Episode 605

In the wrong place and time (being disappointed in the rain)

Hosts	Arif Hasan, James Pogatshnik
Guests	None
Type	Offseason

Norse Code Episode 605: In the wrong place and time (being disappointed in the rain) was an offseason episode covering OTA observations, Minnesota's hosting of the NFL Draft, league news, and an extensive mailbag.

Overview

The hosts discussed Vikings OTA activity, Minnesota's hosting of the NFL Draft, and a wide-ranging mailbag covering everything from seed oils, to trolley problems, to toddler bathroom defiance. The episode also addressed the announced end of Norse Code, with listener Kyle asking what the hosts had for lunch.

Segments

OTA Discussion

The hosts reviewed observations from Vikings Organised Team Activities, discussing player development, early impressions, and what the roster might look like heading into the 2026 season.

Minnesota Hosts the Draft

Coverage of the NFL Draft taking place in Minnesota, with discussion of the event's impact on the local football community, the city's preparation, and the broader spectacle.

Around the League

League-wide news including the Green Bay Packers lawsuit situation, with the hosts noting the legal system's apparent willingness to let Paw Patrol sue someone but not pursue more serious charges against other parties.

Mailbag Questions

Rock — Do JJ McCarthy and his receivers do well with improvising routes when a quarterback is extending a play? Is that even a coachable skill?

Nick Howard — For the moving-to-a-cold-climate-from-the-Arizona-desert corner: any advice for someone who has never driven in snow, never owned snow tyres, and has no frame of reference for winter roads whatsoever?

Benn — With Rodgers signed to lead the Steelers to an 8-9 record, are the Vikings safe from ever seeing him in purple? Which rookie could surprise and contribute meaningfully? How close are we to Cooper Rush QB1 season?

Bigale — Every few months there are articles about the Vikings acquiring Joe Burrow. Ignoring cap issues, what trade capital would it take to pull that off for him, Allen, or Lamar? Who would you prefer if you could have any one of them? Does the answer change when you factor in the cap?

Steven — A website called startnine.win is apparently AI-generated content predicting a JJ McCarthy-led Vikings team winning only 11.5 games. The true number is certainly much higher. As a pillar of Vikings media, how does Arif plan to fight back against these malicious fabrications?

JJ McDarnold — What is the maximum number of former head coaches you can enroll in an accelerator program before you are forced to admit it is a rehab facility?

Will Melvin — With no Bengals on the schedule, how many interceptions will Isaiah Rodgers finish the season with?

Damian — For Arif's False Advertising Corner: what kind of nonsense are OTAs? From what anyone can tell, it is just practice. If someone at the office organised "Team Activities" and it turned out to simply be work, there would be consequences. As a hypothetical team owner, what would Arif do for OTAs instead — paintball, go-karting, or karaoke?

Mad Max Brosmer — For Arif's seed oil corner: Arif recently stated that seed oils were perfectly fine and had no real health impacts, but an NFL team has now banned seed oils in their cafeteria with a full staff of highly trained nutritionists signing off on it. How much is Big Food paying him to actively encourage listeners to poison themselves and their children? Also, Mina Kimes just won a million dollars on Celebrity Jeopardy and donated it to fight homelessness in LA — are there any celebrity debate tournaments Arif is planning to win for a similar impact, or is Mina Kimes simply cooler than him?

Matt Nelson — Since Arif is a successful streamer now, has he considered also streaming the podcast itself?

Kyle — Ever since hearing the news of Norse Code ending, Kyle has lost all sense of purpose, the joy in his hobbies is gone, and he sleeps considerably more. His question: what did you guys have for lunch?

Mal — To both hosts: fun socks — yes or no?

Janik — Trolley problem: you can either kill all the people on the top track, or double it and give it to the next person. Twenty-four people have already chosen to double it. Will you kill 16,777,216 people, or double it and give it to the next person?

Football's misandrist niche — For Arif's critical economics corner: given that the Powers That Be have completely lost the plot between purely speculative and material economic value, what other generally calmly enjoyed portions of daily existence should be commodified beyond recognition into levels of pump-and-dump schemes and wash trading that are technically not illegal because they are not taking place through an established securities market?

Tom Locke — For James's Irish Republican Corner: how would you reunite all the divisions into one league, the people finally united together again?

A Second Jet Has Hit Drew Bledsoe — For Arif's Water Waste Corner: what does Goth SūmerBrain think of the Vikings quarterback situation and schedule?

Alex — What is the best way to get a question answered on Norse Code? Send it the moment James announces he is recording tonight? Send an email? Besmirch the reputation of one of the hosts to trick them into defending themselves? Use an old bit, or try to start a new one?

Kate is pretty odd — For Arif's REI AMI corner: if Arif were to create a musical artist nom de plume based on two Sailor Moon characters, what would the name be and why?

Room Temperature — For the Norse Code Ghost Busting corner: as a cat sitter, a client has booked an overnight stay and mentioned the realtor said the place was haunted. Does James have any advice from his experience with ghost Dusty if the ghost is adversarial? Does Arif have any advice on how to win the ghost couple playoffs if the ghost is actually cool and into you?

Deez — For Arif's dating corner: rank these relationships from healthiest to most toxic — Aaron Rodgers and his "wife"; Mike Zimmer and Terrence Newman; Christian Ponder and his throwing shoulder; or Sharrif Floyd and his knee surgeon?

Village YAC Monger — Which NFL quarterbacks would you skip your least favourite son's second marriage to hang out with?

Zen Cupid — For Arif's job searcher corner: after 20 years at the same company, recently let go due to AI replacement. Previous role covered Layer 1 tech support, training and presenting, and Supplier Relationship Management specifically for fast food restaurant point-of-sale systems, back office servers, and restaurant network hardware and software. A very niche skillset. What field should they move into next, and how can AI help get them there? Their fate is in Arif's hands. A 24-hour ultimatum has been issued.

Ice delanda est — For Arif's AI corner: now that the Jets are using AI to make roster decisions, what else should the Jets use AI to do? Also, for Arif's parenting corner: a 3.5-year-old has refused to poop at home for eight months despite going daily at daycare. Laxatives are ineffective as he simply holds it in harder. He refuses all incentives — candy, stickers, ice cream, music, and TV time. He refuses his pull-ups. He will sit on the toilet and glare. He uses the toilet normally Monday through Friday but refuses on weekends. Upcoming four and five-day long weekends due to holidays are causing significant household anxiety. Solutions needed urgently.

Key Bits & Lore

Kyle's question about losing purpose following the announced end of Norse Code marks one of the more emotionally resonant mailbag submissions in the show's history
Goth SūmerBrain makes an appearance via Drew Bledsoe's question
Ghost Dusty is referenced in Room Temperature's haunted cat-sitting question
The trolley problem reaches 16,777,216 potential victims by question 24
Mad Max Brosmer continues the show's tradition of giving listeners episode-inspired names
Arif's seed oil corner and Mina Kimes corner coexist in the same question, suggesting Mad Max Brosmer is an overachiever

Notes

Runtime: 1:30:49