Vikings faced the #1 Opposing team QB among the most last year.  More than 30% more often than the Titans.

https://www.vikings.com/video/j-j-mccart...ccown-more

Interesting commentary from McCarthy. Talks about watching film on a team doesn't necessarily mean that's what he'll see come game-day. Talks about off-platform throws, which is what he'll end up excelling at.

Also: "J.J. McCarthy has some pretty big expectations for his first year under center as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, but he’s got plenty of support in his corner.

Not only is quarterback-whisperer Kevin O’Connell his coach, but he’s also apparently been getting a bit of help from his fellow Michigan brethren Tom Brady. McCarthy brought up Brady when asked about his film-study habits, noting that Brady had helped him develop a weekly study routine."

Well, this is a solid.
==

J.J. McCarthy has extreme confidence in his accuracy
By Mike Florio
 
Published August 14, 2025 08:16 PM
To be successful, an NFL quarterback needs to have confidence. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is brimming with it.

Asked about his passing skills by reporters on Thursday, McCarthy was blunt.

“I think I’m one of the, you know, most accurate guys out there,” McCarthy said, “and just being able to take a day-to-day and, you know, really hone in on just every single throw. It’s not just, you know, ‘The ball was completed.’ It’s, ‘Did I give him a runner’s ball?’ ‘Did I put it on the right pad for him to turn a certain way?’ So, you know, just being able to really lean into that as one of my strengths is something that I always have to be extremely hard on, every single throw.”

So far, he’s backing it up. And if he performs in the games that count the way he has in practice, we’ll look back at the hazy uncertainty of the early offseason and laugh about Minnesota’s seeming uncertainty about trusting their 2024 evaluation and going all in with the player they moved up to pick with the 10th selection in the draft.

Dealing with a Rookie QB (JJM is effectively a red-shirt rookie) today starts with a totally different approach to assure success.
Several different coaches were interviewed on how they approached it to build a support system and foundation. KOC is doing it right.
A good read...Head coaches have slowly learned from 1st round QB failures that there's a better way to do it to set them up for success, instead of the prevailing high rate of failure.
===

How NFL teams approach, develop rookie QBs at training camp
Dan Graziano
Aug 14, 2025

Before Jayden Daniels got to Commanders camp last summer -- before the Commanders even knew for sure they'd be selecting him with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft -- new coach Dan Quinn wanted to make sure the situation was right.

"We needed to create an ecosystem," Quinn said when asked about how to break in a rookie quarterback. "And it started, really, with the staff."

It was during Quinn's interview with new team owner Josh Harris and new general manager Adam Peters in January 2024 that he outlined his plan for setting up the first offseason around a rookie QB. After his firing over three years earlier as the Falcons' coach, Quinn spent time analyzing what he'd do differently the next time. One thing that stood out: He hadn't built his Atlanta coaching staff to withstand success.

After the Falcons went to the Super Bowl in the 2016 season, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan left to become coach of the 49ers and took assistants such as Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur with him. Matt LaFleur, meanwhile, left to join Sean McVay's staff with the Rams.

"So you had this brain drain," Peters said. "But you've got to understand you've got to have somebody next. That was one of the things that, in his interview, he talked to me about -- building a deep coaching staff and having the next guy and the next guy, anticipating success."

Quinn hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. He hired Brian Johnson as pass game coordinator. He retained Tavita Pritchard, who'd been hired a year earlier as quarterbacks coach. And he hired former NFL quarterback David Blough as assistant quarterbacks coach.

"I wanted a big staff, hoping that things would go well and teams would want to interview our guys and we'd have people from within to replace them," Quinn recalled in an interview before practice at training camp last month. "And that way, when things happen, it's not different voices, different systems. So we were thinking ahead, and all of this is before Jayden even arrived."

There's an axiom that says more young NFL quarterbacks are ruined than made in the NFL -- that the situation is everything when breaking in a young passer. Teams that get the opportunity to land a potential franchise signal-caller are heavily invested in making sure it all works. There has to be a strategy.

"I think whenever you draft a quarterback early, you want to have a plan or schedule to put in place," said Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, whose team selected Jaxson Dart in the first round. "Understand that it's not really a one-week plan. It's a six-month, one-year, two-year type of plan. ... We try to put together a little checklist and a plan for every player, and the quarterback is no different."

But the quarterback is different, in a lot of very important ways. Drafting a signal-caller early is a major move for a franchise, and one that carries massive risk. Making sure that passer succeeds can be the difference between a coach keeping or losing his job. That's why the plan is so important, and why it has to start before even making the pick. We talked to a few coaches and executives around the NFL to get a feel for those plans, how teams go about them, what works versus what doesn't and what's different from team to team (and quarterback to quarterback).

Build out the support system
Peters thinks back to the 2024 free agency period, a month and a half before the draft. Knowing they were going to take a quarterback and hoping it would be Daniels, the Commanders had to make sure the roster around him was right.

"The first thing we wanted to do was get a really good backup quarterback," Peters said. "A quarterback that could start or could compete with him. But at the same time, find a guy who, if he was the backup, he wouldn't be pissed off. He would be helpful."

Washington targeted two. One was Sam Darnold, who had been the backup the season before in San Francisco, where Peters had been the assistant GM. The other was Marcus Mariota, who coincidentally had at one time been a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick, just like Daniels.

Quinn and Peters are quick to mention Mariota -- whom they eventually did sign -- when they talk about the support system around Daniels and the success the Commanders had last season. They laud Mariota as a great teammate, and Quinn even mentioned the similarities between the draft circumstances of the two quarterbacks. There's a reason they wanted to bring him back this season, and the way he supported Daniels was a big part of it.

"Backup quarterback is a very important role for the young player because they have perspective," said Titans coach Brian Callahan, who is tasked this offseason with breaking in this year's No. 1 pick Cameron Ward. "Everything in that room is about supporting the starter, so you want guys in there who've been in the league, who've been through it and can talk to him from that perspective. It's huge."

Of course, that's not the only role of the backup quarterback.

Make the kid earn it
"The next step is how do you do a competition," Quinn said. "That's important to us. That's kind of the standard of our program -- showing your teammates you've earned it, that you're willing to do all the things you need to do to win the job."

Quinn had Daniels split reps evenly in camp last year with Mariota. It's easy to look at the situation and know the high draft pick who played six years of college football was always going to win the job. Even if that's true, though, coaches feel it's important to convince the rest of the team that nothing is given.

We see this everywhere. Sean Payton wouldn't call Bo Nix the starter in Denver right away last season, even though everyone knew he would be QB1. Dart is sitting behind Russell Wilson in New York right now and probably will continue to do so once the season starts. The Falcons and Patriots managed Michael Penix Jr. and Drake Maye, respectively, through training camp last summer knowing they would both open the season as backups. Rookie QB situations run the gamut, depending on where the team is in its building process.

"Veteran players really don't care for guys being anointed," Callahan said. "When Cam came in, we still had Will Levis before he had his surgery, and it was a pretty even split. It wasn't a false competition. Will was actually doing very well, I thought. And what that allowed Cam to do was earn guys' respect, earn the right to be the quarterback. The veterans want to find out if he's made of the right stuff."

Callahan has been through this before. He was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati in 2020, when the Bengals selected Joe Burrow No. 1 in the draft. That was a unique year with the COVID-19 pandemic, so there were far fewer on-field practices and less chance to establish true competition.

But one benefit from the COVID year, Callahan says, is that all of the meetings were done virtually via videoconference. So he still has recordings of them to reference as he breaks in another rookie QB.

"It's cool to be able to go back and listen to what Joe said and what resonated with him at the time," Callahan said. "What made sense to him and what didn't. You go back and remind yourself what he struggled with, because obviously Joe doesn't struggle with much anymore. But to go back and hear what those things were has been very helpful for this experience."

Callahan made the decision to make training camp as intentionally difficult as possible for Ward. The Titans are dialing up blitzes (and fake blitzes) in practice. They're also using a 15-second "shot clock" instead of a 40-second play clock (a trick Cincinnati used with Burrow in 2020). Given Ward's extensive college experience and makeup, the Titans' coaches felt the best way to bring him along quickly was to stress him and let him work through the struggles.

"It's great to see how he's responding to adversity," Callahan said. "They've got to feel it and they've got to figure it out. Playing quarterback in the NFL is the hardest position in sports, and if you bring a guy along slowly and try to build his confidence, eventually it's going to get shattered. So I think there's a bit of a hardening that has to go on. And Cam doesn't flinch."

But there are other things to consider. Quinn recalls a conversation he once had with Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who told him that coach Jimmy Johnson wanted to keep some stuff off his plate when he was a rookie in Dallas to make sure he focused on his own development. Johnson told Aikman not to worry about policing the huddle, making sure guys were lined up right and avoiding silly mistakes.

"So much can be put on kids: 'Lead more, lead more,'" Quinn said. "Right now, I want you to build your relationship with your teammates, who are learning you, and play quarterback. You don't have to bring the team up. You don't have to put the organization on your shoulders. Leave that to us."

There's a fine line to walk, though. Bad things are inevitably going to happen. There's no way to help a young quarterback steer clear of that. The key is making sure he's equipped to handle those moments when they do happen.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was working with rookie J.J. McCarthy last year before McCarthy was injured in August and is now getting him up to speed as the 2025 starter. O'Connell has quickly developed a reputation for getting the most out of whatever quarterback situation he has in front of him.

"With this position, no matter what we can craft and create here or in preseason games, there's going to be some things that, when it's Week 4 or 5 and you're playing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and they're spinning the dial on coverages and pressures and he's getting hit and he's still got to just do his job and play, that's what rookie quarterbacks struggle with," O'Connell said, speaking on QB development in general. "The compounding negativity is almost fatal to some guys."

Let him win over the room
Things like the geography of the locker room can matter. Coaches want their young quarterbacks to spend time around the right kinds of teammates. For instance, Callahan "very intentionally" put Ward's locker next to those of Calvin Ridley and Lloyd Cushenberry III -- his No. 1 wide receiver and his starting center, respectively. Quinn, meanwhile, said he didn't arrange the locker room in any particular way around Daniels last year, but the 2024 offseason did see the Commanders bring in Super Bowl-seasoned veterans such as linebacker Bobby Wagner and tight end Zach Ertz.

Sometimes, the key relationships just develop organically.

"It's also cool to see how much [Ward] and [defensive tackle] Jeffery Simmons are constantly around each other," Callahan said. "They play cards together, they talk back and forth at each other. You want [Ward] around the veterans on your team, because those are important voices. I could tell him something 100 times, but that exact same thing sounds a lot different when Jeffery Simmons says it."

The veterans have to reach a comfort level with the rookie just as much as the rookie has to reach a comfort level with them. If the first-year QB -- say, Dart with the Giants -- is expected to back up a veteran to start the season, then the team has to simultaneously get the veteran ready to start Week 1 while the future of the franchise waits to establish himself as a leader among the starters. There are ways to make it work, but it generally falls on the young QB to find them.

"I think it's just about how you approach the game and how you prepare," Wagner said, recalling his early impressions of Daniels. "I've always said 'rookie' is more of a mentality. If you accept low expectations, it's easy to use it as an excuse and fall into that rookie category. He wanted to come in and take over the league, and that mentality makes a difference. He's humble and confident, but I think that all comes from his preparation, and it comes out in obvious ways."

"The main thing nobody really talks about with leadership is you've got to be authentic," Falcons quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams said, recalling the way Penix carried himself in camp a year ago when the first-rounder was installed as the backup to veteran Kirk Cousins. "Got to be yourself. And Mike was a great teammate last year, understanding that this was Kirk's team but in his own way finding ways to be a leader. You saw guys he was throwing to in practice, guys on the scout team all gravitated toward him, and it was the same way once he became the starter."

One of the things coaches talk about when bringing a rookie along behind an established starter is seeing how he reacts to a surprise. If the rookie has a shot to open the season as the No. 2, then he might have to go into a game at a moment's notice because of an injury. Some coaches try to simulate that in camp.

"There's usually a level of anxiety at times for young players when they get thrown into the mix," Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "It's not exactly planned in terms of 'He's getting rep three.' Sometimes we'll just say, 'Get in there.' Then he's calling plays in front of veterans that have done it at a high level. I think that's important."

Everything the rookie quarterback does gets noticed by the veterans, who know full well the organization's plan is for him to lead them eventually. Some of the things coaches do with rookie quarterbacks in practice is designed with his teammates in mind as much as it's designed for the rookie himself.

The big question: To play or not to play?
One of the hottest topics this time of year is playing time in preseason games for developing quarterbacks. Should second-year passer Caleb Williams be playing a ton in the Bears' preseason? Should the Titans be more careful with Ward? There doesn't seem to be any clear, correct answer.

The Falcons didn't play Penix in last year's preseason even though he wasn't going to start regular-season games for them. That was a head-scratcher, but Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said, "The natural mindset is, 'I don't want to play those guys and put them in harm's way.' But if you don't get what you need out here on the practice field, and we need to see it out there, that's when we would."

Even then, though, there are questions to answer before throwing a young QB into a preseason game in which the opponent is eager to hit him. If you play him, does that mean you have to play your starting offensive line? And what if one or more of them are banged up and need the rest?

The Commanders played Daniels in preseason games last season because they thought it was important for him to see that live action. They had joint practices with the Jets and Dolphins, which helped, but game conditions are still different.

"It does help," Quinn said. "It's different, the game, for a quarterback. Doesn't mean you need to play the whole time, but playing time helps."

This isn't an exact science. Plenty of teams get it wrong. A lucky few get it right -- and also have the right guy to make it work. Quinn and Daniels look as if they did it right and are on their way to bigger and better things as a result. Callahan and Ward ... we'll see, but the plan seems strong so far, and Callahan has done this successfully in the past.

A rookie quarterback's training camp is just the first chapter in what he and his team hope is a long, successful career. Push him hard but not too hard. Make him comfortable but not too comfortable. Get him ready but don't get him hurt. It's not easy, but it's vital. Get it wrong, and a team could wreck a guy's career before it gets started.

But get it right, and there's almost no limit to what can be achieved.

NEW YORK -- The NFL can be put on trial over civil claims that Brian Flores and other Black coaches face discrimination, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, finding insurmountable flaws with a league arbitration process that would permit commissioner Roger Goodell to serve as arbitrator.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld Judge Valerie Caproni's ruling that Flores can proceed with claims against the league and three teams: the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans.

In a decision written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes, the appeals court said the NFL's arbitration rules forcing Flores to submit his claims to arbitration before Goodell do not have the protection of the Federal Arbitration Act because they provide for "arbitration in name only."

The 2nd Circuit said the NFL constitution's arbitration provision "contractually provides for no independent arbitral forum, no bilateral dispute resolution, and no procedure."

"Instead, it offends basic presumptions of our arbitration jurisprudence" by forcing claims to be decided by the NFL's "principal executive officer," the appeals court said.

"The significance of the Second Circuit's decision cannot be overstated," Flores' attorneys -- Douglas H. Wigdor, David E. Gottlieb and John Elefterakis -- said in a statement. "For too long, the NFL has relied on a fundamentally biased and unfair arbitration process -- even in cases involving serious claims of discrimination. This ruling sends a clear message: that practice must end. This is a victory not only for NFL employees, but for workers across the country -- and for anyone who believes in transparency, accountability and justice."

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said: "We respectfully disagree with the panel's ruling, and will be seeking further review."

In February 2022, Flores sued the NFL and several teams, saying the league was "rife with racism," particularly in its hiring and promotion of Black coaches. Other coaches later joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs.

After filing his lawsuit, Flores said he believed he was risking the coaching career he loves by suing the NFL, but he said it would be worth it for generations to come if he could succeed in challenging systemic racism in the league.

Flores is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings after working previously as a coach for the New England Patriots from 2008 to 2018, the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. He joined the Vikings in 2023.

Caproni said in a March 2023 decision that descriptions by the coaches of their experiences of racial discrimination in a league with a "long history of systematic discrimination toward Black players, coaches, and managers -- are incredibly troubling."

"Although the clear majority of professional football players are Black, only a tiny percentage of coaches are Black," she said.

Caproni ruled in 2023 that Flores must pursue his claims against the Dolphins, who had fired him, through arbitration.

Source:  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/4597...s-go-trial

I think BFlo's got his type of dawgs now on D that know how to run it....those new interior guys (Allen, Hargrave) are going to make everyone better. Redmond is on fire. I think part of the Viking's offensive inconsistency this TC is just that they are going up against a really good D.

1h
The Vikings front 7 put in some work yesterday against the Patriots in joint practice 

“The domination was so thorough by the Vikings’ front seven that three straight plays at one point would’ve resulted in a sack.”
(Via: @ChadGraff
@TheAthletic)

This thought process is a wipeout event waiting to happen.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08...spreading/

If you're seeing this on Purple Persuasions Twitter, you're seeing this quote from PA on KFAN. Before this get out of hand, here's the quote. 

What do you do with Dallas Turner? I'm just going to lay it out like that. What do you do with Dallas Turner? Where do you play him? How much do you play him? Do you care that he was a first round pick? Do you care that Gabriel Murphy is outperforming him in training camp and the Texans game? Do you care that O'Connell came into the Texans game really, really excited to watch the Dallas Turner performance? And I certainly can say the HC of the Minnesota Vikings thought it was a bad performance. I wouldn't know. I just know that there wasn't a lot said about the old 15 after the Texans game, and there was a lot said about 59. So that would be, I guess that would be the potential proverbial dark cloud on the horizon.”

The operative part here is "can say." But I listened to the audio and the context makes it very obvious he's saying "can't say."

   

Sure, right after incinerating the team, assholes! 

Twins owners decide to keep team after exploring sale: 'The franchise has become part of our family story'

"We see and hear the passion from our partners, the community and Twins fans. That passion inspires us. This ownership group is committed to building a winning team and culture for this region, one that Twins fans are proud to cheer for."


https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/twi...05452.html

Bullshit…!!!