Unlike most NFL teams, the Minnesota Vikings were eager to give their shiny new quarterback an extended look, so there was #1 draft choice J.J. McCarthy of Michigan, slinging it around against the Las Vegas Raiders in their preseason opener. Unfortunately, the meniscus tear in his right knee that occurred during his extended stint will leave him out for at least weeks and possibly for the entire season.
It’s an interesting injury given McCarthy’s high-level background as a collegiate star, not to mention the issue of the draft capital the Vikings spent to draft the quarterback at 10. There are several intriguing factors, starting with why Minnesota chose to expose their marquee rookie so extensively in an opening preseason game.
J.J. McCarthy vs. Darnold: a training camp primer
Given his achievements at Michigan, the Vikings didn’t draft McCarthy to sit. He quarterbacked the Wolverines to the national title, displaying the kind of grit and talent that led to his rise into the top ten of the draft.
What was missing was McCarthy’s ability to lead a wide-open offense and post big numbers, hence the rush to get him into action. Minnesota got exactly what they wanted from the former Michigan quarterback – a slow start in which he threw a bad pic, followed by a growing comfort level as he bounced back to throw a pair of TD passes in a 24-23 win over the Raiders.
Sam Darnold’s role in this QB competition was critical. He’s recovered from the inherent shell shock of being a Jets starter for a significant period of time, and Darnold is now an accomplished backup who no longer sees ghosts when he gets under center. He’s the epitome of a problematic starter at this point, though, despite coach Kevin O’Connell’s comment about his confidence level in Darnold “is very, very high at this point.”
The keyword for that is “at this point.” O’Connell knows full well that Darnold is the kind of quarterback who gets coaches fired, and he’s under serious pressure to get the Vikings over the hump after treading water around the .500 mark for years now. Kirk Cousins has moved on to Atlanta, and O’Connell needs to find “the guy” and develop him.
The timeless play vs. sit argument
As more and more college QBs continued to be drafted higher in the draft with less experience than ever, the issue of whether a quarterback should sit and learn for a year or two or be thrown into the fire continues to be more relevant each year.
O’Connell gambled on McCarthy’s impressive pedigree, not to mention his athleticism and toughness, and he lost big-time. You could make the argument that McCarthy’s injury could have occurred at any time, but any coach who gets his coach hurt during the preseason can expect to be excoriated, and legitimately so at that.
Now McCarthy gets to enjoy the Sam Darnold experience. Given his past, Darnold’s ceiling is a .500 season, which is why the Vikings will likely do a limited surgery on McCarthy’s meniscus, shaving it rather than fixing it completely so he can return early and try to duplicate his previous success. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s season just became a total crapshoot, and the bonfire being lit beneath Kevin O’Connell’s hot seat just got a lot more noticeable.
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