Kevin O’Connell provides update on J.J. McCarthy’s injury status, here’s what it means for the Vikings
Getting him back is very important, but it’s crucial to do it in the right way
The Minnesota Vikings are anxiously awaiting the return of their young quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. He suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter of the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The good news about his injury was that the Vikings didn’t believe it was serious enough to have him placed on injured reserve. The bad news is that he has yet to practice in the two weeks since the injury occurred.
Luckily for the Vikings, that is set to change this week.
Kevin O’Connell talks about J.J. McCarthy’s injury status
O’Connell told the media on Tuesday that he hopes to get McCarthy on the practice field this week.
“My hope is … maybe not necessarily early on — we’re going to handle Wednesday, probably in a unique way, from what could be kind of a hybrid day, but as we get into Thursday and Friday, I’m hoping we can at least get him out there and get him taking some drops and starting to get back in the normal rhythm of the practice week,” O’Connell said on Tuesday.
Getting him back on the practice field is the first step to seeing him on Sunday. This week is likely too early for him to play, as O’Connell has stated previously that he won’t throw him out there the exact second he’s healthy enough to play.
“I think first and foremost, he’s got to get healthy. And then, throughout that process, I don’t think it’s one of those things where it’s, ‘Hey, the day he’s healthy.’ And if he’s healthy the night before a game, we’re going to just throw him out there and say, ‘Hey, go figure it out’ type of thing,” said O’Connell after the Bengals game about the idea of starting McCarthy right when he’s healthy.
“I think we saw as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game, he did miss practice that week. And when you’re in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours of what it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can’t cut corners on that. And that also doesn’t require an answer on that question today.”
The most likely scenario for McCarthy to start against the Philadelphia Eagles after the bye week. Once he does, hopefully the offense takes a step forward, as Carson Wentz isn’t playing the best football right now.