Sports Radio Interviews

The Vikings Defense Is Playing Like They Belong Here

The Minnesota Vikings gave the Dallas Cowboys an old fashioned beating Sunday which made Keith Brooking cry. Brooking was upset at the way that the Vikings “piled it on” at the end of the game and thought it was a classless act. Hey Brooking, this is the NFL and there is no room for crying in football, unless you are Rex Ryan. So get back in the weight room and become a better player before you start complaining about the Vikings running up the score. Don’t you remember what you said after you beat your old team, the Atlanta Falcons, this season? They were nothing but good to you during your time here and they even gave you a press conference after you were released.

Leslie Frazier had his defense ready to play. Ray Edwards had the best first half that you could have for a defensive end. The main reason for Edwards success was the attention that Jared Allen dictated. All game long, Allen was getting double-teamed which helped free up Edwards to sack Romo and create turnovers. That is what they are going to have to do if they want to beat the Saints this weekend. They need to get pressure on Drew Brees to disrupt the timing of their offense and force them to run the ball. If they can make the Saints a one-dimensional team, they should be able to beat them handily. If not, it is going to be a long game and the crowd noise will become a factor.

Leslie Frazier joined KFAN in Minneapolis to talk about the Saints having a little extra time to look at the Vikings, Ray Edwards coming to play last Sunday against the Cowboys, and the importance of having Ray Edwards and Pat Williams this year in the playoffs.

On the Saints having a little extra time to look at the Vikings:

“Yeah you would think that works to their advantage and the fact that we played them a year ago and how much they have changed, but for us we are just excited to have an opportunity to play to go to the Super Bowl.”

On Ray Edwards coming to play last Sunday against the Cowboys:

“Oh boy it was special all the way around. We talked about that all week long about him having a big game for us to make a difference in that game. He played lights out and it was one of the best halves of football that you will ever see from a defensive end and hopefully he is not seriously injured.”

On Jared Allen getting most of the attention from the Cowboys offensive line and Edwards doing what he was supposed to do:

“There you go. It was just like we thought it would be and the fact that he stepped up and did what he all hoped and thought that he could do just was awesome for our defense and our team. That is the way it has to be. People aren’t going to neglect Jared Allen and we know that and the same with Kevin Williams. Somebody else will find themselves in those scenarios and they have to step up for us and Ray did it yesterday which was great.”

On how the Cowboys handled Jared Allen:

“With the exception of one time they tried to let Jason Witten block him by himself. They usually had a back over there or another tackle and a guard trying to slide to him. Still he was able to get pressure. Even though he didn’t hit the quarterback he was able to get pressure on the quarterback and he did end getting a sack fumble. Just his presence allows other guys to get opportunities. He draws so much attention even though his numbers may not be where he would like them to be after every ball game. The stat that shows up his the attention that he draws and enable other people like Ray and others to have big games.”

On Ray Edwards injury and his gut feeling about him playing next week:

“You know it is just hard to say. He was limping pretty good after the game but when I did talk to him he felt like he would be ready so I am hoping that he is correct but I will find out more today when Eric Sugarman, our trainer, discusses it with our staff.”

On the importance of having Ray Edwards and Pat Williams this year in the playoffs:

“Yeah you forget that we did a pretty decent job out there without E.J. [Henderson] and those guys. Having your top guys at this time of year means everything and getting the first round bye has helped Pat. He has been banged up down the stretch. Having everybody back is a big deal. Giving Antoine a chance to get a little bit stronger, a little bit better was a plus as well so that bye was big.”

Leslie Frazier on KFAN with Paul Allen

Tags: Brett Favre, Dallas Cowboys, Defensive Coordinator, Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans, NFC North, NFL Championship game, NFL Playoffs, Superdome, Vikings vs. Saints