J.J. McCarthy may not play against the New England Patriots on Saturday. He also may have been called out by coach Kevin O’Connell for his recent struggles.
But that doesn’t mean the Minnesota Vikings quarterback has been bad.
O’Connell shared some strong praise of McCarthy in his week of practicing against the Patriots and that the first-year Minnesota starter is settling and feeling confident.
It was announced Thursday that Sam Howell would start at QB in Minnesota’s second preseason game against the Pats. McCarthy played the first quarter in the Vikings’ exhibition opener against the Houston Texans, completing 4 of 7 passes for 30 yards.
What Did Kevin O’Connell Say About J.J. McCarthy?
The point of joint practices is to get reps against starting-caliber players without the risk of injury. O’Connell lauded McCarthy’s decision making and described how this week should give the young QB extra confidence.
“It felt decisive, and it felt like there was an incredible amount of conviction to some of the decisions he made,” O’Connell said according to ESPN.com. “It was all things we’ve been working on, all things he’s talented at and capable of doing. But to do it in this setting should give him some confidence moving forward.”
O’Connell is widely considered one of the top quarterback developers in the NFL, yet according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, he has struggled to develop a rhythm as he gets acclimated to being the starting QB.
But even though the play improved, O’Connell still preached patience for Vikings fans.
“I understand there’s going to be some things that people want to see immediately,” O’Connell said. “There’s going to be things that the reactions will be justified because it’s the National Football League and the expectations are on all of us, me included — me mostly, hopefully — but we’re just going to keep coaching and ask our players to keep getting better every single day.”
What Did J.J. McCarthy Say?
O’Connell’s confidence in McCarthy may be growing, but the No. 10 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft is not doubting his ability.
“I think I’m one of the most accurate guys out there,” McCarthy said, according to Seifert.
But now that he’s got the accuracy piece down, McCarthy is working on further on the details since different throws require different versions of accuracy.
“Just being able to take it day-to-day and really hone in on just every single throw,” he said. “It’s not just, ‘Was the ball completed?’ It’s, ‘Did I give him a runner’s ball? Did I put it on the right pad for him to turn a certain way?’ So just being able to really lean into that as one of my strengths. I always have to be extremely hard on every single throw.”
But even though McCarthy is confident, he also is super-hard on himself.
“There’s always ways you could get better,” he said. “There’s always little things like ball placement that you could have done more.
“That’s kind of the psycho in me when [a player] catches a 20-yard high cross and I’m like, ‘Could have been 30.’ But at the end of the day it’s about just staying neutral the whole time after those plays. Good or bad, focus on the next play and kick it in the teeth.”
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