J.J. McCarthy message about feeling pressure will have Vikings fans fired up about a potential Super Bowl run
The potential of the Minnesota Vikings signing Aaron Rodgers was the talk of the National Football League. It never made a lot of sense for a multitude of perspectives, but the biggest one had to do with the presence of J.J. McCarthy, who was ready to take over. He was very honest when being asked […]
The potential of the Minnesota Vikings signing Aaron Rodgers was the talk of the National Football League. It never made a lot of sense for a multitude of perspectives, but the biggest one had to do with the presence of J.J. McCarthy, who was ready to take over.
He was very honest when being asked about Rodgers, which is exactly what you would expect from McCarthy.
"Obviously, respect Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever played the game. But all I was focusing on was just that day to day, you know, task, you know, what I was doing here, what I was doing at home, to kind of make myself the best overall player I could be, best overall man. And, yeah, those blinders were on, just like they've been on my entire career."
J.J. McCarthy thrives on pressure
One of the things that makes McCarthy different is his mentality. There is a special kind of aura about him. From the pregame mediation underneath the goalposts to his supreme confidence and cancer, McCarthy is, for lack of a better term, built different.
One of the ways McCarthy shows that is how he handles pressure. It's something that separates him from others at the same position.
"Now, personally, I think the more pressure, the better for me, because, you know, that's something I thrive off of. And you know, they always say the cliche, pressure is a privilege, but that's something that you sign up for when you play in the National Football League, especially at the quarterback position. And you know, I feel like pressure. All it does is just bring out what's inside of you. And you know, I feel pretty good about what's inside of me. And you know, more pressure the better."
That is just someone who has a multitude of confidence. It's perfect for the quarterback position, as you need to have that element to continue growing.
That level of confidence is a big reason why the Vikings drafted him. The more we get to hear from McCarthy, the more we start to understand what makes him so special. When he was asked about embracing pressure, McCarthy gave a long answer about ADHD that resonated hard.
"I would say, you know, it came across, I came across this quote, you know, people with ADHD, they find calm in the chaos and chaos in the calm. And I've always felt like, ever since I was a kid, just any competitive environment I was in, I felt like I was at home. And, obviously playing at Michigan, there's 110,000 and you're one of the most prominent universities out there. I feel like that's where I feel most comfortable, is when the lights are the brightest, the stage is the biggest stage out there. And, yeah, I know it's going to be a lot more of that to come."
As someone with ADHD, I completely understand the finding chaos in the calm and vice versa. Our minds often run a million miles an hour, and there is a real embracing of those elements. McCarthy being able to relate to that shows a real understanding of who he is as a person, which is great for the Vikings moving forward.
How can you not be fired up about McCarthy and the future of the Vikings after hearing him speak? He's truly impressive off the field, and imagine if he matches that on the field come September.
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