0:09
and now the Vikings GM.
0:11
The fact that the Vikings waited until
0:14
January 30th to fire their general
0:20
the fact that that came just days after
0:25
Sam Darnold wrote himself the perfect
0:29
NFC Championship game performance is not
0:35
And that quarterback decision that the
0:38
Vikings decided upon to let Darnold walk
0:42
and put all their eggs in the basket of
0:44
JJ McCarthy. Look, at the time, I'm sure
0:48
you could have rationalized it inside
0:50
that front office. I'm sure there was
0:53
reasoning behind it in terms of take the
0:55
money that you would spend on Sam and
0:58
spread it around the roster. and Brock
1:01
Perie the Vikings with a young
1:04
quarterback on the cheap rookie deal.
1:06
Build out the rest of the roster and
1:08
maybe you can make a Super Bowl run.
1:11
But because JJ McCarthy was so bad and
1:14
because Sam was so good, because the
1:17
Vikings were home for the holidays,
1:21
because Sam Darnold's playing in a Super
1:26
was a massive part of this decision.
1:31
And look, the Vikings had some pretty
1:40
stories start to ruminate, start to
1:44
about a general manager who took two
1:47
weeks off for paternity leave, and that
1:50
is unheard of in NFL circles.
1:56
perhaps wasn't the best.
1:59
you start having the leaks of defending
2:04
a guy being fired. And once you have
2:06
that dirty laundry out there, cuz we
2:08
didn't hear anything about
2:11
the GM having taken two weeks off for
2:13
paternity leave before he was fired.
2:16
Once you have those things, it's a cover
2:18
up for other things. Once you have those
2:21
things, it is trying to make sure you
2:26
paint the fired employee in a poor light
2:29
to make it seem like it had to happen.
2:32
This was a Sam Darnold thing. Sam
2:35
Darnold got him fired. Had Sam Darnold
2:38
thrown three picks against the Rams in
2:40
the NFC Championship game,
2:43
the Vikings have the same front office
2:44
intact. Let's face it, just is. It's
2:48
just the way that it goes.
2:50
So, it is amazing what Darnold's
2:53
redemption story has meant to the
2:55
Seahawks, City of Seattle,
3:01
Vikings franchise, JJ McCarthy, Vikings
3:05
employees, the NFL writ large, this
3:09
Super Bowl, this draft, future drafts,
3:14
past drafts, quarterbacks that had been
3:17
drafted that maybe you would assume are
3:22
Darnold's reclamation and redemption
3:25
touches all parts all parts of the NFL
3:31
and his success got the Vikings GM
3:36
Unbelievable in so many ways considering
3:39
where we were two years ago on Sam
3:43
Darnold. Heck, where we were at this
3:45
point in time last year after his
3:47
disastrous week 18 and then the the
3:50
playoff loss against the Rams, where we
3:53
were then versus where we are now, night
