McCarthy is only going to get better

JJM walks into that huddle with the movements of a guy who knows that it's HIS huddle despite his youth, and he's surrounded by talent that is hanging on his words and actions. Whatever people may say about his meditation and pre-game "chill rituals", it seems to work.

Yep. Have to love snarky comments from a few fans like: 'Hope JJ's meditation game is on point'.....like somehow its a bad thing, lol. It works for him. Seemed pretty ok going into the defending NFCN champ's home and laying some wood.

DETROIT - J.J. McCarthy is promising to put the “drama” in Dramamine.

If his third NFL start is an accurate indicator, Vikings fans better stock up on Prozac, Tums and CBD.

In a wildly entertaining and uneven performance Sunday, the Vikings’ once-and-current starting quarterback led what is certainly his franchise to a 27-24 victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

McCarthy has started three NFL games. The two in which he faced an NFC North rival on the road, he produced dramatic victories.

This was a major upset, and not just because that word described the state of fans’ stomachs all afternoon.

McCarthy played a brilliant first quarter, often looked lost or overwhelmed during the middle of the game, then made winning plays down the stretch.
His last pass came on third-and-5 from the Vikings 28-yard line with 1:41 remaining. Having thrown mostly fastballs all day, McCarthy threw a beautiful touch pass to Jalen Nailor for 16 yards — Nailor’s first catch of the game — to seal the victory.

After the game, McCarthy walked into a locker room waiting to celebrate him, and with him.

“It was awesome,” he said, choking up. “When you’re hurt — being on IR last year and being out for five weeks this year absolutely kills me. Not being out there with those guys, because I love every single one of them."

McCarthy won a national title for the University of Michigan, where he would show up for games wearing what looks like a gas-station work shirt with his initials embroidered on the chest. He wore that outfit again Sunday: blue work shirt, black cargo pants, black undershirt, black cap, untied gray shoes, and hair that stuck out at right angles.

He looked like the guy who cleans the pressbox after games, not the one who wrote the best story of the season.

“I’ve shed a lot of blood and tears in this state,” he said. “There’s so many relationships I’ve built over the three years that I was at Michigan.”

At times McCarthy looked like a panther, at times like a baby giraffe. His final stats — 14-for-25 for 143 yards — don’t hint at reality.

Which was: Watching this game live, it felt like McCarthy threw 100 passes and took 100 hits. Every play seemed scripted for maximum drama. He took five sacks, threw two touchdown passes, threw an interception, had another interception negated by a penalty and ran for a score.

The Vikings experienced Brett Favre in 2009. Now they’re experiencing what Green Bay Packers fans did when Favre was a youngster — the wild plays and wild swings of a burgeoning talent.

McCarthy has played in three NFL games. He engineered a wild comeback victory in Chicago with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. He played poorly and was injured against an Atlanta defense that has succeeded in stopping a few top quarterbacks this season.

Upon his return from a high right ankle sprain that inspired all kinds of inane conspiracy theories, McCarthy again looked like a premier athlete who looks like he wants to throw an 80-yard touchdown pass on every play.

He knows how to talk a good game, too. On Saturday, the team’s captains gave speeches. Asked about that, McCarthy said: “I just couldn’t sleep. It felt like I was catching this glare from the silver platter with the juicy opportunity on top of it.

“That’s what I told the guys, `You know, this opportunity is something that we’ve been asking for and praying for ever since we started wearing pads. You put everything into this moment, put everything into this game.”

The future is unknowable. What is certain is that McCarthy, in two of his three NFL starts, has offered glimpses into the thrilling experience of developing a talented, first-round, franchise quarterback.

He threw a bullet to Justin Jefferson for one touchdown, threw back against his body to T.J. Hockenson while running to the right for another touchdown, and outran the Detroit defense for an easy touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Then came that clinching throw to Nailor.

“Clutch is a myth,” McCarthy said, after proving himself wrong.

STRIB

Pretty good article. The JJ McCarthy Experience.

https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1985398063536480661

I think all successful QBs have a high degree of intensity, but the quarterbacks you mention have been able to balance it with a quiet mind and a level of calmness to match the situation. I just think JJ might benefit from taking it down a notch at times. With more playing time, he'll likely settle into a good balance, but he's not there yet. I think he even said himself that some of those off-target passes were because he was too jacked up.

I think intensity and being amped up can be two different things, and they are when it comes to McCarthy. He mentioned that he has to be less 'amped' up on some throws, that's why he misses some easy ones and makes the hard ones. That'll go away with more game reps. But his intensity is a big reason why he is who he is and why he's a 'fucking sicko' according to Brian O'Neill. Its genuinely him. That same intensity is why he's clutch. He certainly is chill a bunch of the time, so he's not balls to the wall 100% nuts 24/7. Its all a part of why he's so beloved.

But you are spot on about taking it down a bit to hit those easier passes and he knows that:

“His overall demeanor is such a positive throughout the game,” O’Connell said. “If anything, sometimes he gets really excited. He’s competitive. This guy’s a winner.”

#Vikings OL Donovan Jackson on what JJ McCarthy said during yesterdays game:

“He was like, ‘Hey man, all we’ve got to do is worry about this play, then after that we’ll worry about the next play. But for now, give everything you have for this one play. We’ll sleep on the plane back.’”

(Via
@KFAN1003 @PAOnTheMic)

I expect that JJM will want to exceed the strangely identical stats from his two wins, judging by his character. He'll want the win most, but he just proved that he could play well in the NFL for more than a quarter...to us, but also to himself. He's going to be up against, and compared to, one of the league's ultimate dual-threat QBs.

I won't be surprised if the kid audibles to himself a bit more than usual, as a bit of a statement. We'll see.

What was weird was that swing pass to Aaron Jones for the huge gain was called a run, not a pass. So JJ got none of that passing yardage.

Bruce Arians thinks all 4 teams from the NFCN will make the playoffs. Its also possible he was drinking before this segment:

https://x.com/i/status/1985764532149494233

[hr]
[twitter]https://x.com/NFL/status/1985811624515813823[/twitter]

I'm seeing more NFL league marketing of JJM out there on social media, he's exactly the kind of guy to zoom in on for reactions/short clips and be a face of the league potentially. NFL fans love their dawgs and clutch performers, it moves the fence sitters needle. I noticed in the broadcast against Detroit they'd always cut to JJ for a reaction shot. Hype and marketing rules the roost, they push the guys with personality.

As I said months ago: he's not going to be perfect for awhile. But he will show up when it matters until he gets the rest figured out. He's going to have a Josh Allen arch to his early career. Patience is key. If you can keep the oven door shut for awhile, you'll have a hell of a cake when its all said and done.

[img]https://www.freep.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2025/11/02/PDTF/87053662007-20251102-lions-v-vikings-fg-43.jpg?crop=2047,1152,x0,y0&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp[/img]

VikingzFanPage
@vikingzfanpage
·2m
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy would “simulate” the plays at the line of scrimmage on Sunday, since he only has 2 full weeks of practice during this season,
@PSchrags
mentioned via Schrager Hour. McCarthy “mastered” the mental game during his time out to help prepare him on the field:

“He couldn’t physically practice. So, what they had JJ McCarthy doing was simulating all the stuff at the line of scrimmage. So, what would you do if you were at the line of scrimmage? Now, you can't move. You can't run. You can't throw… if you watch Sundays game, no delay of game penalties, complete poise, multiple audibles at the line of scrimmage. And on 3rd and 5, when they needed it most, he made the play. And it wasn't to Jefferson or Addison. It was to Nailor.”

[twitter]https://x.com/i/status/1986112197379145792[/twitter]

So hard to predict anything when you're hovering around the .500 mark as I suspect they will the rest of the way.

I'm not even on focused on playoffs or seeding which surprises me. 

The rest of this year is seeing if the kid QB is durable enough to play every remaining game and is he improving?

Week to week, one game at a time. That's my focus.

Will Ragatz
@WillRagatz
·
32m
Kevin O'Connell on if J.J. McCarthy's intensity in this moment caught him off guard:

"It never catches me off guard. I just know to give him the football, deliver the message that I'd like to deliver, and then get the hell out of the way, for my own personal safety in that moment. ;) You look around the locker room, I know I did, not only when I'm talking about him but after, when he's saying a few words, and you just see the guys look at him, they see J.J. McCarthy being himself. And that's all I've ever thought quarterbacks in this league need to do. Much like a head coach, you gotta be authentically yourself every single day, and he's absolutely that."

'I was really thinking about booming his fucking ass...'  :)

[twitter]https://x.com/i/status/1986238110443675768[/twitter]

I'm with McNown on this one...

lol, oh God yes. That would have been VERY stupid on JJ's part. Just part of the heat of the game. You can tell by Josh's laugh he dug it.

IceRatz16 wrote:


Is McCarthy the next Pat McAfee?  lol