From the ‘No $hit’ Department

“We tried” ima just leave this right here. #skol it’s a competition because he said so…
Credit: KFAN Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/UYW2CYZaKr

— RAP (@VocalVike) August 4, 2026

I think he'll name a starter sometime between the night practice on the 9th and the 1st preseason game the 15th. There would just be too much baggage about who starts that game otherwise. That would give the starter 4 solid weeks of 1st team reps before we play the yella team.

LOL. you are a persistent one.

The offense struggles to find rhythm every training camp.

medaille wrote:

LOL. you are a persistent one.
The offense struggles to find rhythm every training camp.

Sure does.....even with a known starter at QB1. How much worse when splitting reps? And with one who's learning a whole new offense?

StickierBuns wrote:

Sure does.....even with a known starter at QB1. How much worse when splitting reps? And with one who's learning a whole new offense?

The farther we get into this the more I am starting to feel less and less optimistic. Just don't have a great feeling with it all.

medaille wrote:

LOL. you are a persistent one.
The offense struggles to find rhythm every training camp.

This. The first time pads go on the D is generally ahead of the offense. Not unusual at all.

Totally disagree. It's a competition. Both are going to go up and down throughout TC. He has to see both in pre-season games (real games). Why waste that opportunity? So K1 looks better today. Will that be the same next week.

Rushing the decision does not allow the QB2 the opportunity to show he deserves the shot.

Well, we have college football to look forward to!

The always-fascinated QB Tiers has arrived to @TheAthletic via @SandoNFL https://t.co/BkXuLqbOMl pic.twitter.com/Vfgeqf0P4J

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) August 4, 2026

Kevin O’Connell responds to Cris Carter saying JJ McCarthy was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s guy:

“I can’t speak to his sources. I will say this. It was a time and place in this organization where it was a lot of momentum from me included to draft a quarterback, and hopefully go get a… https://t.co/ZGESlmjEBF pic.twitter.com/KryFnfSbjx

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 4, 2026

StickierBuns wrote:

https://x.com/vikingzfanpage/status/2084629931879796757

I think I might believe the rumors that say it was KAM who wanted JJ to start last season and that KOC may have believed he wasn't ready. I think this might explain conversations with Rodgers and Daniel Jones. But you'll never convince me that KOC didn't have a lot to do with picking JJ in the 2024 draft.

Been pimping b4 Ravens scrimmage...

That seems way too far out now and for all the reasons stated.

Montana Tom wrote:

Totally disagree. It's a competition. Both are going to go up and down throughout TC. He has to see both in pre-season games (real games). Why waste that opportunity? So K1 looks better today. Will that be the same next week.
Rushing the decision does not allow the QB2 the opportunity to show he deserves the shot.

This is closer to where I’m at.  I don’t really buy into the hype that starter needs all the reps and I don’t think the Vikings do either.  I think KOC has a plan where he thinks that he can build up both players through competition, and still have enough time to get the starting QB enough reps to be where they need to be, while still having the backup be as prepared as possible (given the high likelihood that whoever starts will be missing time).  I think it’s important to give JJM a fair shot at earning the position, because there’s a very real chance that Kyler isn’t the guy we want to hitch our wagon to at the end of the year, and we might be going back to JJM and I think the whole process goes smoother if this offseason isn’t a sham competition.

I also think it’s pretty inevitable that our QBs are probably going to look poorly against our starting defense and I don’t really think it’s transferrable to what will happen when they play other defenses.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s doom and gloom all training camp and then the regular season goes pretty well after a game or two to work the kinks out.

MaroonBells wrote:

I think I might believe the rumors that say it was KAM who wanted JJ to start last season and that KOC may have believed he wasn't ready. I think this might explain conversations with Rodgers and Daniel Jones. But you'll never convince me that KOC didn't have a lot to do with picking JJ in the 2024 draft.

It wasn't exactly Von Braun stuff by the time they picked and couldn't move up for Maye...

It was McCarthy or Nix (who didnt fit the system well.)

I just hope like hell we're not sneaking peaks at the college QB's by mid-season. We deserve better than that.

StickierBuns wrote:

https://x.com/VocalVike/status/2084611420226715968

Well you know I'm a Kevin O'Connell cynic. Maybe it's the mind numbing 500 word rambling answers to the simplest questions.🤔

My view is KAM was not going to chase Murray and expected Kevin to put JJM on the field this year. He was gonna stick to the plan that he and the HC had alluded to so many times over their first few years.

So Kevin with the help of Flores went to work on his preferred outcome and here we are. KAM out, Kyler in.

It doesn't bother me tbh because what I've seen from JJM tells me he has too far to go, the ceiling looks like backup, and this org isn't on some 5 year QB development timeline. That's not the win-now Wilf philosophy.

Anyway, IMO Mr. Organizations Fail Young Quarterbacks needs this competition theater so that, when they eventually cut the kid loose, Kevin can continue to have people think he's the good guy. He really gave it a sincere go! (after he put the new QB in place lol.)

If that approach messes things up for 2026 as you suggest, well, I'm sure at some point Kevin will deliver a lengthy speech justifying it on a purple podium somewhere. 😀

purplefaithful wrote:

I just hope like hell we're not sneaking peaks at the college QB's by mid-season. We deserve better than that.

Next year is the year to do it if so. Teasley will be heavily involved. If neither K1 nor JJM end up bearing fruit this year, not sure anything would be off the board as far as a QB for 2027. And if that happens, it just makes the decision to let Uncle Sammy go even more heinous.

JJ I don't believe was KOC's first choice, but I also don't think he was forced into it by KAM.

StickierBuns wrote:

And if that happens, it just makes the decision to let Uncle Sammy go even more heinous.

JJ I don't believe was KOC's first choice, but I also don't think he was forced into it by KAM.

Agree on both counts...I believe that they offered the farm for Maye and were refuted...Pretty easy choice by the time there were just 2 QB's left and one fit the system potentially and one not at all.

I'm trying not to think about Darnold this year, but its tends to creep to the front of the brain now and then. You're not helping matters....😜

StickierBuns wrote:

Next year is the year to do it if so. Teasley will be heavily involved. If neither K1 nor JJM end up bearing fruit this year, not sure anything would be off the board as far as a QB for 2027.
JJ I don't believe was KOC's first choice, but I also don't think he was forced into it by KAM.

Zero chance KOC didn't fully sign off on the drafting of McCarthy. It's been reported several times leading up to the draft and afterward that Mensah would rely heavily on OConnell and his "expertise" when drafting a QBOTF for this organization. Drafting Drake Maye was always going to be a pipe dream because in typical Viking fashion, we just weren't bad enough to be in that position. And if OConnell didn't like McCarthy, Bo Nix was taken a few picks afterwards by Denver. He seems to be doing okay under Sean Peyton. So once again, it's the media trying to give the whisperer a pass when he is almost single handedly responsible for the drafting of McCarthy and his failures in development. I don't know who Carter's "sources" are, but prior reporting and common sense will tell you his claim doesnt pass the sniff test.

purplefaithful wrote:

Agree on both counts...I think they offered the farm for Maye and were refuted...Pretty easy choice by the time there were just 2 QB's left and one fit the system potentially and one not at all.
I'm trying not to think about Darnold this year, but its tends to creep to the front of the brain now and then. You're not helping matters....😜

The Vikings were never ever ever going to get Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye: every one of those teams needed a QB and weren't going to move off their picks. And that turned out to be the right move.

JJ was the 5th QB taken.....with even Atlanta snagging Penix before him.

I’m at a loss, man. Part of me feels like it would be a kindness at this point if JJ simply went somewhere else.

Considering the amount of criticism he faces from not only our fanbase, but also the passive-aggressive remarks from the coach who’s supposedly a “QB whisperer” even… https://t.co/8CpaqxuDaa

— 𝕛𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 (@spardisjx) August 4, 2026

StickierBuns wrote:

https://x.com/spardisjx/status/2084655729101676860

It truly amazes me how much criticism and animosity McCarthy faces with our fans (go to other boards and you’ll see the disdain on steroids compared to in here).

KO’s comment about “10 games in three years” did not land well with me. I’m a believer in KO and a supporter, but it sure seems he’s feeding the narratives to the media jackals more and more, rather than protecting his key assets.

I’m with Jason and it would irk me if we dropped McCarthy and an organization scoops him up and he becomes the player we have been longing for, but frankly, I almost feel like that is what our base deserves, contrary to what some believe we deserve.