‘SHORTCUTS’ at the QB spot are costing the Minnesota Vikings 🗣️ – Stephen A. Smith | First Take

North where the Vikings secondyear quarterback JJ McCarthy is set to return this week when Minnesota plays the Lions. After sitting out three straight weeks of practice, McCarthy says he’s finally feeling good, feeling like himself, and he’s ready to go. Last season with Sam Darnold on center, the Vikings averaged nearly 350 yards per game and converted 40% of their third downs. This season with a mix of JJ McCarthy and Carson Wentz, the numbers are way down. The Vikings ranked 26th in yards per game this season. Look, Darnold Seahawks are 5-2. Daniel Jones, who was a Viking last year in the second half of the season, is having an MVP caliber season. Mina, what does JJ have to show everyone to make Minnesota’s decision to go with them not look like a mistake? Development. You guys, we’ve talked about this. It’s I think it’s way too early to call it on JJ McCarthy. has barely played football. I also think the expectation for him shouldn’t be that he’s better than Sam Darnold at this point in his career. He was your first round draft pick. You want him to look like the future. He doesn’t necessarily have to be the present. And to do that, you want to see improvement. Uh in his very limited action early on this season, by far the biggest issue was that he held on to the football too long. It seemed like he was still adjusting to NFL speed, both in terms of pass rushers catching up to him, NFL windows closing, taking too many sacks because of that. Can that clock speed up? If you’re a Vikings fan and you see him over not just this weekend, but the rest of the season, if it feels like he is playing faster as the year goes on, then he can start leaning into some of his strengths, arm strength, athleticism, all of that, then you feel happy as a Vikings fan. The bet on JJ McCarthy was not a bet that they’re going to win in the playoffs this year. It’s a bet that they found the quarterback of the future and that they can continue building around him. They could have franchised Arnold. They could have brought Daniel Jones. So, Dan, you think this is a no-brainer. This is not a mistake to go with JJ McCarthy. Yeah, I’m I’m with Mina way too early to to kind of figure that out. I think the two things, number one, he’s got to play for the remainder of the season every snap. So, like that if if that’s one thing that we all have to be looking at because Dan, absolutely. you know, he last year he didn’t get the chance to develop because he was hurt. And then this year he hasn’t really gotten the chance to develop because he’s been hurt. And so one thing is just get on the field and stay on the field and play every snap. I think the second thing is if I was with JJ McCarthy, I would just sit there and be like, “See it, trust it, and rip it, man. See it, trust it, and rip it. He’s such a young talent. Mina is completely correct. Holding on to the football too long, dude. Don’t trust. Just go. Just go play. Me as the coach, Kevin Okcon, I’ll get him open. And if I don’t get them open, tell me I’m not doing my job good enough. I’ll get him open. Cut it loose. Here’s where I stand. You know what? RC, go first. Point a Yeah. Okay. So, this is this is what I know. I know that Jayen Daniels is a star. Talk about it. I know that Drake May is a star. I know that Bo Nicks is the franchise quarterback of the Denver Broncos for the next decade plus. I think Caleb Williams star is ascending, right? Caleb Williams is starting to show some signs that he could be the guy. Jury still out for me with Michael Pennix Jr. We need to be in a spot with JJ McCarthy where I can come in here on Monday and say, “I see it though.” Right? It doesn’t necessarily have to all be there, right? We have to remember at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh didn’t ask JJ McCarthy to go win games with his arm each and every week, right? He was a part of a system, which a lot of times when we’re seeing guys drafted in the top 10 coming into the NFL now, they’re not a part of the system. They are the system, right? We’ve asked them to do so much to help these teams win. That wasn’t JJ McCarthy. That was the huge argument about him going so high. So here now when we talk about Hawinson and you say Justin Jefferson and you talk Jordan Addison and Mason in the backfield, just so show me you can be a piece of this that adds to what we’re doing because we are all all sure about Kevin O’Connell. We need to be at least sure that JJ McCarthy is getting better. Yeah. I’m going to say something because I know we got to be quick and I want y’all to think about this and hold on to this for future shows. You too, Mina. Sam Donner wet the bed when the lights were brightest last year in the last two games. We understand that. But prior to that, he was 14 and two. When you have weapons like Justin Jefferson, Adam and Hawinson, and those boys, what you need is your quarterback and you should be able to propel, particularly when you have a coach who is as exceptional as Kevin Oonnell, which we all know. Is it possible? And I’m going to end by saying this because remember he signed Sam Donald signs with Seattle three years $100.5 million. 55 million guaranteed. Okay. Making 33.5 million this year. Last year when he was producing for the Minnesota Vikings, it was on a one-year $10 million contract. You go with the rookie. Why? Because is it really about JJ McCarthy and the fact that he won a national championship in Michigan and you see all of this in him? Or is it the fact that because you have Kevin O’Connell, the quarterback whisperer, you think you could take shortcuts from the quarterback spot so you can allocate those dollars everywhere else. And that’s what’s costing the Minnesota Vikings because to me, if I got weapons everywhere else, I want to make sure in the NFL I got my quarterback. And you decided to invest and go all in on a rookie. That’s what I’m asking. Mina, they got weapons, but you know what? They don’t got a run game. Functioning pass protection right now. Stephen, the bet was we can make this team so good around him. It’s going to be like driving a Lamborghini. turns out not quite a Lamborghini. I mean, the weapons are amazing, but they have to improve the run game, the offensive line. That’s a big part of why Sam Darnold struggled at the end. It’s going to be a big part of why JJ struggles, too. I’m just I I’m in no position to agree disagree with me. All I’m trying to say is that when you got the weapons in your passing game that they have, everybody ain’t got what Minnesota has to sit up there and just say, you know what, we could go with the rookie. I’m just saying that’s suspect, particularly considering you spent 10 million on your quarterback last year. You got a rookie on on you using Darnold and Jones, but also RC’s point that draft class. Yes, they all look like and he’s still the TBD. Good point. Three out of the five right now are like Yes. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky join Peter Schrager on First Take to discuss what Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has to show going forward.

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49 comments

  1. The jj slander is ridiculous these keyboard warriors act like every qb comes into the league in tip top shape and immune to injuries ready to win super bowls, it takes time like gd u want this steak grilled or u just wanna microwave it and call it good? I will say tho shoulda franchised sammy d if u were concerned ab paying him, hindsight tho wonderful thing

  4. I said why would you think to even trade a QB that took you to an almost undefeated season last year and they did. Just cause he had a bad post season. Darnold still ballin

  5. The problem for JJ is his front line let them destroy wentz and JJ doesn't take hits well. If you give him a little time back there he will slowly figure this League out

  9. I can't wait until the Seattle defensive front rings up JJ McCarthey like they did to Trevor Lawrence and CJ Stroud. Then we can revisit this notion of quarterbacks buckling under pressure.

    2024-2025 4th quarter comeback wins:

    Patrick Mahomes-7

    Sam Darnold-6——->Folds under pressure? Nope.

    Jared Goff-5

    Jalen Huts-5

    Josh Allen-4

    Jared Goff: 20-4 record over the past 24 regular season starts. Sam Darnold: 19-5 record over the past 24 regular season starts. Jalen Hurts: 19-5 record over the last 24 regular season starts. Patrick Mahomes: 19-5 record over the past 24 regular season starts. Josh Allen 18-6: record over the past 24 regular season starts.

  10. No more “competitive seasons with a playoff out”. No no no. That’s all Darnold was gonna be. Personally, I’m fine with them losing trying to find a good franchise quarterback after yrs of mediocrity.

  11. Developing the qb you drafted seems like the opposite of a shortcut?
    Seems more like injuries are hurting them. Like did the Ravens take shortcuts? Or is it just summed up as injury, cant be helped?

  13. These black commentators are terrible they do everything to destroy black quarterbacks and defend the white ones, like this guy missed the whole season and come back trash then messed more games if this was a black quarterback all of them would've destroyed him, please black commentators defend the black quarterbacks like the white commentators defend white quarterbacks

  16. I definitely agree that they should’ve kept Darnold, but that doesn’t change the fact that this take doesn’t make sense. How is starting a second-year player coming off an ACL injury who has never played an NFL snap a “shortcut” compared to re-signing a vet who played great for you last year? Going with JJ wasn’t a shortcut; it was a conscious decision to let him struggle as he learns and develops as opposed to signing a more proven QB. That’s the exact OPPOSITE of a shortcut😂

  21. Mina and Dan both sound stupid. You don't "develop" a qb when you're coming off a 14 win season.. That's either stupidity or arrogance. Mina making excuses for JJ is actually pathetic.

  22. Can't talk about Vikings QBs without mentioning the OL. Their OL last year had a pass block win rate (PBWR) that was 2nd best in the league; this means only one other team did a better job blocking on passing plays than the Vikings. They made a bunch of OL changes and now their PBWR is 25th best in the league and in recent history almost every team with a PBWR as bad as the Vikings has also really struggled throwing the ball. Until the Vikings can get back to being able to block for their QB I'm putting the vast majority of the bad offensive play solely on the OL

  28. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and koc don't know what they're doing, and it shows so the best thing can happen is a house cleaning fire both and get someone that can bulid a team from a great franchise

  34. JJ McCarthy is a bust! No need to keep talking about this guy. Vikings dropped the ball on Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, and Cousins. The GM needs to go. I’ll take Joe Miton lll any day over bust JJ McCarthy.
    JJ McCarthy will NEVER win a Superbowl as a starter.

  35. He has to prove he can throw. Penix, Nix, Daniels, Ward, Williams, Maye, and even Gabriel are on the top yards and TD list 2023, McCarthy is not. So, you evaluate him on probably 4th quarter performance which can be skewed because risk and defenses change. He has 2 games in the NFL, of course Lance has only 5 starts and a top offensive coach probably correctly evaluated him as not close to being a starter. This is another case of a top offensive coach maybe passing a verdict on a guy, though in this case you probably will see him flop around this season, because there is no Jimmy G to start in his place. With the receivers and coordinator, if he ends up in Justin Fields territory passing, they will bring in their Jimmy G who may be week 1 starter, his passing yards and TD% per game should be better, Fields does keep his rating up.

  36. The kid got no confidence right now and he's going to play scared. This is a disaster for the Vikings and it needs to be addressed after the season is over. No playoff spot for the Vikings this year. Use the high draft pick on a QB.

  37. Um lots of qb need a full year of ups & downs. Darnold & DJones don't play lt or centre. They don't stop the run. Darnolds last 2 games would have looked the same in some of these games this year

  39. NEGROS MEXICANS NATIVE AMERICANS 12 TRIBES OF JACOB WE ARE GOD CHOSEN PEOPLE THE TRUE HEBREW ISRAELITES OF THE BIBLE RESEARCH NO EATING PORK LOBSTERS NO BOTTOM FEEDERS 💯💯💯💯

  45. JJ has nine games to prove if he is good or not. If he's good, KOC probably keeps his job to keep developing him. If he's a bust, you gotta wonder if the Wilfs don't blow it all up. Couldn't say I would blame them if they did. Jefferson is gonna want out too soon if that happens. Do keep him or get a haul of draft picks?!?! I think Kwesi needs to go, not good at drafting!!

  46. The Vikings made a mistake. This is a team that should be in win-now mode. They won 14 games last year and have one of the best wide receiver duos in the league with Jefferson and Addison. Add in Hockenson, Aaron Jones, and talent all over the roster — this is a playoff-caliber team, period. With the right quarterback, they’d be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

    Now is not the time to roll the dice on developing a young quarterback and hoping he pans out. The Vikings needed someone who could help them win right now, and McCarthy isn’t that guy. Honestly, they should’ve re-signed Darnold. Sure, he has flaws — but they were winning plenty of games with him, and year two in this system could’ve shown real improvement. Darnold earned another shot.

    If McCarthy ends up being a bust, this move could set the franchise back years. I think the Vikings are going to get crushed in Detroit. McCarthy’s going to look lost out there. When it’s all said and done, I think Minnesota finishes last in the NFC North. Yes — I think the Bears beat them in the rematch and end the season with a better record.

  49. To me the worst part about this is that I think Darnold was KOC's PERFECT QB. Big tall and strong and willing an able to stand in the pocket for that extra tick while the downfield pass patterns developed and take the big hit if it meant being able to push the ball down the field which he is very very good at and it's also exactly what KOC wants to do.

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