The Minnesota Vikings owe it to themselves to see if J.J. McCarthy has it in him to be the franchise quarterback they all believe he can be. His first year in the NFL was cut short by a knee injury. While Sam Darnold played brilliantly at times last season, he now quarterbacks the Seattle Seahawks. Right now, it looks to be full steam ahead for Minnesota with McCarthy under center. What could go wrong?
Truth be told, he has the right organization backing him up to achieve success in this league. Minnesota usually fields a competitive football team. While I go back and forth on if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is a good general manager or not, head coach Kevin O'Connell can do no wrong. McCarthy may have been the rawest of the six first-round quarterbacks taken last year, but he offers promise.
However, the NFL is not going to make it any easier for this former Michigan man. There are rumors starting to circulate that Minnesota will plays Weeks 4 and 5 not only on the road, but overseas. The expectation is they will play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park in Dublin in Week 4, right before playing the Cleveland Browns in London at Tottenham in Week 5. Will McCarthy be ready for this?
Playing back-to-back weeks over in the British Isles is be tough for anyone, let alone first-year starter.
Minnesota plays in a very competitive division, one that I think could be totally up for grabs this year.
J.J. McCarthy to face tall task very early in first season as NFL starter
Besides the Vikings being a well-run operation, my favorite thing about McCarthy's game is the level of poise he plays with. It was a separating factor for him during his team leading the Michigan Wolverines. While I do feel he was propped up by a powerful running game, a great defense and superb coaching, among other things, this trait can help him overcome his steep learning curve.
The good news for the Vikings in all this is I think they have a better football team than the Steelers and most definitely over the Browns. It may be a home game for both NFC North teams, but we all know they will largely be fish out of water overseas. Thus, the crowd may not be as big of a factor working against McCarthy. This is where his poise comes in. Can he find a way to just win anyway?
Had this back-to-back in the British Isles been later in the season, the thoughts of McCarthy and the Vikings navigating it to perfection might be a tad easier to visualize. While most teams have had enough of a sample size to figure out how to navigate the international games on their schedule, playing out of the country in back-to-back weeks is not for the faint of heart. McCarthy has to rise up.
The sooner every team figures out what their schedule is, the more time they have to prepare for it.