Kevin O’Connell names J.J. McCarthy emergency quarterback after naming Carson Wentz the starter. Here’s why he did that
It’s frustrating on the surface, but there was some real growth over the bye week.
The Minnesota Vikings have a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and it’s not J.J. McCarthy. Head coach Kevin O’Connell named Carson Wentz the starting quarterback for Week 7.
The move to go to Wentz wasn’t that much of a surprise, especially with McCarthy being limited all week in practice. O’Connell has been very honest about the entire process, stating that they would be very smart and waiting until he is 100% ready, including a full week of practice.
While McCarthy isn’t going to start on Sunday, he is questionable and will be the emergency third quarterback.
J.J. McCarthy’s progress is proven with emergency QB news
We’ve been waiting for the next shoe to drop with McCarthy’s recovery, and this seems to be it. He isn’t quite all the way there yet, but practicing at all is a good sign, as is O’Connell feeling comfortable enough to have him dress for an emergency situation.
“I think as opposed to maybe having to designate and list a running back or a receiver, if we
get into that situation, I feel comfortable enough in what would be considered that kind of
emergency capacity to be able to call some [plays],” said O’Connell. “I feel good after watching him practice about some of the things that give him some problems at this point but at the same time, some of the things he feels really good about from a movement standpoint, whether it’s in the run game or the pass game, some of the things he feels good about, and him and I will go through a lot of those things.
“And he got a ton of reps this week, both with the first group, and also with getting some real good reps with that look team of feeling the rush of [Jonathan] Greenard and [Dallas] Turner and [Javon] Hargrave and [Jonathan] Allen and really working on some things that are really starting to come to fruition. So, I was proud of the way he attacked the week, and I know, although he knows he’s not quite all the way there yet, he’s progressing in a really good way.”
This is all a part of O’Connell’s plan to get McCarthy ready to go. The slow process has always been the one that O’Connell has prioritized. This is about setting him up to [hopefully] be the starting quarterback for the next 15 years, not 15 games.
It’s frustrating that McCarthy isn’t all the way there yet, but not all hope is lost for McCarthy. He has another chance on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.