Media allowed at today's Vikings OTA, JJM to speak

purplefaithful wrote:

I like it...

Limiting the media's access to his practicing etc. is a good thing at this juncture of his career.

Totally agree. The team is sheltering him.....and they should. Let him get some damn confidence first before the idiotic questions come from the Twin Cities sports media.

purplefaithful wrote:


I bet the conversations between JJ's parents, Koc/KAM on this were interesting ones. I also saw a huge sigh of relief and joy from his parents at that draft party when he went to the Vikings. 

How the Vikings talked about bringing him along was probably a big reason for that. 

Along with JJ lol!

Culpepper had some nice things to say about the kid after meeting with him up here earlier in the week.

So I have a tiny bit of inside info on that. JJ obviously loved the Vikings, his number 1 spot. His agent and parents agreed. JJ and his parents were very nervous the day of the Draft. I guess they didn't talk about it but they all were stressed it might not be Minnesota. He was getting his arms around that he could go anywhere. But he really bonded with not only KOC, but KAM as well. If you watch the Vikings.com video of the behind the scenes of the Draft, did you see where KAM calls JJM and says 'One Love, right?'.....and JJM yells, 'My dog!! Let's go!' The One Love reference is about a biopic of Bob Marley that KAM and JJM bonded over during the interview process in Eagan. JJM loves Marley, listens to his music and loves what he represents, so does KAM.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3TpzZ3PCgS/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d0af5059-126d-42be-9a53-629eb1a9a246

When Minnesota moved up to 10, JJM's phone lit up and it was a Minneapolis number. They all knew and his Mom burst into tears. His Dad had secretly gotten a Viking's hat and in the video, you see him motioning to bring it out and JJM puts it on. His Dad was over the moon. All the family and friends there lost it because they knew how important it was to McCarthy that Minnesota drafted him. I guess they had a bonfire right after outside at their house with everyone and JJ was beyond happy.

p.s. to show you how much JJM is thought of, he played high school ball at Nazareth Academy in La Grange, ILL. There was a big Bears Draft party at some bar there and most of the people knew the McCarthys and JJ. When he was selected, the place erupted....people stood up and clapped. His OC coach was there and was interviewed by the news and he spoke glowingly about him. Cool stuff. The video is out there somewhere. Not to mention the ovation he got in Detroit during the Draft from all the Michigan fans when he was selected.

I have a college buddy who works for General Dynamics in Sterling Heights that is very dialed into the Michigan football program.

StickierBuns wrote:


So I have a tiny bit of inside info on that. JJ obviously loved the Vikings, his number 1 spot. His agent and parents agreed. JJ and his parents were very nervous the day of the Draft. I guess they didn't talk about it but they all were stressed it might not be Minnesota. He was getting his arms around that he could go anywhere. But he really bonded with not only KOC, but KAM as well. If you watch the Vikings.com video of the behind the scenes of the Draft, did you see where KAM calls JJM and says 'One Love, right?'.....and JJM yells, 'My dog!! Let's go!' The One Love reference is about a biopic of Bob Marley that KAM and JJM bonded over during the interview process in Eagan. JJM loves Marley, listens to his music and loves what he represents, so does KAM.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3TpzZ3PCgS/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d0af5059-126d-42be-9a53-629eb1a9a246

When Minnesota moved up to 10, JJM's phone lit up and it was a Minneapolis number. They all knew and his Mom burst into tears. His Dad had secretly gotten a Viking's hat and in the video, you see him motioning to bring it out and JJM puts it on. His Dad was over the moon. All the family and friends there lost it because they knew how important it was to McCarthy that Minnesota drafted him. I guess they had a bonfire right after outside at their house with everyone and JJ was beyond happy.

p.s. to show you how much JJM is thought of, he played high school ball at Nazareth Academy in La Grange, ILL. There was a big Bears Draft party at some bar there and most of the people knew the McCarthys and JJ. When he was selected, the place erupted....people stood up and clapped. His OC coach was there and was interviewed by the news and he spoke glowingly about him. Cool stuff. The video is out there somewhere. Not to mention the ovation he got in Detroit during the Draft from all the Michigan fans when he was selected.

I have a college buddy who works for General Dynamics in Sterling Heights that is very dialed into the Michigan football program.

Kevin Seifert
@SeifertESPN
·
9m
J.J. McCarthy on this spring: "I always try to be better tomorrow than I am today. Of course, growth is not a straight line. It goes up, it goes down, it goes up, it goes down. But I'm trying to maintain that trajectory of going up and up. I feel like I'm on that."
Kevin Seifert
@SeifertESPN
·
8m
McCarthy on accepting the dips in that trajectory: "You have to. They're inevitable. Failure is inevitable in sports. You've just go to learn from them and learn from those little dips and not be attached to them emotionally. That's what I've been working on."

purplefaithful wrote:

Good stuff Sticky (er)...

fingers and toes crossed we are on the precipice of a fun, new and winning era.

He'll be easy to root for. In the Vikings video when he's talking to KOC during the Draft, KOC says, 'sorry you had to wait a bit, etc.' and JJM goes, 'Coach, I would have waited all day for you, waited all two days, thanks so much for believing in me'. He means it. The Vikings are going to get the best JJM they can. He already said yesterday he plans on being in Eagan a ton, learning until training camp. He and his fiancé went on a quick trip to the Bahamas right after the Draft so he could free himself up to saturate and absorb into the playbook and facilities. Nobody is going to outwork him.

Jim Harbaugh even said he was elated for JJM because he told him Minnesota was where he wanted to be. If fans can't get behind that, not sure what they can get behind.