Has the media, with a big boost from social media armchair quarterbacks, overblown concerns about Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy's accuracy troubles? Based on what the experts are saying, that very well could be the case.
Sure, McCarthy had some wildly inaccurate passes in Minnesota's 19-17 loss to the Bears in Week 11, but most experts agree that the issue is tied directly to fundamentals. Even McCarthy agrees, saying he is working to rewire neurological connections in his brain that were formed by how he was taught to play quarterback before the Vikings drafted him in 2024.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, the so-called quarterback whisperer, was the first to connect McCarthy's inconsistency to his feet, eyes, and posture at the top of his drop. Now, former NFL quarterback-turned-ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky is confirming O'Connell's critique.
"His feet outside the framework of his body," Orlovsky explained, with the help of video evidence, on NFL Live. "J.J.'s not this 6-foot-5 guy. He's only about 6-foot-1. His step right here on this throw is so wide, it's almost like for me at a 6-foot-5 frame... far too wide with his base."
"Look how wide his base is. That's because he's a linear thrower. It's almost like he's a swayer in golf. Look at his right leg. His right leg is perfectly straight. Accuracy comes from the ground up, so because he's taking such a wide step, he's leaning so forward that his right leg is straightening," said Orlovsky, breaking down McCarthy's mechanics.
"The second thing is, so often, his shoulders are completely flat," he continued. "I need to have your left shoulder tilted up a little bit, because I want to have a little air under the football."
Maybe that explains the egregious misses when McCarthy underthrows some passes, while airmailing others. Orlovsky also thinks McCarthy's lower body isn't in rhythm with his upper body when he misses badly.
"You see consistently, his back leg, when he makes the throw, it comes up like this (whipping motion). That tells me that you're a vertical thrower; you're not rotational. And what happens is, you'll see his left shoulder get so far flung open, he's throwing the ball like this (arms not in line)," Orlovsky said.
"These are mechanical things that are starting from the ground. That's where the flaw is first, is they gotta get his feet consistently closer together. The second thing is, they've gotta get him to, at his hips, rotate more, because right now his legs don't rotate, his hips don't rotate, but his upper body does. So that's why you're getting these occasional egregious misses. His left shoulder consistently lags behind the right shoulder, instead of pointing toward his target and remaining tight."
I asked KOC about J.J. McCarthy's back leg whip pic.twitter.com/4L0EtRPpa9
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 19, 2025
O'Connell addressed McCarthy's leg whip when prompted by our Will Ragatz on Wednesday.
"I think to a certain extent, the violent leg whip can sometimes be — depending on where guys generate their natural power from — you can see some of that, just as the ultimate disassociation between the lower and upper half that creates the torque that some guys put a lot of revolutions on the ball. That would definitely be the category I would put J.J. in," O'Connell said.
"Now, I also believe very strongly that he doesn’t necessarily always need that. And those 80, 85 percent throws that have plenty of velocity on them but also are — the location seems to be better, the friendliness of throwing more runner’s balls for guys, for the ability to have some run after the catch. And then just to progress in rhythm from a little bit more comfortable base, while not taking up too much space in the pocket, is also part of it. I think it’s something that some throwers, historically, you’ve seen it. But to me, it’s the times where it can be due to a lack of foundation and balance more so than the torque that he’s generating. I think there’s a middle ground there that we’re working towards and we’ve seen, from kind of a smooth rhythm standpoint, that I think is what we’re hunting a little bit more on a snap-to-snap basis."
So @danorlovsky7 fixed JJ McCarthy yesterday on NFL Live.
1. Shorten Base
2. Tilt Shoulder
3. Rotate Hips
"I'm a little bit more encouraged because those are correctable things."
📽️: @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/xdY6nR3LVf
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 20, 2025
Ponder, the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, was known for using the phrase "easily correctable" when dissecting his erratic play. Like the current situation with McCarthy, Ponder would often blame his issues on fundamentals and technique.
"Monday morning, as you head into the film room you get that bad feeling, and as you watch the game you're like, 'Oh man, that's something that was dumb that could have easily just not happened," Ponder said in 2013 after a loss to the Lions in which he threw three interceptions. "As you watch it, it's a bad taste in your mouth. But at the same time it gives you confidence because, hey, these are easily correctable."
In 2012, when asked about avoiding sacks, Ponder said it came back to fundamentals: "It's something we focused on today, doing some drills. Just hitting the last step in the drop, setting the depth and just moving forward."
When asked about improving his touch on passes, Ponder once said he was too "pumped up."
After a loss to Washington in 2012, Ponder, who threw for 352 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, blamed one of his interceptions on bad footwork.
"I'm not making bad decisions," Ponder told reporters. "It's just something that's easily correctable. The one that I threw short to Kyle (Rudolph), I flipped my feet around. I should have just did it on the run and threw off balance. It's all footwork."
Ponder, Viking
Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (7) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
None of this is ideal, but McCarthy only has five games under his belt, and it's way too soon to think he'll turn out like Ponder, who was officially a draft bust. But the fundamentals weren't an easy fix for Ponder, and McCarthy has already admitted that it's difficult to retrain his body and mind to play the way O'Connell wants him to. Can he correct? Orlovsky thinks he can.
"I know it's discouraging, I understand it. It's concerning," Orlovsky said. "I'm a little bit more encouraged because I think those are correctable things."