“I tell the young guys, ‘When the quarterback is talking, you look him in the eye,’ ” Kelly said. “He gets in the huddle, he’s got a long play call, right? He’s got a lot of checks, a play clock, a coach screaming in his ear. If you look around and you see everyone from rookies to a seventh-year vet, a 10th-year vet like ‘Let’s go, kid!’ That’s pretty cool.”
On the field, Kelly commands first. He sets the initial pass protection plan. He targets run plays based on identifying the middle linebacker in the defense. McCarthy has the power to correct calls if his broader vision tells him something different.
Kelly, and many Vikings coaches, have helped McCarthy learn NFL defenses. But Kelly has taken a special interest in McCarthy’s command in front of the team.
“The pointing at the line, the demeanor, how your voice travels to the team,” Kelly said. “Those things matter. … The weight of a franchise is on your back. Sam Darnold’s no longer here; it’s now your show. You haven’t proven anything in this league. You’ve got maybe the most veteran team around you that I’ve seen in the NFL.”
“That’s where I can help quarterbacks,” Kelly added. “You always have to find out where your value is as an NFL player, and that’s what I can do — I feel I can help these guys gain confidence and take something off their shoulders.”
McCarthy’s NFL debut came at Soldier Field, “one of the loudest stadiums I’ve played in a long time,” Kelly said. The rookie led three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter of the comeback victory. Kelly knew McCarthy commanded the offense well because of how little he could speak afterward.