Minnesota Vikings News Dump (7.30.2025) | Bad Omen? JJ Uneven? Fan Expectations.

Minnesota Vikings News Dump (7.30.2025) | Bad Omen? JJ Uneven? Fan Expectations.

[Music] What’s going on, Jerome? Beautiful Wednesday. Happy hump day out there to those who celebrate. Dr. Feelgooda. All right. Or something like that. Happy Wednesday. Vikings have practice. Uh practice number seven today. Something like that. Uh but Vikings second full pad of practice today, then the day off on Thursday. Back Friday, Saturday. It’s going to be good to go. Also, there’s just something, you know what I mean, where I’ve talked about before how I miss training camp at Mano because it felt like felt like camp, you know, and I feel like in general training camps at the team facility seems a little soulless, a little corporaty. I don’t like it. Don’t like it. But I will say that TCO like the Simpsons clouds in the background, the Simpsons feels like football. Feels like football, man. Mano is great. I miss Mano. I I just miss destination training camp, man. Hey, you know where camp should be? Winona State, the Harvard of the Midwest. But I digress. Kevin McConnell uh and and Justin Friaking Jefferson. So, we talked about Jefferson isn’t doing the superstar diva thing, just like sulking on the sideline. Oh, my my I’m a hamstring. Ah, but he’s out there. He’s fired up. Like, he’s he’s the ultimate hype man out there. like he is DJ Ski adjacent like he gets this team fired up just being there. It’s good times. Also just feels like he and Kevin are best friends. Let me tell you about my best friend. He can juggle. See the the haters be like, “Oh, Kevin Oonnell juggling as opposed to learning how to run the ball on third and fourth down.” Something like that. I don’t know. Uh, but if I remember right, like Zimmer was Zimmer was uh juggling flaming uh flaming chainsaws with with a whole with a whole tin of of co copen egg and in his chaw, which I don’t know like I I understand that tobacco companies can’t uh can’t do marketing like they can’t do commercials anymore. Like think about like when I was a kid in the there there was so many like Marlboro man like advertisements and commercials and stuff. I think my mom still has like mar uh like camel bucks or marorrow bucks. Marorrow dollars like that. But when’s the last time you saw a a tobacco commercial? Never. That’s cuz it’s like against the the law. Yeah. But what what a failed opportunity for Skull to sponsor Mike Zimmer. He was always like a Copenagen Redmond guy. Anyways, uh but yeah, Kevin McConnell, I don’t think he’d choose. That’s all. That’s all I got. Also, it’s kind of cool. Uh be before practice, they went around got expectations from some of the fans and some of were lowered expectations. Like I I like the the kid just ran up. I I predict the Vikings make the playoffs. Way to go out on a limb, you gambling fool. Hopefully that’s the baseline at least. Uh, but I I like homeboy in the bucket hat at 170. I love the fam. Uh, talk about JJ McCarthy. 4,000 yards passing, 35 touchdowns. So, basically Sam Darnold numbers. Uh, win comeback player of the year. Woo. I like it. Don’t quote me on this, but I think he’s plus 850 win comeback player of the year. Let’s go. Let’s go. Jelly bean. Jelly bean. Jelly bean. Uh, also 2,000 yards for Justin Jefferson. I like it. If if Jefferson ever wanted to win MVP, I I think he has to win the triple crown. He has to get 2K. Vikings have to have the one seed, win the division. I I think that’s the recipe. And also the voters have to hate on JJ MacArthur, which I think that they will in year one, right? But sucks that he’s not JJ anymore because JJ 2K was just so smooth. Just rolled off the tongue. Also, so you this kid’s pretty hyped up about JJ McCarthy, but we need to talk about this. Why is the kid who’s a Vikings fan probably he’s wearing a Viking shirt at Vikings training camp but why is he wearing a Eagles champions hat now I understand let let people live their life but I feel like this is bad parenting you know what I mean you know because like back in the day back in the day like if I was like a seven-year-old kid And I went to went up to Pops, like, “Hey, can I win a can I wear a 1995 Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champions hat? I would be the most homeless 10-year-old kid out there. Like, I I would be dismissed from from the homestead. I don’t know. I don’t know what this is. M Maybe So, I’m going to make up some lore. All right. So m maybe this kid’s parents, the pops is a hardcore Vikings fan. Like he he he calls into Kay fan the vent line. Well, you know, you know what Kevin Oconor should have done? He should have ran the ball or something. I I don’t know why he’s southern. But also the the mom the mom’s like secretly Eagles fan like like she she grew up in King of Prussia outside of Philadelphia. Yeah. She says John when the father’s not around. This John, that’s a John. That’s a John and secretly the kid is a Eagles fan. I don’t know. I don’t know. Something like someone get this kid new hat. Cuz honestly, if I’m Vikings marketing, I go up to this kid you with the VEN cameras be like, “Hey, hey buddy, how about we replace your hat? We’ll take you to the team store. We’ll get you a brand new hat.” They be like, “Woo, let’s go Vikings.” Or hell, just give him the Vikings champions hat for next year. Hopefully it’ll be here as opposed to being shipped overseas if you know what I mean. Yeah. Also, oh yeah, there’s practice. Yeah, JJ McCarthy had a sort of uneven day and basically what what it’s been the last couple days, defense just smacking the offense around. Uh but also there’s some good moments, there’s some teaching moments, there’s some learnable moments, all that stuff. Will Raget Sports Trade uh expand upon this? To be clear, this isn’t concerning or worth putting too much stock in. McCarthy has had strong had a strong start to camp and off days were going to happen. It wasn’t particularly long or high-intensity practice compared to some of the other ones we’ve seen. And in training camp, results of one day of practice, good or bad, are never all that meaningful, especially when it’s still July. Lastly, first team offense remains without its two best players, Justin Jarvis and Christian Jaroff. Fair, very fair. And even in a spot where, you know, a lot of veterans were resting on defense, I yesterday the defense defense is basically full freight, you know, full value. And uh no Jefferson, no Darasaw with the ones. McCarthy will look to shake it off and have a better day on Wednesday, which will be the second fully padded practice of camp. So basically like every single day, living and dying is basically like we talk about with the stock market. Oh, it’s up. I’m the greatest trader in the world down. Let’s see how far I can fly. All that stuff. All right. So trio trinko, let’s give it time. He’ll be fine. All right. Also, Will Fry is out there. Uh that’s the problem with Bigfoot. He’s blurry. But Will Fry’s looking good. We’re in the 76. You looking like Steve Hutchinson 2.0 wearing the muffin top hat. I feel like most of the guy most of the linemen are wearing the the Guardian uh caps this year. So I feel like it’s catching on and kind of get used to the look. Like I wonder if any of them are going to wear it in game where you just like the purple giant purple muffin top. You look like dark helmet. It’s so good. But Fry Fries looks like a $88 million guard. It’s going to be good. Yeah. Also, Will Fry literally like killed a man today and they’re in shells. Yeah, it’s good. Also along the defensive line, uh, Will Ragits, uh, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave getting vest uh, vet days today. Jaylen Reban and Tyranningham Dawkins were playing, actually, it’s Tyion, isn’t it? Because I I heard him pronounce it on a video. I think it’s Tyion. We’ll just call him T. T are playing stack alongside Harrison Phillips with the Stars. Surprised Harrison Phillips didn’t get a day off. Same thing with Harrison Smith and Jumping Josh Mattelis. Safeties are Theo Jackson as well as Carama Jayward son. Uh also Ryan Kelly got a veteran day off. Michael Jurgens’s second team center. So it’s good to see you there. But uh it is noteworthy that well it is and it isn’t. You know what I mean? Because defensive line is defensive line it’s not offensive line. It’s not static. Like you’re going to have rotations uh and every single week personnel packages are going to change. But T is already getting snaps ahead of Levi Drake Rodriguez. H things that make you go, huh? And again, it’s weird that Harrison Phillips didn’t get a veteran day. It’s okay. Quarterback wise, uh Will Ragits again, second straight day with interception for Dwight Nudy Mcloth. All he does is make plays. And we said all offseason long, hey, hey, I kind of like where this quarterback room is at. And frankly, Nudy had a good camp last year. Made the 53. Honestly, should have gotten more time last year, too. Especially, you know, down the stretch when some of the veterans were were way waning, but you know, Nudy Blackman, I I kind of like this quarterback room. Zia Vaughn, let’s go. Let’s go, man. Also, you know, Josh Matelis uh sticking up for his guy re recently extended Josh Matelis and for his quarterback JJ McCarthy. Viking safety Josh Mattelis is very high on JJ McCarthy. Ari my sports update. Uh quote, he has great great aura. It’s insane the amount amount of aura he has. I think people are going to be very surprised to see the type of ball he plays this year. And on one hand, a player should be sticking up for his quarterback. On the other hand, maybe this is just Michigan man to Michigan man type stuff. Hail to the victors. It’s good times, man. But you Mattel knows. Tell us what Matt tells us. Hey, tell us about JJ McCarthy. Oh, he’s going to be awesome. Let’s go. Let’s go, man. Also, the the inverse of awesome. So, Mike Tannon used to be GM of the Jets. Used to be like EVP of the Dolphins, too. But long story longer, like former GM, fired GM, all that stuff. Also, you know, Tan Bomb had a sort of a famous Hard Knox clip where uh he was very cold. He’s very straightforward when it comes to moving on from uh quarterback Kevin McConnell at the time. Basically just quashing his NFL dreams. It’s okay. Uh it’s it’s okay. Kevin McConnell met Matt Pton with the Jets and now we’re off to the races, right? But Mike Tanabomb, again, we talked about Cow Herd, right? And I feel like, you know, these people get paid a lot of money, right? Not not pocket watching, but again, Cow Herd gets paid a lot of money. Tanabana, I’m sure, gets a decent chunk for being a guest analyst. Again, a former GM that I’m sure that carries a little bit of weight, but come on. All right, so his top five NFC quarterbacks, and this isn’t even like a JJ McCarthy thing. Like I I do not expect JJ to be on this list. Maybe at the end of the season, but not now. But Jordan Love at one, Jaden Daniels 2, Jared Gaw three, Jaylen Herz four, Baker Mayfield five. Couple things here. So I I I’m a fan of Jaylen Herz. feel like he gets hated on way too much. But also, I I I understand the consternation is like, “Oh, any quarterback with with the Eagles talent around him, that offensive line, Squan, the tush push, all that stuff, right?” From for my money, I I actually might say that the best quarterback in the conference is Baker. As weird as it is to say, right? And Jane Daniels, I feel like we’re a little ahead of ourselves. Like Jane Daniels had a stellar rookie year. Like one of the best rookie seasons uh for a quarterback of all time. But two, I don’t know. Jarroofa three is way too high. I want to see what Jarro Goof can do without Ben Johnson. I can I want to see what Jarro Goof can do without Frank Ragnau. I want to see what Jarro goof can do without uh the stellar interior offensive line. Without a stellar interior offensive line, his ass gets hammered. the the run game with Sonic and Knuckles is not as prevalent as it has been in previous years without Ben Johnson. Maybe this offense does just doesn’t go. Also, who’s the number three receiver? I mean, you got a Monra. Hell, who’s the number two receiver? Jamo, Jameson Williams. That is that the big plan? Huh? Leaporta bounce back. Okay. Okay. Who’s the other option? No. Nessing. Nessing. Tesla. Tesla. three third round picks for Tesla in Motor City. Nah, but of course the worst part of this is Jordan Love at one. Jordan Love became one of the highest paid players in NFL history based off one half season of not looking like ass. Thank you. I I just cannot wait. He is basically Jay Cutler with better PR and fewer memes, fewer smoking memes especially. But oh, but Matthew Golden is going to change this offense. Okay. Okay. I I don’t even know Jordan Love’s top five in the division. You know what I mean? Would Sam How in the situation with Green Bay look look better? He won’t throw as many picks. He’ll throw just as many picks. But I digress. again, Mike Tannaban, former GM for a reason. Yeah. And again, just putting putting out this nonsense, right? And I I know it’s their desired effect because you got people like me, you got people like Joe Tolack out there like, but just straight up lying to the audience to try and get a reaction. Like, this has ceased to be this has ceased to be sports news and sports reporting. This has now become engagement farming. You know what I mean? Like ever since uh Elon started paying people on the old old Twitter machine, it’s like, “Oh, hey, uh something popular sucks.” And then all the like rage engagements, they all come out the same. That’s exactly what they’re doing now with sports content. It’s ridiculous. Also, speaking of which, uh, average age for for teams is from Pro Pro Football Network. Uh, Vikings check in at 26.1 average age. Now, the Packers, I mean, every single feels like every every five minutes the announcers were like, “Oh, Packers have the Uncle Steven Lee and blah blah blah blah blah.” That doesn’t mean good necessarily, right? And also, the average age of the Vikings is definitely weighed down by Andrew Depollo and Harrison Smith, but sort is what it is, right? But overall, uh, the Vikings do have a complete roster. Vikings do have a younger roster. Vikings are stacked up and good to go. Also, speak of rage bait and engagement farming. So, Ralph Vaciano, who I don’t know is real, right, over at Fox Sports, uh, did up his power rankings, which are the least accurate in the known universe. There’s a couple things here. Number one, the Steelers are way too high. And uh again, there was talk that this was the least talented Steelers team before Rogers signed, before Jaylen Ramsey, before Jonnu Smith. Do Do Rogers, Jaylen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith move the needle that much? Oh yeah, they lost Minka, by the way. Yeah. No, Steelers. I can’t wait till the Steelers crash and burn and Rogers going to get the blunt of the bra blame even though even if he’s fine. I love it. I love it. I love it. So Steelers way too high. Packard’s obviously way too high. L I kind of like he’s hating on Lions a little bit. Bengals are way too high because besides Burrow, Chase, and Higgins, who do they have? Hendrickson, I don’t know who’s going to show up. The defense is going to be bad. Shamar Stewart uh showed up, but he doesn’t know the the defense yet. The offensive line is terrible. Oh, it’s Chase Brown season. What about the terrible offensive line? They’re bad. Uh the Bucks, I kind of like the Bucks. Uh the Chargers, I can see it. Rams, fine. Ste, uh the the Texans, I know about that offensive line, bro. like they they had one of the worst offensive lines in the league and their solution was, “Hey, get rid of our best left tackle and then let’s pick up Cam Robinson and Ed Ingram.” That was their big- time move. Pray for CJ Str. Pray. Pray. But what bothers me the most is the Cardinals at 14. Now, I I kind of like Arizona. I like Harrison. You know, Kyler’s half my countryman. Monty Austin for the pride of University of Minnesota. Morris. I’ve advocated for him to be get the Vikings GM job when it was open. You know, it it takes time. I I like that they took the medical shot on Will Johnson second round quarterback out of Michigan. It’s good, but they have a lot of issues. And I think John Lean’s on thin ice, right? But somehow they’re ahead of the Vikings. So, don’t get me wrong. So, last year Vikings 14 wins. You know, last year’s last year. Every team’s changed, right? But a lot of this team ran it back. A darn left. That’s fine. Frankly, I think JJ McCarthy has a higher ceiling long term than Darnold does last year. Uh they got better in the trenches, both of them. They got a better quarterback room, frankly. They can run the ball this year. And also, Hockinson is going to be that guy. So, you have a 14- win team from last year. Basically stayed together and they got better. And also Flores year three in the defense. Kevin McConnell year four with the offense. And somehow the Cardinals are better. Okay, at least it’s down on the Broncos. F Shawn Baitton in the face, that’s all. But just it’s okay. If they hate, let them hate. Watch money pile up. But again, Joe 12pack around the country sees this and be like, “Oh, the Cardinals are much better than the Vikings.” So stupid. Lastly, to hey, tomorrow there’s football or what the Lions consider football, but for the Chargers, no pants for Trey Lance. Let’s go. Ra of my sports update. Chargers will start Tre Lance at quarterback on Thursday uh versus the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame game. All I see and hear is Tre Lance is in the Hall of Fame. That’s all. And I I know. Well, you only like him because he’s from Marshall, Minnesota, and he’s a he’s a he’s a local guy. Yeah, that that’s about it. I mean, if Trey Lance was Trey Barkowski from Pora, Illinois, no one’s going to give two poops. But because he’s a local dude who and NDSU was localish, you know, the Gophers didn’t even offer Tre Lance. I don’t know. Maybe PJ was on to something. I was like, “Hey, uh, we can’t have Tre Lance because Tanner Morgan still has 17 more years of eligibility or something like that.” I don’t know. I still believe I still I mean Trey Lance was a massive project coming in and he needs a lot of work but I feel like just if we enter him into the Kevin Okonnell center for quarterbacks who can’t throw good and want to learn how to do other things good too there could be something maybe not maybe not I don’t know uh but one more good day of practice full pads today off on Thursday back at Friday Saturday you guys are the best let let us know what you think comment section you guys know Skull production value.

Minnesota Vikings News Dump for Wednesday, July 30th.
DONATION LINKS
Venmo: https://venmo.com/purpleftw
CashApp: https://cash.app/$purpleftw1

Become a Channel Member! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Xt29Fi1ES6C1fEtWFUFIw/join

Get Your JEROME Gear! purpleftw.net!

Subscribe for Daily Minnesota Vikings Videos! http://bit.ly/2qO5r7m

#minnesotavikings #vikings