The Vikings Evidently Have an Enforcer
All eyes are on quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who will be the team’s starter in Week 1 when the Vikings take on the Chicago Bears in the first of six annual division clashes. His performance in training camp has been described as “up and down,” an expected outcome considering his long absence and inexperience while going up against a potentially elite defense.
The Vikings Evidently Have an Enforcer
On the plus side, meanwhile, is that his teammates are completely behind the young captain. His leadership has drawn praise since the draft, as he has a natural ability.
Well, it helps to stick up for those teammates, and that’s exactly what McCarthy did last week, in a scuffle with pass-rusher Tyler Batty that has drawn some headlines. Star Tribune’s Emily Leiker described, “On Saturday, McCarthy was the first to step to running back Aaron Jones’ defense after Jones took a hard hit from linebacker Tyler Batty in the backfield the snap after taking another hit downfield from linebacker Brian Asamoah II.”
On Wednesday, the signal-caller was asked about the incident, and he pointed to his hockey background:
“Those are my brothers. And no matter who it is, especially 33 (Aaron Jones), I’m the first guy in the fight, no matter what. They know that. I know they would do the same thing for me. Just as a QB and a former hockey player — I used to be the enforcer out there, believe it or not — I love that stuff, letting my teammates know I got their back. ‘Cause I know they’ve got mine.”
Not many passers would get into a huge defender’s face to protect their teammates. McCarthy loved hockey growing up, even calling it his “first love.” As a freshman in high school, he gave up on the sport to focus on football.
A few years down the road, and he has certainly made the right decision. He won a pair of titles in high school and the national championship in college and became a first-round draft choice. Due to his winning pedigree, Vikings fans hope he can take them to the promised land at some point during his hopefully long Vikings tenure.
On Saturday, McCarthy will take his first game reps since last year’s preseason game against the Raiders. In that game, he suffered a torn meniscus that cost him his rookie season. Yet, in the contest, he showed enormous promise, bouncing back after some early struggles, which pretty much replicates his training camp performance.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis wrote Monday following a Kevin O’Connell presser: “His offense had been stagnant in the preceding days. Young quarterback J.J. McCarthy hadn’t struggled to any concerning degree, but the lack of consistent ball movement warranted a response from O’Connell. It’s like asking a baseball manager about his starting pitcher. The stat line says this, but what did you see?”
McCarthy is tasked to compete against a Brian Flores defense that is among the league’s very best and he has done so without Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson for a while and his offensive line remains a patchwork unit with Christian Darrisaw only participating in some days, as he’s working back from his very own knee injury. Veteran center Ryan Kelly, who’s perhaps the most important part of the offense’s blocking operation, has also been in and out of the lineup.
An injury-depleted offense against a ferocious defense isn’t the most optimal circumstances for a young QB. Yet, the positive is obviously that the jump from training camp to a regular season game is less likely to be overwhelming than it would be had McCarthy only practiced with the best surroundings imaginable.
We’ll see how McCarthy responds in the preseason matchup against the Houston Texans. It’ll still be “just” preseason, but it’s the first time he’s not challenging his own defense since pretty much a full year ago. The expectations are high for the 22-year-old.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.