J.J. McCarthy Had a Big Day
All eyes are on quarterback J.J. McCarthy in Vikings training camp, with fans and reporters alike tracking every throw and every decision. The theme throughout camp was that the young signal-caller was “up-and-down” with an occasional miss mixed in. On Thursday, the young arm was electric, however.
J.J. McCarthy Had a Big Day
The New England Patriots were in the building for the second straight day for joint practices. Kevin O’Connell adores those and even prefers them over preseason reps, so it was an important step for McCarthy, who got a ton of reps in those two days of scrimmages.
Indeed, the young QB was one of Thursday’s winners in what will likely be the last time fans see him in action until the season opener on September 8th because he’s already been ruled out for this weekend and is unlikely to compete in the final preseason contest.
Fans and reporters observed that the inexperienced quarterback looked sharp all day. Si.com’s Will Ragatz noted that Wednesday’s practice was one of those up-and-down days, but Thursday was different.
“Thursday was a different story. McCarthy found a rhythm on Day 2 of these joint practices and did some serious damage to the New England defense. He was decisive and he was accurate. He threw bullets into tight windows, but more importantly, he threw perfectly-placed passes with touch. It was one of the two or three best performances we’ve seen all camp long from Minnesota’s young starting quarterback, and an argument could be made that it sits atop that list.”
McCarthy sliced up New England’s defense, and he did so without the best receiver in the business, who’s still working his way back from a “minor hamstring injury,” and Jalen Nailor, the WR2 without Justin Jefferson in the mix, left practice early.
Despite having to rely on pass-catchers whose names only hardcore fans had heard a couple of weeks ago, like Jeshaun Jones, Thayer Thomas, or Lucky Jackson, he got the job done, which is another good sign. The fact that he repeatedly found the endzone is even more encouraging.
Lindsey Young wrote on Vikings.com: “McCarthy acknowledged afterward it felt like one of his better days at training camp, having completed 16 of 19 passes during 11-on-11 periods that also featured multiple touchdown passes.”
Five of those passes reportedly went for touchdowns with zero interceptions.
During practice, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert stated via social media, “This has been McCarthy’s sharpest practice to date. This run was part of 12 consecutive completions, including deeper throws to Jones and Jordan Addison.”
McCarthy said after practice, “The offense was humming as a whole. I feel like the physicality up front really set the tone, and just the way we’re able to execute and be precise; but it all starts with the boys up front. They did a tremendous job today. It was really a culmination of everything. I felt like we were running the ball really well. We’re moving the line of scrimmage. Guys were detailed in and out of their routes. And, you know, I felt like the ball placement was a lot more accurate today than yesterday.”
The young QB will face the Bears in less than four weeks in what will be a homecoming for the Illinois native. It’ll also be his first of many NFL starts. He still has some things to learn and needs to become more consistent, but Thursday was an encouraging outing.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.