J.J. McCarthy Talks Returning From Injury, Preparing to Start Against Lions, Confidence Level

J.J. McCarthy Talks Returning From Injury, Preparing to Start Against Lions, Confidence Level

Hello everyone. Um, just finished up a great practice. Felt like there was a lot that, you know, we did well and a lot that we got to improve on this week and, you know, got a tremendous opportunity in front of us against a divisional opponent, really tough opponent. You know, they’ve done a lot of great things this year and it’ll be great to see where we stack up against them and, uh, you know, we’re just really focused on attacking each and every day and making sure we’re prepared as possible going into this one on Sunday. So, I’ll open it up. There’s been waiting. We’ve asked you versions of this question before, but how hard has it been being 85% 90% thinking probably you could play, but having to wait until you got that green light? Really hard. Everything in my past, you know, how I went about things, it was always like if I felt, you know, 10%, 15%, I was going to go out there and give it my all. But understanding, you know, how this league works and, you know, how everything operates, I was just listening, you know, to my trainers and coach Okonnell and, you know, obeying orders at the end of the day. But I think it was the smartest thing possible and I feel great. How was your ankle feeling? Amazing. Ready to go. I feel like myself again. Feel like I, you know, have those uh mobility things that I was concerned about, you know, going into last week and the prior weeks. So, yeah, ready to go. Coach O talked about how you guys went back and watched your first couple of starts. What were some of the main things you took away from those first two games? The biggest thing I took away was just how, you know, we keep saying it, when we do the simple things, right? What does the outcome look like? So, really just focusing on my process this week, you know, going through the reads, making sure I’m taking the right footwork and staying, you know, kind of calm-minded and, you know, duck mentality in terms of, you know, just how I go about each play and each situation. So, it really just came down to the simple things and making sure we master that going into each and every week. What did you see just from the way that Carson played just on a positive aspect that you could take away? I would say the biggest thing about Carson’s game that I really admired was his ability to put balls in voids. You know, have that touch where he’s throwing 60% balls and letting Justin go into that void and, you know, catch it there. So, just being able to tempo my arm down on certain routes and certain inbreakers and stuff like that is something I picked up from him big time. That worked out last Tuesday. Like how close did you feel then to being able to go? I I felt close. You know, at the end of the day, it was still a couple things where I felt like my foot was in concrete and you just don’t want to be in that position, especially, you know, going into a Thursday game or Saturday or Sunday game. Um, it really doesn’t matter what game and when it is. Just not being able to move the way I want to and protect myself was the biggest concern. JJ, you’re a confident guy, but how confident do you feel coming off missing those games, going back to Michigan and being able to play well? Extremely confident every time we step out there. You know, it’s the work that we put in every single week. It’s the trust in my teammates and coaches and all of that’s been at an all-time high. you know, it sucks not being able to get the reps and, you know, be able to continue to progress all the fundamentals and all the little things, but there was a lot of areas that, you know, I picked up and think I benefit benefited from, you know, just watching and observing from the sideline. So, you know, extremely confident and ready to get after it. Sorry, Earl. teammate Aiden Hutchinson spoke about you yesterday. I imagine the only contact you’re hoping to have with him is the handshake at the end of the game. That would be nice. That’s for sure. But, uh, I’m sure, you know, he’s a great player, you know, fantastic leader and he’s gonna have that defense rolling and, you know, we’re we’re not expecting him, but we’re also expecting him to make some plays because you got to give him that credit. He is that good. So, just being able to, you know, take advantage of all the little details in the game plan and make sure we execute, you know, all the little things and that’ll give us our best shot. JJ, what took your ankle from still feeling stuck in cement last week to feeling as good as you’re saying it feels today? Like what happened last week? I think it was just time. you know, at the end of the day with these high ankles, it’s like stress it and then okay, I reached that I expanded that bandwidth of what I can do and then just keep going from there. So, I feel like it was just the allotted amount of time to where, you know, I feel like I can do everything on the football field painfree. You know, a little bit limitations here or there, but that’s how high ankles work. You know, I’m going to be feeling this thing for a little bit for here now uh here on out. So, yeah. kids time to think uh during this whole uh six week process like how do you kind of think about your first year and a half in the NFL like what you know it’s been like for you a roller coaster definitely not something I’ve been used to playing uh football in my career and you know it’s something that you know you don’t know now but you’ll know later you know God always has a plan for every single one of us and I have full faith in that and you know I’m just continuing to trust my process because I’m confident in the things that I’m doing on a day-to-day basis are the right thing. So, obviously you adapt and you evolve that process, but you can’t lose sight of, you know, what got you here and what’s going to get you to where you want to go. So, yeah, it’s been a roller coaster, that’s for sure. Do you think at all about this week as if you’re starting over in some senses or is I think there’s a, you know, a reset button essentially just being, you know, six weeks down. And, uh, you know, I feel like there’s a lot that I learned on just, you know, playing the game of football at the in the next level. You know, this is my second year. I’m still learning so much and you know all that time is not time that’s wasted. So yeah, it’s a little bit of a reset but you know just coming from a different perspective. Kevin talked about watching film the first two games with you. What did you take from that? I took you know just the simple things and how it really affects the outcome of each play and affects the momentum of the drives that we’re trying to you know continue to have and uh yeah it’s really just how important those simple things are each and every play. lost a lot in your football life. Just like how hard has it been to kind of let that loss linger and not be able to kind of get back to the last 6 months? It’s definitely a bad taste in your mouth for sure. But at the end of the day, you know, I never really obviously want to win every single game, but you know, in terms of just the growth of the individual, growth of the team, it’s not about the wins and losses. It’s about the process and, you know, understanding that, yeah, we could have some wins and some hot streaks, but, you know, what’s showing up that we’re kind of letting the winning blind us a little bit. So, I think it’s just all about the process and me being focused on that. The outcomes really don’t mean anything. It’s just about getting better. Thank you guys.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center ahead of the Week 9 game against the Detroit Lions.

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