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#619: Vikings KNOW JJ McCarthy is UNPROVEN, Timberwolves = MY GOLF GAME, Twins Owners IN TROUBLE

Published Mar 25, 2025, 4:42 PM

Minnesota Tim discusses various topics including J.J. McCarthy's health and his future with the Minnesota Vikings, the inconsistent performance of the Timberwolves, and the financial challenges faced by the Minnesota Twins ownership. The conversation delves into player mentalities, team dynamics, and the impact of ownership decisions on team performance.

Welcome into the show today.

Thank you for making this podcast a part of your day. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that subscribe button, or if you're listening else are hit that follow button so this podcast shows up in your feed Monday through Saturday. I appreciate all the loyal listeners, whether that's through YouTube or through their reels. We've got almost three thousand followers on Facebook. We've got over four thousand subscribers on YouTube. So join the thousands and be a part of this podcasting journey with me Minnesota, Tim. We've got a lot to talk about today because even though there wasn't much to talk about yesterday, it's March, and some days you got something, some days you've got a whole lot of nothing, and today we got a whole lot of something because there were a lot of stories released within the last twenty four hours that we need to discuss. And first things first, Jaje McCarthy went on k Adams Up in Adams, which is a part of fan Duel Sports Network television, and he had some things to say about his health. He had some things to say about the opportunity with the Vikings.

So that's gonna be the.

First things first, But in a little bit I'm going to react to the Timberwolves losing three or four, and I'm also going to discuss the latest breaking news coming out of the Twins organization and the owners and all that nonsense that is going on there. So first, Jaj McCarthy on his health on k Adams Show.

I was trying to translate what it means that you're here, You're in your magician is your first year?

The name must be well, huh fantastic.

I mean I would say percent, but you you know, thank you hear that, but uh yea yeah, just staying consistent with reallyha process and we wave room that and stay distantly with all all the outside stuff and making sure you know, I'm not chopping into much wood and doing all that stuff.

How does that affect to you? The recovery and injury? Was there good at it? How would you describe looking back? And I'm I'm not saying you're at all like you're saying, but what did I do to you?

It was an ultimate blessing because you know, it's just a touch time as illness where you really really get to react and interpact and you know, know, find find a routine, especially early on, and it's just career in this profession, Like it's huge for young young guys to find that the visual routine and that they can rely on and you know, you know, stay consistently with, so make a name for me.

There are so many reports that come out from so many different insiders, whether they pretend to be insiders or actual insiders, And to hear it directly from McCarthy's mouth, what else is he going to say. He's not gonna sit up there and say he's eighty five percent. He's not gonna sit on the show and say he's less than seventy percent. Of course he's going to say he's one hundred percent. You ask any player, even if he's fifteen years out of his prime, and you ask him, how are you feeling today? You know what they're gonna say, I'm in the best shape of my career. I've never felt any better, and I'm excited to continue my journey. Adrian Peterson still probably says that he's probably still thinks he could break Emmett Smith's record if a team signed him. That's just the way players think, and it's just the way that their minds are orchestrated because in all honest, which this podcast is one hundred percent honest, one hundred percent of the time, players have very delicate mental states. If there is something in their mind or brain that is a negative thought, that can completely tear apart any athlete in any sport. So what they say is the exact opposite. I'm one hundred percent, I'm in the best shape of my career. I'm always feeling good, and that's exactly what we're seeing from JJ McCarthy and his comments. Let's move on to his other answer, because this first answer to the first question was something that we would expect to hear from really any player. There's really nothing shocking about it. But this is what McCarthy had to say about his opportunity moving forward as the Minnesota Vikings QB one.

We found out, you know a lot about Aaron Rodgers might come there. He's in a great situation. So like we as a fan base or even media found out, like you're the die the die recently, When did you know and when did they tell you that.

Message to you?

They haven't told me.

I'm happy that every single day and I never want that to be and it's such a opportunity to chance, and.

I was just going to make everyday.

Now, this is classic Jaje and McCarthy. He is all about earning things and having the right mentality and and doing things the right way.

Because, as I've said a.

Zillion times and I'm sure i'll say a zillion more times, McCarthy bleeds and loves football.

More than any other player.

Probably in NFL history. This guy is obsessed with the game. And you can tell based on his comments, based on his activities. You can tell by every single thing that McCarthy does that he is obsessed with the game of football. And if you are obsessed with the game of football, you are going to say things like this, I need to earn it nothing. I don't want anything handed to me. And that's what he's saying in this statement. But what is fascinating about his answer, specifically to this question is that the Minnesota Vikings have not promised McCarthy the QB one spot. And what it also shows me is that one the Vikings even know themselves that McCarthy, coming off an injury where he couldn't participate in any season long activities besides mental reps, know that McCarthy is an unproven quarterback, and that's what I've been saying all off season. That's why they offered Darnold a contract. That's why they offered Daniel Jones a contract, and that's why they had week long discussions and could revisit this discussion if Aaron Rodgers does not sign somewhere else.

The Minnesota Vikings know the fact.

The fact is is that McCarthy has not played a single meaningful NFL down in the NFL. And if you call one preseason game versus the Raiders in which she played pretty good against the vanilla defense meaningful, then I don't know what to tell you because that is not a meaningful NFL down. If the Vikings I don't remember if they won or lots of that game, it doesn't matter. That's how meaningless that that game was. And it was valuable reps for McCarthy as but in terms of meaningful football, in terms of it mattering in terms of the opponent, specifically game planning against McCarthy to force him off his game, that game had none of that. It was vanilla with a capital V. So the Vikings know it. McCarthy knows it. The only people that need to come to grips with McCarthy being an unproven quarterback in the NFL are minutes so the Vikings fans, because right now McCarthy is all hope.

It's all hope. There is not one.

Meaningful fact or statistic that will tell us that McCarthy is going to step in seamlessly into the QB one role and be a guy that can take a super Bowl ready roster all the way to the Super Bowl instill the toughest division in football. So McCarthy knows it, the Vikings know it, and now it's time to come to.

A realistic mindset that.

Although McCarthy will probably be the opening week starter, the Vikings have not told that to him. He still needs to go out and earn it. And let's say McCarthy he steps into spring and looks awful, looks terrible. Not saying that's going to happen, but it certainly is a possibility. If McCarthy steps into spring OTAs and training camp and doesn't look the part, and Aaron Rodgers still has not signed with the Steelers, well then those discussions are going to become realistic again. And that's why they were even a discussion in the first place because we do not know yet what Jajon McCarthy is going to be.

So you can throw all of these high school and.

Collegiate accomplishments about McCarthy in my face.

But the truth of the matter.

Is this, he is still an unproven QB. And the reason why the Vikings had discussions with three other potential starting quarterbacks in the NFL this offseason they offered contracts to two of them is because the Vikings are not sure on what McCarthy is going to be yet. Alec Lewis sent this out on x just an hour ago. It says this Kevin O'Connell was asked in January whether or not Jajon McCarthy was the starter.

He didn't answer it directly. It's January before any workout.

So why would he still It's very clear, and McCarthy seems to know it. He must have a good spring and summer in all regards. If McCarthy wants to beat QB one, he is not going to be handed the position. It is not going to be a free hand out, which tells me and which should tell you, that he is an unproven quarterback in the NFL. I cannot believe that is some sort of hot take. It seems like the most obvious take in the world that McCarthy is not yet a proven QB yet. I post this on one of my reels, and what everybody is telling me is that, Oh, he did this in high school, this in college.

You're a Vikings hater. Oh you're so negative.

Get off my feed, Get out of your mother's basement.

How are you married? Who bred with you? It's crazy.

Kevin Seafford, also a Vikings insider, says this, I wouldn't expect the Vikings to tell McCarthy in March that he's there starting QB, and not just because there's a chance they were visit Aaron Rodgers later this spring or summer. They have seen him in a single football activity with teammates in two hundred and twenty seven days. All we are spitting is facts, and you can put on your fanboy hat and pretend that McCarthy's approven NFL quarterback. But reality's reality, and what reality is telling us is that McCarthy is not yet a proven NFL quarterback. And that's why the Vikings had long discussions and offered contracts to two other quarterbacks and had discussions on three of them about coming back to the Vikings because they don't know what McCarthy is. Anyways, let's move on to a different topic, because that's the topic that keeps on giving. I can talk about that for days, which I have talked about for days. The Timberwolves lost one hundred and nineteen one hundred and three against the Indiana Pacers, and the Pacers were playing everybody. The Timberwolves just lost to the Pacers recently, and they didn't play their two best players, Miles Turner, Tyres Haliburton didn't play, and they're even Tosco Pascal Siakam didn't play. The Timberwolves lost to the Pacers backups in overtime recently.

But this is a big.

Loss because the Golden State Warriors have struggled a little bit, and when I Bean struggled a little bit, they lost one game against the Hawks. Steph Curry was hurt. We don't know when stuff's coming back. So this was an opportunity to tie the Warriors in the NBA standings and become a sixth seed, which would allow the timberwol to get out of that playing spot. But right now, they're forty one and thirty two, tied with the Clippers, currently in the eighth seed, and one game back behind the Golden State Warriors. What is so interesting about this Timberwolves squad is their inconsistencies and the way that they look like a top three team in the Western Conference during a two week stretch and then they look like a bottom feeder NBA team during the next two week stretch. The Timberwolves just finished recently an eight game win streak, and then what happens next is they lose to the shorthanded Pacers in overtime, they lose to the Pelicans that are having an awful season. Then they beat the Pelicans by forty during the Joe Ingalls game, and then they lose to the Pacers again by sixteen points, a complete blowout. And here's the truth about the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are identical to anybody's golf game. Golf game. Yeah, you heard me right, And here's why that is. If you golf or you don't golf, you'll probably understand me. Regardless if you golf, are players that golf you hit a few good shots in a row, and after you hit those few good shots in a row.

You're thinking, Oh, I figured it out.

I figured out this complicated sports called golf, and I'm gonna just take this onto the next hole and I'm just gonna be a phenomenal golfer from here on out. I've got this figured out. And then the next holl is a blowup hole or everything that you thought you knew went completely out the window. Those fields that you thought you had, right, those feels that you're like, oh yeah, par par birdie, birdie par here it comes when completely out the window. And the Timberwolves act the same way. During their eight game win streak, I pulled up a quote from Dante DiVincenzo says this March fourteenth, we've matured as a team.

We are still maturing as a team.

Collectively, we were able to have the those conversations. We're more comfortable with each other and what everybody's good at. That sounds like a player that's talking like we've figured it out, we know each other. We've matured as a team. We've got this chemistry solved. And the reason why it's taken us three fourths of the season to figure this out is because of chemistry. But now we've got to figure it out, and now we're just gonna soar into the playoffs. And then they lose, and Dante DiVincenzo has another quote after their loss against the Pacers last night, we got to play harder, We got to play with a sense of urgency. We are playing like we have sh it secured and we don't. It needs to turn around. There's a few things going on with the Timberwolves. One of them is what I just said. The Timberwolves are everybody's golf game. They are inconsistent. They think they haven't figured out during their a game win streak, and then they lose three or four games against bottom feeders in the NBA, and now they're going down again. Now they gotta figure it out and they're gonna win games again, and they're gonna be making comments like, oh, we figured it out, we got the chemistry going, uh, everything's good.

And then they're gonna lose and we're gonna be.

Like, oh, what happened? Oh no, I thought we had to figure it out. I guess not the Timberwolves. Let mean, let me pull up these stats. They scored one hundred and three points against the Pacers. They went nine for thirty five from the three point line. That would be stupid. Espn AD What the heck get off my screen? Twenty five point seven percent. This sat is still up here? What the frick is going on here?

Ridiculous? All right? Twenty five point seven percent.

Anthony Edwards went one for eleven, Mike Conley won for two, Julius Randall over two, nas reed three for six, Josh might not one for one.

That's that's uh, that's what you call bench mob time.

Dante Divin chance To went one for seven, Nikil Alexander walk went two for five, Jalen Clark went over for one. Overall, as a team, they went nine for thirty five. Anthony Edwards can take credit for most of those misses. Here's the deal with the Timberwolves. They are trying to be a three point shooting team and they're not one who on the Timberwolves roster. Let's go of the ball and you think it's money every time, nobody. When Julius Randalls shoots a three, I'm not thinking that's going in. When and Jaden McDaniels or Mike Conley or even Anthony Edwards shoot a three, I'm not thinking that's money.

Same thing with u Nikhil Alexander Walker.

The only guys that I trust to shoot the three and believe it's going in are Donte DiVincenzo and Joe Ingles. Those guys are peer three point shooters. But the NBA has become a three point league, and the Timberwolves still have not adapted their players to fit the three point contest that every NBA game has become. So what you see are players on the Timberwolves acting and pretending to be three point shooters when they clearly are not. And that's why you see them go through these inconsistent runs in the NBA this year, because.

There's weeks where they're on.

Fire, knocking down every three, everything's looking good, and then last night against the Pacers, and recently they've hit a cold stretch because they are not consistently good three point shooters. You look at the Pacers stats from last night, they shot thirty seven percent from the three point line compared to the Timberwolves twenty five percent. The NBA basically boils down to one stat these days, who can shoot a better percentage of three point shots. The Pacers made four more threes than the Timberwolves. They both shot the same amount. That's twelve points. The Timberwolves lost by sixteen. If the Timberwls make four more threes, it's a tight ballgame down the stretch, as simple as that. But the problem is is that the Timberwolves do not have good three point shooters on their roster and they're trying to play this three point game that every NBA team plays because three is worth more than two. And then what you saw last night is that the Timberwolves could not hit a three. And when you don't score easily, your defense suffers. So they gave up one hundred and nineteen points to the Pacers. Dante DiVincenzo said it in his postgame comment, we had no energy.

We're acting like we.

Gotta secured the Timberwolves misshots, and when your missshots, it impacts your defense greatly, and there's no energy on the floor, and that's what he saw. Solves, as much as they thought they had it figured out there during their eight game win streak, they didn't have it figured out. They're an inconsistent NBA team because their three point shooting consists of inconsistent players shooting threes. Anthony Edwards wants to pretending Steph Curry, and there's games where he looks like a phenomenal three point shooter, and there's games where he looks the part. You know, Statistically the season, he's shooting thirty nine point five percent from the three point line. Looks great on paper, but last night he went one for eleven seven for nineteen total. It doesn't win any games, and that's why you see the Timberwolves so up and down this season. Last story to touch on the Minnesota Twins and their ownership. This comes from Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal and Brittany gear Ali via The Athletic The Twins have accrued The Twins ownership group have accrued in excess of four hundred and twenty five million of debt, according to multiple people briefed on the sale process, which is one of the highest figures among MLB's thirty teams. Something that most people forget about during ownership debacles and money spent on teams and different things like that, is that the owners of every single professional franchise are business people and they are going to spend what is good for their bottom line. And the Minnesota Twins have been an embarrassment in the past few seasons and money spent on players. And here's the reason. The reason why is that the Twins Ownership Group has collected four hundred and twenty five million dollars of debt. And I was listening to John Bonus on the Power Trip Morning show on Kfan this morning, and he was saying that the Twins Ownership Group, they have a lot of investment in real estate, capital and houses, hotels, stuff like that. And during COVID that business crashed in stalled. People weren't spending the amount of money they were spending on that kind of stuff during COVID and after COVID. So the Twins collected four hundred and twenty five million dollars of debt and they're trying to sell the franchise for a one point seven billion. They bought it for like forty million, so that's a pretty good investment. But here's why the Twins Ownership Group, the poll Ads have not been spending money. It's because they have no money to spend and their bottom line is in the negative by four hundred and twenty five million. These poll Ads are business owners. Just like any business owner, you lose money, You're losing millions you spend less so that the bottom line is not impacted as greatly. So I get the frustrations by Twins fans because the owners aren't spend money and because they are not putting together a product on the field that can consistently win games. I get the frustration, but you also have to have to understand that.

It's not your money, it's not my money.

The Pole ads own the Twins, and they could spend their money however they want to, and it's our right to criticize them. But they don't have to appease the fans just because they are being criticized. You think this is the first time that they've dealt with criticism throughout their entire life.

They're used to. It just bounces off their shoulders by now.

So you look for reasons on why the Twins haven't been spending money on players during free agency or trading for guys, Well, here's the reason why.

It's because they're in debt.

Their other businesses have not been thriving like they were in the past. So now the hits got to come somewhere. You gotta take money out of somewhere, Gotta spend money, gotta spend less. Money elsewhere somewhere, and what they're doing is they're paying players less. They're bringing in triple A talent to become starting pitchers on the Twins and hopefully they can somehow have career seasons.

That's the truth of the matter.

So and as frustrated as it is, as frustrating as it is to watch the Twins struggle and put together a terrible product on the field, this is why the owners are in debt and don't want to spend more money than they need to.

Because they're struggling.

So anyways, there's always a reason for something, and that's the reason for this. Thank you for watching this episode, if for making this podcast private day, hit that subscribe button.

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