On Monday night, while ESPN was wrapping up its broadcast of Dalvin Cook’s second 30-carry game in three weeks, the Vikings running back appeared on NBC for a little counterprogramming.
A nonsensical phrase Cook had used in response to a question during his Nov. 4 news conference — three days after his four-touchdown game in Green Bay — was actually a setup courtesy of Jimmy Fallon. “The Tonight Show” premiered a compilation of NFL players who had agreed to slip confusing catchphrases into their media sessions for the show’s “Drop It In” sketch.
Given a list of lines to pick from, Cook selected, “I run yards like Swiss chard,” bewildering reporters as he said it twice without breaking into a laughter (as Fallon is famous for doing).