Fans Think Jonathan Greenard Spilled the Beans on J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings have a whodunnit at quarterback this week, as fans hope to determine who will start under center this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles. And one sector of Vikings faithful believes outsider linebacker Jonathan Greenard let the cat out of the bag on Tuesday night.
Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard joined a podcast on Tuesday night, and some fans believe he revealed the team’s Week 7 plan for J.J. McCarthy.
Greenard hopped on a podcast, and while speaking about the quarterback situation, gently hinted that he thought J.J. McCarthy would be back in Week 7.
Vikings Faithful Run with Jonathan Greenard Theory about QB1
The comments may not have been meant to be taken so seriously.
Jonathan Greenard Offhandedly Says He Thinks McCarthy Will Be Back
The comment that ignited a mini-frenzy? Well, it was pretty offhanded and didn’t pack total confidence.
“I think J.J. — he’ll probably be back this week or something like that. I think he will,” Greenard told the Flag on the Play podcast.
Greenard also said about McCarthy, the player: “I think J.J. with the staff we got … them dialing it up, it’s almost nearly impossible to fail. You mentioned Sam early on, Sam did a hell of a job in the same system, it’s just a matter of J.J. gotta get more comfortable and getting these reps … I like J.J. As far as a competitor, a guy that knows ball, and just wants to win, I will take J.J. any day.”
Starved for hints on the Vikings’ quarterback predicament, some took the first comment from Greenard as a rubber stamp that McCarthy will be in the lineup this weekend.
Probably Just a Phrasing Situation
Greenard plays — wonderfully — on defense. He may not be totally connected to the ins and outs of the offensive gameplan.
In fact, the quote above seems like something a player would say about a teammate that he knows will be back, in broad strokes, soon — but not necessarily an exact date. For example, Greenard might have accurately heard that McCarthy is on his way back so he translated that sentiment to: “He’ll probably be back this week or something like that.”
McCarthy on His Recovery Percentage
McCarthy actually updated his status on Wednesday, telling reporters in the locker room, “My ankle is getting there. I wouldn’t say it’s 100% right now, but we’re striving every day to get there as fast as possible.”
Soon after, the Vikings released a first injury report of the week, and McCarthy pulled down a “limited” designation, while Carson Wentz was a full participant.
Carson Wentz Banged Up, Too
Wentz injured his non-throwing shoulder in the win over the Cleveland Browns in London. The coaching staff told the world that it felt rather sore after the dub, and accordingly, fans wondered if Minnesota had two dinged-up quarterbacks entering the bye week.
Now, though, the injury report all but settled the debate. In practice-speak, McCarthy is returning to full health, and Wentz is all the way there.
Fans might’ve misinterpreted the Greenard comment.
More ‘McCarthy or Wentz’ Perspective
KARE11’s Dave Campbell wrote Wednesday, “O’Connell, who spent the better part of the bye week working with his protege on basic passing mechanics that the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft simply hasn’t been afforded enough time to hone because of his injuries, said both McCarthy and Wentz would take turns with the first-team offense in practice.”
“McCarthy has practiced and played so little over the past year and a half since he was drafted that O’Connell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and the rest of the staff are still in that teaching mode in a lot of ways. The Vikings at every turn have insisted they’re not using the injury as a reason to give McCarthy more time to watch and learn from O’Connell, McCown and Wentz.”
It’s worth noting that with two quarterback injuries, Minnesota’s QB3 is a rookie named Max Brosmer from the University of Minnesota.
Campbell continued, “Though they’ll need to assess sooner than later if McCarthy is truly the franchise quarterback they want to commit to beyond the cap-friendly rookie contract, there’s no point in evaluating his performance if he can’t properly push off his right foot.”
“Wentz, who’s on his sixth team in six seasons and in his 10th year in the league, shrugged off the notion of any awkwardness or uncertainty for him while McCarthy is in the in-between stage of being injured and being the starter.”
Fans should have the full picture and announcement by Friday afternoon.
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