Kevin O’Connell makes bold statement about J.J. McCarthy’s future as the starting quarterback
It’s getting to a boiling point in Minnesota, but Kevin O’Connell hasn’t waivered.
It’s been an incredibly frustrating season for the Minnesota Vikings.
They sit at 4-7 and are riding a three-game losing streak. They are also 2-4 with J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback. Things went from bad to worse for McCarthy on Sunday afternoon, and it resulted in a Vikings loss and a -0.67 EPA/play from the signal caller.
It’s no secret that McCarthy has been struggling, but it’s gotten to a point where there are real discussions across the league about whether or not the Vikings should have McCarthy start the rest of the season.
Kevin O’Connell still has a firm belief in J.J. McCarthy
One of the first questions head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked at the press conference was whether or not he believes he can win with how McCarthy is playing right now.
“I think you can. I do believe that,” said O’Connell. “But it does require, as a football team, not doing things that lose games. A special teams turnover, I believe, in two out of our last three games, and then ultimately, the defense is out there battling. They’re trying to get the ball back for us as much as we can. But then there are some things where you can’t have breakdowns around that player to consistently sustain.”
O’Connell is right that it’s a team game. One player doesn’t win or lose you the game, but a disastrous performance from one player can take things to another level. In McCarthy’s case, his performance isn’t helping matters.
“As some of those things happen, or you start stacking negatives, that becomes incredibly difficult for any quarterback, never mind a guy still in his single-digit world of career starts,” O’Connell continued. “We’ve got to keep putting together plans that give us a chance to express what we want to be as an offense, with some really talented players in that huddle, while also giving him a chance to grow. But not putting the game totally in his hands, where the variance of a young quarterback will cost our whole team. And I think there’s a needle to thread there.”
The Vikings have done an excellent job of putting a team around McCarthy. He has one of the best offensive lines and groups of playmakers in the NFL. There have been some struggles with the game planning from O’Connell, as he asked McCarthy to run his offense rather than trying to insulate his young quarterback, but he did a good job on Sunday.
They ran the ball consistently, especially early, averaging 4.7 yards per rush. That’s a recipe for success, but throwing for 87 yards on 19 attempts while taking five sacks won’t help you win football games.
Right now, McCarthy doesn’t look like a starting quarterback, and there’s a real chance it doesn’t get any better. It’s good that O’Connell still believes in McCarthy, but he needs to tread carefully. If it keeps up like this and he doesn’t make a change, there’s a non-zero chance he loses the locker room.
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