This season could potentially alter JJ McCarthy’s NFL career. Either it could be lost in the hype of him being a former National Champion with Michigan, who couldn’t succeed in the NFL. Or he could prove his worth as a worthy first-round pick for whom his team chose not to chase veteran routes. The Vikings could have easily gone for safer options presented in Sam Darnold or Aaron Rodgers. However, instead, they chose to stick with their 22-year-old QB who is yet to play a single professional snap. Given the inexperience, the Vikings are gambling on. An NFL insider took the opportunity to send a stark warning to the man on whose shoulders the whole Vikings season depends.
In a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell shared how the Vikings are prepping McCarthy for his penultimate season. “I know everybody is wildly concerned about these reps on air. Let me put you at peace: McCarthy is taking plenty of snaps from Ryan Kelly.” This means O’Connell is not playing around, showcasing his belief in McCarthy’s capabilities. He is totally invested in continuing the development of his young signal caller.
Barring his torn meniscus last pre-season, McCarthy has shown he has the skills to succeed at this level. Reviewing his tape, you can see McCarthy’s eyes are always far down the field. He looks for runners to pluck a string of daggers in order to keep progressing the plays. However, can he really live up to his predecessors? That’s the biggest question Vikings beat reporter, Alec Lewis, asked on The Scoop City podcast.
“You are placing a 22-year-old quarterback who won a national championship at Michigan in the driver’s seat of the nicest Ferrari that you can buy at the dealership. I mean, this is as optimal of a road that you could possibly have, and so it is going to be incumbent upon him to get back to where he was on the field last year before the torn meniscus,” Lewis said. In the last three seasons, the Vikings have produced QBs who have thrown well over 4,000 yards and 30 TDs: 2 from Kirk Cousins and 1 from Sam Darnold.
And this year, the expectations from McCarthy will be even bigger. They have overhauled their three interior offensive line spots to protect their QB at all costs. Added former 49ers RB Jordan Mason to their ranks. And the hope is that tight end TJ Hockenson will start the season healthy. Not to mention Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson are also there. So, McCarthy won’t have to do the heavy lifting himself. He just needs to stay calm and collected to find his targets. Meanwhile, it’s not just his head coach who has the utmost trust in his abilities. Even the Vikings’ owner believes JJ McCarthy is their club’s future.
Vikings owner Mark Wilf goes all in on JJ McCarthy
It’s an open secret that the Vikings are moving full steam with JJ McCarthy under center. Their confidence in the 22-year-old is off the charts, even though he only played a preseason game against the Raiders before everything went south. But apparently, that game, his commitment to learn and his determination to keep working hard have won the heart of the Vikings owner. He believes McCarthy is the generational leader they had been searching for all along.
In an interview with KFAN’s Paul Allen, Wilf said, “He has a gravitational pull as a leader. He really does. The talent is there. Coach Kevin O’Connell is glowing in his praises of how he’s handled everything, and from an off-the-field perspective. We couldn’t be happier. So all things are pointing the right direction, and we’re going to be supporting JJ to have him be the success we want him to be.” Well, there’s one quarterback who faced adversity similar to McCarthy’s but came back to light the gridiron on fire.
Then-Texans QB Deshaun Watson suffered an ACL in his rookie campaign. However, he managed to silence all his doubters by throwing over 4,000 yards and 26 TDs while earning his first Pro Bowl the following year. Of course, he had an offensive coach like Bill O’Brien and a reliable receiver like DeAndre Hopkins in Houston. It’s not like McCarthy has limited options. But again, only time will tell how he will fare in his second year as a Viking. Whatever does happen, all of Minnesota will be behind their 22-year-old field general.
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