Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan team up for their final Football Machine. As Sam moves on to a new opportunity, the Football Machine is appreciative for your years of loyal listenership. What a fun ride. -Explaining the goodbye -Stafford traded; is Cousins next?! -Why the delay on promoting Klint Kubiak? -Super Bowl Jeopardy w/ Giles Ferrell -Super Bowl Party Fantasy Draft -Super Bowl Prop Bets

QB Trade Rumors, Super Bowl Jeopardy & Farewell

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by Zone Coverage contributor Chris Schad to discuss the conference title games and the latest with the Vikings: -How bad was Matt LaFleur's fourth down decision? -What is Aaron Rodgers' future? -Bills-Chiefs takeaways -Kyle Rudolph's controversial comments -Minnesota's salary-cap management -The Hall of Fame case for Jared Allen

LaFleur's Decision, Rodgers' Future & Rudolph's Comments

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan discuss the latest with the Purple and the NFL playoffs: -What was compelling about the divisional round? -Who will neutral fans be cheering for in Sunday's Bucs-Packers game? -Identifying free agent targets at guard, defensive tackle, receiver and corner -Checking in on former Vikings -Barr vs. Wilson -Championship round picks

Playoff Talkers, Vikings Free Agent Watch, Ex-Viking Updates

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan discuss the latest with the Minnesota Vikings and National Football League: -George Paton takes a job with the Denver Broncos. What is the impact on the Vikings? -Best moments of Wild Card weekend: Colts-Bills, Heinicke, Nickelodeon -Takeaways on Devonta Smith, Justin Fields and Mac Jones from the National Championship -Twitter questions: Vikings roster makeup, Thielen's future and next OC

Goodbye, George Paton, Wild Card Review & National Championship Thoughts

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by Luke Braun to start discussing the Minnesota Vikings offseason: -Who were the Week 17 winners and losers? -Are the in-house candidates good replacements for Gary Kubiak? Outside hires? -What about replacing Marwan Maalouf? -How inaccurate were our preseason predictions? -Did Kirk Cousins improve his QB rank this season? -Would a Cousins-for-Watson trade make sense? -Wild Card picks

Gary Kubiak Replacements & Revisiting Preseason Predictions

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier react to the Vikings' final game, a 37-35 win in Detroit: -It was the offensive gameplan they should've had all season: Embrace shootouts -Justin Jefferson set the rookie yardage record, but his season still wasn't as impressive as rookie Randy Moss -Are defensive injuries a valid excuse for the record? -How will holes at safety, defensive end and guard be filled this offseason? -Who Sam and Tom are cheering for in the playoffs

Week 17 Gameplan, Jefferson Sets the Record & Filling Roster Holes

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by Chris Schad to break down the latest with the Minnesota Vikings: -What should their New Year's resolutions be? -Does Mike Zimmer have a low ceiling as a coach? -What is the percentage chance that certain key players return? -What odd decisions will the Vikings make in the offseason?

Vikings Resolutions, 5 Key Roster Moves & the Case to Keep Zimmer

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier discuss the Vikings' 52-33 loss on Christmas Day and what happens next as the offseason nears: -Mike Zimmer calls out his "bad defense" -A deep dive into Ernie Nevers, the 1920s football player whose record Alvin Kamara tied -The one area where the offense can realistically upgrade -Has Kirk Cousins been more fiery this year? -Why can't the Vikings run trick plays?

A Defensive Embarrassment, Upgrading the O-Line and Mad Cousins?

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan discuss the latest with the Minnesota Vikings: -What are their memories of the two Vikings' playoff wins over the Saints, and what made them special for fans? -Nothing or Something: Justin Jefferson's hot mic moment? Dan Bailey's 5-for-5 day? Mitch Trubisky's Vikings dominance? -Which contracts should the Vikings shed (or extend) next year? -Week 16 picks

Vikings-Saints Nostalgia, Nothing or Something, Keep/Extend/Release

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier dissect the latest Vikings loss that likely eliminates them from playoff contention: -Should the offense be held to a higher standard since they have more veterans? -The play-calling never gave the offense a chance to be explosive -Can we expect the defense to improve next year? -What to make of the end-of-game drives by the Vikings on Sunday -Remaining playoff scenarios -Remembering Tom Hanneman

The Vikings Kept it Interesting, But They Never Took the Next Step

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan discuss the latest with the Minnesota Vikings: -Was it correct to hang onto Dan Bailey after his four misses? -Does Mitch Trubisky give the Bears a better chance to win? -Why are the Vikings so slow-tempo on offense? -Is Kirk Cousins more mobile? -Could Justin Jefferson get fed up with the offense like Stefon Diggs? -The latest playoff scenarios -Week 15 picks

Bailey Stays, Slow Tempo and Trubisky vs. Foles

Sam Ekstrom and Chris Schad react to Sunday's 26-14 loss at Tampa Bay. They discuss the following: -Dan Bailey misses four kicks. Is there any case to keep him around? -Kirk Cousins wasn't elite, but he also wasn't the reason the Vikings lost -Dalvin Cook's 100-yard game was wasted -Three controversial calls. Were they correct? -Why won't the Vikings show more offensive urgency? -Playoff picture update

Missed Kicks and Missed Opportunities

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by Purple Insider's Matthew Coller to discuss the latest with the Minnesota Vikings: -What are the lasting takeaways from the Jaguars game? -Is this still an upper echelon offense despite some of the mistakes? -Letter grades for Gary Kubiak, Mike Zimmer and Marwan Maalouf -What happened to Holton Hill? -The tight ends are decimated -Which D-linemen will be gone next year? -Week 14 picks

Offensive Potential, Grading the Coaches & Holton Hill Waived

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier react to the Vikings' 27-24 overtime win against Jacksonville: -Tom missed overtime because his TV switched to the Packers -The last-minute defensive meltdown makes the game look far worse -Why isn't Dalvin Cook getting any relief? -The defense still deserves a hat tip for the takeaways -Special teams was dismal again, and what was up with that Dan Bailey kick? -Updated playoff picture

Another Ugly Win, Dalvin Wearing Down and Un-special Teams

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by guest Luke Braun to discuss the latest with the Minnesota Vikings: -Praise and malaise from the win over the Panthers -Debate over the Vikings' clock management strategies -Is Dalvin Cook going to get worn down? -What do the Jaguars do well? -Who is in control of the NFC? -Week 13 picks against the spread

Clock Management Debates, Dalvin's Workload & NFC Power Rankings

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier discuss the Vikings' dramatic 28-27 win over Carolina: -Do you like zany football? -Chad Beebe and Bisi Johnson emerge -Kirk Cousins proves he can carry a team to victory -The Vikings have yet to play a good 60-minute game -The defensive line needs a playmaker to emerge -Playoff scenarios

Vikings Win, But They're Still a Ways From Being Taken Seriously

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by Chris Schad to discuss the latest with the Vikings: -Does Kirk Cousins deserve any heat for the Vikings' latest loss? -What former Vikings defensive player would be most useful on this year's defense? -What will happen if Adam Thielen misses the Panthers game? -Would you want the 2020 version of Teddy Bridgewater on the Vikings? -The best Vikings to hunt with -Week 12 picks -Thanksgiving Food Draft 2020

Defensive Callbacks, Teddy Memories & Thanksgiving Food Draft

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier react to Sunday's 31-28 Vikings loss: -The offense deserves some heat, too -Dalvin Cook is taking some serious punishment -CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson are going to be fun to watch for years to come -What happened to the defense? -Special teams was negative again -Do the Vikings still have a chance at the playoffs?

Divvying Up the Blame in a Loss to Dallas

Sam Ekstrom and Arif Hasan are joined by guest Eric Thompson to discuss the latest with the Vikings. -"Woos and Boos" from Monday's win against the Bears -Could the Vikings make a change at special teams coordinator? And how will special teams screw up the end of their season? -How do the Ngakoue and Diggs trades look in retrospect? -Where will Cam Dantzler fit when he returns? -What are the biggest threats on the Dallas offense and defense? -Could the 2020 draft class exceed the 2015 class? -Week 11 picks

Chicago Takeaways, Reassessing Two Big Trades & Previewing the Cowboys

Sam Ekstrom and Tom Schreier react to the Vikings' 19-13 win over Chicago: -It was ugly for the Vikings, but imagine being a Bears fan -Minnesota hung tough to overcome obstacles -Justin Jefferson is legit -Mike Zimmer dialed up well-timed blitzes against a hapless Nick Foles -Could the Vikings make a change at special teams? -What's up next for the Vikings? -Nervous to face Andy Dalton in the slightest?

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