What are you hoping to see out of JJM the rest of the season?

Hope.

Improvement on reads and better accuracy.

Quicker processing,  even if its the wrong read....get to it more quickly. Help your OL out and get rid of the ball.

and much better ball placement,   so many buy that crap line that if it hits the receivers hands it should have been caught... bull shit!  JJ has to get the ball where the receiver expects it to be and on time, that allows YAC,  simply completing a pass is not enough at this level.

Lastly,  find some damn touch,  his throwing everything as hard as possible is causing drops as the receivers aren't able to read the ball flight and adjust as its on them to quickly coming out of their breaks.

Edit: prove that he can stay healthy, all the talent in the world does no good if you can't be counted on to play.

I would like to see a change in his mechanics and a significant change in the way he is releasing the ball, more touch, not looking like he is throwing a dodge ball.

Also would like to retire his alter ego "9" and just be JJ, I like his passion, it is a welcome after wanting to see more of that from Cousins, but I think some of the 9 stuff is over the top for a QB, it is more appropriate for a DE or LB, but I think the QB needs to be a little more even keel.

I’m not too concerned with mechanics. I think that’s an offseason concern. I want him to focus on reading the defense, finding the weak spots and making the right throws on time. I’m less concerned with him making errant throws or other mechanics based issues. I want to see him throwing at open receivers. I think as the game slows down for him, the work he’s done up until now on halfway habitualizing good mechanics will start to become more manageable.

I also want him to calm down. If the game starts to look more routine and more relaxed, I think that will be a symbol that good things will be coming. It’s not necessarily a thing I think he needs to focus on, but more a sign of progress.

From a results based perspective, I’d love to see 2-3 quality games from him in these last 5, just because it will give the fans some hope going into the offseason. I just don’t know if I can stomach a huge sky is falling, everything sucks offseason from the fanbase, where everyone is complaining about the QB, and then we spend draft capital to get a QB, and then JJM figures it out and looks ok in 2026, and then everyone complains about our lack of draft capital because we got another QB sitting on the bench.

Stay on the field. Stop airmailing receivers so often. Lower the turnovers.

Those are my big three. Beyond that if I can get greedy, is playing at the level of like, Tyler Shough too much to ask?

Competence…

The word salad has arrived!  I picked at it with a fork but just didn't feel hungry.  Somebody parse it and explain what it means cuz I can't.  

#Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said his focus with JJ McCarthy the rest of the season is “purely about decision making.” KOC said there will be a time to ultimately focus on the fundamentals of things, which will be important for the future.

“I want him to have a clear mind and… pic.twitter.com/jSYM2mmDDV

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 3, 2025

comet52 wrote:
The word salad has arrived!  I picked at it with a fork but just didn't feel hungry.  Somebody parse it and explain what it means cuz I can't.  

#Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said his focus with JJ McCarthy the rest of the season is “purely about decision making.” KOC said there will be a time to ultimately focus on the fundamentals of things, which will be important for the future.

“I want him to have a clear mind and… pic.twitter.com/jSYM2mmDDV

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 3, 2025

Lol interesting. I would think fundamentals/mechanics and being able to hit water from a boat would be paramount to decision making at this point, but that's just me. It's unbelievable to me that McCown and O'Connell have had this guy in the building for almost two full years and this is where we are at. The fact that they are just now talking about "dumbing things down" for McCathy is mind numbing. It just further leads me to believe neither are worth their salt when it comes to quarterbacks and developing young quarterbacks

I recall a JJ mcCarthy who was doing well in practice and looked good in preseason during his rookie season. Although most were saying he was going to have time to develop behind Darnold, he appeared to be pushing for a starting position. Then the meniscus tear occurred.
This year he was given the job without any significant competition but wasn't given many preseason snaps; likely because KO wanted to avoid another injury. During the season he has had a very limited number of times where he looked like he could do the job. But he showed he can do it at times.
I just think he needs to calm down and a lot of his problems will vanish. He's way over amped. He needs a little more of a , I don't give a crap it's not the end of the world attitude, and he will relax and play better.

KO needs to get him some short passes to Jefferson early. Maybe let him roll out and hit some short routes on the run. Mix the run in with it but don't make the run predictable. Get away from the run, run, pass, punt. He will have to go over the top sometime because they are going to stack the box, but please no bombs. JJ has never been good at the bomb. Darnold has great deep ball accuracy, JJ never will.

hogjowlsjohnny wrote:
I recall a JJ mcCarthy who was doing well in practice and looked good in preseason during his rookie season. Although most were saying he was going to have time to develop behind Darnold, he appeared to be pushing for a starting position. Then the meniscus tear occurred. This year he was given the job without any significant competition but wasn't given many preseason snaps; likely because KO wanted to avoid another injury. During the season he has had a very limited number of times where he looked like he could do the job. But he showed he can do it at times. I just think he needs to calm down and a lot of his problems will vanish. He's way over amped. He needs a little more of a , I don't give a crap it's not the end of the world attitude, and he will relax and play better.

KO needs to get him some short passes to Jefferson early. Maybe let him roll out and hit some short routes on the run. Mix the run in with it but don't make the run predictable. Get away from the run, run, pass, punt. He will have to go over the top sometime because they are going to stack the box, but please no bombs. JJ has never been good at the bomb. Darnold has great deep ball accuracy, JJ never will.

He's tried those shorter routes....the ball went 3 rows up in the stands on many of them,  not much confidence gained on them either.

JimmyinSD wrote:

He's tried those shorter routes....the ball went 3 rows up in the stands on many of them,  not much confidence gained on them either.

I just want to see him playing with confidence and get out of his own head some. I think he is trying to be overly thoughtful about all the things and not just playing the game instinctively and letting his natural strengths shine and having some fun.

hogjowlsjohnny wrote:

I just think he needs to calm down and a lot of his problems will vanish. He's way over amped. He needs a little more of a , I don't give a crap it's not the end of the world attitude, and he will relax and play better.

Ok Doc, do us all a solid and send him a script!

Drop back, pump fake, and throw just one accurate pass.

savannahskol wrote:

Ok Doc, do us all a solid and send him a script!

A Valium might help, LOL! Seriously, I believe if he can relax, clear his mind, and play more instinctively, like in a hurry up offense, he will improve dramatically. Earlier he said pressure didn't bother him but it sure doesn't look like that's the case.

All I want to see is that he can show looks to be promising. He has all the tools and intangibles to make up an NFL QB.

No injuries over the last 5 games

Mattyman wrote:
No injuries over the last 5 games

Right? I think this might be one of the biggest factors in McCarthy's progress, or lack thereof. Just let the kid get 5 straight weeks of game reps, practice reps, and let's see what we have. There are little flashes of greatness that come from this kid. Now, I'm not saying those flashes mean he's going to be great. ALL busts, from Mac Jones to Mitch Trubisky, have shown those flashes. For the good ones, they start to gather while the mistakes start to subside. This can't happen with JJ without some continuity.

FLVike wrote:
Drop back, pump fake, and throw just one accurate pass.

Lol

I think the alarm bells are already ringing in Eagan...I'm still rooting for the Kitties to win the North.

=====================================
The Vikings are getting back to basics with McCarthy this week in his return from a one-game concussion absence, asking him basically just to make good decisions and throw the ball to his receivers.

Before this week, they were loading him up with a lot of information, and some could argue that it was too much information based on the results and what McCarthy said Thursday when he admitted to overthinking things.

“I need to do a better job of compartmentalizing those coaching points and realizing when it’s game time, it’s time to let it loose,” McCarthy said, reiterating that he doesn’t blame offensive coaches, starting with head coach Kevin O’Connell, for his overcrowded headspace.

We also talked about the opportunity coming up and why it’s so important, something I want to expand on at the start of today’s 10 things to know.

The Vikings’ putrid offense this season has many culprits, with their quarterback play and offensive line inconsistency (plus injuries in both cases) at the top of the list.
But there is also this: The Vikings have played a lot of good defenses this season. If we go by Pro Football Focus team grades, the Vikings have faced defenses in the top half of the league in nine of their 12 games. Five of those defenses are in the top 10: Pittsburgh (9), Green Bay (6), Seattle (5), Detroit (3) and Cleveland (2).

The Vikings and McCarthy are about to get a reprieve. Their next three opponents — the Commanders, Cowboys and Giants — all rank No. 27 or lower out of 32 teams in both PFF’s defensive grades and ESPN’s Football Power Index defensive metrics. Rumors of a Dallas defensive resurgence were left in shambles Thursday when the Lions scored 44 points in a win over the Cowboys.

Things will again get tougher in the final two weeks of the season with home rematches against the Lions and Packers, but these next three weeks are a prime opportunity for McCarthy and the Vikings to move the ball and gain some confidence. While it’s a little sad that the season has come to that, it is also important as the Vikings head toward 2026.

If the Vikings continue to struggle on offense over the next five games and particularly the next three? That would set off all sorts of alarm bells about their QB situation and roster going forward. So even though the playoffs are out of the question, there is a lot for them to play for down the stretch.

The Bears (9-3) and Packers (8-3-1) play twice in the next three weeks. A sweep either way would likely be enough to win the NFC North.

STRIB