Quarterback appears to be a position that the Minnesota Vikings will look at this summer. It seems as though J.J. McCarthy will have to win the job, but the question is what type of veteran Minnesota will pursue.
Apart from McCarthy’s rollercoaster performances, the Vikings also need to worry about his inability to stay healthy. The second-year quarterback has suffered three different injuries that have kept him from being on the field.
With Minnesota out of the playoffs and the offseason nearing, NFL insider Dianna Russini shared what the Vikings could be leaning toward when it comes to the quarterback position.
“I think there’s still belief there,” Russini told Yahoo! Sports’ Andrew Siciliano on the December 24 video of “Inside Coverage” about where the Vikings stand on McCarthy. “How could you not after what we just saw last weekend as well and what he’s able to do? So I don’t have concerns over whether or not JJ McCarthy is going to be a Viking next year.
“I don’t think that’s a conversation that’s being had. I’m more curious about how much of the confidence they had in him at the start of the year still exists now, especially when they were built to make a deep run. They said no to Aaron Rodgers because they believed that much in JJ, right? Because they knew what this roster was.”
Vikings Appear Positive About J.J. McCarthy
After clearing concussion protocol, McCarthy started to build some momentum with a stretch of encouraging performances. That progress was interrupted in Week 16 against the New York Giants, when McCarthy sustained what was described as a very small hairline fracture in the right hand. As a result, he will miss the Week 17 game against the Detroit Lions.
Even with a rocky first year in the starting role that included several injury setbacks, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah appears to be backing their young quarterback. McCarthy’s play, in the view of the front office, has provided enough positives to feel good about the direction moving forward.
“There’s just been growth moments,” Adofo-Mensah said during the December 23 edition of “X’s and O’s with Kevin O’Connell.” “I try and make sure that my dialogue with him is incredibly positive because, if you think about this world, you got the external world who’s always going to be negative, and then you’ve got coaching, who are going to be positive, but they’re also going to coach them.
“I try and always make sure I’m highlighting, ‘Hey man, this is a great thing that I’m seeing you’re doing.‘ Things like playing really up in the pocket. A lot of young quarterbacks, when they get pressure in their face, they’re trying to bail out the back. He’s very good about getting up in the pocket either to make scrambles or make good decisions.”
Vikings GM Gives Interesting J.J. McCarthy Take
Adofo-Mensah also leaned on an unusual comparison when discussing McCarthy, a sign the organization appears comfortable viewing the young quarterback as a long-term cornerstone.
“You’re seeing the plays where, quarterback position to me, to a person who’s maybe not an expert, just kind of an evaluator and kind of a big picture thinker about it,“ Adofo-Mensah added. “It’s about being Clark Kent [and] Superman. How many times are you going to put the cape on, but sometimes you just need to keep the glasses on and be that guy and kind of do those things? That’s the balance these have because the great ones are wired to want to put the cape on all the time.
“I think that we’re seeing him put the cape on a couple times, three times, four times a game, but also do the Clark Kent things, the boring things that really just metriculate offensive football down the field. So those are the things that I’m really excited to see. And then just the preparation, showing up a week of practice, getting the game plan, doing all those great things. Being there for his team is really exciting to see.”
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