Climbing The Pocket

Good Morning Gjallarhorn Episode 038 – Sleepless Over Seattle   Good morning Horners! As the Minnesota Vikings prepare for their Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, Ted, Drew and myself got together and looked to see what is in our favorite team’s future. Questions abound everywhere with the first being, will the Vikings make the playoffs? This will be very dependent on how they play Monday.   Did you know, that there is only been one coach in the history of the modern NFL that has won a Super Bowl that did not within his first five years? If the Vikings failed to make it to the big game this year, head coach Mike Zimmer will fall into that category of not winning in his first five seasons. He has improved the team over the years, but has he stalled with poor decisions on who he hires to run the offense, or has his vision for how the team should play the game grown stale? Any game in the relatively short NFL season can be significant, but this one even more so on how it relates to the Vikings making the playoffs and giving them the opportunity to surprise and make that run through the Super Bowl.   The team will have to set the tone early, and by early we are looking at the first and second drive of the game. If they do not score early and often, CenturyLink Stadium will be rocking with the 12th man, all of those rabid fans. The way to silence them will be to shut down Russell Wilson, their running game, and the overall play of the Seahawks. Three and outs should be the goal for every defensive stand. Kirk Cousins needs to have one of his "good Kirk" games, along with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo calling a more balanced game. Running the ball against Seattle should be more effective because they are not very good at defending it. Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray should be able to have a very good night.   Ted goes over how a victory improves the Vikings odds to make the playoffs greatly. If they win Monday night, and then don't implode over the last three games of the season, they should easily lock up a playoff spot. However, that will not be the case if they going to Seattle lethargic, and not on top of their game. Player motivation will be key to determine just that.   Drew introduced a new game, called "Way or No Way" in which he asked some interesting questions. How would you answer them? Overall, the crew wasn't feeling overly optimistic about the prime time contest, however we all will be watching and cheering for the victory. How is your mood for the team heading into this road game?   We are interested to hear what you think. Like, subscribe, and ring that damn bell! Then shout SKOL!   As always, enjoy the watch!   The show's theme music is licensed through AudioJungle, the song is Stylish Powerful Energetic Rock.   (All rights go to The National Football League, the Minnesota Vikings, and all their broadcasters. I do not own any of the music and the footage used in this video. No copyright infringement intended. We do not gain any profit from our videos, and they are for entertainment and educational purposes only) "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."         JAYSON - DO NOT POST ANYTHING BELOW THE LINE!    

In this episode: Fantasy Football Playoffs Keys to the Game Offense Take Some Shots Defense Contain Wilson Limit Baldwin / Lockett Stop the Run Special Teams Make Kicks Don’t Miss Kicks Predictions

In this episode: NFL Talk Kareem Hunt Redskins QB Situation Joe Banner on Kaepernick More on Kaepernick Should the Packers have waited to fire Mike McCarthy? Vikings Talk Patriots Game Recap Ongoing tension between Zimmer and Flip What is wrong with the Vikings offense? Vikings Injury Report Trae Waynes Stefon Diggs knee injury Injury Report Path to the playoffs? Seattle Seahawks Game Preview Containing Russell Wilson Running the football Slowing down Tyler Lockett Move The Sticks Game Preview   Bold Prediction/Score Prediction Prince - Kirk Cousins 350 yards and 3 TDs; 26 - 24 Seahawks JR - Danielle Hunter with 3 sacks; 27 -23 Seahawks Jayson - Russell Wilson 4 TD combined; 35 24 Seahawks Recent/Upcoming Projects Catch up on all the latest from CTP here. JR on Greedy Williams

In this episode: Around the League So Yeah… That Happened Dalvin Cook Cousins Falters Suspect Playcalling Injuries Stacking Up NFC Playoff Picture Path to the Playoffs

Good Morning Gjallarhorn Episode 037 – In The Raw: Where’s The Motivation?   Good morning Horners! Ted, Drew and I gathered together after that disappointing result coming out of New England against the Patriots. The Minnesota Vikings once again failed to live up to expectations. After a week ago were head coach Mike Zimmer had meetings with his offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and his quarterback Kirk Cousins, and they stepped up and won against the Green Bay Packers, they reverted back to the inexplicable poor playcalling and play execution. All of us tried to discuss it in a coherent, and sometimes drunk manner.   There seems to be a severe lack of motivation. It looks like players, and possibly some coaches were going through the motions. When your punter Matt Wile comes strolling out late to be the holder on a field goal attempt. One that Dan Bailey subsequently missed. What is it with Vikings kickers over the last four years? Dan Bailey used to be the most or at least the second most accurate kicker in NFL history, and now the Vikings field goal and extra point attempts seem to be almost the look of the draw whether they are made or not. Could Coach Priefer be the reason?   Dalvin Cook had a great game averaging about 9 yards per carry but was only given the ball 12 times. Why? He was being effective. This is one of those unexplainable decisions on part of, as Troy Aikman put it, the superhot prospect for head coach JDF made Sunday evening. Playcalling like that, along with bunching up wide receiver sets close to the offensive line, made absolutely no sense when everyone knows that the Vikings have had success when they get their playmakers into space.   Bill Belichick will go down as one of the greatest coaches ever, without a doubt, and he has that killer instinct to not only win but to go for the kill and demoralize the opposition. With a combination of blunders from the Vikings and the lack of any sort of ability to sustain drives except maybe when they were desperate, he did just that. The impression for a lot of fans is the Vikings play to defend against the loss, i.e. to protect the victory, but in this game, they were never ahead. It looked like they were playing that way, however. Why?   We are interested to hear what you think. Like, subscribe, and ring that damn bell! Then shout SKOL!   As always, enjoy the watch!   The show's theme music is licensed through AudioJungle, the song is Stylish Powerful Energetic Rock.   (All rights go to The National Football League, the Minnesota Vikings, and all their broadcasters. I do not own any of the music and the footage used in this video. No copyright infringement intended. We do not gain any profit from our videos, and they are for entertainment and educational purposes only) "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."    

In this episode: Around the League Seattle Surge Trubisky’s Absence Dallas’ Big Win Packers Recap KickerWatch 2018 Rudy Rudy RudyNew England Preview Sendejo to IR Rhodes Injury How to Slow Down Gronk Four Norseman - Pressuring Brady Continue GB Offensive Gameplan Get Treadwell / Rudy Involved Maintain Rushing Game Predictions

In this episode: NFL Talk Reuben Foster Fiasco Baker Mayfield vs Hue Jackson Vikings Talk  Packers Game Recap Kirk Cousins Game Ball Vikings Injury Report Andrew Sendejo to IR Stefon Diggs knee injury Are we about to go on a run? Game Preview Video New England Game Preview New England a good matchup for the Vikings? Vikings Offensive Keys Vikings Defensive Keys Blitzing Tom Brady? Coller on Brady vs the Blitz Vikings Settling In On Defense Bold Prediction/Score PredictionMyles - Tom Brady under 150 yards; 20-16 Patriots JR - Dalvin Cook 100 rushing yards; 24-20 Patriots Jayson - Kirk Cousins over 300 yards and 3 TDs; 22-21 Bears Recent/Upcoming Projects Catch up on all the latest from CTP here.

In this episode: @Flipmazzi reviews the 6-4-1 Minnesota Vikings and the must have win in Week 12 over the 4-6-1 Green Bay Packers. The Vikings are hanging tough and they’re gonna scrap it out with all these other NFC contenders. Are you strapped in?

Good Morning Gjallarhorn Episode 034 – It’s Packers Week!   Good morning Horners! We hope that your Thanksgiving was an exceptionally happy one, that everyone survived, that the food was good and the conversation was even better. Drew, Ted and I did our best to have the same. We recorded the show the evening before, still with the memories of last week's loss in our heads. We are looking forward to the Packers game, but first an epic rant.   All week across the Vikings Twittersphere, on the web, amongst your favorite podcasts, and even here on GMG – In The Raw, there has been debate over why the Vikings are 5-4-1 and fighting desperately to secure a wildcard playoff spot. At the beginning of the season, most fans had Super Bowl aspirations for this team anticipating another decent season, and by decent we mean double-digit win totals and being one of the best teams in the NFL. As of right now, however, the squad does not fit into that category and there seems to be a hint of dysfunction or disarray.   The show opens with an epic rant. Debates about player performance, coaches calls, and more come down to the question of who was held responsible. With the offense not living up to fans expectations, the questions of why abound, but there should be one person responsible enough to affect change for the positive. That person is head coach Mike Zimmer. Though he is a noted defensive guru, we watched him make proper decisions when guiding Pat Shurmur as his offensive coordinator last season. We are fully expecting, anticipating, and now demanding that he does the same thing with John DeFilippo. We want to maximize the effectiveness of Kirk Cousins, the run game featuring Dalvin Cook and LaTavius Murray to go along with a dynamic passing attack. All of this being done by attacking places on the field where you have an advantage in numbers or position.   This transitioned nicely into Sunday night’s game against the division rival Green Bay Packers. Discussion ensued over key players not named Aaron Rodgers like Devante Adams, the state of the defense and cheesehead coaching. Looking at the statistics, the Vikings should take advantage in this game and win in prime time. Ted called it but also left open a gut-wrenching Mason Crosby spoiler. You can listen and decide for yourself. Do the Vikings have what it takes to win tonight, win enough games to squeak into the playoffs, or even get lucky enough to steal the division from the Chicago Bears?   We are interested to hear what you think. Like, subscribe, and ring that damn bell! Then shout SKOL!   As always, enjoy the watch!   The show's theme music is licensed through AudioJungle, the song is Stylish Powerful Energetic Rock.   (All rights go to The National Football League, the Minnesota Vikings, and all their broadcasters. I do not own any of the music and the footage used in this video. No copyright infringement intended. We do not gain any profit from our videos, and they are for entertainment and educational purposes only) "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

In this episode: KC v LAR Mahomes is Great Alex Smith Injury - Weird Coincidences Trubisky Hurt His Shoulder Apparently Defensive Keys Aaron… No Not That One… Jones Rodgers - How To Contain His Impact Offensive Keys TURNOVERS! Mike Daniels Injured Simplify Offense? Predictions

In this episode: @Flipmazzi reviews the 5-4-1 Minnesota Vikings and their no show loss in Week 11 to the 7-3 Chicago Bears. The Vikings look like Pretenders, not Contenders after this lackluster effort on Soldier Field.

Good Morning Gjallarhorn Episode 033 – In The Raw: Waiting On The Mistake   Good morning Horners! Here is your post game reaction show where coming out of the bye week, the Minnesota Vikings went into Soldier Field to battle the Chicago Bears. The problem with that, was that it really wasn't much of a battle. Our beloved Vikings were not favored to win, and as usual Vegas was correct. Join me, Drew Bunting, and Ted Glover as we discussed, or should it be disgust, the action of the evening.   This game put many Vikings fans expectations in doubt. Ted and Drew both discuss the frustration that comes from watching the purple underperform and make mistakes, and especially in critical situations in a way that just rips at one's fandom. The three of us are called the Grampa Division because of our age and the fact that we have followed this team for over five decades, or nearly that. I guess there is an honor to the what seems like futility of being a Minnesota fan. There are only a few fan bases, like the Buffalo Bills, or even the Detroit Lions in the NFL that no such pain. Not to offend anybody else, like Cleveland Brown fans, and there are probably a couple others, but with the team playing in its 58th season it can wear on you.   Mike Zimmer and his coaches had plenty of opportunity to plan for this game. The Vikings came off their bye week and basically had two full weeks to prepare for Mitch Trubisky and his scrambling abilities, along with Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks rushing skills. It wasn't until the second half however, that any adjustments appeared to be made to spy on the Bears quarterback and none made to slow down the rush. In looking at the game logs, it appears that tight end Kyle Rudolph only assisted Riley Reiff once on a chip block. A team in its fifth year under the same head coach, Mike Zimmer, even with a new offense of coordinator, shouldn't make these repeated poor strategic decisions. Especially, when you consider they had two weeks to prepare. That now makes a record of 2-3 for Mike Zimmer coming out of the bye. I do not recall Dennis Green or even Mike Tice having an issue playing after a bye week.   Kirk Cousins did not look sharp, in fact he was compared to Christian Ponder in his throws and some of his decisions. His throws were off target too many times, and then there was the inexplicable interceptions. He wasn't the only one on the offense that failed to live up to expectations either. Dalvin Cook had another game with a fumble and other than about one decent run, was bottled up most of the day. We attribute most of this to the offensive line play, but a good chunk goes to John DeFilippo’s poor game calling of plays. He joined the Vikings with all the hype of being a one-year wonder that would go on to be a head coach next year, but yet that type of offensive play calling and in game adjustments have yet to be consistently seen, and not just game to game, but from quarter to quarter. Questionable play calls, especially when trying to come from behind, instill no-confidence in a fan base that is thirsting for the success that was promoted and anticipated by the organization.   We talked about the moral victories, not that they're worth a W in the win column, but are still nice to hear. Anthony Harris had another very good game with two interceptions and overall good play. He very much looks to have won the starting spot opposite Harrison Smith even once Andrew Sendejo gets healthy. Stephen Weatherly had another good game as a rotational player and is continuing to show his improvement, especially when it was him that stretched out plays towards the sideline so they could be stopped. The other moral victory of the night came from the best wide receiver tandem in the league, where Stefon Diggs had over 100 yards receiving, and Adam Thielen became only the second player in Minnesota Vikings history, tying Randy Moss,  to getting to 1,000 yards the quickest in a season. Both Adam and the GOAT did it in 10 games.   Not to worry, this isn't a completely "woe is me" show. We do have our laughs, especially when I get a phone call in the middle of recording. I guarantee you'll watch and laugh at that point. We also ask you to give us your thoughts about the Vikings need to do for the rest the season.   Like, subscribe, and ring that damn bell! Then shout SKOL!   As always, enjoy the watch!   The show’s theme music is licensed through AudioJungle, the song is Stylish Powerful Energetic Rock.   (All rights go to The National Football League, the Minnesota Vikings, and all their broadcasters. I do not own any of the music and the footage used in this video. No copyright infringement intended. We do not gain any profit from our videos, and they are for entertainment and educational purposes only) "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

In this episode: Cousins Was Less Than Ideal Panic At The Disco - Uncommon Panic From Cousins In Clean Pockets John DeFillippo - Needs To Do Better Questionable Play Calling Defense Did Enough To Win Stupid Penalties Trubisky Was Lethal Scrambling Everything Is Still Possible, But Time Is Running Out

In this episode: Around The League Bye Week - Getting Healthy Defensive Keys Contain RBs How To Pressure Trubisky Offensive Keys How To Handle Khalil Mack Dalvin Cook Makes The Offense Dynamic Keep Kirk Clean Rudy Breakout Game? Special Teams Predictions Name That Viking

In this episode: Question of the day - What did you do over the bye week? Vikings Talk What are you hoping to see down the stretch? Vikings Injury Report   Bears Game Preview with @AaronLemingNFL How'd you get started in the industry? Tell us about the Bears season to date How confident in the fan base right now? How much did the addition of Khalil Mack change the franchise? What are your thoughts on Trubisky's development? Are the new weapons in Chicago really as good as the stats? Keys to victory for the Bears Bold Prediction/Score Prediction Aaron - No turnovers for Trubisky; 27-23 Bears Yinka - 5 turnovers between the 2 QBs; 18-16 Vikings Myles - Dalvin Cook over 150 all-purpose yards; 23-20 Vikings JR - Latavius and Cook go for 200 rushing yards; 17-13 Vikings Jayson - Kirk Cousins over 300 yards and 3 TDs; 22-21 Bears Recent/Upcoming Projects Catch up on all the latest from CTP here.