Getty Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy.
J.J. McCarthy has practiced just once as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, but the mentoring he’s received from quarterbacks coach Josh McCown is already having an impact.
McCown shadowed McCarthy throughout the first day of rookie minicamps on May 10 and, according to ESPN’s Kevin Siefert, offered feedback “after nearly every throw, particularly emphasizing a tweak the team has made to McCarthy’s footwork.”
One play that stood out in particular from their first practice together was a pass along the sidelines that McCown brought McCown back to his playing days.
McCown, who played 18 seasons in the NFL, told him the story of an interception he threw on that same route in 2015, when he was a Cleveland Browns quarterback. Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib returned it for a touchdown.
“It helps so much because he has that experience and those NFL scars,” McCarthy said after practice. “That’s a far throw. He’s talking about his process and going back to his mistake he made against Aqib Talib and chasing him down to the end zone. It’s like learning from his mistakes, and he’s so vocal about it. It’s just invaluable, and I really appreciate it.”
Vikings Rookie J.J. McCarthy Shows Comfort on 1st Day of Practice
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Learning a new offense is enough homework for an entire summer, but McCarthy adjusting to an entirely new life is a steep task for any rookie.
However, a constant path of learning is a mentality McCarthy has embraced, and that showed on Friday with his comfort in practice.
McCarthy ran through plays Friday morning before practice began as the essential orchestrator of the no-padded practice that was primarily 7-on-7 drills.
“It didn’t feel like my first day,” he said in a May 10 news conference. “I’ve been going over the offense for a long time now. So being able to [go] out there and perform and execute, that’s new, but it was nothing that was overwhelming or too much.”
Kevin O’Connell Praises Josh McCown for His Work With J.J. McCarthy
GettyQuarterbacks coach Josh McCown of the Minnesota Vikings.
When McCown joined the Vikings coaching staff, it seemed like a sign the Vikings would land Drake Maye, who McCown coached in high school.
However, with the Vikings’ selection of McCarthy, McCown is showing his worth goes well-beyond his connections.
“The best thing Josh does is he communicates in a way that is so full of information and knowledge,” O’Connell said in a May 10 news conference. “Having a guy that played as long as he did and really worked through a lot of aspects of the position as a player, he’s got an unbelievable aspect of teaching: how he communicates things; how he can demonstrate things; how he can allow a player to kind of get it and understand that that next rep is either going to solidify that, or it’s going to provide another opportunity to coach.”
O’Connell’s staff that he’s hired to surround his quarterbacks with support are tantamount to the Vikings’ success coming out of the Cousins era, and he’s shown effusive praise for everyone involved.