Blake Brandel laughed and played along when asked a series of questions that would have applied to him as an NFL player if he were one of the league's superstars rather than a faceless member of its (relatively) cheap, versatile and utterly invaluable army of minimum-wage grunt workers.
Q: First question. Is Netflix planning a series on you? Titled "Backup Lineman Who Has Played Games at Left and Right Tackle, Left and Right Guard, Dabbled Some at Center in Practice Last Year and was a Tight End in Zim's Jumbo Package in 2021," perhaps?
A: "I will say Netflix did do a great job of showing how great a warrior and leader Kirk [Cousins] is," Brandel said. "Me, I'm boring."
Q: Did you consider joining Danielle Hunter's contract "hold-in" until the team paid you 20 million bucks rather than the $940,000 you signed for as an exclusive-rights free agent?
A: "I definitely won't be holding in, but I do respect the guys who do," Brandel said. "Those guys deserve what they're looking for."
Q: Do you need a fake nose and glasses to go out in public?
A: "I do get a lot of eyes on me because I'm 6-7, 315," Brandel said. "My wife [Natalie] notices it more than I do. But typically, if someone thinks I might be a Viking, they usually think I'm Brian O'Neill. Then they usually say, 'What's Kirk like?'"
Q: Do you Griddy after touchdowns?