Episode 361

This Team Had Playoff Aspirations. Like Recently

Hosts	Arif Hasan, James Pogatshnik
Guests	Seth Galina (PFF)
Type	Game Review December 21, 2020

Norse Code Episode 361: This Team Had Playoff Aspirations. Like Recently aired on December 21, 2020.

Overview

This episode reviews the Vikings' loss to the Chicago Bears and previews the upcoming Saints game with PFF's Seth Galina. With playoff hopes effectively dashed, the hosts field listener questions about the team's depth, coaching decisions, and future outlook.

Segments

Opening: Introduction and launch question
Bears Review: Analysis of the Vikings' loss to Chicago
Saints Preview: Upcoming game preview featuring Seth Galina from Pro Football Focus
Mailbag: Listener questions covering team performance, coaching decisions, and personal topics

Mailbag Questions

TJ Self - Do I hate the Vikings or do I hate myself for being a Vikings fan?
Jordan - Question for Arif's Cover Corner: I seem to be noticing less and less of Harrison Smith, aside from the weekly helmet to helmet penalty. Has he taken another step back, or is it just that he's being asked to play deep more in the cover 2?
Rahul - Vikings depth has been on display this season. Are you impressed or unimpressed? How does this reflect on Spielman's late round volume heavy draft philosophy? Of note, Vikings have not drafted a defensive lineman in the first two rounds since 2013 (Sharrif Floyd).
Ryan - The Vikings refusal to use 2nd and 1 to drive down the field was infuriating. Was this new for this game or just something I hadn't noticed? Is this in any way justifiable given their ineptitude with 3rd/4th and short this game? Is Trubisky post snap decision making just so chaotic that Zimmer cannot find a logical way to defeat him?
Kyle Slaybee - Has the run been established yet? I mean, if running it with 3 minutes to go won't work, do you just need to run it up the gut with 40 seconds left?
Kenneth Allen - Now that the Vikings are (basically) out of the playoffs, should we expect any changes in personnel in-game, e.g. more playtime for bubble players?
Logan - 1) what advice do you have for starting indoor herb plants (basil, mint, chives)? 2) my 12 week old won't take a bottle or pacifier. What advice does Arif have for fixing this situation since he may start daycare soon? 3) what was the most baffling coaching decision yesterday?
Stevie - I just had my second kid this past Monday, which by my calculations puts me about 20% of the way to James' count. It was a boy, and we named him Teddy. I fell in love with the name when I fell in love with Teddy Bridgewater the player in 2014, and that obviously persisted. On a scale of 1 to Arif's hatred of turkey, how pathetic is it that I named my only son after a former Vikings QB?
Greg - Garrett Bradbury is the leading NFC centers in pro bowl votes. Is this solely because his name starts with B and people just click one of the first names that come up when it comes to voting for the offensive line?
Don from Ohio - Now that the Vikings are out of the playoffs does Zimmer shut down Cook for the year or does he run him 35 times a game still until he's seriously injured and hampered for the 2021 season? What month in the off season does Jefferson request a trade out of Minnesota? Dear Arif, what did you get your cat for Christmas? I'd ask James but euthanization isn't the gift that keeps on giving.

Guests

Seth Galina from Pro Football Focus appeared to preview the Saints game.

Key Bits & Lore

Don from Ohio makes multiple appearances with characteristic pessimistic questions
Reference to Arif's hatred of turkey as a measurement scale
James' large number of children referenced in listener question

Production Notes

Episode runtime extends to 124:43 with intro lasting until 105:58
Patreon and Threadless promotion featuring Chris Law

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