The Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Quote that Sounds Like a Mortal Kombat Line

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah does a great job in press conferences and interviews. Someone with his intellectual sophistication can sometimes find it difficult to gear down and speak in an accessible manner, but he finds a nice balance where he comes across as being down to earth while nevertheless maintaining tight logic when delving into his rationale for the decisions he makes.

Pretty commonly, Adofo-Mensah leans on metaphors to clarify his thinking. The GM will refer to his portfolio of decisions (a throwback to his investing days) or mention the importance of having insurance (something many people can relate to with their homes, cars, etc.) to clarify why he has made certain moves. One recent tagline that got repeated a pair of times during the 2025 offseason, however, is a quick quip that sounds like it was ripped straight out of a Mortal Kombat movie or video game.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and “The Dark Arts” of Pass Rushing

Sources close to PurplePTSD have been unable to confirm whether the GM played the video game or watched the movies growing up. All that we can confirm is that he was born in 1981, so Adofo-Mensah was moving through adolescence when Mortal Kombat was popular in the ’90s (is it still popular?).

Consider, before going any further, the quotes that he offered that sparked the connection (at least in the mind of your humble author). Apparently, pass rushers need to refine their “dark arts” to succeed.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did a sitdown interview with KFAN’s Paul Allen and Pete Bercich. The GM was asked about Dallas Turner and his development. Kick it over to the executive: “He’s doing great […] Pass rushers take time, it’s one thing that people don’t realize. The dark arts of trying to win in that little set point area, it’s not easy.”

Not long afterwards, Adofo-Mensah predicts that “the game will slow down in Year 2” for Turner and “we’ll start to see more elements of his pass rush.”

Dallas Turner had a modest but promising rookie season. The edge rusher put up 300 snaps for Brian Flores’ defense but didn’t snag a start. Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel were the top options all season. Behind those two were veterans Patrick Jones II and Jihad Ward, both of whom have had more time to perfect the “dark arts” of pass rushing. Maybe unsurprisingly, both played more snaps than the talented rookie.

The basic idea that’s shining through is that a player at edge rusher often has to be given time to develop. No longer can someone win a rep simply due to being larger, faster, and/or stronger. One needs to lean on excellent technique to get the job done, a truth that applies to almost all NFL players.

Consider, as well, that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah goes on to mention the “dark arts” yet again. He did so in his pre-draft press conference, again noting that pass rushers often need time to develop.

“Certain positions take time,” Adofo-Mensah explains, “it’s one of the things you’ll hear me say. And I say it in all the building, you see these growth curves. The dark arts of the pass rush. It takes time to figure out how to beat some of these outstanding tackles on the edge.”

Acquiring Dallas Turner was a tremendously costly move, one that involved losing no shortage of draft capital. The Vikings are hoping that he can start mastering the “dark arts” so that he can quickly improve on his 3 sacks as a rookie.

Seeing Mr. Turner push his game to an elite level as early as 2025 will go a long way in allowing the Vikings to get back into the playoffs. Even better, of course, will be the ability to make some noise once there (see what Brian O’Neill has to say about his mindset).

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.