22:07
Speaker 4: The fact that I'm given access to this is incredible. Somebody has not done their job in the background check arena.
00:22:13
Speaker 1: It's crazy. It's crazy that we've been able to get through five weeks of this show without doing something that gets our privileges revoked.
00:22:23
Speaker 2: I'm into it.
00:22:23
Speaker 4: Let's keep it up.
00:22:25
Speaker 1: So, I mean, hey, let's keep the streak going.
00:22:27
Speaker 4: It's probably because of my predictions, most likely.
00:22:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, yes. I think that's the way you would view it.
00:22:35
Speaker 4: Although Isaiah Rogers did not get a pick, which was my prediction, he did take a pick with my mom, who was there for the crucial catch game.
00:22:44
Speaker 1: Oh, so maybe the universe just didn't understand your prediction.
00:22:48
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I am going to tell you something about Rodgers. I don't know, and I've been to a bunch of games in different spots. I don't know there is a better pregame ritual than Rodgers going down the end zone and playing catch with kids in the crowd. It's just unbelievable. He gets everybody jacked up. It's so fun to watch. It makes you want to be there, and it puts you in such a good mood.
00:23:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great. That is really, really, really, really great. Imagine that story that all those kids have for as long as they have it.
00:23:25
Speaker 4: That's what I'm saying. I mean, you've got a Viking fan for the rest of your life at this point. That's not even why he's doing it.
00:23:33
Speaker 1: Well, those Vikings, 4-0. They're going to be taking on the Saints, 1-3 this season. They're coming off a 45-24 loss to Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons, who ran for 205 yards and five touchdowns behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson. Bijan is so good, but it does feel like, I think everybody, you kind of mentioned this, everybody wants a get-right game. I just need the nudge forwards. Like, what you started to see in that fourth quarter, I want to see that a little bit more. Like, I don't need to, especially with, you know, Donovan Jackson hurt now. We don't know what Dara Saw's situation is. We still don't totally know what Jefferson's situation is for the weekend. Get out there, run the ball, look more comfortable throughout the whole game. I just need a nudge for it. I don't need this idea of a get right, show me who you are offensive game.
00:24:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, just give me a little something.
00:24:34
Speaker 2: Give me that.
00:24:35
Speaker 4: Give me that bomb to Addison, right? I mean, just a little tip of the cap, a little wave like you made a 40-foot putt up to the crowd.
00:24:44
Speaker 1: A little bit of magic. Just give me a little bit of magic. I did like in that fourth quarter last week how quickly the ball was coming out. There was one play where Kyler dropped back, fake pumped right, and then dropped it off to Aaron Jones on the left, and he went up like, It felt like in that second half and in the fourth quarter, they were getting the ball in their playmakers hands a little quicker and they were doing damage. Would love to see a little more of that. Can I tell you my worry? This is a fan podcast. Can I tell you my worry?
00:25:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, but before you do, I brought up that exact same play at the game, the pump and then the drop off. I mean, I was like, oh, that pump was perfect. He got everybody moving in the other direction.
00:25:28
Speaker 1: I mean, it was it really was great. I'm very much on board with that. Let me tell you something. I'm both proud of our fan base and worried. The support that this fan base and the confidence this fan base has in Will Reichardt. For a fan base that has gone through what we've gone through with kickers. I know, I know. But doesn't it almost trigger you a little bit where you're like, hey, stop it. He's automatic. He's the best. He'll never... The way people talk about him is as if... we don't have a history with kickers and I'm so proud of our fan base for that. And I can't tell if it's young people who are driving it, but I, I'm impressed by it. And every time somebody talks that way, I get almost sick to my stomach because I start worrying.
00:26:23
Speaker 4: Sure. Yeah. I mean, that's right. You, I mean, the last time we talked about this, there's two guys that come to mind. You have, uh, obviously Anderson and then, uh, Fuad Ravez, Fuadomatic, right? We had an outstanding kicker, but now you have this guy who just like, he goes out there and everybody, during a field goal, people are leaving. They go, oh, okay, we can go get another beer because we don't even have to watch this. It is very, it is very fun and very relaxing. The defense comes on the field, same thing. Oh, there's a penalty. Oh man, this is, this is how it starts, but no one's saying that it's just like, okay, penalty, no problem. They'll just stop them on this, on this one. So, um, it is, uh, there's a confidence here. And again, it might be young people that ha that don't remember or weren't around. And I'm going to tell you something. Normally, I'm not crazy about the youth leading, but let's let them on this.
00:27:20
Speaker 1: Let them lead, baby. Let them lead. With Will specifically, he's just so good and so calm. And I was trying to think of the last time I felt this confident in a kicker. And I remember when we lost, speaking of the Saints, when we lost the NFC Championship game to the Saints, when Favre dumped that pass to Sidney Rice and he got it up over the 50-yard line, at some point after that, before the 12-minute huddle, before the interception, at some point they cut to Ryan Longwell, Ryan Longwell on the sideline, and you just looked at him and I was like, oh, he's going to make it. He was just sitting there with kind of like a calm grin on his face, like, oh, he's going to drill this. And we never got the chance. But I haven't felt that way about a guy since. And it's really, really fun to feel that way.
00:28:20
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, you remember the Seahawks game where AP runs it up to... I can't remember exactly where you are, but everybody's chanting, it's too close! Because everybody's worried about the angle. And then you have the opening game where Carlson, unfortunately, didn't make that one.
00:28:38
Speaker 2: But now you go....
00:28:41
Speaker 4: Those things are no longer at the forefront. They're no longer the opening line in the conversation. Now what it is, is the streak or the, you know, the controversial miss or all these things. I just think everybody, he's got a swagger to him. There's no question. And he just, you look at him and you go, yep, all right, good. Let him kick it from 65.
00:29:08
Speaker 1: And that's what ultimately will worry me at some point is everything you just said. Let's do predictions. Let's close the show. What do you got for a prediction this week?
00:29:19
Speaker 4: Well, I'm going to bring it back to our kicker, Will Reichert. I'm going to say that he is going to kick at least two extra points this week.
00:29:30
Speaker 1: Oh, fun prediction from the Chad. I once again will be abstaining because last week I abstained and Even though it was ugly, we won. And I have OCD, which is, you know, built upon a long history of superstition. And so we're just going to we're going to keep doing that. I'm going to abstain again.
00:29:52
Speaker 4: Ever since I've known you, you've been a jinx. So this is a great move.
00:29:56
Speaker 1: I don't know that that's accurate or nice to say about a person. It's a great move. Not accurate or nice. Thanks again to Bryant McKinney for joining the show.
00:30:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was great.
00:30:07
Speaker 1: So fun. Chatty, thank you for being here. I like doing these with you. Hey, and if you want to listen to larger versions of these conversations, make sure to check out our Vikings Tailgate podcast feed on your favorite podcast app. Leave us a good review and a comment. It helps us out. Finally, a huge shout-out to Ticketmaster, the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings, for helping make this show happen. Enjoy the game, everybody.
Speaker 1: As the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL. Ticketmaster is the safest and most convenient marketplace to score fully verified Vikings tickets. So get those touchdown celebrations ready and score your tickets today at Ticketmaster.com slash Vikings. Join Paul Allen and Alec Lewis this Friday, October 9th at Buffalo Wild Wings in Savage, the Buffalo Wild Wings in Savage, for Friday football feast presented by Coors Light. Visit vikings.com slash BWW for full schedule and details. Before kickoff, there's one sign that it's game time, and that's when the mountains turn blue. Be sure to get your mountain cold Coors Light at U.S. Bank Stadium. Hey, everybody. Thanks for coming back to another episode of the Vikings tailgate with Chad Daniels and I. This is a really fun one. I know I say that a lot because they're all fun. The great Bryant McKinney joins us to discuss some of the amazing Viking teams he was on, what he's doing off the field nowadays, and just talk about his career in general. We think you're really going to like it. And then stick around. Chad and I preview the The Saints game. As always, give us a like and a rating if you like the show, guys. We really appreciate you being a part of it. Boom!
00:01:20
Speaker 2: I'm hot today.
00:01:21
Speaker 1: Wreck it. Wreck it. That's a bad man.
00:01:23
Speaker 3: Come on, baby.
00:01:25
Speaker 1: Turn me up. Yeah. Touchdown! Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Vikings Tailgate. He's the great Chad Daniels.
00:01:35
Speaker 4: Boop!
00:01:38
Speaker 1: And we have a great guest for you guys today. Joining us shortly will be Bryant McKinney. Talk a little bit about all the famous Viking teams he was on, some of his work on and off the field. It's going to be a fun one. But first, Chatty Daddy, our Minnesota Vikings have won again. They are one of three teams still undefeated. Can I be accused of being too positive, Guy?
00:02:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, you always ask me stuff and then you do it anyway, so just do it.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I'd just like you to be involved in the decision, even if you're not actually involved in the decision.
00:02:14
Speaker 2: Sure, go ahead.
00:02:16
Speaker 1: Having a number one unit in the NFL, right, the defense, number one unit in the league, they are the leagues currently, they are defined by the experts and the metrics as the number one unit in the league. Yep. I think it doesn't look pretty. If you don't have an offense to match with it, that's caught up to it or performing at the level it wants to to this point. But I think we're just so spoiled by offensive football that people are having a hard time understanding the potential and where this team is at. Because if you made me pick between having the number one offense in the league and the number one defense in the league, I'm always choosing defense. There's a lot of numbers and information behind that. And I think with the talent and the staff we have on offense and how it started with a QB injury and a Jefferson injury, I have faith that that's going to catch up. I'm just like, I have all bullishness right now. I know that's annoying, but I am pure bullish. This thing is going to, I feel so much better than I did even before the season started.
00:03:27
Speaker 4: Yeah, let's look at this offense as like an improv group, right? You have a bunch of people that haven't necessarily done improv together, and it might look weird and awkward for a little bit. But eventually, they're going to pick up on each other's cues. They're going to know each other, where they're going, where they're headed. And eventually, you're going to get some of these guys on SNL.
00:03:51
Speaker 1: And Kyler finishing those last two drives, 13 of 14 for 120 yards. And what would have been a touchdown if TJ Hawkinson didn't make the right play. Leave me alone in the comments. The right play. Just a good step in the right direction. I know you were a big Kyler guy before the season started. And I think it's going to take a minute for a coach with a system he loves and a quarterback who's been in the league a long time to figure each other out. And I'm hoping that's the start. And we really start going the right direction here because I think it could get real, real fun.
00:04:30
Speaker 4: I think you're right. It's going to take some time. I'd like to see it right now. I mean, we saw what Atlanta did down in New Orleans. And so it's gettable.
00:04:42
Speaker 2: It's gettable.
00:04:43
Speaker 1: It's gettable. But here's the thing. The only thing I care about being gettable is a win. If you'd have told me, if they get one this weekend, if you'd have told me going into the bye week, this team would be 5-0 with two division wins and the number one defense, probably the best kick returner in the league and the best kicker in the league.
00:05:02
Speaker 4: I'm going to go the best kick returner in the league. I'm just, I can't even allow the probably in this. Price is just, he is a magic man. It is so fun.
00:05:14
Speaker 1: I just haven't seen all the kick returners, so I'm going to agree with you. I'm going to jump on board with that. It's really, really, really fun. As you mentioned, we're headed for another showdown with the Saints. We'll get to the game preview in a minute, but let's get to our guest of the week, larger-than-life player on some of the greatest Vikings teams of the early 2000s. Let's jump into our conversation here with Vikings legend Bryant McKinney. All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are now joined by Super Bowl champion, former Minnesota Viking, former Hurricane, the great Bryant McKinney. Thanks for joining us, Bryant.
00:05:51
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me. You can't forget national champion as well.
00:05:54
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right, pro bowler.
00:05:55
Speaker 2: We forgot a bunch of stuff.
00:05:59
Speaker 1: Well, let's start. I mean, there's a lot of questions here, but let's start with this one because, you know, you played on so many great teams with so many great players and you had such a great career yourself. But I am always curious, for somebody who spent as long as you did in the league and had as many experiences as you did, do you have a welcome to the NFL moment?
00:06:19
Speaker 2: I do.
00:06:20
Speaker 3: There was a play in the Green Bay game. I think I was laid off the ball. I feel like it was Gilbert Brown or somebody like Boovers that messed up. I mean, I feel like it was the only time it was like a reverse pancake. It might have been like my second year, very early in the league. It might have been my first or second year in the league when that happened and we were on the road, we were in Green Bay and I don't know, maybe I wasn't using my peripheral vision. I was late and he fired off and yeah, I ended up backwards.
00:06:49
Speaker 2: I feel like that's probably the only time that ever happened.
00:06:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's not, I can't imagine a lot of, I mean, there's I believe you and Phil Lodeholt were together the two biggest human beings to ever bookend an offensive line yes so there can't be a lot of times in your career where you wound up on that end of stuff especially by a guy the size of Gilbert Brown he was he.
00:07:12
Speaker 3: Was heavy I feel like he was like my height I mean I'm I'm six eight but he was shorter but like he was like my.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: Weight or so like Yeah, he was like Jerry Ball. He's one of those back in the day where William Refrigerator Perry type guys.
00:07:27
Speaker 4: When you were on the other end of things, did you have a go-to smack talk? Like, was there anything that you loved to say in particular, like a catchphrase or anything?
00:07:36
Speaker 3: I didn't really talk that much because you had guys like Anthony Herrera. When you play, he talks so much, like, you know what I mean? A lot of guys didn't really, like, say anything to me, so I didn't say anything. I kind of just tried to stay more focused. I mean, God would try to think, I feel like God was trying to distract me and say things like, Oh, I remember when I seen you in Miami at Whit Willies, like just say like random stuff. Like, I don't know, try to write in the mood or something, but I would just try to block it out. So I didn't really talk much.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Yeah. It's interesting how that works with Anthony Herrera. Cause I remember talking to Kevin Williams and he would say with Jared and Pat on the O-line, I could just do my job. They were going to take care of all that nonstop. So it's, When you have somebody like Herrera, it's probably easy to focus because you know you have a maniac near you going crazy.
00:08:20
Speaker 2: He's arguing with everybody.
00:08:22
Speaker 3: Even if it's somebody way over here in my position, he's saying something. I'm going to tell you a funny argument was between him and Warren Sapp, though, because Warren Sapp kind of got the best of that argument one year when we played against him.
00:08:36
Speaker 2: But it was just funny to hear them go back and forth.
00:08:38
Speaker 1: Your career spanned kind of this golden era of a lot of Hall of Famers right you even mentioning Warren Sapp you're on the end of Warren Sapp against him you know you played against Brett Favre then Favre comes here you're here for the the end of Randy but then also the beginning of AP you know what was was there any of those guys that kind of stuck out for you as a kid who grew up playing football when you first saw him you went man this is magic to watch oh well.
00:09:06
Speaker 3: Definitely Brett Favre and Randy Moss um Brett Favre my mom was a big My mom was a big Brett Favre fan. I grew up in South Jersey, so we were a Reggie White fan. I was a Reggie White fan growing up with the Eagles. For some reason, my mom liked Brett Favre a lot, too. So I grew up watching him, too. And then Randy Moss. By the time I got to college and everything like that, Randy Moss was making a big name and everything. So having the opportunity to be a teammate with him, too, was actually a good experience. And then Adrian Peterson, I just got the chance to watch him develop from coming in from college. And then watching Eric being to be like really like kind of coach him and teaching the importance of not only being a runner ball well, but knowing the pass projection and who to pick up and things like that to help, you know, save the quarterback and O-line and stuff. So I watched that development happen and I watched them take over that position.
00:09:58
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:09:58
Speaker 4: You, you talk about protecting the quarterback in college, obviously you're in the college football hall of fame. You did not give up one sack your entire college career.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: That's wild.
00:10:09
Speaker 4: So when it, When you saw the college career winding down, was it you starting to feel more pressure, starting to feel like I absolutely am not gonna let anybody buy me?
00:10:18
Speaker 3: The thing about that was I didn't have any person until my senior year, because I never thought about it, never really came up until going into my senior year, and it became like a thing. I'm like, oh gosh, I never even realized it. I just didn't think about it. But then going into my senior year, the media kind of picked up on it, and then like, there were teams that we were playing, like Florida State one year, And we were blowing him out, but the guy had got a good start, a good jump off the edge.
00:10:44
Speaker 2: And he got close, but I was able to push him by.
00:10:46
Speaker 3: And their sideline, like, it was like an uproar on their sideline.
00:10:50
Speaker 2: I'm like, what? And they were, like, pointing at you. They don't get you today. I'm like, oh, I got to really.
00:10:56
Speaker 3: Like, focus in, you know, because not only am I playing a game with my teammates, it's a whole other battle within, you know, the person who's trying.
00:11:07
Speaker 2: To get a sack.
00:11:07
Speaker 4: So.
00:11:08
Speaker 2: That game right there let me know, like, oh, I have to really lock in.
00:11:12
Speaker 3: Because even if they don't win, they still want to get a small victory on being able to get a sack on me. So, yeah, my senior year became a little pressure. And then you had Dwight Freeney, who the year before, when I was at Syracuse, I didn't play against him because I think he was injured. So then now it's like he's the sack master.
00:11:26
Speaker 2: They had all these articles about him.
00:11:27
Speaker 3: And we both were seniors, so we had to, you know, have a head-to-head collision during that season, too.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: So that was, like, a lot of pressure, too.
00:11:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, because you were, I mean, University of Miami, you're not going up against chumps. Right. This is like the real deal. So that's insane.
00:11:44
Speaker 2: It was a good battle.
00:11:45
Speaker 1: I'm super competitive and also exhausting to people I'm competing with, as Chad knows. So, like, I always find it fascinating the things that I would really attach myself to in the achievements. Like, you've got this great resume, but the one that's so interesting, like, you finished 8th. in the Heisman voting. I mean, I think there's only eight guys in modern college football history who finished in the top 10 of Heisman voting. Like, I mean, you win a Super Bowl, you win a national championship, all pro, pro ball, all this stuff. But am I weird to think that that's like maybe the coolest notch on the belt, that you're an old lineman who got Heisman votes?
00:12:25
Speaker 3: As I look back at it, I definitely realize like how much of a statement that was for me in college. Because when they first, they told me afterwards, after the ceremony and everything, they were like, oh, you know, you finished A's.
00:12:38
Speaker 2: And I'm like, okay, what's that? I got a page in Omaha. Like, okay, what does that mean? Like, I didn't win.
00:12:45
Speaker 3: Like, I had no clue. But then later on, I'm fine. I was like, wait, that's a big deal. I'm an offensive lineman who, you know, we're getting first place votes and things like that, too. So I definitely appreciate it. The more I got away, like, in the moment, I forgot what was going on somewhere, where, like, one of my media guys, he mentioned it to me, and I was kind of like, okay, like, And I just kept going about my day. And then as I thought about it, like later on, I was like, wow, this is actually a big thing.
00:13:08
Speaker 1: It's a really, I mean, it's also a good thing you didn't know beforehand. Like as it would like, because how funny would it be to be an O-lineman who pancakes someone and then strikes the Heisman? You don't see that.
00:13:24
Speaker 2: That would have been creative though.
00:13:25
Speaker 3: That would have been funny.
00:13:28
Speaker 2: Probably would have got me a flag though.
00:13:31
Speaker 1: I think so.
00:13:33
Speaker 4: This is a football podcast, obviously, but I'm going to switch gears to the philanthropic side of things. You have the B Major Foundation that helps men with mental health. And then you're also a partner with another organization that helps build schools and clean water wells in Africa. What got you into those two things?
00:13:55
Speaker 3: It was a company, a group called Pros for Africa, who brought a bunch of us over there. Adrian Peterson was on a trip actually with me as well. We went over there, I feel like for like 12 to 15 days to Uganda and Rwanda, but we did like a lot of the mission work in Uganda. And I just really like enjoyed it. And then the company up in based in Minnesota called Starkey, they did the hearing aids. So we did the hearing aids and everything. We did the, you know, passed out food, gave them like filter straws. We just like a lot of things over there. So it was a great experience. And it kind of made you realize like to be more grateful for the things that you have, because a lot of people that are less fortunate and, still happy and still like thriving and living life. And I feel like we take a lot of things for granted here. So that kind of opened up my eyes. And then the mental health awareness piece, I added that on at the end of my career because when I was transitioning from football to life after, there was a few guys that was around the same time as me that was retiring and they were having like trouble transitioning. And I realized like, oh, mental health was real. And then they was getting arrested and one got Baker Act and they felt more comfortable talking to me because, you know, we've been in the same shoes and same thing than their family. So I had to learn, like, how to, you know, go through the NFL, NFLPA, to figure out how to get them help.
00:15:07
Speaker 2: And I knew they would go send them away to, like, Jacksonville. There's another location, I believe, in Michigan.
00:15:12
Speaker 3: And they would go there away for, like, 30 days to help them get treatment to, like, you know, recover for some of these things. But I then wanted to add that onto my mission statement because I realized how important mental health was. And then kind of knowing signs and learning signs to win a check on people and just sometimes just, you don't have to see silence. Sometimes just check on people, see how they're doing because some people are suffering silence and I learned that as well. So you always just want to check on people, see what their mental is.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think it's one of the interesting imprints of your generation. And, you know, we're all kind of in the same age range here, our generation of humans, but especially the athletes, your generation of athletes, you think even across other sports, Kevin Love and other, like, are the first ones to go like, hey, hey, hey, hey, you can, it's okay. This is a thing. And I think, you know, 20, 30 years from now, as much as the on-the-field achievements were a big deal, I think that's going to be a hallmark of the people that played in your era of professional sports.
00:16:10
Speaker 2: It definitely is.
00:16:10
Speaker 3: I think Brandon Marshall was one of the first players during my era who I heard speak on mental health. And from there, then I just started seeing just, you know, different things come about. And then I just, I felt like I needed to take part and, and help kind of educate people. So I do, I do an event here every May where I have a panel of former athletes and entertainers and therapists.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: And we, we get up there and we, we talk about it and we give.
00:16:36
Speaker 3: Them like information on, you know, how to, what to look out for, who to reach out to, things like that. And then I've been up to Minnesota a few times. And they brought me up to speak to the players. I feel like two or three years now. So I've done that as well. And I always appreciate the Vikings because they've always been a big, And they're always like, I'll be a sponsor and, you know, help me with this whole mental health awareness event.
00:16:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, they do a really, really good job with that. Let me shift back towards the field with a question because, you know, one of the guys that you blocked for, Percy Harvin, I think about a lot now because can you imagine with the way these offenses have changed? And you, the Debo Samuels of the world, and even what Patterson did at the end of his career with Atlanta, you know, I think there's a chance I get a little dramatic, but I think there's a chance Percy's one of the most talented people to ever step foot on a football field ever. Imagine him in this day and age. What was it like when you guys saw him come into camp and you started blocking for him and you realize like, what is this interesting athlete that does all these things way before his time?
00:17:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he was, like you said, a little bit before his time. But very exciting to watch. So to have him and AP on the same team was very exciting because you had by air and by land, you know what I mean? And you also had Sidney Rice to accompany Percy, too. So I just feel like we had a great combination of guys on, you know, receiver and running back.
00:18:08
Speaker 2: And I feel like he was a spectacular player.
00:18:11
Speaker 1: Do you think about that 0-9 team? I mean, because obviously you won a Super Bowl, which had to have taken... You know, I assume you strive your whole career and got so close in 09. And so when you and Burke won one with the Ravens, that had to have, you know, I don't know that relief is the right word. It was probably joy, but have or have not gone through it. What does that 09 team mean to you as you look back on it?
00:18:31
Speaker 3: The 09 team means a lot to me because I really feel like that was the most talented team that season in the NFL. However, we just fell short because we had like five turnovers and still only lost by, you know, a field goal, which, you know, later on they changed that sudden death a year after.
00:18:48
Speaker 2: So, you know, now both teams are able to get possession. So it could have been a little different.
00:18:52
Speaker 3: It was a lot of things that kind of went into the game that kind of like crushed me because then it was like Super Bowl was in Miami. I already had an opportunity to come back to Miami and play in Miami, things like that. I feel like that was the most complete team I played on, you know, thus far, especially as a Viking. That was the best record I had playing with the Vikings being 12 and four in the regular season. So I just felt like it was a lot of positive things that happened that season. Still, to me, one of the greatest seasons I've had in my whole NFL career.
00:19:22
Speaker 4: Do you have a favorite, and I'm going to start asking this of everybody, do you have a favorite off the field story, like a prank in the locker room?
00:19:32
Speaker 3: People would do things like, you know, it gets so cold in Minnesota, people would take people's jeans and I put them like in a hot tub and then I hang them outside. And they'll be like, brick hard by the time you get out of meetings and things like that. They were doing some things. Somebody took somebody's tires off their car before. I feel like the D lineman did that before. I took somebody's tires off the car. I want to say like Pat Williams or Brian Robeson, somebody in that crew, they did that to each other. They played some pretty, nobody really bothered me too much, but they played some pretty good tricks on each other.
00:20:09
Speaker 1: Nobody bothered the six-foot, eight-and-a-half left tackle. They didn't think that was a good idea.
00:20:14
Speaker 2: I think they were smart.
00:20:17
Speaker 1: Well, let's close it out. Let's jump from the past up to the future. Teams 4-0. It's funny. I'd love your football perspective on this because I think there's a lot of angst in the fan base because it's not pretty right now. The offense isn't scoring a lot. But when you have a number one unit, You know, number one unit in the whole league with the defense and the special teams is great. They're winning games. You know, what do you think of the team's 4-0 start? And what are you feeling about the game on Sunday?
00:20:47
Speaker 3: I love the game. The team's 4-0 start. A lot of people are. I mean, if you looked at the beginning of the season, they had the Vikings at the bottom of the NFC North. And they went on to beat two division opponents already. So I like the start. Just keep everything going. And I just feel like the offense, you know, the offense takes longer to gel and get together and then, you know, make sure, you know, as long as the offensive line stays healthy too, I feel like that's a big part too. Because last season, there was a lot of people interchanging in and out. But then when the O-line all came back together as one, the last five games, they won the last five games. So I feel like a good team is always going to find a way to win, even though it may not look pretty. But just keep that mindset and just go out there and just play at a level that your opponent is unwilling or unable to match.
00:21:29
Speaker 1: Well, we really appreciate the time, Brian. And, uh, thank you. And we'll put a link to the charity in the, uh, in the description so people can check out some of your philanthropic stuff. And we really appreciate you spending time with us, man.
00:21:42
Speaker 2: Oh, well, thank you for having me. Yeah. Thanks, Brian.
00:21:45
Speaker 1: That was so fun. Uh, this is, I think we keep getting access to players that played on teams when we were still young guys. And, you know, like when sports are so magical as you're growing, like, That was a really fun one to hear him talk about AP and Favre and Percy Harvin. That was a really, really fun one.
00:22:07
Speaker 4: The fact that I'm given access to this is incredible. Somebody has not done their job in the background check arena.
00:22:13
Speaker 1: It's crazy. It's crazy that we've been able to get through five weeks of this show without doing something that gets our privileges revoked.
00:22:23
Speaker 2: I'm into it.
00:22:23
Speaker 4: Let's keep it up.
00:22:25
Speaker 1: So, I mean, hey, let's keep the streak going.
00:22:27
Speaker 4: It's probably because of my predictions, most likely.
00:22:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, yes. I think that's the way you would view it.
00:22:35
Speaker 4: Although Isaiah Rogers did not get a pick, which was my prediction, he did take a pick with my mom, who was there for the crucial catch game.
00:22:44
Speaker 1: Oh, so maybe the universe just didn't understand your prediction.
00:22:48
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I am going to tell you something about Rodgers. I don't know, and I've been to a bunch of games in different spots. I don't know there is a better pregame ritual than Rodgers going down the end zone and playing catch with kids in the crowd. It's just unbelievable. He gets everybody jacked up. It's so fun to watch. It makes you want to be there, and it puts you in such a good mood.
00:23:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great. That is really, really, really, really great. Imagine that story that all those kids have for as long as they have it.
00:23:25
Speaker 4: That's what I'm saying. I mean, you've got a Viking fan for the rest of your life at this point. That's not even why he's doing it.
00:23:33
Speaker 1: Well, those Vikings, 4-0. They're going to be taking on the Saints, 1-3 this season. They're coming off a 45-24 loss to Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons, who ran for 205 yards and five touchdowns behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson. Bijan is so good, but it does feel like, I think everybody, you kind of mentioned this, everybody wants a get-right game. I just need the nudge forwards. Like, what you started to see in that fourth quarter, I want to see that a little bit more. Like, I don't need to, especially with, you know, Donovan Jackson hurt now. We don't know what Dara Saw's situation is. We still don't totally know what Jefferson's situation is for the weekend. Get out there, run the ball, look more comfortable throughout the whole game. I just need a nudge for it. I don't need this idea of a get right, show me who you are offensive game.
00:24:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, just give me a little something.
00:24:34
Speaker 2: Give me that.
00:24:35
Speaker 4: Give me that bomb to Addison, right? I mean, just a little tip of the cap, a little wave like you made a 40-foot putt up to the crowd.
00:24:44
Speaker 1: A little bit of magic. Just give me a little bit of magic. I did like in that fourth quarter last week how quickly the ball was coming out. There was one play where Kyler dropped back, fake pumped right, and then dropped it off to Aaron Jones on the left, and he went up like, It felt like in that second half and in the fourth quarter, they were getting the ball in their playmakers hands a little quicker and they were doing damage. Would love to see a little more of that. Can I tell you my worry? This is a fan podcast. Can I tell you my worry?
00:25:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, but before you do, I brought up that exact same play at the game, the pump and then the drop off. I mean, I was like, oh, that pump was perfect. He got everybody moving in the other direction.
00:25:28
Speaker 1: I mean, it was it really was great. I'm very much on board with that. Let me tell you something. I'm both proud of our fan base and worried. The support that this fan base and the confidence this fan base has in Will Reichardt. For a fan base that has gone through what we've gone through with kickers. I know, I know. But doesn't it almost trigger you a little bit where you're like, hey, stop it. He's automatic. He's the best. He'll never... The way people talk about him is as if... we don't have a history with kickers and I'm so proud of our fan base for that. And I can't tell if it's young people who are driving it, but I, I'm impressed by it. And every time somebody talks that way, I get almost sick to my stomach because I start worrying.
00:26:23
Speaker 4: Sure. Yeah. I mean, that's right. You, I mean, the last time we talked about this, there's two guys that come to mind. You have, uh, obviously Anderson and then, uh, Fuad Ravez, Fuadomatic, right? We had an outstanding kicker, but now you have this guy who just like, he goes out there and everybody, during a field goal, people are leaving. They go, oh, okay, we can go get another beer because we don't even have to watch this. It is very, it is very fun and very relaxing. The defense comes on the field, same thing. Oh, there's a penalty. Oh man, this is, this is how it starts, but no one's saying that it's just like, okay, penalty, no problem. They'll just stop them on this, on this one. So, um, it is, uh, there's a confidence here. And again, it might be young people that ha that don't remember or weren't around. And I'm going to tell you something. Normally, I'm not crazy about the youth leading, but let's let them on this.
00:27:20
Speaker 1: Let them lead, baby. Let them lead. With Will specifically, he's just so good and so calm. And I was trying to think of the last time I felt this confident in a kicker. And I remember when we lost, speaking of the Saints, when we lost the NFC Championship game to the Saints, when Favre dumped that pass to Sidney Rice and he got it up over the 50-yard line, at some point after that, before the 12-minute huddle, before the interception, at some point they cut to Ryan Longwell, Ryan Longwell on the sideline, and you just looked at him and I was like, oh, he's going to make it. He was just sitting there with kind of like a calm grin on his face, like, oh, he's going to drill this. And we never got the chance. But I haven't felt that way about a guy since. And it's really, really fun to feel that way.
00:28:20
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, you remember the Seahawks game where AP runs it up to... I can't remember exactly where you are, but everybody's chanting, it's too close! Because everybody's worried about the angle. And then you have the opening game where Carlson, unfortunately, didn't make that one.
00:28:38
Speaker 2: But now you go....
00:28:41
Speaker 4: Those things are no longer at the forefront. They're no longer the opening line in the conversation. Now what it is, is the streak or the, you know, the controversial miss or all these things. I just think everybody, he's got a swagger to him. There's no question. And he just, you look at him and you go, yep, all right, good. Let him kick it from 65.
00:29:08
Speaker 1: And that's what ultimately will worry me at some point is everything you just said. Let's do predictions. Let's close the show. What do you got for a prediction this week?
00:29:19
Speaker 4: Well, I'm going to bring it back to our kicker, Will Reichert. I'm going to say that he is going to kick at least two extra points this week.
00:29:30
Speaker 1: Oh, fun prediction from the Chad. I once again will be abstaining because last week I abstained and Even though it was ugly, we won. And I have OCD, which is, you know, built upon a long history of superstition. And so we're just going to we're going to keep doing that. I'm going to abstain again.
00:29:52
Speaker 4: Ever since I've known you, you've been a jinx. So this is a great move.
00:29:56
Speaker 1: I don't know that that's accurate or nice to say about a person. It's a great move. Not accurate or nice. Thanks again to Bryant McKinney for joining the show.
00:30:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was great.
00:30:07
Speaker 1: So fun. Chatty, thank you for being here. I like doing these with you. Hey, and if you want to listen to larger versions of these conversations, make sure to check out our Vikings Tailgate podcast feed on your favorite podcast app. Leave us a good review and a comment. It helps us out. Finally, a huge shout-out to Ticketmaster, the official ticket marketplace of the Minnesota Vikings, for helping make this show happen. Enjoy the game, everybody.
