0:00

All right, So we're

0:02

back at it as far as injuries go, um

0:05

Eddie uh Jackson

0:07

and uh and has the ankle, so him

0:09

and him and Aaron will be the same as

0:11

far as where they were last week. We do

0:13

think that they're getting better, which

0:15

is good. UM. But we'll just kind of monitor

0:18

this week and see um exactly where

0:20

they're at. But they are getting better. Um.

0:23

Alan Robinson has ribs

0:26

and he may not be able to go um

0:28

uh full go today, so we'll just have to keep an

0:30

eye on that and see where he's at. UM.

0:34

And I think that's it in regards to those.

0:36

Everybody else is pretty pretty good.

0:39

So we'll be we'll be going

0:42

um uh inside today

0:45

for today's practice and be into

0:47

our normal base base

0:50

game plan stuff and be back on track

0:52

here to finish up the regular season. Man

0:55

with the number two still in play healthy players

0:57

and they're gonna play, but the injured

0:59

guys, that just makes sense for guys maybe

1:02

like Robinson and Jackson to just getting

1:05

ready for the playoffs. Well no,

1:07

no, just because if this is a you know, we're

1:10

we're in that we're in that weird position of

1:12

of we gotta win, we want you know, we

1:14

we gotta win. We need to win. That's what we're talking

1:16

about. And so UM.

1:18

But then there's you know, anybody that is

1:21

in these situations that they're in. We

1:23

want to make sure that we're we're

1:26

doing the right thing and for

1:29

them, for us and for our future.

1:31

And so it's day by day

1:33

we'll have to just see health wise where they're at and

1:35

then physically just you know, get

1:37

an idea and try to have a contingency

1:40

plan, you know, for both ways for when if they

1:42

do and if they don't. Makes

1:44

it hard, you guys,

1:47

you and your guys both talked about one of

1:49

the reasons that they got so hot after they diet on match

1:52

was that there anything like that perform. Do

1:55

you have to say anything about making sure that they don't get

1:57

carried away based in comparisons,

2:01

No, Um, our guys they

2:03

understand that. It's just it was it

2:05

was their instincts to regardless

2:08

of who it is. Um, to

2:10

tell you the truth, I don't even know if

2:13

our guys truly know the exact person

2:15

that it was, meaning the team that the offense

2:17

does but uh, meaning the whole team.

2:19

So none of that is it's uh,

2:21

that's just not where we're at as a team. Our

2:24

team wasn't about that the other day with that hit.

2:26

It was just more of just the defense mechanism

2:29

to protect your guy. But we're not

2:31

We're not about being revengeful or getting

2:33

back at anybody, nothing, none of that stuff. When

2:38

and then he was subjected to the illegal

2:40

hit. There you okay with the way

2:43

you know the decision making goes in that situation. Yeah, I mean

2:45

that's it's important to stay in bounds right

2:47

there. You can't get out of bounds every

2:49

second count. So he was doing what he was supposed

2:51

to do. And then you know, of course you have the rules.

2:53

And then that's why they have the whole go to New York

2:55

to see everything else, to see who's

2:57

involved in it. So I feel like the whole problem

3:00

says was done the right way through everybody. And

3:02

again, I'll go back to what I said after the game.

3:05

I don't think any of it was malicious by

3:07

by them by any means. Um they're

3:09

playing football. Everything happened so fast.

3:12

But I also you know, again, I

3:14

know that where our guys were coming from. Uh

3:16

I don't I don't want that to I

3:19

don't condone it, but they're they're protecting their

3:21

guy. Have you looked on that

3:23

Vikings game back in November? Yeah, was that kind

3:26

of one of the defining moments of the season.

3:28

I think so. I think for us, Uh,

3:30

just the magnitude of the game. Um,

3:33

it was a you know, a game that got flexed, A division

3:35

game, big game, hur

3:38

our team. We didn't want to make any game

3:40

bigger than than any other game each week. But

3:42

um, for us to get a good, solid win, I

3:44

mean that that's Uh. They're always they're

3:46

never easy, they're always tough, and especially against

3:49

the division ponent. So I looked to that that night,

3:51

in that game as somewhat of a turning

3:53

point for for our season. You touched

3:55

on this, I think it was Monday. But how much are you gonna

3:57

keep an eyeing at rams game? You

4:00

know, maybe how it's going to how you can kind of pull back

4:02

at your guys. Possibly. Yeah,

4:04

it's uh, it's hard when you're in

4:06

my role, just because you're so focused

4:08

in on so many things and you have so many responsibilities.

4:11

So um, you know, we'll

4:13

have a plan in process to get

4:15

an idea of what we

4:18

need to do. But that's again where it gets

4:20

real easy is that if when you just go

4:22

and you just play your guys to win. To

4:25

me, it would have to be something

4:27

that's, uh, you know, somebody

4:29

comes to me and says, hey, listen, it's a it's

4:31

a complete blowout or something. And then and then

4:33

you then you still have decisions to make as well. So

4:36

we're going there to win the game. Regardless

4:38

of who is in the game, We're going to win the game.

4:41

And so none of that's going to change for any of

4:43

the players, any of the coaches. We talked about it this morning.

4:45

Um, that's just not where we're at right now.

4:48

And I feel like if we keep our our we

4:50

statementally focused on that, then

4:52

everything else will just kind of take care of itself.

4:55

More comfortable running between the

4:57

tackles and you work. A month ago, probably,

5:01

yeah, I felt like a month ago we were really still

5:03

trying to figure out exactly who we were with

5:05

our identity. I do believe we're starting

5:07

to get closer to it, We're still not there yet.

5:11

I don't know if you would ask me at the beginning of the year, if

5:14

throughout the whole year, are you going to know your

5:16

identity in the run end pass game. We

5:18

still don't know our exact identity in the pass game,

5:21

So we're getting closer. And where

5:25

we're at right now as a team is we got to make sure ball

5:27

security with the defense that we have, but

5:31

we got to make sure we protect a football.

5:33

We could have been a lot better there in our game the other

5:35

day offensively, we got to protect the football and

5:38

then but there's a lot of times in the game

5:41

last week where we made some first

5:43

downs, we made some good positive plays, a

5:45

couple of third downs, So we are getting better situationally.

5:48

Overall, we still have room to grow, but that's

5:50

not the unexpected. You describe that identity

5:53

on the ground, our identity

5:55

on the ground, what would it be? What do

5:57

you think it is today? I

6:00

don't. I mean, there's we have different

6:02

types of there's so many different types of concepts

6:04

that we're not. We don't just line up, as you

6:06

know and go too back and run power. We don't

6:08

do that. So there's just so many different schemes

6:11

and I think it's by by the defenses that

6:13

you see different scheme types

6:15

of run schemes, and so we're we're

6:17

we're a multitude of of different

6:20

schemes by game. And then whether

6:22

it's RPOs or whether it's uh

6:24

not urpos um. We're

6:26

still you know, we're still

6:28

able to do really different things, whether

6:30

it's inside zone, outside zone, or mid

6:32

zone. The guys have been saying that

6:35

you've been preaching don't peek throughout

6:37

the entire season. Do you feel

6:38

you won away all

6:42

season? The guys have been saying that you've been preaching

6:44

all season, don't peek. Do you feel like that mentality

6:46

has stayed intact with one week after the regular

6:48

season? Yeah, I do, um, And I

6:50

like that about our guys because they're listening, they're

6:53

they're they're they're not when I say,

6:55

don't peak, I want us to get to a point to where

6:58

we we we literally don't peek until

7:00

wherever our final game is of the year, and as

7:02

long as our arrows going up and we're we're

7:05

practicing every week the right way, and

7:07

then we get to each game. Every game is so different

7:09

based off of who you're playing, where you're playing, how

7:11

you're playing, and then within the game situationally,

7:14

and so our guys right now, we're

7:17

we haven't completely peaked yet. M

7:20

We've had some games where I feel like we've we've

7:22

been close in all three phases.

7:24

But what

7:26

I do like about where we're at right now as a team is

7:28

we find different ways to win, and

7:31

you talk to different people around the league, and you talk

7:33

to your peers, and you know, and that that's always a positive.

7:36

We can be in different situations

7:38

throughout a game. We can be you

7:40

know, behind, we can be ahead, and

7:42

we've been tested this year with that. What's the

7:45

lesson for Mitch just given how

7:47

well the Vikings past defense has played

7:49

over the last couple of weeks, well for

7:52

him and I think it's really not just the Vikings

7:54

defenses is um is

7:56

to just continue to do everything

7:58

he can to stay away from the bad

8:01

plays. And that's just not him, that's that's

8:03

our offense. We had that bad

8:05

series, uh, in that and

8:07

against the forty nine ers backed up that was those

8:09

were a couple of bad plays in a row. Some of that was

8:12

them playing good defense. They they they got

8:14

me and so um, all

8:16

of that together, we gotta be able to to

8:18

get better at it and so staying away from

8:20

negative place. Uh. And then when you get

8:22

an opportunity to strike

8:24

a play, you gotta you gotta hit it. You know, you gotta

8:26

you gotta hit a uh, you gotta make them count.

8:29

And um, our guys have been good with that all

8:31

year. They've been making plays when they need to. A

8:34

Rob made a great can we you know, we had

8:36

the double move there downfield

8:39

and made a great catch and Mitch made a hell of a

8:41

throw with a guy in his face. They're like a mental

8:43

difference for him going into this game, given that it's the

8:45

second time he's face Minnesota and Green

8:47

Bayo is three and a half months apart. He didn't get

8:49

to do that against Detroit. No, No,

8:52

it's uh, it's it's uh. For

8:54

him, every game is just so different.

8:56

I mean these guys, Uh, they're

8:58

doing a lot of the same stuff, but you just never

9:00

know with how how we're doing.

9:02

You know, how are they going to change, how are they not going to change?

9:05

How have they been playing as a team, So every

9:07

game is just so different. When teams do go to

9:09

more zone defense against him, mid show

9:11

how much did that kind of become a test of his

9:13

his patience and taking what's

9:16

there. It's to all of us, Um,

9:18

it's it's a it's a testament to him

9:20

to it helps him grow as a quarterback

9:22

because you gotta you know, you make more decisions, and

9:25

not that you don't do that versus man, but there's

9:27

holes in the zone areas. And now are the

9:29

holes? Are they short, intermediate or

9:31

long? With with how they're doing it with their scheme.

9:33

And so he's, uh, he's continuing

9:36

to get a lot of looks. And I truly

9:38

believe that only in the long run him

9:40

getting these zone looks that he's getting right now.

9:43

Um, he's he's getting better and better at him.

9:45

How much you were at

9:47

your offensive camp on and a coordinator

9:49

caps on and you we're facing Khalil

9:51

Mack? What would what

9:54

would do impressure of your your challenges? How

9:56

do you account for him? Um?

10:00

I'm probably gonna keep that to myself, Matt.

10:04

Pretty remarkable balance in the passing game in turns

10:06

of targets and catches. How much that is by design?

10:08

How much of that has happens now? No,

10:10

it's it's uh, it's this's just who

10:12

our offense is. None of it's by design. It's

10:15

just who we are. You

10:18

look at our guys. Every week, it's somebody

10:20

new and and then there's times where

10:22

we need to go to somebody. Um,

10:24

in the middle of the game or at the start of the game.

10:27

And uh, that's why I think

10:29

our offense can when when when we

10:31

get to that point, it's gonna be hard for for

10:33

opponents, but um, they

10:35

gotta see that you can. It just doesn't happen overnight.

10:37

There's a lot of hard work that goes into it. And Uh,

10:40

the neat thing that I see with our guys

10:43

there there, whether it's a running back, a tight end

10:45

or wide receiver is you don't ever hear any

10:47

of them complaining win, loser, draw

10:49

after a game that they didn't get x amount of catches

10:51

or x amount of targets. Never you

10:53

don't hear that, and because they know at any

10:56

given time they might be getting twelve targets

10:58

in the game for whatever reason the defense is trying

11:00

to do. So it's just who we are. A

11:04

double more coaches, the lock room is open now,

11:06

So one is that a challenge

11:08

in any way for you too, And that you don't have a

11:10

guy you can know you open with any situation not

11:13

at all now because I love are I

11:15

mean that, I mean I I think that's actually

11:17

a benefit to me because it doesn't you want

11:20

to go ahead and double or triple teams somebody, or

11:22

you want to double two guys, we'll go to our

11:24

third guy. And I have automate trust

11:26

and those guys and um, when you practice

11:28

the concepts that we practice and they know

11:30

that they're always they're always ready for those situations.

11:33

So it actually for me as a play caller,

11:35

makes it easier. What kind of expectations this

11:37

week for Kyle Long do you have after last

11:39

Well? He uh he so

11:43

last week he had that good Friday and

11:45

now hopefully this week he can jump back

11:47

in and continue to get better

11:49

and better. And I use the word

11:51

last week with with being cautially optimistic, and

11:53

I mean that I think he's in a good place right

11:55

now. And I'm um keeping my fingers cross

11:58

said, who have some good practices this week

12:00

and then we'll see where where he's at in regards to you

12:02

know, his his his position.

12:05

Is it fair to say that he wouldn't be going through all

12:07

this if there wasn't at least a hole that he wouldn't

12:09

be Yeah, right, Yeah, I think there's

12:11

I think there's that possibility for sure.

12:14

Absolutely. Heading into San Francisco,

12:16

talked about road games and using these last two games

12:18

as learning experiences. On the road. So what did you see

12:20

in San Francisco? You hope that carries over to this last

12:23

game of the season regular season that is in

12:25

Minnesota. Well, almost

12:27

what I've been seeing every week, which is these guys

12:30

are they're finding ways to

12:32

completely um

12:36

motivate themselves with within

12:38

like so they'll they'll listen to us as coaches, but

12:41

you get to this part of the year and where

12:43

we're at and everything, UM, a lot

12:45

of times they keep hearing the same voice over

12:47

and over again. That's why we try to talk, you know, different

12:49

messages. But they're doing a really good job

12:51

at leading themselves and getting mentally

12:54

prepared at the start of games

12:56

to come out and keep us in the

12:58

game regardless of the scenario

13:00

or situation that we're in. Um, We're

13:02

we're in all games. And I like that about

13:04

our guys, and they're doing it on their own. They're leading themselves,

13:07

and they're believing in what we're teaching them and

13:10

and and coaching all week long. And so it's

13:12

just I don't know if every team has that, but

13:14

we've had that this year, and there's a

13:17

there's there's some luck to that too, but I would

13:19

say mostly it's because of the players that we

13:21

have. The type of players. So, are you going to practice sendoors

13:23

all week? No, No, we

13:26

just have a little different schedule today.

13:28

So, um, it gets a little dark

13:30

out there, and so we're

13:32

gonna be in the light, all

13:35

right, Yeah,