J.J. McCarthy’s Injury Rescued the Vikings From the Hype
Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
At a surface level, J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending injury is devastating. McCarthy came on strong by advancing his game in the short period between OTAs and training camp, and that even translated to his time in the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason opener. He went from being the firm backup to Sam Darnold, to being in line for taking some reps with the starting offense during this week’s joint practices with the Cleveland Browns.
McCarthy’s trajectory was going to force the Vikings to make a decision: Do they stick with their plan to start Darnold and ease their first-round pick into the NFL? Or do they see his rapid progression and decide to accelerate his timeline to start?
Who knows what the right answer would have been for the Vikings? Maybe McCarthy was closer to be ready to take over the offense than we all had thought. Or maybe it would have been a disaster that set back his development. We can’t know.
But the one thing we can know is: the Vikings can’t make the mistake of rushing his development.
Now, both Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have been adamant and in lockstep about not throwing McCarthy into the deep end before he is ready. There’s no reason to think they’re lying or to question their commitment to it. But facts are facts: The hype for McCarthy was going to become overwhelming to the point where it would be difficult for Kwesi and KOC to stick to their plan.
You can call this season for Minnesota a transitional year all you want. In some ways, it is. But there is so much high-profile talent on the Vikings’ roster that it’s hard to keep expectations in check. Sure, rationally, we as fans can tell ourselves that, sure, this is probably something like a six-win team.
But also… if the Purple could just get a QB who can handle the keys to drive the expensive, flashy offense… if Brian Flores can work his magic with a deeper pool of talent than last year… If Justin Jefferson can put up another MVP-caliber season… It’s easy for even the most rational fans to get carried away into seeing a path to the playoffs, even if the logical side of your brain is desperately begging you to keep the hopes in check.
Put it this way: If McCarthy continued to ball out in preseason, and Darnold sputtered to a 1-4 start, or even something like 2-5, there’s no way in hell fans are going to be demanding Nick Mullens to take over. No, those calls for McCarthy are going to be loud, to the point where it’s easy to see fans booing Darnold or Mullens coming onto the field in order to be patient with McCarthy.
Maybe Kwesi and KOC can withstand the might of the hype machine. But it’d be hard, and it’d be really easy to get caught up with, convincing themselves that Yeah, McCarthy might just be ready or even We’re 3-8, do we really need Jaren Hall taking those reps? Now, it’s not even a question. They can just make the patient decision, and it’s a lot harder to find examples of quarterbacks who ruined their careers waiting too long to get into games than it is to find ones that got rushed.
Sure, this still sucks, it’s never a good thing to suffer a meniscus tear to miss a season of work. But the phrase “career-ending meniscus injury” isn’t exactly common. He’ll be back, and he’ll retain that same arm talent and athleticism as before.
Besides, if any three people on Earth would be excited to use this time on the shelf to absorb the playbook, go over offensive concepts, and master an offensive scheme, it’s McCarthy, KOC, and QB coach Josh McCown. The two coaches are nerds for the art of quarterbacking, and McCarthy has shown commitment to his craft in even forcing himself into the discussion to start. The guy who’s famous for using meditation as a tool to help him play is probably going to take advantage of having to work on the mental aspects of quarterbacking.
The injury is a bad break for McCarthy, absolutely, and it seals the team’s fate with Darnold, whether he sinks or swims. But making it impossible to rush McCarthy has the potential to offset the harm of lost development time. Now McCarthy can work his way back, build good habits while rehabbing, and go about preparing for the starting role without the pressure that comes with being part of a quarterback controversy.
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