JustInTime wrote:

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Read that this morning. Very thorough piece that evenly delves into the good, the bad, the facts, the lies and the rumors. It's not going to change anyone's mind about anything, but it should provide an accurate foundation for some.

Very good read!

I think this sums it up well for me:

Now that the Minnesota Vikings have signed Murray with hopes that he can get them back to a “baseline” of quarterback performance, the NFL is wondering whether Kevin O’Connell has another Sam Darnold in his pocket — a flawed quarterback who can be harnessed by a great passing scheme and outstanding weapons — or if Murray will always be the rollercoaster quarterback who ends the season in disappointment.

The fan in me hopes he has a great season and makes things difficult for Teasley/KOC come next off-season.

Murray deserves some insight into his current narratives as well, who knows what's right or not. What we know is he's got a promising and fresh opportunity right in front of him now, lets see what he does with it.

When will the Vikings name a starting quarterback? Here’s my guess.

Kevin O’Connell won’t reveal his timeline, but the training camp schedule, preseason calendar and his own comments provide plenty of clues.

Kevin O’Connell acknowledged on Tuesday that “there’s absolutely a date in mind” for when he’d like to choose his starting quarterback. Shockingly, he’s not willing to share it publicly.

Therefore, I hereby have an official prediction for when the Vikings coach will announce that decision based upon reading tea leaves, gazing into my crystal ball and using some deductive reasoning.

Friday, August 14.

That’s the guess for when O’Connell will name either Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy as the starter for the season opener Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers.

Why that date? Several reasons.

The Vikings have 13 training camp practices scheduled before that date, which gives O’Connell and his staff plenty of opportunity to evaluate the quarterbacks.

O’Connell sounds sincere in his desire to hold a legitimate competition. Two weeks of practice inventory would give both quarterbacks a fair shake.

The first preseason game is Aug. 15, meaning the starter can get a series or two guiding the first-team offense, which should be on O’Connell’s to-do list this season.

The Vikings are playing host to joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens a few days later. O’Connell prioritizes joint practices in preparing his team for the season. He puts a premium on those two days of work. The idea of him continuing to split reps between Murray and McCarthy in that setting isn’t practical.

At some point, the focus must pivot from competition to getting the starter ready for the season. Assuming that’s Murray — which I continue to believe it will be — the timeline is paramount because he’s still learning the intricacies of O’Connell’s system.

Multiple quarterbacks throughout O’Connell’s tenure have discussed the complex nature of learning his scheme. They needed time and reps to master it. Murray noted at minicamp in June that it’s a delicate dance when sharing the workload as a newcomer.

“Not getting the amount of reps you would typically want a guy to get learning an offense, that’s probably the toughest part,” he said.

O’Connell said Tuesday that both Murray and McCarthy will take reps with the starters initially but that every practice won’t have a 50-50 breakdown.

The head coach used the words “thorough” and “comprehensive” to describe the objective of his competition. He also mentioned the word “comfort.”

My takeaway from that: If/when Murray hits that mark — looks comfortable running the show — then the competition is over.

Training camps simply are not long enough to delay a decision this important to the organization. Murray needs as much practice time as possible to develop chemistry with his receivers and enter the season with a sense of calm and conviction in his understanding of the scheme.

“Our offense is maybe different than what he’s been accustomed to,” O’Connell said. “[But] there’s a reason why we made sure there’s always an ability to make edits to the playbook.”

The question of style fit is a marriage. Murray must adapt parts of his game and O’Connell must adapt his scheme to fit Murray’s skillset.

Murray has been an accurate passer, as evident in his 67.1 career completion percentage. His improvisational scrambling has become his signature asset.

“It’s the consistency factor of what we’re looking for,” O’Connell said, “but also understanding he’s got a pretty darn good group of players around him in that huddle and simply doing his job.”

He’s not asking Murray, or McCarthy, to be a hero. Just be an “elevator.” That is O’Connell’s term for what he’s wanting from his quarterback. Someone who raises the level at that position.

O’Connell’s tenure is a reminder that one quarterback is often not enough. The end of the competition doesn’t close the door on either quarterback, given their injury histories. Even Carson Wentz might want to stay loose.

Injuries have limited McCarthy to 10 games in two seasons, which helps explain the team’s decision to pursue Murray in the offseason. Murray has played in all 17 games in a season only once in the past five seasons.

That is why the quarterback competition shouldn’t be viewed as a farce, even by those who believe the outcome is already written in permanent marker. Both quarterbacks likely will be needed this season. O’Connell’s mission is to avoid the quarterback nightmare of 2025.

The countdown clock begins Wednesday with the first practice of camp. O’Connell joked that he “can’t remember it right now” when asked for the date he hopes to announce his decision. No doubt fans and media attending practices will be happy to offer suggestions.

Strib

Kendricks and Barr do a pod cast and call him Calamari 😆

Bad guess. My money is on the earliest would be after the joint practices with the Ravens, and not until the final pre-season game has been completed...which gives a solid two weeks of practices before the season opener.

And I predict that while every play will be dissected thoroughly, both QB1-wannabe's will have ups and downs. It's not going to be K1 up all the time or JJM down all the time. It's gonna be an up and down through TC, and KOC will be able to evaluate an entire body of work in plenty of time to make the decision.

Montana Tom wrote:

Bad guess. My money is on the earliest would be after the joint practices with the Ravens, and not until the final pre-season game has been completed...which gives a solid two weeks of practices before the season opener.
And I predict that while every play will be dissected thoroughly, both QB1-wannabe's will have ups and downs. It's not going to be K1 up all the time or JJM down all the time. It's gonna be an up and down through TC, and KOC will be able to evaluate an entire body of work in plenty of time to make the decision.

I set the floor at JJM looks significantly improved over last year...Thats what I really want to hear!!!

We've got opposite takes on the timing...My guess is it needs to be settled b4 Ravens Scrimmage.

purplefaithful wrote:

I set the floor at JJM looks significantly improved over last year...Thats what I really want to hear!!!
We've got opposite takes on the timing...My guess is it needs to be settled b4 Ravens Scrimmage.

Definitely want the starter declared before the Ravens scrimmage. Probably the most valuable reps all preseason long.