Trying to make sense of the “open competition”
I’m gonna say it. I think the QB competition was absolutely nothing but theatre. I think It was all a “show” in KOC’s attempt to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
There’s no mystery at this point behind the fact KOC wanted Darnold last year to give JJ another year to develop. I still don’t think KOC believes JJ is ready and in fact was probably set back due to last year.
Enter Kyler Murray. He was the best option in a sea of very mediocre options. He was signed without question to be the starter. But that leaves the question “How do they bench JJ without destroying his confidence in their faith in him?….QB competition”.
I truly believe they think or at least hope that by posing a “competition” that JJ “narrowly missed” that they can bench him into another year of development without causing any damage to the QB/Coach QB/team relationship.
The problem is, JJ doesn’t appear to be a dumb guy. And if I’ve figured this out, he definitely has too. I think he’s going to say all the right things and be a good soldier, but this is the beginning of the end for him in Minnesota. Even if he does become a successful starter here within his rookie contract, I can almost guarantee he won’t ever re-sign. He will give to this franchise what they’ve given to him…zero grace.
If I can see what that sham of a competition it was…and YOU can see it….JJ lived it and he knows too.
Beginning of the end. And for KOC’s job, Kyler better be the All-Pro he’s banking on
medaille wrote:
But when has it ever happened that a team with said struggling after 10 games got a starting caliber QB for basically free? Like it doesn't really matter who your rookie QB is, if you get a QB that is a chunk better for one year for free, you are going to do that.
Literally everyone says Kyler is the best contract in the NFL this year. Why would you not do that.
You would, and we did, because it was a gift, and we're not stupid. And thank God for that. Because right now the Vikings are legitimate contenders because of that decision.
If we had refused to accept the "2X Pro Bowl QB for $1.3M" gift in order to "see what we have in JJ," we'd likely finish similar to last year (mid), putting us out of range for the top QBs in the 2027 draft. We'd draft another one and have to go through this whole thing all over again, while Jefferson et al gets another year, or two, or three, older.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
—George Orwell
MaroonBells wrote:
Because right now the Vikings are legitimate contenders because of that decision.
Not ready to go that far. One game at a time. But when you say contenders.....for the NFCN? The NFC?
StickierBuns wrote:
Not ready to go that far. One game at a time. But when you say contenders.....for the NFCN? The NFC?
For the whole enchirito.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
—George Orwell
MaroonBells wrote:
For the whole enchirito.
Gotcha.
MaroonBells wrote:
Sure, there are a lot of firsts that would have to happen. But there have already been a lot of firsts that put us in this situation to begin with. Rookie QB missing his entire rookie season due to injury is one. So the situation is unique no matter how you look at it.
But you do mention something I think isn't being mentioned enough: "The mental damage has already been done." If you watch the Raiders game you'll see a QB who was not only accurate, but played with a confidence you could see. I remember thinking that the most impressive thing wasn't the accuracy, it was that it all happened after an interception. He was able to forget that and remain aggressive and decisive. What happened to THAT guy?
I think the injury had a lot to do with it. I think it messed him up. We're talking about a kid who struggled with depression in high school. He gets hurt and his world came crashing down. I wouldn't be too surprised if we find out later that JJ's mental state at the time led to his weight loss. He comes back the next year and he's not the same guy. Then he gets hurt again. And again. And again. The confidence takes a big hit.
So like Darnold and Mayfield, the best thing for him might be to clear his head as QB2. The odds of him having to come in for Kyler this year are decent. And that's where his future will be written. But if he demands a trade, he could wallow behind a sturdier QB elsewhere, while he watches Wentz drive his Ferrari in Minnesota.
If I remember correctly, didn't something kind of like this happen between Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer? They brought in Dilfer after Hasselbeck struggled and then Dilfer got hurt. Hass came in and looked better and then went on to a pretty good career with Seattle. Maybe not exactly the same, but some precident here maybe.
How many ways can we discuss the same thing about JJM & KM for the 1,000th time?
KM1 is the starter.
JJM is QB 2 or QB3
Just root for KM1 and go from there. So over these threads.....
StickierBuns wrote:
Keep dreamin', lads.....nobody would like to see it more than me. Peace out for me on the subject. 🤘
Agreed, let's just get this season started and see what plays out. The proof will be in the pudding.
And just for a final thought on the matter, of course we will all root for whomever is under center, but that doesn't mean we have to agree with the manner in which our QB position has been handled and played out over the last few seasons. Especially after being sold a blueprint by the organization over the course of four seasons to get to this point, and almost immediately pivoting off that plan at the first sign of our young quarterback struggling with the very same things every quarterback on our roster struggled with last season. Faulty offensive line, injuries, and the coach's refusal to try to balance the offense with the running game hindered every quarterback. 28th in total offense, and that wasn't all McCarthy.
supafreak84 wrote:
Agreed, let's just get this season started and see what plays out. The proof will be in the pudding.
....or....
Told myself I wasn’t gonna do it this year.. oh well Let’s SKOL To The Bowl! #vikings pic.twitter.com/CRi7VaRYDY
— Let's Skol!!! (@LetsSkol) August 18, 2026
supafreak84 wrote:
Agreed, let's just get this season started and see what plays out. The proof will be in the pudding.
And just for a final thought on the matter, of course we will all root for whomever is under center, but that doesn't mean we have to agree with the manner in which our QB position has been handled and played out over the last few seasons. Especially after being sold a blueprint by the organization over the course of four seasons to get to this point, and almost immediately pivoting off that plan at the first sign of our young quarterback struggling with the very same things every quarterback on our roster struggled with last season. Faulty offensive line, injuries, and the coach's refusal to try to balance the offense with the running game hindered every quarterback. 28th in total offense, and that wasn't all McCarthy.
Are you at least willing to admit that KOC might have seen, and continues to see, things that you aren't privy to?
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
—George Orwell
I guess it is what it is. Either way you try and cook this thing up, Kyler is the starter, fallout happened with JJ, we are moving forward with Kyler. Somewhere JJ faltered. Who cares who's fault it is, JJ is in the spots he's in. Nothing can change any of it. I have $25,000 reasons to be on board with Kyler.
MaroonBells wrote:
Are you at least willing to admit that KOC might have seen, and continues to see, things that you aren't privy to?
Sure, but can we also admit to the clear mistakes made by KOC that we were privy to...and that maybe, just maybe, the guy isn't everything the media tells us that he is? I think that's fair
supafreak84 wrote:
Sure, but can we also admit to the clear mistakes made by KOC that we were privy to...and that maybe, just maybe, the guy isn't everything the media tells us that he is? I think that's fair
The only thing that comes to mind is waiting too long to dumb down his offense for his young QB, if that's even the case. Another might be that he focused too much time working on JJ's mechanics instead of just letting him play?
If he had done those things earlier, we might have won more games last year. But at what cost? This year, we'd still be faced with the challenge of teaching the full offense to the kid and fixing his mechanics. In the meantime, the cement that determines who he will be as a QB starts to dry.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
—George Orwell
MaroonBells wrote:
The only thing that comes to mind is waiting too long to dumb down his offense for his young QB, if that's even the case. Another might be that he focused too much time working on JJ's mechanics instead of just letting him play?
If he had done those things earlier, we might have won more games last year. But at what cost? This year, we'd still be faced with the challenge of teaching the full offense to the kid and fixing his mechanics. In the meantime, the cement that determines who he will be as a QB starts to dry.
How about the actual drafting of McCarthy? If he is the bust many have labeled him to be after ten games, does that not squarely fall on the shoulders of OConnell..who was heavily deferred to in the drafting of McCarthy? You can blame a lot on Kwesi, but McCarthy is all OConnell. He vouched for the kid and his development and we used a top ten pick on him. It's tragic that he was simply allowed to pivot off that plan after a miniscule ten game sample where he was equally as culpable in the failures on offense, and you touched on those points
I'd also say not playing him a single snap in the preseason last year was a massive mistake. If the argument is KOC didn't think he was ready, then wouldn't it make sense to get him as much work as possible before the seasom started? I mean, that's common sense to me either way, he hadn't played football in two years. He absolutely should have been playing last preseason.
Does the 2027 NFL Draft have the best QB class ever? pic.twitter.com/l48VRxulpw
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 18, 2026
StickierBuns wrote:
It will be the best one until 2028.
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