They All Heart JJ

Vikings just need McCarthy to drive the ship. But I can't help but wonder...what if he's more than that? 

As good a runner as Darnold was, he ran a 4.85 forty. JJ supposedly has a 4.48 on record. Darnold had a very strong arm, as did Cousins. McCarthy had the 2nd highest velocity ever recorded at the combine. Several "strong armed" QBs well below. Remember the Ryan Mallett and Colin Kaepernick year? Both enormous guys with rocket arms. I think Kaepernick might have had the strongest arm I've ever seen. His velo was 59. Mallett's 58. McCarthy's 61. 

Everyone talks about his intangibles, his leadership and work ethic. All very important things. But I think everyone kinda forgets the kind of tools he has.

MaroonBells wrote:
Vikings just need McCarthy to drive the ship. But I can't help but wonder...what if he's more than that? 

As good a runner as Darnold was, he ran a 4.85 forty. JJ supposedly has a 4.48 on record. Darnold had a very strong arm, as did Cousins. McCarthy had the 2nd highest velocity ever recorded at the combine. Several "strong armed" QBs well below. Remember the Ryan Mallett and Colin Kaepernick year? Both enormous guys with rocket arms. I think Kaepernick might have had the strongest arm I've ever seen. His velo was 59. Mallett's 58. McCarthy's 61. 

Everyone talks about his intangibles, his leadership and work ethic. All very important things. But I think everyone kinda forgets the kind of tools he has.

That is the fun thing about JJ. He has the talent to go with it all. Throw from anywhere to complete his passes. Throws a super nice ball as well. People got too caught up in the "game manager" bull shit I think. It was what he was asked to do at MI. Nothing more or nothing less. You could tell when you watched him, if you watched him, that his talent level matched his intangibles. His intangibles are what caught my eye in college. That was what I liked most about him. I have learned over the years, it takes much more than just talent to be a top QB in this league. JJ has the talent and ALL the things you cant teach, measure, or test for. If there was a test out there for finding the "Perfect QB" JJ scores 99/100. That has been my take since day 1.

Canthony wrote:

That is the fun thing about JJ. He has the talent to go with it all. Throw from anywhere to complete his passes. Throws a super nice ball as well. People got too caught up in the "game manager" bull shit I think. It was what he was asked to do at MI. Nothing more or nothing less. You could tell when you watched him, if you watched him, that his talent level matched his intangibles. His intangibles are what caught my eye in college. That was what I liked most about him. I have learned over the years, it takes much more than just talent to be a top QB in this league. JJ has the talent and ALL the things you cant teach, measure, or test for. If there was a test out there for finding the "Perfect QB" JJ scores 99/100. That has been my take since day 1.

Exactly.  Everyone called him a game manager in college, but that was how Harbaugh wanted to win.  Strong run game, grind clock, have his QB be great on 3rd down, hit some explosives, and keep the chains moving.

If anyone questions that, look at Justin Herbert this past season...  First 4 years in the league he's averaging 39-41 pass attempts per game.  First year under Harbaugh, he averaged 29 pass attempts per game.  25% reduction in pass attempts and funny enough his TD to INTs (23 TDs 3 INTs) look an awful lot like JJ McCarthy's in college.

I think people are going to be surprised at the type of passing numbers JJ puts up in a Kevin O'Connell offense.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

Exactly.  Everyone called him a game manager in college, but that was how Harbaugh wanted to win.  Strong run game, grind clock, have his QB be great on 3rd down, hit some explosives, and keep the chains moving.

If anyone questions that, look at Justin Herbert this past season...  First 4 years in the league he's averaging 39-41 pass attempts per game.  First year under Harbaugh, he averaged 29 pass attempts per game.  25% reduction in pass attempts and funny enough his TD to INTs (23 TDs 3 INTs) look an awful lot like JJ McCarthy's in college.

I think people are going to be surprised at the type of passing numbers JJ puts up in a Kevin O'Connell offense.

BUST

Was J.J. McCarthy nervous during his most recent press conference with the @Vikings media?@DMRussini and @ChaseDaniel discuss this with Chase weighing more into the conversation.

"Sounded like it was rehearsed in his head... he's just nervous to talk in front of the media".… pic.twitter.com/Nc389UI58Y

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 2, 2025

He sounded nervous? I didn't get that vibe when I watched it.

MAD GAINZ wrote:
He sounded nervous?  I didn't get that vibe when I watched it.

He seemed just super chill to me. Zen like. But if I had been pushing a Rodgers narrative that hard I’d try to find fault too.

Obvious BUST! It's like genetic expression with JJ. The genes are there, we just have to wait to see them expressed to know what we are getting. Because we have to wait, the speculative potential can seem to be a bit hyperbolic at times. But it is the off season, the time of great hope. So why not?
These analysts would like to find something negative to say. First press conference since he was injured and was asked directly about why he's ready to lead this team. Was he nervous? Maybe, but I thought he did an excellent job of responding to the questions. This was just more meaningless babble by a couple of talking heads.

JustInTime wrote:

He seemed just super chill to me. Zen like. But if I had been pushing a Rodgers narrative that hard I’d try to find fault too.

Bingo. The Athletic has now joined Rodgers in hovering over Eagan like vultures waiting to smell a rotting carcass, unaware the odor is just Russini's perfume

RS_Express wrote:

Bingo. The Athletic has now joined Rodgers in hovering over Eagan like vultures waiting to smell a rotting carcass, unaware the odor is just Russini's perfume

Hopefully it’s her perfume.

MaroonBells wrote:
BUST

Was J.J. McCarthy nervous during his most recent press conference with the @Vikings media?@DMRussini and @ChaseDaniel discuss this with Chase weighing more into the conversation.

"Sounded like it was rehearsed in his head... he's just nervous to talk in front of the media".… pic.twitter.com/Nc389UI58Y

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 2, 2025

I guess I never got that from ever listening to him. That is a new one. I think we should trade him for a 5th round pick.

I always thought the kid was incredibly impressive in front of the mic, especially for his age.

Can we add these two to the Silence Mics thread, they are 1 and 2 on my list!

MAD GAINZ wrote:

Exactly.  Everyone called him a game manager in college, but that was how Harbaugh wanted to win.  Strong run game, grind clock, have his QB be great on 3rd down, hit some explosives, and keep the chains moving.

If anyone questions that, look at Justin Herbert this past season...  First 4 years in the league he's averaging 39-41 pass attempts per game.  First year under Harbaugh, he averaged 29 pass attempts per game.  25% reduction in pass attempts and funny enough his TD to INTs (23 TDs 3 INTs) look an awful lot like JJ McCarthy's in college.

I think people are going to be surprised at the type of passing numbers JJ puts up in a Kevin O'Connell offense.

This 1000%. That's just how Harbaugh plays the game. You saw the results with JJ at Michigan, and now you see it with the Chargers and Herbert. No bearing whatsoever with JJ. He is going to light it up with KO, and his intangibles are what is going to endear him to Viking fans all over.

Never been a greater time to be a Vikings fan.

purplefaithful wrote:
I always thought the kid was incredibly impressive in front of the mic, especially for his age.

I think many forget the pressure cooker that is the Ann Arbor / Michigan media.
He stood in that gauntlet his first year as a starter and took shots.
He stood in that gauntlet his second year and guided them to the National Championship.

TheWinterSKOLdier wrote:

This 1000%. That's just how Harbaugh plays the game. You saw the results with JJ at Michigan, and now you see it with the Chargers and Herbert. No bearing whatsoever with JJ. He is going to light it up with KO, and his intangibles are what is going to endear him to Viking fans all over.

Never been a greater time to be a Vikings fan.

He is the type that when things go wrong, he will find a way to fix it and learn for the next time. If he has a bad throw, he will look to see why that was and what happened. I remember a quote from his 2023 season at MI that said, "My man always blocks to the right, and he drifted left on that INT and that was my fault" I think he was talking about his RG. I can't remember. 

Why did that stick with me? He is a QB that trusts his players, and he has the ability to let the ball loose. He knows where his guys are going to be, how his lineman block. He isn't a QB that needs someone wide open before he throws the ball. That ends with holding the ball too long, and in the NFL, that will get you killed.