The Vikings’ QB1 Has an Actual Issue with His Arm
Folks, the issue isn’t with his fastball. The Vikings’ QB1 can spin it, putting velocity behind his passes when he needs to do so.
Currently, he’s working on improving his other pitches.
Like an MLB pitcher who needs multiple options on the mound, so does an NFL quarterback need to be able to throw the ball in different ways. Sometimes, pinpoint accuracy with some heat behind the ball is what’s needed. At other times, though, there’s a need to be able to put some touch on the ball, dropping it into the receiver’s hands. Still other situations call for other approaches, something that J.J. McCarthy understands and acknowledges.
The Vikings’ QB1 — J.J. McCarthy — Has an Arm Issue
First, a quick word to ensure we’re not taking leave of our senses.
Every single quarterback has things to work on. Guaranteed: Tom Brady was dissecting his own flaws and shortcomings — whatever they were — until he hung up his cleats. If the greatest football player of all time made an earnest effort to constantly chase improvement, then surely a 22-year-old sophomore who hasn’t played a second of regular season football needs to do likewise.
Consider, to begin, the self-assessment from Mr. McCarthy. He responded to a question earlier in the offseason about critiques of his arm strength before then acknowledging his understanding of where he still needs to grow.
“I would say so for me personally, yes. Yeah, that’s a great evaluation,” when responding to a follow-up thought about improving his touch. The quarterback then pivots into a golf metaphor to explain how he’s approaching the challenge: “It just comes with the reps-on-reps and the feel. Just like you’re working on your chips in a golf game.” The Vikings’ QB1 talks about “finding that feel over and over again” since he’s back to full health. After all, he missed a lot of practice reps while recovering.
Shift things a bit to check in with Josh McCown. He is Minnesota’s quarterbacks coach, so he’s among the most qualified people on the planet to comment on where the sophomore needs to grow his game.
For the QB coach, the metaphor shifts from chipping in golf to a baseball pitcher: “I think that’s the separator, right? I believe in Major League Baseball the guys that are starters and elite pitchers are guys that can throw more than one pitch. You have to develop a second or third pitch. And for us it’s kind of the same thing.”
“He’s got a lot of arm,” McCown goes on to say of McCarthy, “he can get on the ball and really rip it when he wants to.” The issue rests in developing the other throws: “It’s just developing the other throws that are needed in NFL football. Whether it’s layering a ball here or there, touching up a go ball, different things like that.”
“He’s working his tail off to make up time,” McCown further clarifies when reflecting on how his pupil is responding to missing last year’s practice reps, “and we’re coaching him hard on it, so we’ll get him there.”
J.J. McCarthy, 22, is far from a finished product. He nevertheless possesses ample promise as someone with great athleticism and work habits. McCarthy seems committed to his craft and seems to do well responding to the constructive criticism he’s receiving from Minnesota’s staff.
The lingering question simply rests in whether his offseason improvement can partner with a loaded roster to push the Vikings toward legitimate contention in 2025.
