Episode 455

Unknown

Hosts	Arif Hasan, James Pogatshnik
Guests	Chris Sheppard (Stampede Blue)
Type	Preview

Norse Code Episode 455 is a preview episode featuring analysis of the upcoming Colts game.

Overview

The episode features a preview of the Vikings' upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts with guest Chris Sheppard from Stampede Blue. The show also includes an extensive mailbag segment covering topics ranging from the Vikings' running back situation to philosophical questions about team identity.

Segments

Opening: Patreon and merchandise discussion
Colts Preview: Analysis with Chris Sheppard from Stampede Blue
Mailbag: Extended listener questions segment

Mailbag Questions

Conor - What are your thoughts that it seems with Dalvin's decline that the Vikings should shift to more of a workload like Dallas has with Zeke and Pollard. From what I've seen Mattison has shown more consistent power and energy in his runs.
BasecampK9 - For the Make Arif Get In-depth Calculations (MAGIC for short) corner: It looked like the Lions schemed to keep the Vikes in base D. Is the DVOA of our sub packages that much better? LBs seem to have more depth than CB/S
Massive Kevin O Connell Fan - Do you think Justin Jefferson *should* be in the MVP race? I know he's nowhere close because it's a QB award, but if we're being realistic where would you rank him among all players based on value?
Beef Brewski - With news that Irv Smith Jr is potentially close to returning, do you see a meaningful role for him in the offense now that Hockenson is here?
Mason Beck - Has Jeff Saturday's performance so far been better, worse, or about the same as you expected it to be? I wonder if already having an infrastructure in place when you get hired makes things significantly easier.
Cody - For Arif's Days of the Week Corner: do you think the NFL is giving the Indianapolis Colts a competitive advantage by allowing Jeff Saturday to coach an NFL football game on a Saturday?
Anya Taylor Joy - Have the Raiders also been cheating to make Carlson better at PATs and FGs? If so, can we do the same thing with Greg Joseph?
Nick Howard - Who are we rooting for in the linear Super Bowl Sunday night?
RMensen - For the Norse Code trust issues corner: we all know the Vikings are not to be trusted at this point, but does that extend to all things Norse Code related? I currently sit one spot out of the playoffs in the hell league and need a win and also a victory from none other than James Pogatshnik to get into the playoffs. Can I trust James to go out and secure victory for me?
Ingrams Left Foot - So I'm getting legally married this Saturday (no Spanish required hopefully). For James wedding corner, I know seeing the bride before is bad luck, is watching your football team before bad luck?
Etspaceman - When is Norse Code releasing NFT trading cards?
Micah - For Arif: does all the discourse about this team's supposed fraudulence falsely presuppose that sports teams have an essential identity? It seems mistaken to assume that a particular performance reveals what this team *really* is -- either as legitimate or fraudulent. Would it be more constructive to think of teams, and particularly this team, as being neither essentially good nor bad, but as capable of performing in a variety of (often contradictory) ways? Trying to pin down a fixed essence just feels like a colossal waste of energy.
Tim Rizzo - Fantasy team name suggestions including "Arif's Little Gobblers," "The HaSTANs," "Hasan's Homies," "Arif's Bewitched Beauties," "Braun Bunny Bullies (also known as the 3B's)," "The Seattle Hasans," and "Arif's Arif's (to feed the monster that is his ego)"
Don from Ohio - Christmas gift advice follow-up regarding a Peloton purchase gone wrong, requesting help fixing the situation

Guests

Chris Sheppard from Stampede Blue, who provides film analysis for the SB Nation Colts community, appears to preview the Colts matchup.

Key Bits & Lore

The episode features multiple recurring Norse Code segments including "Make Arif Get In-depth Calculations (MAGIC)," "Arif's Days of the Week Corner," "Hell League" fantasy football references, "James Wedding Corner," and a memorable Don from Ohio Christmas gift disaster story involving a Peloton purchase based on the hosts' previous advice.

Production Notes

Episode runs approximately 52-53 minutes with a production cut noted at the 33:44 mark. Merchandise discussion includes Threadless pillow featuring "Arif is your Waifu" design.

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