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J.J. McCarthy moves through a football practice like a politician at a parade. He exchanges high-fives and fist bumps with everyone within reach. He asks questions. He listens. He wants to know and understand everything about everything.
Hold up the Vikings roster, point to a name and the young quarterback probably can recite the hometown and favorite flavor of ice cream of that teammate. Same with his coaches, or even support staff.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell refers to offseason practices as the “learning and teaching” phase of the NFL calendar. For McCarthy, the A in OTA might as well stand for “absorption.” He’s become a human sponge.
“He’s a very inquisitive guy,” veteran safety Harrison Smith said.
McCarthy’s inquisitive nature and arm strength are two traits that stood out and were most encouraging to me while observing two mandatory minicamp practices this week.
He is 22 years old and has yet to take a regular-season snap. Nobody can provide a bet-the-mortgage guarantee for what his career trajectory will look like. The process he’s following, though, in becoming an NFL starter is why the organization feels so optimistic about placing its present and future in his hands.
McCarthy is a conversationalist, but in a good way, an endearing way. He connects with teammates with an authenticity that has already earned respect inside the locker room. Employees say he includes everyone inside the team headquarters in his orbit.
“You can be Receiver 1 to Offensive Lineman 60,” veteran running back Aaron Jones said. “Wherever you fall on that roster, he doesn’t care.”
Justin Jefferson described him as the “captain of our team.” Jones called him a “very smart and talented kid.” Smith used the phrase “very thoughtful.”
It’s not easy to command that level of respect from established stars so quickly. McCarthy does it naturally, largely by investing in relationships and showing a genuine desire to learn every nuance of the game.
O’Connell and McCarthy have constant dialogue during practice. They often talk between drills and huddle after plays to dissect what just happened. It’s like watching a teacher and pupil go over a complicated math problem together.
McCarthy quizzes teammates to glean insight, but also to see if they have the correct answer. He does that with every position, starter or backup.
“He’s picking my brain — ‘What would you call here?’ ” Jones said. “He already knows the answer, but he’s picking my brain to see what I would call.”
They also talk on the field before the snap when lined up in shotgun formation.
“If somebody is going in motion, he has so much to worry about,” Jones said. “The play clock, if the defense has shifted, making a call. We work hand in hand. If somebody goes in motion and they’re not set yet, I’m like, ‘Hey, we’ve got a motion.’ We’re just trying to find that chemistry and working together.”
Smith is 14 years older and plays on the other side of the ball, but McCarthy seeks his input and advice on things, too. They sit a few lockers apart in the locker room, and they have homes near each other.
“He’s always trying to learn something,” Smith said, “whether we’re just hanging out outside of the building or talking between lockers about football and about how to carry yourself as a pro.”
Growing pains will be an inevitable part of the process. McCarthy appeared fooled by coverage in a 7-on-7 session during Tuesday’s practice, and Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. jumped the route for an interception.
Both McCarthy and O’Connell immediately turned and looked at the videoboard on the sideline to see a replay.
Next play, McCarthy rifled a pretty pass to Jalen Nailor for a completion. O’Connell gave his quarterback an exuberant fist bump.
One bad throw didn’t lead to another. Nor did he lose confidence to let it rip.
Speaking of his arm strength …
“He has one of the best zips I’ve seen since being in the league, and I’ve been around some guys who can sling it,” said safety Josh Metellus, mentioning former teammate Sean Mannion’s strong arm as an example. “[McCarthy] throws the ball as good as I’ve been around.
He can put the ball where he wants to.”
Several teammates and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips echoed Metellus’ assessment of McCarthy’s velocity.
Success at that position is determined by many factors, some physical, but also others that cannot be measured. McCarthy is being intentional about investing fully in every aspect of his role.
The Vikings won 14 games last season. They made a massive financial commitment to upgrade deficient areas in free agency. McCarthy has zero NFL experience, but the Vikings rightfully have maintained a contender’s mentality while transitioning to a new starting quarterback.
“Expectations definitely don’t change,” Jones said. “He knows that. He was hungry to get in there last year and couldn’t [because of injury].
I think it’s been eating at him a little bit. He’s just hungry to get out there and ball.”
That’s the best way to describe offseason glimpses of McCarthy as the healthy starter.
He likes to ball.
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