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(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Training camp continues for the Minnesota Vikings, with Aug. 3 marking the first time the team practiced with pads on. Moreover, the focus remains on the Vikings‘ QB competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
With the Vikings’ first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 14, each practice is under the microscope. While there could be good and bad days for both players, the smallest details could decide this battle.
On the Aug. 3 edition of “The Alec Lewis Show,” Vikings reporter for The Athletic Alec Lewis issued an update on how both quarterbacks looked after the team’s practice on Aug. 1.
“On Saturday, Kyler looked very sharp,” Lewis said. “Thought that was probably the best practice that I’ve seen him have in a Vikings uniform going back all the way through the spring… The conviction in what they were running seemed pretty solid. The layering of the football, the decisiveness, everything that I think anybody optimistic about the Kyler Murray signing would have wanted to see displayed itself during that Saturday practice.
“I said it, but he looked comfortable. He felt comfortable. His eyes with some of these passing concepts seemed to be in the right spot. He got from one to two to three. He threw the football in rhythm. There wasn’t a lot of dancing around the pocket, just decisive, the type of NFL quarterback play that you need on Sundays to be able to contend in divisions like the Vikings play in.”
How Did J.J. McCarthy Look During Practice on Aug. 1?
Meanwhile, as for J.J. McCarthy, Lewis also shared what he saw of the former first-round pick during the practice on Aug. 1, which wasn’t good.
“I’d say J.J. McCarthy on Saturday had one of his poorer practices since he’s come back this spring,” Lewis added. “The timing just felt a little off. This is not even to cover for J.J. McCarthy. I just think that, during Saturday’s practice in particular, he ran a lot of the drills where the struggles happened. He took a lot of reps with the first team, but there were some drills with the second team where you wonder if he’s taking an extra beat because nobody is open or if he’s just not seeing it.
“However your lens is on this quarterback competition, you’re probably going to view that in a particular way because I don’t get the practice film, which makes it really hard to convincingly and with conviction give you my perspective. But there’s no question that Saturday’s practice didn’t have a lot of comfortable completions. He had a lot of time in the pocket, and many of his throws felt late or flat.”
How Both Vikings QBs Looked in Full Pad Practice
Now, on Aug. 3, the Vikings had their first practice in pads, and each pass Murray and McCarthy attempt is one step closer to the real-live action they’ll see on Aug. 14 against the Ravens. Lewis shared what he saw from the two signal-callers during that practice session.
“Monday, I would say, not as crisp or sharp from Kyler Murray and then J.J. McCarthy,” Lewis added. “There were some positive moments, but the two-minute drill to end it will stand in my mind from the practice. [For] Kyler, there were a lot of team periods where he took snaps with the twos, including a red zone seven-on-seven period where Kyler was sharp and decisive… In that seven-on-seven period, Kyler looked pretty solid. Whereas J.J. McCarthy, with the ones in that period, was similarly just kind of slow.
“Whether that was because receivers weren’t open or not, it’s hard to say without reviewing the practice tape, but there was a throw to Justin Jefferson on the back line that was just like velocity, not much air under it, not catchable behind Justin Jefferson, and kind of bounced and hit the ground.”
It will be interesting to see how the two QBs continue to perform in practice this week and who can put themselves in position to be the starter in Minnesota’s first preseason game.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo