Minnesota Vikings’ rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy put on a show over the weekend.
In his first preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, he finished 11/18 throwing, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a quarterback rating of 116.8. Outside of the interception, McCarthy was poised in the pocket , delivered some beautiful throws, and showed his quick twitch mobility that captured the imagination of Minnesota Vikings’ fans and what the future will look like.
Despite a solid performance in his NFL debut, one local beat writer still doesn’t think McCarthy has any chance of starting week one. Nothing will deter the Minnesota Vikings from starting Sam Darnold week one Appearing on the Access Vikings podcast after the game, Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) remains adamant that they won’t start McCarthy week one against the New York Giants, and that it is Sam Darnold’s job. He goes so far to say that nothing McCarthy does or doesn’t do over these next few weeks will deter the Minnesota Vikings’ from starting Darnold.
According to @BenGoessling via @AccessVikings , he doesn’t “expect anything to deter [the @Vikings ]” from starting Sam Darnold week one despite the superb performance from J.J McCarthy yesterday “It’s not the real thing. And Kevin O'Connell afterwards did not give any oxygen.
.. pic.
twitter.com/tK96GzK8NQ It’s not the real thing. And Kevin O’Connell afterwards did not give any oxygen to the idea that, hey, there’s a change coming in here anytime soon.
He said, we’re looking for development and that’s what we’re seeing, but he was not entertaining the possibility of a change there. I think it’s still very much going to be Sam Darnold. Probably fits with their plan that it’s Sam Darnold.
I would not expect anything to deter them from that at this point. Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) via Access Vikings This is quite the bold proclamation and something the beat writers have been adamant about from day one since drafting McCarthy. They continue to be the puppets of head coach Kevin O’Connell, but the real question is.
.. what happens if McCarthy continues to exceed expectations over this next month? J.
J. McCarthy a long shot to be week one starter but is it really zero percent? It’s a bold statement from Goessling. Something that bold is quite rare for a beat writer to say, especially this early into training camp and preseason games.
Darnold is definitely your favorite to start week one, but in no way shape or form is it a done deal. It would be foolish of O’Connell to name Darnold the starter this early and makes sense why he hasn’t yet. A lot can change between now and September 8th.
If McCarthy continues on this trajectory, the clamoring for him to become the starter will only intensify. This article first appeared on Minnesota Sports Fan and was syndicated with permission..
