Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner believes one trait helps quarterbacks be successful, including J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings seem to have hit gold with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The wow plays have been excellent so far during training camp and the development is palpable. Fan excitement is through the roof about the things McCarthy can do, but sometimes its the simple things that make the biggest difference. It's why he's […]
The Minnesota Vikings seem to have hit gold with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The wow plays have been excellent so far during training camp and the development is palpable.
Fan excitement is through the roof about the things McCarthy can do, but sometimes its the simple things that make the biggest difference. It's why he's not quite ready to start yet for the Vikings.
What is the key to success for a quarterback in the National Football League? Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner knows a thing or two about playing the quarterback. He did an interview with QB guru Crissy Froyd and believes that layups are the most important part of playing the position.
“I still believe the teams that are in the best position to win every week and the quarterbacks who are best in the league are the guys who play inside the pocket first,” Warner said. “The guys who play on-schedule. The guys that can make the layups.”
The idea of layups is an interesting one. Oftentimes, it's best to take a 5-10 yard play that's right in front of you then force the ball down the field. Those elements are why Warner believes so strongly in layups. He elaborated on his stance with Froyd talking about the plays missed.
“That, to me, is where we get it wrong. We are looking and saying ‘oh my gosh, we can get three or four extra plays out of this guy, because he’s so athletic,’ where they’re not taking into consideration as much, ‘oh, but are we gonna miss five, six, seven, ten plays because he’s not accurate with the football or he can’t see a read that he needs to make, or whatever that thing is, because that, to me, continues to be how you win.”
Is that the best path forward for McCarthy? Making smart decisions is something that head coach Kevin O'Connell is going to want from his quarterback. There will always be an element of risk of playing quarterback and mitigating that risk is a major part of the position.
If McCarthy takes the layup consistently within structure, it could catapult him to success early and often.
J.J. McCarthy is the Minnesota Vikings’ future, but is he ready to be quarterback of the present?
J.J. McCarthy is getting a lot of hype from Minnesota Vikings fans and analysts, but is he ready to be the guy?
