Doogie on JJ, Vikings think McCarthy has been the best

[Montana Tom]

When JJM starts saying "the NFL game is starting to slow down", only then will I think he's ready. I pray we do well enough with Darnold all year that we have the luxury of sitting him all season.

[JR44]

100 percent.  These highlights and the positives he's showing early are a great sign.  We're not hearing reports of inconsistent footwork, accuracy, decision making, etc.  We're hearing it with Maye and Caleb.  All of Daniels "wow" plays I've seen are against air or 7v7.  

Mahomes showed out his rookie year in training camp, but the Chiefs did the smart thing and let the experienced vet give him time.  Vikings should do the same with JJ and I'm his second biggest hype man here.

I don't think there is a definitive right method for this.  The Texans could have sat CJ Stroud last year and then he could have had a great year this year and the narrative would have been it was because they sat him.  However he played and was the rookie of the year.  I think it is a very individual thing.  It is really challenging to know how a rookie is going to develop, if JJ shows he is the best QB in camp, then I do not see any reason not to play him.

[MaroonBells]

I don't think there is a definitive right method for this.  The Texans could have sat CJ Stroud last year and then he could have had a great year this year and the narrative would have been it was because they sat him.  However he played and was the rookie of the year.  I think it is a very individual thing.  It is really challenging to know how a rookie is going to develop, if JJ shows he is the best QB in camp, then I do not see any reason not to play him.

Agree but the way I see it, you can’t ruin a player by starting him too late but you sure can by playing him too early.

[pattersaur]

100 percent.  These highlights and the positives he's showing early are a great sign.  We're not hearing reports of inconsistent footwork, accuracy, decision making, etc.  We're hearing it with Maye and Caleb.  All of Daniels "wow" plays I've seen are against air or 7v7.  

Mahomes showed out his rookie year in training camp, but the Chiefs did the smart thing and let the experienced vet give him time.  Vikings should do the same with JJ and I'm his second biggest hype man here.

Alex Smith leading KC to the playoffs made that decision a lot easier for KC. If Smith would have stunk out the joint, which is in the realm of possibility for Darnold this year, would KC have switched to Mahomes? We'll never know. My guess is yes. See also: Jordan Love / Aaron Rodgers.

[StickierBuns]

Already has a burger named after him in the Twin Cities at B-52.....Superbowl?

https://twitter.com/B52Burgers_Brew/stat...gr%5Etweet

[Havoc]

He’s progressing as I expected. I’m of the same opinion I was months ago: JJ could very well legitimately earn the starting job. His physical attributes are exceptional, but that brain and the way he’s wired is special. My only question through the draft and now, is his youth. He doesn’t seem wired to get down, but he hasn’t faced what he will in the NFL this first year. I tend to like older players coming out because of their maturity, but agin, this kid is a bit unusual in that area as well.

If he earns the spot, you play him. I’m not a fan of sitting a guy just for the sake of sitting him. It’s a completely individual thing when it comes to that decision. One thing that makes that call possible though, is his supporting cast is excellent. That’s atypical for a highly drafted rookie. Stroud had a nice supporting cast last year and it can be a difference maker. It isn’t always just about how the young QB is wired, it’s also about his teammates.

[JimmyinSD]

I think coaches work with each other in preseason games to give and get looks they want to evaluate their squads against, sure they arent going to open their playbooks and show their ass, but things like certain types of blitzes/schemes, or certain types of offensive plays to help the other team evaluate their own players.... If I am KOC, I am going to ask that the other team brings some heat, a little more each week, if by the third game JJM is looking the part then there is a conversation to be had, but most likely he is average at best and that should get the knee jerk crowd to slow their calls for JJM to get thrown in there early in the season. Best case scenario IMO is he gets some mop up duty later in the season in some meaningless games.

[hogjowlsjohnny]

At some point JJ will face adversity. How he responds to that adversity will be more telling than how he is doing in practice.
I'm happy to hear he is doing well. It's exactly what one hopes for. But sometimes a couple of good throws in practice seem to carry a lot more emphasis than a couple of bad throws that are ignored. He shows great promise but there is a long road ahead of him. Being a Vikings fan I have to pump the brakes a bit until I see him perform in game action.

[MaroonBells]

He’s progressing as I expected. I’m of the same opinion I was months ago: JJ could very well legitimately earn the starting job. His physical attributes are exceptional, but that brain and the way he’s wired is special. My only question through the draft and now, is his youth. He doesn’t seem wired to get down, but he hasn’t faced what he will in the NFL this first year. I tend to like older players coming out because of their maturity, but agin, this kid is a bit unusual in that area as well.

If he earns the spot, you play him. I’m not a fan of sitting a guy just for the sake of sitting him. It’s a completely individual thing when it comes to that decision. One thing that makes that call possible though, is his supporting cast is excellent. That’s atypical for a highly drafted rookie. Stroud had a nice supporting cast last year and it can be a difference maker. It isn’t always just about how the young QB is wired, it’s also about his teammates.

Nobody sits a guy just for the sake of sitting him. You sit him to complete your development, to shape and mold him into a younger, more athletic version of Kevin O'Connell, to ensure that he knows the offense inside and out before you put him in a situation where his youth and inexperience can trigger bad habits. Or to put in KOC's words...

"When the challenges he already faces as an NFL quarterback won't be magnified by his inexperience."

I don't care if he is better than Darnold right now. I sit him. Maybe not the whole year but for a good part of it. I just think the QB we get in '25 will be a better QB if we do that. I mean he could be really special if we do this right.

[StickierBuns]

I don't care if he is better than Darnold right now. I sit him. Maybe not the whole year but for a good part of it. I just think the QB we get in '25 will be a better QB if we do that. I mean he could be really special if we do this right.

I think KOC has zero plans to start McCarthy before he thinks he's ready according to The Plan....and he won't be pressured into doing so. Mop up games toward the end of the year if Minnesota is way out of it I'd expect. I think it would be ideal for him to feel 2-3 games as a starter toward the end, would be a springboard and official notice he's the guy in 2025.

KOC has his lump of clay, he's seeing it with his own eyes. McCarthy works hard, he's got the physical gifts, he's mobile, and he's a leader. Probably an A+ culture fit in Minnesota. As an impressive a 21 year old as you'll ever meet live. But go look at some of his throws from yesterday and the day before: crazy good. He can change the angle of his throwing motion to complete plays like Patrick Mahomes does (I'm not saying he's Patrick Mahomes). I'm still surprised how accurate he's been early. He's a competitor. 

What this early strong showing by JJM is doing more than anything is solidifying their plan even deeper into not fucking it up and play him early. Keep him on this trajectory, keep pressuring him, keep having him learn from mistakes in comfort. The aptitude to be The One is there and obvious. He won't be 'sitting just to sit'. The plan is to get him to an optimum level.