Kevin O’Connell’s Comments Sweeten Pot on Vikings’ QB1 Battle
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is not fundamentally opposed to starting rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy right away in his rookie season.
Kevin O’Connell’s Comments Sweeten Pot on Vikings’ QB1 Battle
McCarthy may be the underdog through a week and a half of training camp — solely because journeyman veteran Sam Darnold joined the franchise as a patchover quarterback in March — but the young Wolverine cannot be wholly ruled out of contention for the QB1 gig in Week 1.
“I definitely don’t want to be in a world where anybody shows up to everyday thinking they’ve got a ceiling, a time stamp, on them of what the expectations are,” O’Connell told KFAN’s Dan Barreiro on Tuesday.
Barreiro pressed O’Connell on the topic, prompting the young skipper to declare his belief in “playing the best player that gives you the best chance to win.”
“Playing the best player” certainly hints at the ongoing quarterback battle, meaning the victor in the next five weeks could take the QB1 baton against the New York Giants on September 8th. Heading into the summer, there was always a chance that the Vikings sat on McCarthy, no matter what, because of his youth — he’s 21 — in favor of Darnold, who has started 56 career games. Yet, the quarterback competition is open and undecided.
Earlier this week, O’Connell told reporters about the quarterback depth chart, “As far as that depth chart in that room, I think it’s clear and obvious — like you guys do; you make the commitment to come out every day — you see it’s pretty darn even between Sam and J.J. And in many cases, J.J. getting a couple more [reps] with our ability to add some developmental stuff for the guys down the line.”
And those comments, right before the Barreiro sitdown, also indicated that the Darnold-McCarthy battle was neck and neck.
McCarthy joined the Vikings as a 1st-Round pick — 10th overall, in fact — but his acclimation to the offense has occurred at a breakneck pace in recent days. Minnesota’s leadership has stated all offseason its emphasis on patience regarding his maturation, but that could be happening faster than most believed.
McCarthy personally told reporters last week, “I’m just focused on learning to get better, and improve the weakness that I have with my game and learn my teammates’ strengths and try to amplify them every chance I get. We’re off to a great start so far. My ultimate goal is to get the most out of every single day. When the time comes, it comes. I’m just training every single day so that when that time does come, I’m going to be ready.”
Ironically, Barreiro asked O’Connell about the Seattle Seahawks’ example in 2012, when Russell Wilson overtook Matt Flynn as the QB1 that summer. O’Connell responded that he was in line to sign with Seattle if the Seahawks didn’t draft Wilson. Seattle later nominated Wilson for QB1, Flynn fell to QB2, and O’Connell never signed with the Seahawks.
The example prompted O’Connell to mention the “play the best player” nugget.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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