Why Minnesota Vikings have “2nd best roster” in NFL w/ J.J. McCarthy | Colin Cowherd Podcast

Why Minnesota Vikings have “2nd best roster” in NFL w/ J.J. McCarthy | Colin Cowherd Podcast

Welcome to the official YouTube channel for the Colin Coward podcast. Go on, hit that subscribe button if you’re new so you don’t miss any of our great football content this season. Because you and I are sitting there going, “God, Minnesota’s a well-run franchise. It’s just I know they’ve never won the Super Bowl uh in the modern era. They just they’ve gotten close. They’ve had awesome. They’ve been good most of my life.” They’re the Kansas City if if Mahomes goes to the Chiefs. If Mahomes goes to the Vikings, not the Chiefs, because Kansas City’s always had good quarterbacks. They won Hank Stram, Len Dawson. But Kansas City always had good coaches, good quarterbacks. They drafted well. A lot of great players. I mean, Ray Lewis always told me he hated playing the Chiefs with Willie Roof, you know, Tony Gonzalez. Ray’s like, I hated playing the Chiefs. Their O line was unbelievable. If Mahomes goes to the Vikings, not the Chiefs, you’d be like, yeah, well, they were always wellrun. They just have never landed. They thought it was Dante Co Pepper. They thought it was Kurt Cousins. You know, Sam uh uh uh uh Fran Tarkin was good uh back in the 70s running around one of the first like 5’11 6oot quarterbacks out of Georgia, but they just have never like consistently had, you know, they got far for a couple years and they were a play or two away from the Super Bowl. So, I just I I I tend to just I tend to look at Minnesota respectfully. Like, the Twins can’t compete in Major League Baseball. The T-Wolves weren’t always wellrun. The Vikings have been wellrun since Bud Grant. always. Yeah. I mean, that’s a knock right on the Bears. Ownership’s cheap. That’s that’s a fact. The Packers, I mean, they haven’t had one, but they’ve had a unique infrastructure. And the Lions up until Dan and Brad Holmes got there were the running joke at the NFL. And the Vikings just even look back like Kurt Cousins. Kurt Cousins never gone to the Hall of Fame. He’s going to the Hall of Fame of uh bank accounts for doing what he pulled off. But they signed Kurt Cousins and they were just good. And they they beat Drew Brees in a playoff game couple years ago. They they they hosted a playoff game which they lost to the Giants but they had a really good record. Like they’re just wellrun and I think you know we were watching some of the highlights. You know it’s hard in these preseason games like Shador played a lot right? He gets 23 attempts. Most of these guys get a series and then they’re out. So you’re like they went three of seven. It’s hard JJ definitely has some physical attributes and you know I’ve been I guess on the negative side and I started thinking listen maybe he doesn’t even have to be that great. their team so good. If he is just the 20th best quarterback, has some games where he’s the 10th, has a couple clunkers, but they could win a couple games where he has clunkers. That’s Listen, his comp to me is Brock Pury. Is that he inherits Kyle Shanahan, he gets Christian McAffrey, Trent Williams, George KD, all these receivers. If he and and so do you think Brock Pury does that if he goes to tonedeaf offensive Pittsburgh? No, he doesn’t do that. But he as he’s learning the game behind Garopolo. Garopppolo gets hurt. You’re like, “Oh, Brock’s got, you know, three years, four years of college starts, he was ready to play.” JJ’s issue is Brock Pury played at Iowa State. He trailed a lot. He got hit a lot. He didn’t play with great players. JJ McCarthy is like a trust fun kid. Like he never got punished. He never got pushed. He never trailed. Life was never hard. So, but I I believe like Brock when he inherits the job after Garopolo’s injury, just don’t run the Mercedes into the tree in the driveway. The truth is Minnesota’s roster is like Denver. It’s way better than people we pay attention to Philadelphia or Baltimore. I’m telling you right now, Minnesota left tackle, like running backs, receiving crew, uh edge rushers, like Minnesota’s stacked. You could make the argument that the best two rosters in the NFL are the Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings and then the AFC ones the top guy, you know, like the the Ravens or the Chiefs. I think most people would consider the Ravens top to bottom typically year in year out the best roster. That’s why they kind of disappointing sometimes when they let down. Even last year when the Bills beat him, you’re like, I don’t think the Bills are as good as the Ravens. How do they just win? They’re not. But that’s that’s the thing with Minnesota. They have had I I’d even go back to a decade ago with Mike Zimmer. I mean, they had excellent players with you Spielman was the GM. They always have impact Pro Bowl guys. Yes. And it just comes down Cousins wasn’t quite good enough. Right now, the difference is they got Cousins a little older. He already had some scar tissue. He had some true limitations. It had to be in the pocket. He couldn’t add lip. One of the I mean, his best throw of the day. I don’t even When did he play? Yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon was that rolling to his left. like he has physical attributes that I think part of the reason they got off Cousins. I mean, obviously he had the Achilles, but even when he was healthy, they were true limitations. Like with Goth, they can’t move. And let’s a coach wants pretty bails Kyle out sometimes just because he’s got some athleticism, right? And I I I that’s going to be an element that can help him out, especially early on. You can get him layups moving around. They got the best wide receiver in the league. I think Addison got suspended, but he was throwing him a couple times yesterday. I mean, he he is I mean, when he’s on, I mean, that’s that’s pretty damn good, those two guys. So, they got it. They have added offensive lineman. They can really run the ball. To me, that’s what what how uh Kevin Oonnell needs to kind of lean on early. That’s the easiest way to take a little pressure off the kid early, run the ball a little bit, just help him out. But he he does like the pass. That’s, you know, he he got confident in Sam Darnold early. He’s like, “Let it rip.” Because I’ I’ve said it forever. His comp is not Kyle Shanahan is Shawn McVey and Andy Reid. He he wants to bomb it 50 times a game. You know, Kyle would rather win. Kyle would have no problem going 13 and five and leading the league in rushing and a his quarterback averaging 19 attempts a game. That is not how McVey and definitely Andy Reid and I would put Kyle Kevin Oonnell in that bucket which I don’t blame him. We all got our different philosophies but you got to be careful with a young quarterback you know calling passes non-stop early in games on first down because if it goes wrong it can it I he got a little bit of a pass I thought last year. I’m not saying Sam Darnold was perfect and obviously he played bad, especially in the Detroit game, but in the playoff game, he could have settled down the game a little bit and and ran the ball and he just refused to call runs. And I I think that but that’s back to McDaniel. You can’t hide who you are as as a coach. No different than, you know, you you approach a a radio show, a podcast certain ways, like everyone has their own styles and you kind of stay true to that, especially the older and more success you have. So that that to me, I’m going to be fascinated watching that early on, like how he treats this. It’s like is he cool starting the season 4 and one but only having him average let’s say 20 pass attempts a game and really like we’re going to try to lead the league in rushing in September because that’s how he should be talking just even if he’s bullish on the player in practice just to ease his start into the year. I mean last year with Caleb it was like throwing non-stop like this is not going to work guys this is unfair to the guy. So, I thought it was interesting. Um, apparently Jim Harbaugh loved Brian Thomas, the receiver that went to Jacksonville, who was great as a rookie, but he drafted Joe Alt and they had a great left tackle in Rashan Slater, but and and Alt was the best tackle in the draft. So, Harbaugh drafts Joe Alt. U, he was inconsistent, but I was told inside the building that they thought Alt was going to be a Pro Bowl right tackle this year. Now, Slater now gets hurt. season ending injury. Heartbreaking for the kid. Great player. My guess is they move alt over to left and then they you know they’ve got multiple guys that can play right. Um but I I thought it it it and they I thought once again this is where Harbaugh is really smart. Everybody wanted him to take a receiver. Remember they’d lost Keenan Allen. They’d lost Mike Williams. Everybody in the world thought it was a wide receiver. The Bears took Roma Dunz, right? The Bears could have used an offensive lineman. Let’s be honest, the Bears didn’t need Roman Dunce, they could have used Joe Alt last year in the offensive line. Harbaugh gets Joe Alt and a year later it’s preient. I mean, you look at it and you’re like, “Oh if they didn’t draft Joe Alt, where would they be today?” Lad McConny’s excellent. Keenan Allen comes back. He’ll be your classic, you know, 48 catches, 60 catches, third down guy. But it it it it goes back to Harbaugh’s the opposite of Mike McDaniel. Everywhere he goes, I remember Stanford. I can remember his second year at Stanford. People are like, “They’re not any good, but they’re the most physical team in the Pack 10. They were they went into USC in the Coliseum as a 40-point dog and one and they were beating on USC.” Like, they were physical. And I think it it goes when we bang on a Mike McDaniel, it’s like Harbaugh is always true to who he is. So, even though the Rashawn Slater injury is brutal, the Joe Alt draft pick to some degree saves them in my opinion. Yeah. I mean, it’s why they always say you get you can’t draft for need. You got to draft the best player available. And a left tackle is always should be more valuable than a wide receiver. I mean, it was the right pick. Always if he’s good, always. Yeah. And they they nailed that. I do think they’ll big picture like I everyone’s saying that he’s like he’s going to take Malik Neighbors. Like, guys, have you not followed this guy’s career? But a huge reason I was bullish on them last year, I I even if I don’t think they’re going to be as good as some teams, like I don’t put them on the the top tier in the AFC, I I would bet on them being good again, it’s a pretty big blow because their team is roster-wise is not as sexy as the other guys they’re chasing. And a huge point of, you know, kind of where they separate is they have, you know, the best tackle duo in the league. And now they add Beckton, like they were going to be so physical. And we know Jim Jim will have no problem rushing it literally every play. And he he he could he could win go 17-0 and win every game 9 to7 and he’d be the happiest guy in America. But I I I think anytime that you lose a guy in the domino effect cuz like okay, you move him to left tackle that means your right tackle gets worse. Do you try to move Beckton to right tackle that means your guard gets worse. like it’s a it’s a domino effect even though it’s a it’s the best situation given that they drafted Joe Walt that if you’re going to lose a star left tackle you have a replacement but it has a huge blow and even they they signed Naji Harris like they are going to pound two running backs and he messed up his eye clearly can’t do anything you know I mean he’s I I it’s not good I mean I I’m not very uh I wouldn’t be bullish on him starting the season early I mean he clearly is not even close to practicing so I think the Chargers are just in a weird spot. Now they got Jim Harbaugh, their floor is so high, they could have a season from hell and win eight games, but I think that was not just a devastating injury. My dad, again, he was a 50-year-old guy, Taurus Battel attendant, uh, when he was like 50 years old, and it was never the same. That that is not an ACL, that that is not a broken arm or a broken leg. That is the devastating knee injury. So, that’s that’s scary big picture, too. Especially because, you know, capwise, they just invested. I mean, I I I think in a I’m not trying to be doomsdayer here, but you almost have to say this might never be the same with this individual player. So, uh, now, luckily, Jim Harbaugh is, you know, might as well be an offensive line guy, so he’ll be able to figure something out. But you usually don’t replace, you know, even if you can replace the left tackle, but then the right tackle, the the drop off at that position. You could argue from a a high-end tackle to the backup is almost like a quarterback. It’s a precipitous drop off. the backup is typically in a in a different stratosphere than that guy. Well, it goes back to George Young, the uh late great general manager um of the New York Giants and and and and Paul Brown and George Young. There are certain people that just, you know, Ted Thompson in Green Bay like had a theory on drafting and he used to call it the uh the planet theory. George Young did which was there are only so many 66 325 lb men annually born in America eventually to become that that have good feet and are really really have long arms. Like I’ve always said after quarterback left tackle is I mean I would take a great left tackle over Michael Parsons. I mean, I would I wouldn’t I mean, outside of a Lawrence Tales, Miles Garrett, not hesitation. Yeah. Not even hesitation because the man upstairs I’m not overly religious, but the man upstairs makes a lot of 6’4, 270 lb guys who can run fast and rush the passer. There’s there’s a there’s a surplus. Almost every team’s got somebody who’s really good at the edge. There’s six good left tackles in the game. And if the 30 best of all time, I think 27 were drafted in the first round. like they don’t show up in a you can get Brock Pury in the seventh and Curt Warner undrafted you know Antonio Gates and not a lot of great left tackles all time that went in even the fourth round so to lose Rashan Slater who I think was the 11th 12th 13th pick it’s it’s a devastating blow I I also think if I wanted to argue the other side part of the reason that Jim Harbaugh is worth so much and his value is so high is because no one in their right mind could get in front of a team and give a speech like we’re going to be okay. But that’s what you have to do in his role, especially it’s when did he get hurt? August 6th. I mean, we got a long way to go here. We’re a month out from week one. And I I think he’s good enough because let’s face it, he’s a little psychotic. He’s just kind of crazy in a weird way, an optimist. He’s a very optimistic human being that he could get up there and still breathe light in like Mike McDaniel. Do do I think like I mean it’s shown when Tua goes down they just implode because whatever he’s saying no one believes them. If you told me Herbert missed a month I’d be like I I bet Jim could go two and two cuz he can just instill some confidence that no one has and that’s that’s where the Chargers finally opening the checkbook for a high-end coach. It’s it’s valuable for this. So this is a year that a bad coach could just implode and you go six and 11. But would it shock anyone if the if the Chargers are just like the grittiest nine and eight team in the league because of Jim? That’s you know when when it’s like it shouldn’t be this way their offensive line like they maybe they have to rotate some tackles whoever’s filling in for all spot and it’s like they just kind of figure it out and they just kind of tough their way there. They win a couple games like 15 to 13. I mean they’re going to do that even when they’re really good one day. But this is where Jim’s value comes in in moments like this. [Music]

Colin Cowherd is joined by John Middlekauff and they react to the biggest stories from the first full week of NFL preseason. J.J. McCarthy played for the Minnesota Vikings and they give their takes on his performance and expectations for Minnesota this year. The Los Angeles Chargers lost Rashawn Slater for the year, but how will Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh overcome the injury?

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