When does McCarthy start?

[allday1991]

If you asked me before the schedule was released I would have said week one, even placed a bet on Jj at +1400 for ROTY. After seeing the schedule I feel the most likely bets are week 7 after the bye or the colts week 9 after the run of playoff likely teams. Thoughts?

[Cliff]

I say next season. I think Sam Darnold is going to surprise people. Not in that he'll be amazing, but better than the league thinks and good enough to not rush McCarthy in.

[Thaumaturgist]

I also think Sam Darnold will surprise some people, so I believe it will be next season.

[CharVike]

I think week 1. There will be grooming needed so they might as well get that started asap.

[Cliff]

Vikings Insider Puts a Damper on J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold Camp Battle

Minnesota Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy will be the spectacle at training camp this summer as he hopes to unseat Sam Darnold as the Vikings’ starting quarterback to begin the 2024 season.

However, even if McCarthy beats out Darnold in training camp, that may not be enough to make him the team’s Week 1 starter.

Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling offered insight into the Vikings’ thought process in developing McCarthy, saying the rookie has a higher bar to clear than just performing better than Darnold.

“I don’t think that their approach to the job is based on: is he better than Sam Darnold,” Goessling said on KFAN radio on May 14. “I think the threshold they are looking at is: is he ready to take the job and run with it and do all of the things that we want to see done by an elite quarterback in this offense? And if it’s not there yet, or if it’s not there consistently enough yet, let’s wait. I think it’s about much more about that than this year.”

[CharVike]

Vikings Insider Puts a Damper on J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold Camp Battle

Minnesota Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy will be the spectacle at training camp this summer as he hopes to unseat Sam Darnold as the Vikings’ starting quarterback to begin the 2024 season.

However, even if McCarthy beats out Darnold in training camp, that may not be enough to make him the team’s Week 1 starter.

Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling offered insight into the Vikings’ thought process in developing McCarthy, saying the rookie has a higher bar to clear than just performing better than Darnold.

“I don’t think that their approach to the job is based on: is he better than Sam Darnold,” Goessling said on KFAN radio on May 14. “I think the threshold they are looking at is: is he ready to take the job and run with it and do all of the things that we want to see done by an elite quarterback in this offense? And if it’s not there yet, or if it’s not there consistently enough yet, let’s wait. I think it’s about much more about that than this year.”

What happened to best man up. That would seem to fit the competitive rebuild better than playing a lesser player. Unless they gave up on the competitive approach. If that's true why bother signing a fading RB to take the lead role? This elite QB means nothing. It's like saying the "prettiest girl" which has a different meaning to everybody. They threw Cousins out because of not meeting their elite status so how long will it take JJM to get above that level? He's a better prospect and a winner so that should help. They only have a year left. Maybe it's go all in for 25 when that season starts or something similar.

[VikingLord]

Vikings Insider Puts a Damper on J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold Camp Battle

Minnesota Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy will be the spectacle at training camp this summer as he hopes to unseat Sam Darnold as the Vikings’ starting quarterback to begin the 2024 season.

However, even if McCarthy beats out Darnold in training camp, that may not be enough to make him the team’s Week 1 starter.

Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling offered insight into the Vikings’ thought process in developing McCarthy, saying the rookie has a higher bar to clear than just performing better than Darnold.

“I don’t think that their approach to the job is based on: is he better than Sam Darnold,” Goessling said on KFAN radio on May 14. “I think the threshold they are looking at is: is he ready to take the job and run with it and do all of the things that we want to see done by an elite quarterback in this offense? And if it’s not there yet, or if it’s not there consistently enough yet, let’s wait. I think it’s about much more about that than this year.”

Fascinating quote, both for what it says and what it implies.

The way I see it, the name of the game in pro football is winning football games. Not winning future football games - winning the next game and the game after that. So if KOC and the Vikings really can afford to sit an objectively better player for the noble, but ill-defined goal of him being "more ready" while they start an objectively worse player, especially at the QB position of all positions, then KOC will lose games he otherwise should have won and will subject himself and his team to justified criticism.

Now I'm not saying I think McCarthy is objectively better than Darnold, nor that even if he shows some amazing talent he's necessarily ready to be the starter as part of being the starter at any position on any team at any level is making more good plays on average than bad plays. That is something for the coaching staff to evaluate and be objective about, and I have to assume they are and will be as their decisions at QB will carry enormous consequences for the team and their own futures.

What I am saying is that if they can clearly see that McCarthy is ready and the better option to start than Darnold, I hope they start him and don't hold him back for some vainglory attempt to "develop" him further. Experience is a great teacher, maybe the best teacher, and there are many, many examples of young and unheralded QBs getting thrust into the starting role early in their careers and never looking back. Tom Brady and Brock Purdy are good examples of that, but I'm sure there are others as well. In their cases their respective teams had no choice as the established veteran starters went out with injuries, but the point is that rookie QBs generally show what they can do on the field when given the chance. Holding them back in favor of an established starter makes sense to some degree, but Sam Darnold is not an established starter. He's a journeyman vet who might be two clicks better than Mullens. If McCarthy is special, OTOH, why in the world KOC would choose to sit him knowing that, or even suspecting it, in favor of starting someone less capable is just beyond my comprehension. IF that is the case, which I don't know that it is.

The quote posted by Cliff strikes me as a version of Mike Tice's infamous "Randy Ratio" - the notion that winning simply correlated with the number of times Randy Moss was targeted in the passing game. That there is an objective way to "develop" a young QB and if that path is followed it somehow increases the chances of that QB being better. I hope that is not what KOC intends. I hope he intends to get McCarthy behind center as soon as McCarthy demonstrates a mastery of the offense and concepts and is ready to get in there. The clock is already ticking on McCarthy's time with the Vikings. While they shouldn't force him in if he's not ready, if he is ready, let's see what he's got.

[Tommy TarkenKapp]

When he's ready. If he's ready to go by week 1. He should start then. If he's ready by mid season. He should start then. If he isn't ready until 2025. Start him then. However, if he isn't ready to start in 2025 then I'd be pretty concerned. But, he appears to have a very good work ethic & maturity you don't see in many 21 year olds. He seems quite dedicated to winning. I suspect he takes on the starting role at some point in 2024. Could even be opening day.

[allday1991]

When he's ready. If he's ready to go by week 1. He should start then. If he's ready by mid season. He should start then. If he isn't ready until 2025. Start him then. However, if he isn't ready to start in 2025 then I'd be pretty concerned. But, he appears to have a very good work ethic & maturity you don't see in many 21 year olds. He seems quite dedicated to winning. I suspect he takes on the starting role at some point in 2024. Could even be opening day.

I think the debate atm is, what if he isn’t ready BUT is still the best qb on the roster giving us the best chance to win. What if Darnold isn’t ready either?

[Tommy TarkenKapp]

When he's ready. If he's ready to go by week 1. He should start then. If he's ready by mid season. He should start then. If he isn't ready until 2025. Start him then. However, if he isn't ready to start in 2025 then I'd be pretty concerned. But, he appears to have a very good work ethic & maturity you don't see in many 21 year olds. He seems quite dedicated to winning. I suspect he takes on the starting role at some point in 2024. Could even be opening day.

I think the debate atm is, what if he isn’t ready BUT is still the best qb on the roster giving us the best chance to win. What if Darnold isn’t ready either?

If McCarthy is only slightly better? Roll with Darnold until McCarthy is clearly the better option. There's no reason to think Darnold won't be ready. This isn't his first rodeo. He has enough starting experience. He's not great but he'll be serviceable until McCarthy is clearly ready.

[allday1991]

I think the debate atm is, what if he isn’t ready BUT is still the best qb on the roster giving us the best chance to win. What if Darnold isn’t ready either?

If McCarthy is only slightly better? Roll with Darnold until McCarthy is clearly the better option. There's no reason to think Darnold won't be ready. This isn't his first rodeo. He has enough starting experience. He's not great but he'll be serviceable until McCarthy is clearly ready.

I might have my hopes set too high for McCarthy but I personally believe there is a near zero percent chance that Sam Darnold out works Jj or offers anything other than experience as a bonus to starting him. I personally am not so sure about Darnold, I think he might struggle considerably and not be as serviceable as some other board members think. But I strongly believe is jj falls, it won’t be because of work ethic.