J.J. McCarthy's first season as Vikings starter has included a pause in participation and plenty of bumps along the way.
He believes those bumps will soon produce a celebratory explosion.
"I kind of make the analogy of just a cork about to come off a bottle," McCarthy said Wednesday, via ESPN. "Just understanding that it's one to three little things that I need to change about my game that is going to make a huge difference in the outcome of every single drive in the game. So yeah, I feel like it's really close, but it all comes down to the consistency of the fundamentals."
So far, the consistency has been lacking for McCarthy, be it in accuracy, decision-making or delivery outside of the most important moments. He's struggled to establish a connection with top receiver Justin Jefferson and labored through his recent starts, posting a 2-4 TD-INT ratio while Jefferson has expressed visible frustration on the sideline.
In order for the Vikings to reach their goals, McCarthy must play a central role. That begins with better pocket behavior, an area which McCarthy has struggled to command both in awareness of his surroundings and delivery, leading to turnovers.
Coach Kevin O'Connell believes all of these issues can be fixed with an improvement in basic fundamentals, focusing on posture and improving his connection between McCarthy's feet and eyes. If anyone would know, it's the former NFL quarterback turned head coach.
"We just have to find that when it comes to the post-snap," O'Connell said, "and sometimes it's not even reads and progressions, it's simply just the fundamental foundation that we need to start seeing the concrete kind of dry a little bit on the work that's put in."
O'Connell exuded confidence when talking about McCarthy during training camp, keeping his reviews of the second-year quarterback (and de facto rookie after McCarthy missed his entire first season) vague while oozing with excitement. The results haven't quite followed suit, a surprise to some who believed McCarthy's year of sideline study would give him an advantage when he took the field in 2025.
"It was really just the injuries that I felt kind of took away all those reps," McCarthy said, "in the constant repetition to make those a habit and make them concrete like [O'Connell] talks about. But yeah, I feel like it's just the repetitions. How many times could I go home, and every time I take the dogs out, I'm getting 10 drops each time. Little things like that where I just keep getting the reps."
Over time, such reps should produce improved results. But in an NFL that seems to dwindle in patience more with each passing year, McCarthy needs to take a step forward, especially if the 4-6 Vikings have any hopes of climbing back into the playoff race in a rugged NFC North, starting Sunday against the rival Packers (6-3-1).
McCarthy believes in the process and will continue to adhere to it, regardless of outside expectations.
"You're rewiring neurological pathways," he said, "and that's not something that happens overnight. So just understanding in giving myself that grace, that patience that I might not have it today, but it's something I'm going to continue to strive after day after day, rep after rep and get to the place where we all want me to be."
The Vikings are hoping he arrives at that place sooner rather than later.
