Time to relax, unwind, and recover for both the Minnesota Vikings and their fans as the team sits through its bye week, then gears up for defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia next week.
Especially the recovery part.
Recovery from a couple of stomach-knotting, slobberknocking overseas games against the rough-and-tumble Steelers and Browns. Recovery for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, four starting offensive linemen, and three key defenders.
What should we make of a 3-2 start that included McCarthy's maligned play and high ankle sprain, veteran backup Carson Wentz winning two of three starts, the O-line's 13 different combinations that at times made it a swinging gate, and Brian Flores' banged-up defense that somehow is giving up the fifth fewest points in the NFL but can't stop a nosebleed on the ground?
Few people on the planet outside the Vikings' locker room have better access or acumen about the team than South Dakota Sports Hall of Famer Ben Leber, a former Vermillion High School Parade All-America running and 10-year NFL linebacker who spent five seasons with the Vikings (2006-10).
The sideline analyst for the Vikings Audio Network the last 10 years, Leber digs in to the perceived quarterback quandary between McCarthy and Wentz — or, really, is there one? — which of the two gives the team a better chance to beat the Eagles, and if Wentz deserves a shot at that gig even after McCarthy is cleared to play.
Leber also weighs in on what kind of moves the team should make on the market, if any, to provide help to the O-line, and how much the leaky rush defense will improve with linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel back in the lineup, plus safety Harrison Smith back to full strength.
The conversation starts with Leber's travel review of both Dublin and London, then ends with his thoughts on the Vikings' ceiling in a season that includes the Eagles, the Chargers, and five games against stout NFC North competition ahead.
Meanwhile, the Augustana Vikings are 6-0, ranked No. 7 (AFCA Coaches) and No. 12 (D2Football.com) nationally in Div. II, and sailing off a tidal wave of good vibrations from Saturday's fourth quarter comeback-for-the-ages at USF to retain the "Key to the City."
Head coach Jerry Olszewski looks back at the epic win, especially the heroics of true quarterback Rich Lucero and the decision to pull the true freshman's redshirt and initiate him to college football in a heated road rivalry matchup instead of inserting a more experienced reserve.
"Coach OJ" walks through Lucero's recruitment out of Arizona, his impressive week of practice after learning he'd get the start, and how Lucero handled himself and led the Vikings with an 18-point fourth quarter deficit. The freshman guided three scores in the final 12 minutes, starting with a 99-yard touchdown drive to pull off an emotional win in one of the more memorable games in the rivalry's history.
Before all this, to start Thursday's show, Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer walk through the storylines and make predictions for this weekend's local college and high school football games:
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By John Gaskins
5
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Time to relax, unwind, and recover for both the Minnesota Vikings and their fans as the team sits through its bye week, then gears up for defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia next week.
Especially the recovery part.
Recovery from a couple of stomach-knotting, slobberknocking overseas games against the rough-and-tumble Steelers and Browns. Recovery for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, four starting offensive linemen, and three key defenders.
What should we make of a 3-2 start that included McCarthy's maligned play and high ankle sprain, veteran backup Carson Wentz winning two of three starts, the O-line's 13 different combinations that at times made it a swinging gate, and Brian Flores' banged-up defense that somehow is giving up the fifth fewest points in the NFL but can't stop a nosebleed on the ground?
Few people on the planet outside the Vikings' locker room have better access or acumen about the team than South Dakota Sports Hall of Famer Ben Leber, a former Vermillion High School Parade All-America running and 10-year NFL linebacker who spent five seasons with the Vikings (2006-10).
The sideline analyst for the Vikings Audio Network the last 10 years, Leber digs in to the perceived quarterback quandary between McCarthy and Wentz — or, really, is there one? — which of the two gives the team a better chance to beat the Eagles, and if Wentz deserves a shot at that gig even after McCarthy is cleared to play.
Leber also weighs in on what kind of moves the team should make on the market, if any, to provide help to the O-line, and how much the leaky rush defense will improve with linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel back in the lineup, plus safety Harrison Smith back to full strength.
The conversation starts with Leber's travel review of both Dublin and London, then ends with his thoughts on the Vikings' ceiling in a season that includes the Eagles, the Chargers, and five games against stout NFC North competition ahead.
Meanwhile, the Augustana Vikings are 6-0, ranked No. 7 (AFCA Coaches) and No. 12 (D2Football.com) nationally in Div. II, and sailing off a tidal wave of good vibrations from Saturday's fourth quarter comeback-for-the-ages at USF to retain the "Key to the City."
Head coach Jerry Olszewski looks back at the epic win, especially the heroics of true quarterback Rich Lucero and the decision to pull the true freshman's redshirt and initiate him to college football in a heated road rivalry matchup instead of inserting a more experienced reserve.
"Coach OJ" walks through Lucero's recruitment out of Arizona, his impressive week of practice after learning he'd get the start, and how Lucero handled himself and led the Vikings with an 18-point fourth quarter deficit. The freshman guided three scores in the final 12 minutes, starting with a 99-yard touchdown drive to pull off an emotional win in one of the more memorable games in the rivalry's history.
Before all this, to start Thursday's show, Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer walk through the storylines and make predictions for this weekend's local college and high school football games:
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