Former NFL Head Coach Publicly Blasts J.J. McCarthy
You know things are not going poorly when coaches unrelated to the Minnesota Vikings’ orbit are blasting the team’s young quarterback. That’s the case this week, as former Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers skipper Bruce Arians teed off on J.J. McCarthy.
A former NFL head coach publicly blasts J.J. McCarthy, adding sharp criticism to the growing conversation around the Vikings’ rookie quarterback.
Arians skewered McCarthy and wasn’t afraid to mix in some expletives.
Bruce Arians Roasts J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy’s second season in the pros has gone off the rails.
Arians Doesn’t Hold Back when Talking about McCarthy
The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN hosted Arians last week, a well-respected, Super Bowl-winning coach. Sadly for McCarthy’s sake, Arians unleashed a blunt take.
“The alter ego thing, it needs to be A.P. — accurate passer. You don’t need snot, bubbles, and tears. You play quarterback, not linebacker. OK, we don’t need all this bullsh*t. Just go f*cking play quarterback and be relaxed and throw the damn ball to the right guy because you got the talent,” Arians told McAfee.
It’s also worth noting that Arians unloaded that criticism before Minnesota’s Week 12 loss at Green Bay. McCarthy might’ve played his worst game yet at Lambeau Field. Obviously, Arians’ advice was not heard or implemented.
Heat All over the Place
McCarthy is under attack in the court of public opinion by fans. The memes are relentless. Pundits think he’s a joke.
The man has put enough sample on tape in three games — in addition to missing 22 due to injury — that he is becoming the butt of the jokes. Comparing him to Christian Ponder is an insult to Christian Ponder.
For his sake, hopefully McCarthy doesn’t use social media, because every branch has it out for him. Arians just turned the knife even further and added some credibility for the naysayers.
Now — a Concussion
NBC Sports‘ Josh Alper wrote Monday, “The Vikings may be turning to Max Brosmer at quarterback in Week 13. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Monday that J.J. McCarthy is in the concussion protocol. O’Connell said that McCarthy reported having concussion symptoms on the flight home after Sunday’s loss to the Packers in Green Bay.”
“Brosmer will take the first-team reps while McCarthy is working his way through the protocol and will start against the Seahawks if McCarthy is not cleared for the game. The undrafted rookie is 5-of-8 for 42 yards in four appearances this season, but has never started an NFL game.“
If things weren’t bad enough — poor performance stacked on injuries — McCarthy is hurt again.
Usually, a concussion sidelines a player for at least one to two games. If Bromser balls out, there’s a world where McCarthy doesn’t regain his QB1 job.
High Highs and Low Lows for McCarthy
In Week 1, McCarthy won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Life was good. In the following game, he performed horribly and injured his ankle. It went from NFCOPW to a five-game absence. Then, after missing the five games, McCarthy shocked the world, leading Minnesota to a momentous win at the Detroit Lions. Within a week, he reverted to the unprepared McCarthy and hasn’t found his footing since.
Most thought the low lows would rise to ordinary growing pains, but that just hasn’t happened. These valleys are lower than almost every quarterback in NFL history through six starts.
ESPN on McCarthy
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert added this week, “The emergence of McCarthy’s symptoms coincided with the worst of his six starts this season. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards, had two interceptions and was sacked five times against the Packers.”
“McCarthy now ranks last in the NFL in most statistical categories for quarterbacks, including QBR (24.8), completion percentage (54.1) and touchdown/interception ratio (0.6). The Vikings handed McCarthy the starting job entering the season after deciding against using the franchise tag on 2024 starter Sam Darnold, who signed with the Seahawks and now ranks No. 6 in QBR (69.1).”
There was always a chance that McCarthy struggled out of the gate, but few foresaw total ineptitude.
Seifert continued, “They also failed to re-sign Daniel Jones, who spent the final six weeks of 2024 on their practice squad, and turned away interest from Aaron Rodgers, who was a free agent at the time. If he sits out Sunday’s game, McCarthy will have missed as many games this season as he has played (six) — all after missing his entire rookie season in 2024 because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. At the very least, those absences have set back his development after the Vikings made him the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft.”
“If Brosmer starts Sunday, he will be the seventh different quarterback to make a start for the Vikings since Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon midway through the 2023 season. The Vikings would presumably elevate veteran quarterback John Wolford from the practice squad to serve as Brosmer’s backup.”
Arians wrote a book eight years ago: The Quarterback Whisperer: How to Build an Elite NFL Quarterback.
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