JJ's running ability is going to help in the red zone

[StickierBuns]

No matter what the coverage in the red zone, the opposing D is going to HAVE to keep one eye on McCarthy taking off at any time. And if you blitz in the red zone and JJM makes you miss, guys will be very open. Not to mention just straight up run plays or RPOs, its an added dynamic defenses must plan for. First big time athlete at QB we've had in awhile, maybe ever. I'll give Culpepper his due however, very good athlete. Comparable. JJ dips and shifts his hips like a RB when he's running.

Point being when JJ gets more reps, settles down a bit on the easy stuff and gets incrementally more accurate, the Vikings are going to be highly effective in the red zone. JJ already making big boy audibles is very encouraging. That TD run against Detroit was almost like a dagger, their defense looked defeated. Then hitting that Griddy.....lol. 

[Zanary]

It's kinda refreshing to present Baltimore with a similar problem that they bring to their opponents. Seeing the kid call his own number-freshly back from injury-was both worrying and inspiring. If he can show continuous improvement for the rest of the season after a road win against Detroit...the Vikings are arguably scarier than last year. Our QB might still be green, but the other improvements raise the whole team's level.

Sunday seems too far off....

[medaille]

I guess I need to see a little more games to really get comfortable with my understanding of how athletic he actually is, just because there’s so little (NFL) tape on him yet. Currently, I don’t think he’s going to be one of those guys that is a high end rushing threat, where you build a whole unique offense around that skillset, but I do think he’s going to be sneaky athletic and there definitely will be designed plays where if the defense is in man and not 100% paying attention, he’ll have the green light to chew up free yards in vacant space. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end a full 17 game season with like 6-10 rushing TDs similar to Josh Allen. I think he’s smart enough to not be overly using his rushing ability where he’s taking more unnecessary hits.

Also the game changes after the league gets enough tape on you to know who you are, so I think we're still in the honeymoon phase in that regards.

[MAD GAINZ]

I guess I need to see a little more games to really get comfortable with my understanding of how athletic he actually is, just because there’s so little (NFL) tape on him yet.  Currently, I don’t think he’s going to be one of those guys that is a high end rushing threat, where you build a whole unique offense around that skillset, but I do think he’s going to be sneaky athletic and there definitely will be designed plays where if the defense is in man and not 100% paying attention, he’ll have the green light to chew up free yards in vacant space.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end a full 17 game season with like 6-10 rushing TDs similar to Josh Allen.  I think he’s smart enough to not be overly using his rushing ability where he’s taking more unnecessary hits.

Also the game changes after the league gets enough tape on you to know who you are, so I think we're still in the honeymoon phase in that regards.

He's not going to be Lamar or Jayden Daniels rushing for  800-1K yards each season.  However, he has legit 4.4 speed (go check his runs at Michigan) and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in that 300-500 yard range with 5 or 6 rushing TDs per season.

[StickierBuns]

He's not going to be Lamar or Jayden Daniels rushing for  800-1K yards each season.  However, he has legit 4.4 speed (go check his runs at Michigan) and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in that 300-500 yard range with 5 or 6 rushing TDs per season.

Yeah, exactly. And my point was actually specific to the red zone. Its another way to score or have the threat to score in scoring territory for the Vikings, his mobility.

[badgervike]

He has some shifty moves and some speed...however...he goes down surprisingly easy. He's been sacked and tackled with very little contact from the defenders. Hell...he's tackled himself a few times...lol. That's a little worrisome going forward as he can't always count on a clean pocket. Not sure whether he needs to build up some muscle mass in his lower body or what the root cause might be.

[purplefaithful]

I guess I need to see a little more games to really get comfortable with my understanding of how athletic he actually is, just because there’s so little (NFL) tape on him yet.  Currently, I don’t think he’s going to be one of those guys that is a high end rushing threat, where you build a whole unique offense around that skillset, but I do think he’s going to be sneaky athletic and there definitely will be designed plays where if the defense is in man and not 100% paying attention, he’ll have the green light to chew up free yards in vacant space.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end a full 17 game season with like 6-10 rushing TDs similar to Josh Allen.  I think he’s smart enough to not be overly using his rushing ability where he’s taking more unnecessary hits.

Also the game changes after the league gets enough tape on you to know who you are, so I think we're still in the honeymoon phase in that regards.

^^^

At the bold. this is where my head is at as well, just too few data points for me to reach any conclusions. We've got 9 games to learn more about the kid, and then we'll have all off-season to chew on it.

[IceRatz16]

I get an error when I click to watch the video.  Is the link broken or am I the issue?

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I guess I need to see a little more games to really get comfortable with my understanding of how athletic he actually is, just because there’s so little (NFL) tape on him yet.  Currently, I don’t think he’s going to be one of those guys that is a high end rushing threat, where you build a whole unique offense around that skillset, but I do think he’s going to be sneaky athletic and there definitely will be designed plays where if the defense is in man and not 100% paying attention, he’ll have the green light to chew up free yards in vacant space.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end a full 17 game season with like 6-10 rushing TDs similar to Josh Allen.  I think he’s smart enough to not be overly using his rushing ability where he’s taking more unnecessary hits.

Also the game changes after the league gets enough tape on you to know who you are, so I think we're still in the honeymoon phase in that regards.

Did you ever watch any of his games in Michigan?  If not, I suggest you do and you'll understand how athletic he is and that he throws really well on the move.  Something I really liked about McCarthy at Michigan was his ability to keep his eyes down field and keep a play alive.  He knows that he doesn't always have to run, but he can use his legs to make things happen and open up the field.


That said, he is learning the game speed of the NFL and he has missed some open passes and tucked and run too soon, IMO.  The play to Jefferson comes to mind where he needs to get rid of the ball immediately, but he waited too long and then realized he needed to tuck and run and may have missed a first down by not throwing early enough.

[Mattyman]

I still compulsively count the plays that JJ ,and even darnold ,make with their feet every game.

Anyone else experiencing this?