The Quarterbacks Need To Play!
Let the games begin! There are a couple of games on tap tonight which I might be able to watch a little. How much will you watch if at all?
The real game is on Saturday of course.
If you were running the Vikings and you knew you had two new Quarterbacks and many new defenders, how much would you want to play these starters during this preseason? In the last couple of years they were rolling with Cousins who was a seasoned vet and they really did not need to get him on the same page with other offensive players. With Darnold being new, I think they really should give him some playing time. Here is what I would do …
1st game: Starters play one quarter
2nd game: Starters play two quarters
3rd game: Starters play two quarters and maybe a drive in the third quarter. Maybe they wont play this game but it depends how they look in the previous games and practices.
Fire me now?
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Vikes Views: Who is the Most Tolerable Rival in the NFCN?
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2024/8/7/24215268/vikes-views-who-is-the-most-tolerable-rival-in-the-nfcn
Tracking every single J.J. McCarthy throw at a Vikings training camp practice
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell sheds light on playing Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy in preseason
For the Vikings, things are a little bit different than in years past. There isn’t an incumbent quarterback like there has been over the last five years with Kirk Cousins. That changes the circumstances for the Vikings in how they will approach the preseason.
“There is a general plan, for not only the quarterbacks but all of our guys, to. We’ll keep you posted, it’s not a matter of game planning secrets for this game more so than any other preseason game we’ve ever had. It’s more about communicating directly to the player, so they hear it from myself or coaches first before, it’s out there in the world for them to read about. It’s really a matter of, we’re still in training camp mode. I mean, today’s practice and tomorrow will be fully padded. We’ll be, continuing to move forward with our competitions. This isn’t by any stretch an in -season type of day where you’re really thinking about, hey, we got a Saturday game, we got to be smart. No, we’re going, competing, really trying to get right back into that training camp mode. Our guys were super flexible with the kind of the weather and storms that rolled in here last night. I’m fortunate to be able to have a schedule where it can adapt, still get the night practice in in a few days and not miss any pads days throughout training camp. We’ve got a good plan for the week and as that information kind of gets out to the players, you guys will receive it as well.”
Preseason Preview: Raiders take on Vikings in Minnesota
Lunchbreak: How Vikings Rate in ‘Madden 25’
3 Observations: A Day for Vikings Defensive Backs and Justin Jefferson
1. A Day for Defensive Backs
Multiple Vikings defensive backs made impressive plays on the day.
Joshua Metellus struck for an interception during a team drill, stepping in front of a pass thrown by Nick Mullens.
Metellus also had a nice breakup of a Sam Darnold pass intended for Johnny Mundt on a third-and-6 during a move-the-ball period.
Undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern, Akayleb Evans, Bobby McCain and A.J. Green III each wound up with interceptions during different parts of the practice. McCain added a pass breakup on a pass from J.J. McCarthy to Trent Sherfield, Sr., to deny a conversion on third-and-5.
2. Jefferson dazzles again
This just in, Jefferson is elite.
But a particularly impressive part of camp is how consistently the All-Pro receiver and Darnold have been connecting on a variety of routes.
Along the sideline, over the middle, short routes, intermediate and deep, they have consistently made plays.
And Wednesday included a couple that occurred against some solid coverage by Byron Murphy, Jr.
Darnold hit Jefferson on the right sideline on a timing route against Murphy and latter zipped one down the left sideline beyond Murphy’s grasp.
Darnold also scrambled and found Jefferson for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the 5.
3. More scenarios
The Vikings often spend considerable practice time in the red zone. Wednesday was no exception for that, but the session also included plenty of work on third downs.
Why Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy keeps his tights on after a bad practice
McCarthy revealed Wednesday at TCO Performance Center a ritual that he does after every bad practice he has. He keeps his tights on the remainder of the night, goes to the bathroom, takes a look in the mirror and reflects on the day before taking them off, shaking off the struggles and getting in the shower.
He says it started his freshman year at Michigan.
“It’s a little dirty, good metaphorical way for me to let it go. Once I go through that, look myself in the eye, move on, take the tights off and don’t ever think about it again,” McCarthy said.
What does his fiancée think of that?
“I had a lot more gross acquired wear throughout the day in college. She never knew until now probably,” McCarthy said.
Saturday will bring first look at Vikings’ approach to new NFL kickoff format
“The more and more you work this new dynamic kickoff, you realize how creative you can get, you realize the can of worms that it can open up,” Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. “As we continue to work and get more reps, it’s going to be an interesting play. I’m excited to see how it’s going to play out.
The Vikings have had one of the league’s most dangerous kick returners in Kene Nwangwu over the past three seasons. He figures to retain the role this year, especially since he’s a running back who brings that skill set to the table, but other players could also be in the mix to return kicks. You could also see the Vikings use starting-caliber offensive or defensive players on the kickoff coverage or return teams, now that the injury risk is lower and they don’t have to gas themselves on a sprint down the field.
“That’s a conversation that we’ve had,” Daniels said. “We’re still kind of working through that, in terms of what’s the personnel going to look like, guys’ job responsibilities. Starters have come to me, engaging with me about wanting to be on that play now that you’ve eliminated the 40 yards of running before you start making contact with guys. That’s been encouraging to see.”
J.J. McCarthy is the Minnesota Vikings’ future, but is he ready to be quarterback of the present?
Is Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy ready to start?
This is exactly what everyone wants to know. The pulse of the fanbase is ecstatic about McCarthy being the guy but is he ready to take the reigns?
To put it simply, no he’s not and that’s okay. I spoke about this in-depth on Purple Daily on Draft and broke down why he’s not ready to be the guy.
“I’m just going to put it blunt. He’s not ready, and people need to calm down. When you watch McCarthy in practice, you see the wild plays, and you see the vision of what the future could look like, and it’s very exciting. And I don’t want to tell anybody they shouldn’t be excited. You should be he’s making some really good plays, but some of the talk on social media and amongst the fan base is being taken a little bit out of context. And a lot of these throws that McCarthy is making are after like five six seconds when he would have already been buried in the pocket, or when he was already sacked, because they can’t actually touch the quarterback, right? So when you look at those elements, and you look at him, you know being incredibly slow working through his progressions, and in some of these seven on sevens, he’s flipping his hips and only looking one way. It’s almost like watching Hendon Hooker at Tennessee. And we talked a lot about Hendon Hooker throughout the pre-draft process, where he was just not a quarterback he could trust being seen to be. And I think McCarthy can do that, but it’s very slow right now because he’s adjusting to the NFL, and that’s okay. We’re not asking for McCarthy to be perfect right now. We’re asking McCarthy to grow and develop, and I think we’re seeing signs of it. But then he’s also working on his mechanics, and he’s being inconsistent in making some of these throws.”
There is one more element at play: Sam Darnold is playing really well.
“And let’s be honest, Darnold isn’t bad. People want to just be like, oh, Darnold that Friday and Saturday, he was fantastic. He was layering the volume beautifully to players like Justin Jefferson, corner routes, Dick routes, going deep. He was making good decisions. He was making quick decisions, which is really important and really good to see, considering he’s learning a new offense with an entirely new organization. These things all matter. And I think Darnold is the runaway favorite to start, week one. If he plays well, you may not see McCarthy at all, because I think Darnold has a chance to be really good in his offense.”
Matthew Coller: Extensions or not, Vikings need to see the plan through
Vikings owner Mark Wilf said they are not ready for extension talks with the HC and GM…
There is a case for giving O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah extensions before the season starts because they have accomplished the first part of the plan that was hatched when they arrived. The head coach turned around the culture (as noted by the high NFLPA survey marks) and remained competitive in each of the first two seasons going 20-14 overall. Meanwhile the front office refreshed the roster, drafted a first-round quarterback, signed Day 1 free agents this offseason, extended two superstar players and set the Vikings up for salary cap freedom next season.
Following their quest to pick the future quarterback, the Vikings appear to be a stable franchise with a plan to follow a similar path that we have seen successful teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers deploy in the recent past. That’s a far cry from where the Vikings were when KOC/KAM took over, which was a team with an over-the-hill and expensive roster and toxic environment inside the building.
Why rush when KOC is not a lame-duck coach? His authority isn’t being undermined by the lack of security right now. Next year it would be.
What is the key to success for a quarterback in the National Football League? Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner knows a thing or two about playing the quarterback. He did an interview with QB guru Crissy Froyd and believes that layups are the most important part of playing the position.
“I still believe the teams that are in the best position to win every week and the quarterbacks who are best in the league are the guys who play inside the pocket first,” Warner said. “The guys who play on-schedule. The guys that can make the layups.”
The idea of layups is an interesting one. Oftentimes, it’s best to take a 5-10 yard play that’s right in front of you then force the ball down the field. Those elements are why Warner believes so strongly in layups. He elaborated on his stance with Froyd talking about the plays missed.
The idea of layups is an interesting one. Oftentimes, it’s best to take a 5-10 yard play that’s right in front of you then force the ball down the field. Those elements are why Warner believes so strongly in layups. He elaborated on his stance with Froyd talking about the plays missed.
Former Rams DL turning heads at Vikings training camp
Jonah Williams is a name to know on the defensive line. He played over 600 snaps for the Rams last year and has stood out in a positive way for the Vikings during camp. Today, Williams beat Blake Brandel with a spin move in 1-on-1 drills and then had a nice run stop in 11-on-11 action.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold has received nearly 100% of first-team reps
As the third week of camp nears an end, Sam Darnold has received all but two of the first-team reps in 11-on-11 drills. J.J. McCarthy got the other two. This should be no surprise to anyone who has listened to coach Kevin O’Connell talk about the position. While McCarthy is clearly the club’s future quarterback, team leaders are in agreement that his ascension will not be rushed.
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