ESPN NFL LIVE | Dan Orlovsky STUNS, Minnesota Vikings Have QB DRAMA With Carson Wentz & JJ McCarthy

ESPN NFL LIVE | Dan Orlovsky STUNS, Minnesota Vikings Have QB DRAMA With Carson Wentz & JJ McCarthy

stuff. Carson Wentz got the win for the Vikings on Sunday. Has only been on the field for 46 offensive plays this season. Half as many as JJ McCarthy, but the Vikings offense has looked a lot better with Wentz under center. Not only are they averaging more yards per pass attempt, but two more yards per rush. And the Vikings have not turned it over with Wentz on the field this season. Now, Vikings coach Kevin Okonnell was asked if once JJ McCarthy is healthy, he will immediately return to start. And here’s what he said. I think, you know, the the first and foremost he’s got to get healthy. Um, and then throughout that process, it’s not just 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, you know, go figure it out type of thing. Marcus’s face cuz I told y’all yesterday it was a quarterback controversy. Dan, I see. I told y’all, man. Uh, oh, what did you see from WS on Sunday? First of all, Christian Darasaw matters a ton for the offense. A ton. Totally helped with the protection. I think the two things were he was really reactionary, which was a big deal. I think that sped up the style of their pass game. Like he reacted to coverage a little bit faster than JJ has. I think the second thing was the timing of their pass game was really good. You know, I was not expecting that he was going to go one, two, three, four, five, hit his back foot and the ball would come out to, you know, a backside post or an outbreaker to the field. So that was something that you know I think JJ sitting back and watching once again going all right again Dar saw it being a part of that matter. So the reaction and the timing were a big deal. Two good, one bad. You still saw three or four sacks where you’re like, “Don’t do that. Stop holding it. Don’t do that.” And so if if he can one or two a game get rid of that, I do think that there’s a lot of good to the style of play that he he sh I just don’t think you can. Before I get to the defense, you can’t overlook what he did with Sam Dorn last year. You just It’s a part of the equation like and this is about winning. I’m going to go to the defensive side because obviously there’s a lot of onus put on that while you figuring out this quarterback spot. But Brian Flores is back to his old habits and it works and none other than the perfect Cincinnati Bengals who going to land up a shotgun 700 times a game and allow you to disguise. You look at around the line of scrimmage. This is how you’re always fooled. And now you get out of this late but now we have confusion on the offensive line. We’re trying to figure it out. I love these convinced tackles as well to have a game situation. It looks like the whole team is going to rush. It’s only four and they’re running games. The offensive line is trying to figure out not only who’s coming, but also how do we pass these games off and the the mind tricks that are happening with protection. Three coverage. That was diabolical. Yeah, but but that’s what I’m saying, bro. Like for y’all know, y’all look at that prism, man. You and Mino are two of the best at it. when you start talking about the back end and obviously RC I look up front because my whole career was spent trying to confuse or dictate protection, right? And he does a better job as anyone in the league. Now, you got to trust your guys. You got to trust them to get their depth coverage. You got to trust the timing. And that’s why sometimes with Ben Johnson when he has success a lot of quick snaps to catch you, but they aren’t going to do that in Cincinnati. We know it. Cincinnati knows it. The whole world knows it. And that was set up perfectly for Brian Flores to have a day like he Yeah, it’s um it is interesting with the whole Carson Wentz versus JJ McCarthy. And he’s saying that, you know, he’s concerned that there is a quarterback controversy. But before we get started, before I start my take, please do not forget to subscribe Minnesota Vikings fans so I can keep making Minnesota Vikings videos. Uh I talked about this with another team recently. It’s like I want to keep making Vikings videos. some of the views have been lacking. So, please subscribe so I can keep making it. I want to keep talking about them, but uh you know, it it hurts to make a video uh that only is getting like 900 views. And so, I I I want to keep talking Minnesota balls. So, um but I I need you to watch. I need you to subscribe. I need you to be part of it. Otherwise, I’m I’m I’m talking to nobody. So, um and don’t forget that I was the one that said that Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings were going to ball last year and they did. Uh, so this year right now, obviously with JJ and Carson, listen, Carson isn’t going to just elevate this team to levels that we’ve never seen before. Um, but his floor is going to be significantly higher than JJ McCarthy right now because he’s not a rookie. He’s been around. He understands football. Carson Wentz is going to be able to bring a floor that a JJ McCarthy just doesn’t have. And that’s okay because JJ McCarthy will be on in his third NFL game. So, his floor is allowed to be low. And again, I’m not talking about career floor. I’m just talking about like, hey, you’re this is your first this is your first go at it in the NFL. Like things can get ugly. We saw things get ugly. Um, and you know, Carson Wentz can just elevate that. And that matters. that matters for a team that actually has, you know, high expectations. I also think that even if JJ McCarthy has a higher ceiling than Carson Wentz, even now, again, I don’t mean long-term, even just short term. Carson Wentz will be able to tap into his ceiling more regularly than a JJ McCarthy right now. again, just by sheer virtue of experience. And that is why Kevin Oonnell is just like, “Yeah, listen. We’re not going to just throw JJ McCarthy into, you know, if he gets healthy on a Saturday, we’re not going to just throw him into a game on Sunday.” And it’s like, yeah, because he’s not ready to be able to do that. He hasn’t been in the NFL. You would do that with Mahomes. You would do that with Josh Allen. You would do that with Lamar, Jaylen, you would do that with all these other quarterbacks. Why? Because of experience. Because of experience. Because of experience. Because of experience. And it’s why you could throw in a Carson Wentz or a Sam Darnold, you know, or Baker Mayfield or Gina, whatever it is, and just be like, “Yeah, hey, you’re starting tomorrow. You’re starting at the second half. Get out there.” It’s like, yeah, these guys have been there. So again, that Kevin Oonnell is telling you that straight up. He’s literally saying, listen, even if JJ’s 100% healthy, like we’re not throwing him into the game day, you know, on the very next day and say, “Figure it out.” That that that tells you everything you need to know. And there’s many moments like that throughout a game. Even even when you are prepared, there’s many moments when it’s just like, ah, I kind of have to rely on you to be able to figure it out. I can only help you so much throughout the game. And so, a Carson Wentz will need less help throughout the game. And again, I’m not making the argument that uh Carson Wentz is about to just take this team above and beyond and just be like and and never look back or that there’s like a a real quarterback controversy where it’s just like uhoh, JJ’s done. Carson Wentz is going to be the quarterback of the future. Like that’s not the argument either. But, you know, you do owe it to your team to put the quarterback out there that is going to put you in a successful situation like immediately. Like nobody wants to wait. I made this argument before like Justin Jefferson and company like they’re not part of JJ McCarthy’s story. They’re they’re part of their own story. They’re they’re they’re here the coaching Brian Flores like all of them. They’re like they’re not here for the JJ McCarthy experience. They’re here for the Minnesota Vikings experience. Like that they’re they’re here to win. They’re here to play the best whether that’s Carson Wentz, Sam Darnold, JJ McCarthy, Kirk Cousins, whoever it may be. And so, yeah, there continues to be a lot of pressure on JJ McCarthy to perform. And the problem is that any if if Carson Wentz has a couple more games where they’re successful, where they’re winning, Justin Jefferson’s getting the ball, really any stretch of time, any stretch of time where JJ McCarthy is just not getting it done, everyone gets antsy. Everyone gets antsy. And Kevin O’Connell can even feel it from the outside, just be like, man, you know, I I I sense people are being like, what about Carson? What about Carson? What about Carson? Hey, Justin Jefferson had better connection with Carson than JJ right now. You know, it’s like, yeah, JJ is our future, but like we need to worry about right now. Like, you you get yourself in a in a difficult situation. And it’s again, it’s unfortunate that this is what keeps happening to JJ McCarthy by no fault of his own. I’ve said this again and again and again. JJ McCarthy is allowed to be a rookie quarterback. he is allowed to be a young quarterback who’s going to be immature in terms of his game, not personality, but like, you know, his game needs to evolve, grow, mature. Like, you know, it’s like he’s allowed to struggle. He’s allowed to have really ugly bad games. He’s allowed to get sacked a whole bunch of times. That’s what happens to rookie quarterbacks. Like, welcome to the NFL. Uh, you know, he’s allowed to throw interceptions. He’s allowed to have fumbles. He’s allowed to get confused by defenses. that’s that’s you know that’s you’re allowed to do that in the NFL as a as a young quarterback. So, but the problem is that we’ve seen this team have success. We’ve seen quarterbacks that people who don’t think are really that great have success. And so that just it just cranks up the pressure all around and the temperature in the room. And again, because all of that is out there, there’s no speculation. You know, it’s the team knows it, too. The players know it, too. They’re looking at Daniel Jones ball with Shane Stiken and they’re kind of thinking, man, we had Daniel Jones. They see Sam Sam Darnold having a ton of success in Seattle with a with with a fraction of there’s no Justin Jefferson in Seattle. There’s no there’s no there’s no Justin Jefferson there. You they see they see Sam playing great right now and they they know it. You can’t lie to players. You can’t lie to players. And so, you know, it just it just it cranks it all up right now. Um, but I mean, listen, I I I trust that the Minnesota Vikings will find their way through it and navigate it skillfully. And I think uh Kevin Oonnell even laid that out there where he was just like, “No, listen. We we’re letting JJ get healthy. We’re not jumping to anything right now. We also want to put him in a position to succeed. And so, if he’s if he’s healthy the day before a game, we’re not going to just throw him in there. We’re going to make sure that he’s prepared. It is my job as a coach to put these players in positions to succeed.” And I just made that argument with Jackson Dart and the New York Giants that like you have to put your quarterback, you have to put your players in positions to succeed. And it doesn’t feel like the Giants are doing that for Jackson Dart right now, throwing him in to the arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL. This the Chargers going up against Justin Herbert, undefeated, right? Like this that team has been balling right now and you’re like, “Okay, hey, here Jackson Dart, here’s your first game ever. Have at it. Best of luck to you.” It’s like that’s a tough existence. that that’s a that’s a tough place, a tough way to succeed, you know, in New York, right? Like it’s just things can get weird and they can get weird fast. Fortunately for you, you’re not run like the New York Giants. You’re actually wellrun at an incredibly high level. You got Kevin O’Connell. You got a great defense. You have a quarterback like a Carson Wentz who at the minimum can be competent, right? has has been around Mahomes, has been with Andy Reid, has been with Shawn Mcbate. Like, this is an experienced quarterback who played at a literal MVP level with the Philadelphia Eagles. Like, that goes a long way. So, it’s it’s not a surprise that from the jump, he can just kind of jump in there and, yeah, get the ball to Justin Jefferson, spread the ball around to all the receivers, deal with pressure a little bit better. Like, it it it makes sense that he’s going to be able to have that success. My whole thing about Carson is how much juice is left with him because he he is a little bit older. He’s, you know, in his early 30s, so he’s not like, oh, 27, 28, etc. Um, and he’s been injured a handful of times and, uh, he hasn’t been able to get like a collection of starts, uh, you know, within the the recent years. And so my question was like, I know the talent is there, but I don’t know how much is left and, uh, how much rust is there as well. But I loved what I saw with Carson in that game. He was incredibly patient and um I mean listen I I know they went up against a bad team but that’s a that’s an intense spot for Carson as well and a high pressure situation for Carson as well knowing hey this team is great. This team has had a lot of wins even with Sam Darnold. I’m going up against the Bengals. Like I I I I have an opportunity here. There’s pressure here. Like I I got to I got to succeed in this situation. If I can’t succeed in this situation, well then like I can’t succeed in any situation. And he answered the call. He played a really, really nice and clean, efficient game. Uh, and he deserves a lot of credit for that. But those are just my thoughts. I’d absolutely love to hear yours. What do you guys all think about JJ McCarthy, uh, and Carson Wentz and the potential for a quarterback controversy. Um, you know, try to answer the question honestly and not just like the automatic like no way JJ McCarthy this that like cuz I get it, J.J. McCarthy is the future of this team. But just in terms of looking at it right now, what this team needs, what puts them in the best possible situation to win, uh, let me know in the comments below. I read every single comment. So whether you agree with me or disagree with me, either way, let’s get in some discussions. Let’s get in some fights, but ultimately, let’s just have some fun. Please do consider subscribing. We are building an amazing community here and absolutely love to see you part of it. I want to build something that we all genuinely feel connected to, something that we’re really excited to be part of. I think we’re well on our way to doing it. And please don’t forget to give this video a thumbs up as it really does help with the visibility and the algorithm. Thank you so much.

ESPN NFL LIVE | Dan Orlovsky STUNS, Minnesota Vikings Have QB DRAMA With Carson Wentz & JJ McCarthy
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