Minnesota Vikings training camp has hit full stride in preparation for the team’s first preseason matchup against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium this Saturday.
Clips from camp circulate on social media, creating both hope and havoc within a fanbase eager to see this uber-talented roster at work. However, an already exciting Vikings team will have to tackle another set of intangibles thanks to the NFL’s schedule makers.
Before you know it, it’ll be the night of September 8, and we’ll all be praying to our higher powers that the Soldier Field scaries are a thing of the past for the Purple and Gold.
For J.J. McCarthy, the first five weeks of the season will offer various challenges for the first-year starter. For only the first time since 1981, and only the second time in franchise history, the Vikings will open their season playing back-to-back primetime games. A Monday night opener at Soldier Field is already enough to strike uneasiness in Vikings fans; if you add a first-time play-caller like McCarthy to the mix, the anticipation becomes palpable.
Week 2 will feature a Sunday night matchup as the home opener for the team when they take on the Atlanta Falcons. Week 3 will offer a welcome bit of familiarity when they play a noon home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, more anomalies are in store for the Vikings. They will be the first team to play back-to-back international games in two different countries. They will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland for Week 4, followed by the Cleveland Browns in London for Week 5.
And on the sixth week, the team rests.
McCarthy has played in big games at Michigan and in high school. His attitude and respect towards preparation appear nuanced for his age and experience level. That bodes well for the inevitable hurdles of mental obstacles attached to early primetime slots in his first real game action. The approach with McCarthy remains the same; in the words of head coach Kevin O’Connell, “minute by minute” is key to McCarthy’s development.
It’s easy to get caught up in lofty expectations and training camp evals, but in-house, the sentiment around McCarthy has remained consistent. He’s more than capable of grasping this offense, even if it can be complex, but he’s also still coming into his own. There is no expectation from O’Connell, or even Justin Jefferson, that McCarthy will be the best quarterback in the league from jump street.
The best part about that is he never needed to be the league’s best quarterback.
To get through the first five weeks of the season, the team’s identity must hinge on the fact that there are players on both sides of the ball capable of getting the job done without relying on quarterback heroics.
As McCarthy learns his role in the machine, he’ll be able to unburden himself of any pressure that may come his way. What general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have done in terms of roster building around a rookie quarterback contract is nothing short of spectacular. McCarthy has to be able to lean on those new pieces to get through these big, early moments.
McCarthy is having a solid training camp, considering he’s going up against a Brian Flores-led operation that is poised to be among the best in the league. His accuracy on throws towards the sideline has been notable, and he seems to have a feel for evading pressure in the pocket. He could improve on intermediate routes across the middle of the field, with some balls tending to sail on deeper ins or seams.
For previous Vikings quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins, the gunslinging approach — pushing the ball downfield — remained viable. There seemed to be little compromise from O’Connell on his philosophy regarding that approach. I don’t see McCarthy excelling in that gung-ho style of play, but instead picking his spots based on what the defense gives him.
O’Connell is not gonna reinvent the wheel for McCarthy in that regard. Instead, he’ll restructure it to highlight the many skill players around McCarthy for an easier workday. Expect more proverbial dinking and dunking to get upfield.
The Vikings are setting McCarthy up to navigate a strict schedule through elements of the game, such as time of possession and creating short fields. As long as McCarthy finds his zen before each game, taking it one minute at a time, the 22-year-old quarterback should experience plenty of success.