Ex-NFL QB Is a Big Fan of J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings are widely expected to start the season with J.J. McCarthy under center, although the young passer has not gotten the starter designation from his head coach, Kevin O’Connell. He’s an unknown, a mystery even, as he has yet to see the NFL field in a regular-season setting.
Dan Orlovsky is the newest member of the J.J. McCarthy fan club.
The expectations are all over the place. We have heard Colin Cowherd’s takes, who is expecting McCarthy to fail. On the other hand, there’s ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who continues to raise expectations for the first-year starter.
He appeared on The Pat McAfee Show this week and offered some praise for Minnesota’s number nine.
Orlovsky predicted: “I think he’s gonna be awesome this year, honestly. I totally believe, production-wise, he’ll play very similar to what Sam did last year. One, there’s just a scheme and a roster talent — Minnesota’s the easiest place in the NFL to play quarterback this year. It’s as good an offensive roster as we have in the NFL. And then you combine it with scheme and play caller in Kevin O’Connell, a lot of guys would go to Minnesota and play good football.”
Darnold surprised many analysts and Vikings fans by tossing 35 touchdowns in what potentially was his final chance as an NFL starter. He went to the Pro Bowl and signed a starter-level deal with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.
Orlovsky emphasized the great offensive roster and the coaching staff, and there’s no doubt about it, that’s why the Vikings have been a popular destination for quarterbacks. Everyone wants to throw to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson behind one of the better offensive lines in football in an offense called by Kevin O’Connell.
A few weeks back, reports surfaced about Caleb Williams wanting to join the Vikings prior to the draft. Last season, Daniel Jones certainly had many offers but decided to sign with the Vikings. It’s a quarterback’s paradise.
Orlovsky continued, “I think J.J., the skills that he has and the foundation that he has, he’s a play on rhythm, listen to his feet when it comes to where and when to throw the football, the timing of the way he plays the position, the way that he was taught to play the position at Michigan, is perfect for what is the necessary stuff playing that position in Minnesota.”
The decision-makers at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, MN, hope the signal-caller can bring his winner gene to the Twin Cities. He won a championship at Michigan, and he was a high school champion as well.
To make that happen, the club used his cheap contract to build a strong team around him with a stronger offensive line, a good defense, and a fantastic receiving corps.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently shared an encouraging report: “It was told to me that the Vikings feel like J.J. McCarthy, in day nine of these offseason workouts, was a lot stronger than day one. Coming off that knee issue, they knew he could start a little slowly but they like the way he’s throwing the ball, they feel very comfortable with where he’s at going into training camp. They didn’t sign [Aaron] Rodgers and went with McCarthy because they believe in their three-year plan: A young quarterback they like on a rookie scale, so they’ll be aggressive on the roster without him. They believe they can win a Super Bowl in the next three years.”
McCarthy will be the team’s x-factor. If he’s any good, the Vikings can make noise in the 2025 campaign. If he isn’t, the season could very well be an “a quarterback away” year for the purple franchise.
The passer will try to learn as much as possible in training camp and the preseason to be ready for the Week 1 clash against the Chicago Bears and the top player of his draft, Caleb Williams.