Minnesota Vikings No Longer Babying JJ McCarthy
Last summer, head coach Kevin O'Connell made his development plan for McCarthy public knowledge. He was going to start the rookie in QB preschool, where Vikings coaches would wrap him in mental bubble wrap and hit him with the football equivalent of kid gloves.
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Kwesi: JJ McCarthy was never going to reach QB1 last season
The focus back then was on footwork, timing and learning KOC's offense. The Vikings didn't even want to think about McCarthy taking over under center, let alone answer questions on it. In fact, Kwesi reiterated in a recent interview that short of a Sam Darnold injury, there was almost no path to McCarthy starting in 2024.
That's just not how KOC's quarterback school works. Well, not for the highest QB draft pick in Minnesota Vikings history. Instead, the plan O'Connell developed for McCarthy last offseason was a tiered program focused most heavily on gaining confidence, without the pressure of performing on Sundays.
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Expecting a rookie to blow through all of the steps O'Connell put in place for him McCarthy by week one last season was never realistic. That's why fans were so shocked/excited when McCarthy went off for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 11 of 17 passing in his first and only 2024 preseason game (vs Raiders).
Minnesota Vikings have taken bubble wrap off McCarthy
Fast forward one year. Not only are the Minnesota Vikings no longer hiding JJ McCarthy on back fields during offseason workouts, but they decided against bringing in ANY real camp competition for their redshirt rookie. They may not have said it publicly yet, but the Vikings have coronated McCarthy as the starter.
And according to The Athletic's Alec Lewis, last year's bubble wrap has been popped and the coaches have taken their kid gloves off. They've loaded up his playbook and put him in charge at the line of scrimmage. In other words, it's sink or swim time for the University of Michigan alum, repaired meniscus be damned.
The Vikings weren't babying J.J. McCarthy this spring. He may have been coming off of a torn meniscus, and he may only be in his second season, but Minnesota's staff made the tests difficult. McCarthy received lengthy call sheets before practices. He was responsible for calls at the line of scrimmage. He was not at all chastised for mistakes, but the seriousness of each rep seemed evident.
Alec Lewis – The Athletic
Related: Vikings Calculating Ripple Effects of Possible Brian Flores Departure?
So, how has JJ McCarthy responded to his new responsibilities and change in coaching style? From what Lewis witnessed this spring and what he's hearing behind the scenes from his many Minnesota Vikings sources, McCarthy has continued to impress.
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MN Vikings hope challenging JJ McCarthy now will pay dividends later
The real ones know by now that any questions surrounding McCarthy's arm strength is unfounded. The focus, instead, has been taking heat off his fastball when necessary, especially down the field when layering passes between levels of the opposing defense.
When bodies start really flying in a couple months, the MN Vikings hope that this harder coaching style will make his transition from protected rookie to team leader a little easier.
McCarthy didn't float perfectly through the weeks, but a steady stream of growth imprinted on the staffers monitoring him every day. He threw the ball with accuracy. His arm strength stood out. His ability to layer different throws continues to be the priority physically.
However, the mental challenges of the spring became the most important. The team's hope is that making it as hard as it's been over the past few months will supercharge growth come training camp and the season.
Alec Lewis – The Athletic
Related: Recently Cleared JJ McCarthy Claps Back at Arm Strength Criticism
As a wise man once said, believe what people do, not what they say. And as I wrote earlier in this article, the Vikings' seeming disinterest in adding a veteran QB more proven than Sam Howell showed us exactly how much they trust in JJ McCarthy.
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But at the end of the day, we won't what we have in our new franchise QB until he takes the field. But hey, that moment is coming very, very soon.
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