J.J. McCarthy Draws Another Sizzling Shoutout
It’s J.J. McCarthy hype season, and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky is driving the train.
J.J. McCarthy continues to bedazzle the NFL masses, this time earning additional kudos from a former NFL quarterback with a national purview.
Orlovsky, an ESPN employee, hasn’t been shy about showering praise on McCarthy, a 22-year-old 1st-Rounder from the 2024 NFL Draft, and this week was no different.
On The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, Orlovsky re-upped his utmost belief in McCarthy.
Why the Praise Matters
Dan Orlovsky Continues Praise Tour of J.J. McCarthy
Orlovsky knows a little something about quarterbacking — he lasted in the NFL from 2005 to 2017, mostly as a backup. So, when he speaks about signal-callers, folks listen.
He said about McCarthy this week, “I think he’s gonna be awesome this year. Honestly, I totally believe, production-wise, he’ll play very similar to what Sam did last year. One, there’s just a scheme and a roster talent — Minnesota’s the easiest place in the NFL to play quarterback this year. It’s as good an offensive roster as we have in the NFL.”
“And then you combine it with scheme and play caller in Kevin O’Connell, a lot of guys would go to Minnesota and play good football.”
Minnesota is counting on McCarthy’s rapid maturation this season after letting Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones venture to new teams in free agency.
“I think J.J., the skills that he has and the foundation that he has, he’s a play on rhythm, listen to his feet when it comes to where and when to throw the football, the timing of the way he plays the position, the way that he was taught to play the position at Michigan, is perfect for what is the necessary stuff playing that position in Minnesota,” Orlovsky added.
Mixed Reviews from Naysayers
The Orlovsky compliments arrived after a wild week of McCarthy-theme takes, courtesy of Fox Sports‘ Colin Cowherd.
Cowherd went on a strange tangent last week, questioning McCarthy’s gumption. He remarked, “Why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks? And there’s too many conflicting reports on J.J. McCarthy. So I just find the whole thing .. Here’s a lot of stuff I just don’t know. I feel sometimes there’s a little bit of a spin job here.”
“I will say this. To be a great franchise quarterback… there’s got to be a trait. There has to be a ‘wow’ trait. So let’s just go through them. Mahomes – arm talent. Allen — sheer force of size. Lamar — athletic ability. Stafford — has one of the great arms in the last 30 years in the league; he’s got a magical arm.”
Turn on the tape from the University of Michigan, and you will find no major flaws in McCarthy’s toolkit. It’s why Minnesota, led by the quarterback-whispering Kevin O’Connell, used the 10th overall pick on McCarthy in 2024.
Cowherd continued, “Burrow — composure and accuracy, like as good as Brady in his prime if you look at the numbers and analytics. Herbert — big, strong, powerful arm. C.J. Stroud — accuracy, moving left, moving right, moving forward; C.J. Stroud’s accuracy since high school is insane. Hurts – strength, pound-for-pound, 600-pound squats.”
“Kyler Murray — elusiveness. You start stacking up these quarterbacks, there’s a trait. Like, Elway — arm. Marino — arm. Aaron Rodgers — arm, release.”
Orlovsky Closer to Right than Cowherd?
Let’s not complicate this. Cowherd is a hot take merchant, known for stirring the pot and being “out there” with some of his opinions. He’s not Skip Bayless, but some of his NFL theories have turned heads — not in a good way — over the years.
Orlovsky, on the other hand, is no such firebrand. He’s a straight shooter who played the same position as McCarthy.
A Verdict in Less Than 12 Weeks
The countdown to go-time for McCarthy is on. His Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears in primetime at Soldier Field in 82 days, making McCarthy’s maiden voyage game quite the spectacle.
While Minnesota has defeated Chicago in every game at Soldier Field since 2020, the venue is usually a house of horrors for the Vikings, or at least involves sloppiness and tomfoolery.
In that vein, McCarthy will get an unfiltered view of Vikings football.
A Brave New World for the Vikings
The Vikings auditioned Teddy Bridgewater for the QB1 spot 11 years ago, an experiment ruined by a devastating knee injury. After the Bridgewater era, Minnesota embarked on back-to-back veterans, Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold.
Minnesota hasn’t successfully drafted and implemented a rookie quarterback of its own since Daunte Culpepper in 1999, and even his career was cut short by — you guessed it — a knee injury.
It’s a brave new world for O’Connell and Co.
You must be logged in to post a comment.