Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy said enough is enough and, in turn, gained the respect of the locker room.
After undrafted rookie Tyler Batty hit Aaron Jones, tempers boiled over, and McCarthy gave the 6-foot-5, 270-pound linebacker a big shove that sparked a scrum at training camp on Saturday, August 2.
While tensions were high, several Vikings team leaders resurfaced ecstatic about what their quarterback did.
Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller noted that Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard was seen fist-pumping on the sidelines afterward.
“I looked at Jonathan Greenard and he was basically fist pumping, like he loved it,” Coller said. “He loved what was going on; that the competitiveness of this team has been taken up a notch.”
Right tackle and team captain Brian O’Neill felt the same.
“That was f****** sick,” O’Neill said, per Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Andrew Krammer.
“The team captain liked the edge brought by [Will] Fries — and J.J. McCarthy — shoving defenders after hits today McCarthy was the one who pushed Batty off Jones earlier,” Krammer said.
J.J. McCarthy Sets Stage for His Legacy by Taking Stand at Vikings Training Camp
Last year, the Vikings took the leap of faith in taking a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft — a move they hadn’t committed to since Teddy Bridgewater a decade earlier.
McCarthy is the biggest bet by the franchise yet, who is the highest quarterback selection in franchise history as the No. 10 overall pick a year ago.
Coming off an undefeated national championship season with Michigan, McCarthy skyrocketed up draft boards throughout the pre-draft process. His character, shown in team interviews, was part of that rise.
If McCarthy, the league’s youngest starting quarterback entering the 2025 season, realizes his potential as a franchise quarterback for the next decade, what he did on Saturday will be what’s considered the start of his climb.
“This will become JJ McCarthy lore if he takes them where the Vikings are trying to go,” Coller said on Saturday, August 2.
“What McCarthy did today was something that I’ve never seen a quarterback in a practice do. I have seen guys go too far with physical play. I’ve seen coaches get upset. I’ve seen players throw blows. but for J.J. McCarthy to get in the face of another player and put hands on another player was something that I did not expect to see,” Coller added.
J.J. McCarthy Has His Best Practice After Vikings Scrum
While McCarthy’s shove on Batty came after several days of frustration with the pressure the defense was putting on the offense, his actions also prompted a breakthrough at practice.
McCarthy pieced together one of his best practices as a Vikings, hitting throws at every level of the field that require the full range of arm talent — strength, touch, anticipation and accuracy.
“Today was the day that McCarthy had all the throws in his bag,” Coller added, detailing several highlight-worthy throws that highlighted McCarthy’s touch, arm strength and accuracy on his show.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings React to J.J. McCarthy Starting Scrum at Camp appeared first on Heavy Sports.