Kevin O’Connell Breaks Silence on Vikings QB Mystery
Minnesota Vikings fans have wondered for one week who will start at quarterback after the team’s bye in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles. And thanks to Kevin O’Connell, the team’s skipper, an update arrived on Monday.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell offered comments on Monday to begin setting the stage for his team’s Week 7 quarterback plan against the Eagles.
The problem? The update essentially reestablished a 50-50 scenario regarding Sunday’s QB1. If J.J. McCarthy is fully healthy, he will play. If he is not, Carson Wentz will start his fourth consecutive game.
Kevin O’Connell Won’t Name a Starter — or Rule out J.J. McCarthy or Carson Wentz
You’ll have to wait until later this week, he says.
J.J. McCarthy Practice; No Percentage on Game-Readiness
O’Connell told reporters that McCarthy practiced last week, a process that went well, and will do more of the same in the next few days.
“It was great to get back on the grass and have some good sessions out there, kind of getting back to a lot of the principles of lower-body mechanics and things that had been really good parts of his early journey here. It didn’t even hit me till we were out there together — he had practiced one time since we left Chicago,” the coach told the media.
When pressed on whether McCarthy would play this weekend, O’Connell opted not to assign percentages: “I don’t necessarily want to put a percentage on where I think he’s at health-wise. I think this week will be massive for our whole team, but just to see J.J. back out there getting reps and working through the process of building that foundation back up.”
Carson Wentz Healing from Shoulder Injury
During a win in London over the Cleveland Browns, Wentz steered the Vikings to a victory — and injured his left shoulder along the way. The 32-year-old ventured into the bye “pretty sore,” according to the coaching staff, but Wentz is apparently in a better spot now.
O’Connell on Wentz: “He was sore coming out of the game. He’s gotten to a good place where he can participate and take part in the preparation. The biggest thing for him is it’s a non-throwing shoulder, so it’s a matter of working through that soreness as it comes to him.”
O’Connell on McCarthy’s Footwork
A reporter also asked the head coach about McCarthy’s footwork and what he should refine for his upcoming third NFL start.
O’Connell then offered a crash course from O’Connell QB University: “Quarterback play is about the foundation of getting to that premier base and body position at the top of your drop, whatever that drop is. That could be quick game. That could be a five- or seven-step drop. That could be a play-action pass where you turn your back to the defense. Whatever it is — you’re still getting to that optimal position at the top of your drop, so then you can read with your feet and eyes tied together.”
“Play in rhythm — and the time clock can naturally be something that if you’re just listening to your feet and seeing what your eye sees as far as ‘are guys open or not?’ — and progressing. I think one of the things he’s took away from these two or three weeks of watching Carson Wentz play was just the power of completions.”
A 50-50 Coin Flip Situation Six Days Out
O’Connell — a little strangely — also hinted that his timeline may be different from what is flushed out on injury reports or to the masses.
“I think there’s the decision that is the public one, and I think there’s the decision with what we’re going to do for the game. And those two things can be on different timelines, although I know that’s not the most comforting thing to share with you guys,” he said.
“But there is a feel of making sure that we’re preparing the quarterback position for the game, knowing we’ve won games with two different guys this year, and we’ve found a rhythm at times on offense that as much as that quarterback plays a huge role in it, we’ve got to make sure our offense is prepared to play with that true all 11 mindset.”
The remark was a bit odd because he might risk attention from the NFL’s front office for hinting at deceptive tactics.
More from O’Connell
O’Connell also said about his impending decision of starting McCarthy or Wentz on Sunday, “I think we’ve got to prepare to try to win a game on Sunday. We really want to get our team ready to go, and in the process of doing that, J.J. has his plan of attack that we want to try to make sure we maximize every single day, and prepare all of our guys to be ready to go, and make the best decision for our team and then also for individually for each one of those guys as we get closer to it.”
“But not ready to say yet exactly where he’ll be at towards the end of the week. Want to see how this week plays out first.”
All signs point to Friday as the jumping-off point for Minnesota’s quarterback decision, and even then, O’Connell might play it close to the chest.
The Eagles are favored to defeat the Vikings by two or three points.
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