J.J. McCarthy sounds like a player ready to take over a franchise. He sounds like the player every team desperate for a quarterback needs to have on their team. McCarthy knows what’s at stake for him as he prepares to take over a 14-win team led by Sam Darnold a year ago. He also feels nobody is better than him to take over.
McCarthy said all the right things in his press conference at the Minnesota Vikings practice facility. He was asked about pressure this year, the Aaron Rodgers murmurs and his rehab. He answered each like a player ready to be a franchise quarterback.
“That’s something that you sign up for when you play in the National Football League, especially at the quarterback position,” McCarthy said about feeling pressure. “I feel like pressure, all it does is bring out what’s inside of you and I feel pretty good about what’s inside of me.”
J.J. McCarthy’s bold statements should have Minnesota Vikings fans elated about their new quarterback
McCarthy isn’t worried about the Aaron Rodgers rumors and his intent to play with the Vikings. He knows where he stands with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings.
“Obviously respect to Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game,” McCarthy said. “But all I was focusing on was the day-to-day task. What I was doing here, what I was doing at home to kind of make myself the best overall player I can be.”
The Vikings have stood by McCarthy and now fans got a glimpse into why. He’s saying all the right things, but will that translate to actual success on the field? He is coming off a major knee injury. And let’s be honest, he won a national championship, but he wasn’t a premier quarterback.
Michigan had an incredible defense and running attack that took tremendous pressure off McCarthy. He won’t have that same fortune in the NFL. He has Justin Jefferson as his top target.
McCarthy said his injury gave him a chance to get a jump on the mental side of the game. What he’s done while being inactive has given him a leg up on most other young/rookie quarterbacks in his position. Players like Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young were just thrown to the wolves and probably could have benefitted from one year on the bench.
I guess we’ll see how much McCarthy learned being sidelined last year. He’s saying all the right things and doing all the right things in recovery. But once he actually plays a game, we’ll see how much he truly learned from missing his true rookie season.
“I was very grateful for the opportunity that I had to really get a head start on the mental side of the game,” McCarthy said. “Our offense, the opponents, defensive scheme and individual aspects of each player.”