Week 3 Vs. Bengals

[VikingsVictorious]

Great win. 2-1 and building.

[VikingsVictorious]

So the question I have is how much of that was having Darrisaw back, and how much was it having a veteran qb in today?
Probably a bit of both. Wentz did seem to have more than a second to make a play, but he also seemed more poised, or calmer back there. What do you all think, do we have the start of a qb controversy, or are we seeing what the team looks like with some of its better players back?

I'll call it 80% Darrisaw 20% Vet QB. I still believe in JJ McCarthy but maybe 95% instead of 100%.

[VikingLord]

So the question I have is how much of that was having Darrisaw back, and how much was it having a veteran qb in today?
Probably a bit of both. Wentz did seem to have more than a second to make a play, but he also seemed more poised, or calmer back there. What do you all think, do we have the start of a qb controversy, or are we seeing what the team looks like with some of its better players back?

We should have the start of a QB controversy. We should have had that controversy after week two ended and the Vikings had run the fewest offensive plays in the NFL by a wide margin. I mean, what exactly has McCarthy done so far to be the unquestioned starting QB? I get that they drafted him 10th overall. I get that they want a young franchise QB to build around. But they can't will that to happen. They might have to accept that McCarthy isn't that guy, or at the very least he's not ready to be that guy quite yet. The accuracy issues alone should make KOC strongly consider making a change. No pro QB is going to be flawless, but McCarthy has been wildly inaccurate thus far. Wentz doesn't have the benefit of a full offseason with his receivers and the offense and he looked much better than McCarthy has when McCathy was at his best in the 4th against the Bears. Once he settled in the offensive line suddenly didn't look so bad, the running game was more effective, and the receivers suddenly started to look like some of the better ones in the NFL. The QB is so instrumental to making the offense go. No amount of OL play, skill position talent or playcalling can overcome just downright crappy QB play. I think that was clearly demonstrated today, and as Wentz settles in over the next two weeks I think the Vikings offense will again start to resemble the effective unit we saw for most of last year. Heck, even Brosmer looked pretty good when he was in there had his receivers executed for him.

I'm sorry, but I'm just not sold on McCarthy. I've seen nothing from him that suggests he is capable of becoming a great QB thus far, much less even an average one. He's still young and I suppose he deserves a chance but it seems pretty clear he's not ready yet. Give him some more time to sit and learn and let's see what the Vikings can do offensively with competent QB play. KOC owes the team the best chance to win, and McCarthy is not that yet and there is a good chance he never will be.

[VikingLord]

In terms of general comments on the game, I'll start with Wentz. Wentz looked uncomfortable at first, which didn't surprise me given his limited time with the team. He took some bad coverage sacks and was a little late on some of his reads early. However, he seemed to settle down once the Vikings had a comfortable lead and then he worked the field like the vet he is. I was especially impressed by how he got the ball to his tight ends. The timing got better as the game went on and he put the ball on the money for the most part. When he took sacks he protected the ball. I thought he played well and his play marked a turning point for the offense as a whole. They sustained drives and effectively balanced run and pass. They produced points. That is what the Vikings offense is supposed to look like this year. Not the total incompetence we saw for almost all of the first two games. If we see another game like this from the offense with Wentz under center KOC had better shelve the McCarthy project for this year and give Wentz the reins, or he's going to have a lot of explaining to do should he force McCarthy back under center and the offense goes in the tank again.

Jordan Mason also deserves recognition for the game he had. He hit the holes when they were there and made the most of things when they weren't. Having a credible ground threat also made a big difference. If Jones is healthy he should get some touches, but I think Mason presents a more credible threat right now and should be getting the majority of the reps.

The defense also showed up. Obviously, Isaiah Rodgers had the defensive game of at least the first quarter of this century. A pick returned for a TD is great by itself, but forcing a fumble he then returned himself for another TD is almost unheard of and he forced another fumble later. Pretty dang incredible. And while the Bengals run offense is pretty crappy, the Vikings defense stayed home. Redmond had another strong game in the middle, Pace was playing the runner instead of guessing, and the defense overall was just solid. The Vikings invested so much into the defense over the offseason. It was nice and encouraging to see the unit could show up and be disruptive like that.

And of course no summary would be complete without an acknowledgment of Will Reichard and his 62 yard field goal attempt that honestly looked like it might have hit from 75. Congrats to him for hitting the longest field goal in Vikings history.

Overall a good all-around game with some great individual performances. Here's hoping it is the start of a nice long winning streak.

[CharVike]

So the question I have is how much of that was having Darrisaw back, and how much was it having a veteran qb in today?
Probably a bit of both. Wentz did seem to have more than a second to make a play, but he also seemed more poised, or calmer back there. What do you all think, do we have the start of a qb controversy, or are we seeing what the team looks like with some of its better players back?

We should have the start of a QB controversy. We should have had that controversy after week two ended and the Vikings had run the fewest offensive plays in the NFL by a wide margin. I mean, what exactly has McCarthy done so far to be the unquestioned starting QB? I get that they drafted him 10th overall. I get that they want a young franchise QB to build around. But they can't will that to happen. They might have to accept that McCarthy isn't that guy, or at the very least he's not ready to be that guy quite yet. The accuracy issues alone should make KOC strongly consider making a change. No pro QB is going to be flawless, but McCarthy has been wildly inaccurate thus far. Wentz doesn't have the benefit of a full offseason with his receivers and the offense and he looked much better than McCarthy has when McCathy was at his best in the 4th against the Bears. Once he settled in the offensive line suddenly didn't look so bad, the running game was more effective, and the receivers suddenly started to look like some of the better ones in the NFL. The QB is so instrumental to making the offense go. No amount of OL play, skill position talent or playcalling can overcome just downright crappy QB play. I think that was clearly demonstrated today, and as Wentz settles in over the next two weeks I think the Vikings offense will again start to resemble the effective unit we saw for most of last year. Heck, even Brosmer looked pretty good when he was in there had his receivers executed for him.

I'm sorry, but I'm just not sold on McCarthy. I've seen nothing from him that suggests he is capable of becoming a great QB thus far, much less even an average one. He's still young and I suppose he deserves a chance but it seems pretty clear he's not ready yet. Give him some more time to sit and learn and let's see what the Vikings can do offensively with competent QB play. KOC owes the team the best chance to win, and McCarthy is not that yet and there is a good chance he never will be.

I don't think anyone is sold on JJM. It's hard to get sold or unsold after only 2 starts. Dobbs after 2 weeks was our franchise QB then fell back down to what he has always been. JJM was offensive player of the week in his 1st start. Had a comeback road victory. One quarter of playing well is very bad I get that. He never seemed to get comfortable. Having Darrisaw back in the lineup helped Wentz. Hendrickson had 1 tackle and 0 QB hits. I watched them on several plays and Darrisaw owned him. We had 169 yards rushing by far our best effort and our best back was out. The OL along with a terrible D front made that happen. The opening drive set the tone and Wentz deserves credit for that. He looked like the 10 year vet he is. But our D was incredible against a one dimensional offense playing a backup QB and deserves most of the credit for this win. They scored 2 TDs the 1st half. You won't see that very often. Wentz can't stick with any team and teams weren't chasing him in FA. There's a reason for that. JJM needs to play once healthy. Playing is the only way to develop.

[Cliff]

Awesome game to be a Vikings fan!

The defense dominated. Of course it's easier to dominate the Bengal's offense without Joe Burrow but with the skill players they have a lesser defense definitely wouldn't have done as well. Five turnovers and 2 TDs on defense is just crazy. What a game by Rodgers.

On offense it was the story of the offensive line and specifically WELCOME BACK CHRISTIAN DARRISAW. What a difference he makes. Wentz had plenty of time to throw, even when he took sacks it was because he didn't have anywhere to throw the ball not because someone ran over the LT position like it was nothing. Like the announcers mentioned, having him back also opens up the TE position. It was nice to see Hockenson able to get downfield again.

I thought Wentz looked good enough for me to be glad he's our backup but not good enough for me to think "He needs to be in instead of JJM!". He didn't make any throws I thought JJM is incapable of making. He was never in a situation where I thought "Oh that was so smart, a young QB would have never thought to do that!". I thought in situations where Wentz took a sack JJM probably would have picked up yards with his legs.

The bottom line is if the defense takes the ball away 5 times, scores twice, and makes stop after stop the team is in a position to not only win, but dominate. Then add in the offensive line gave the QB time and opened up the running game. There is no doubt in my mind it would have been a blowout with JJM at the helm as well.

[VikingLord]

I don't think anyone is sold on JJM. It's hard to get sold or unsold after only 2 starts. Dobbs after 2 weeks was our franchise QB then fell back down to what he has always been. JJM was offensive player of the week in his 1st start. Had a comeback road victory. One quarter of playing well is very bad I get that. He never seemed to get comfortable. Having Darrisaw back in the lineup helped Wentz. Hendrickson had 1 tackle and 0 QB hits. I watched them on several plays and Darrisaw owned him.

Dobbs is a case study in how early results can mask fatal flaws. During those early starts Dobbs was showing many of the things that would later become big problems but he got a pass because the team won and defensive coordinators took time to exploit them. Once they did the shine wore off quickly. McCarthy hasn't even gotten that far. He has been bad out of the gate, which means for the most part the flaws are his alone (like the accuracy issues).

You can put the best offensive line in front of a QB that can't read the field, doesn't trust what he sees, doesn't see what he needs to see and/or is just downright inaccurate and it won't matter. At best a head coach can take a crappy QB and with great OL play and a great supporting cast make him look decent. Why he'd want to do that is the question.

We had 169 yards rushing by far our best effort and our best back was out. The OL along with a terrible D front made that happen.

I think our best back was in.

Wentz can't stick with any team and teams weren't chasing him in FA. There's a reason for that. JJM needs to play once healthy. Playing is the only way to develop.

This isn't Pop Warner where kids get their chance to develop. McCarthy is an NFL QB. If he is inaccurate and has trouble reading the field at this point in his career those may be things that more playing time isn't going to really help.

The question I have is what has he done other than being drafted with the 10th overall pick to merit such deference? There is a season going on right now. There are many guys whose livelihoods are hooked to the team's performance. Does McCarthy get to screw that all up just so he can "develop"?

Either he's ready to be a starting NFL QB or he isn't, and if he isn't KOC should call the ball and go with the guy on the roster who he can trust to run the offense. Maybe Wentz wasn't in high demand, but neither was Sam Darnold last year. The only question that should matter is can the guy play the position the way KOC and the rest of the offense needs it to be played? If the answer is yes, I could care less how in demand Wentz was this offseason.

[VikingLord]

I thought Wentz looked good enough for me to be glad he's our backup but not good enough for me to think "He needs to be in instead of JJM!". He didn't make any throws I thought JJM is incapable of making. He was never in a situation where I thought "Oh that was so smart, a young QB would have never thought to do that!". I thought in situations where Wentz took a sack JJM probably would have picked up yards with his legs.

Wentz also didn't throw any dumb interceptions, didn't wildly sail the ball over, behind (well, he did miss Nailor behind on the one throw but otherwise was accurate), or under his intended wide open receivers and didn't put the ball on the ground when he got sacked.

I mean, if you don't want to admit that McCarthy has been terrible the first two weeks that is up to you, but Wentz was miles better than McCarthy has been.

The bottom line is if the defense takes the ball away 5 times, scores twice, and makes stop after stop the team is in a position to not only win, but dominate. Then add in the offensive line gave the QB time and opened up the running game. There is no doubt in my mind it would have been a blowout with JJM at the helm as well.

You're probably right, but that doesn't change anything about what I'm saying about McCarthy.

It will be interesting to see how Wentz performs the next two weeks. As much as I suspect KOC wants to be right about McCarthy, he's going to have a really hard time sitting Wentz if the offense is humming. If he does sit him and McCarthy goes back to turning the ball over and the offense starts bogging down again that would not be a good look for KOC at all.

[Cliff]

Wentz also didn't throw any dumb interceptions, didn't wildly sail the ball over, behind (well, he did miss Nailor behind on the one throw but otherwise was accurate), or under his intended wide open receivers and didn't put the ball on the ground when he got sacked.

I mean, if you don't want to admit that McCarthy has been terrible the first two weeks that is up to you, but Wentz was miles better than McCarthy has been.

Wentz had solid blocking and a run game.

Circumstance matters when judging a QB's performance. It's the difference between everyone thinking Sam Darnold is complete trash because he was playing with some of the worst teams in the NFL his first five years in the league to becoming a top 5-10 QB with the Vikings. He's on track to have just as good of a season in Seattle as well.

I don't think the Vikings win the Bears game with Wentz at QB. Even if he was able to make the 2 passing touchdowns I don't think he makes the rushing one. I think the offensive line and run game were so bad for the first 3 quarters that he doesn't score before that either.

I don't know what exactly we have in JJM. I just don't think Wentz played so well that he should be benched. Wentz wasn't the "game changer" that finally brought the Vikings together. I think if we reversed their positions so that Wentz started against Chicago and Atlanta while JJM started against the Bengals it wouldn't even be a question.

You're probably right, but that doesn't change anything about what I'm saying about McCarthy.

It will be interesting to see how Wentz performs the next two weeks. As much as I suspect KOC wants to be right about McCarthy, he's going to have a really hard time sitting Wentz if the offense is humming. If he does sit him and McCarthy goes back to turning the ball over and the offense starts bogging down again that would not be a good look for KOC at all.

I agree that if the offense is playing well with Wentz and then JJM comes back under the same conditions; good offensive line play, good running game, defense playing lights out and suddenly the offense can't move again then Wentz should start.

This is more or less the exactly scenario I mentioned in another thread;

Seems like Wentz is going to get Darrisaw protecting his blindside and Addison as a #2 in week 4. I foresee a "QB controversy" coming down the road.

Wentz is being handed they keys to a perfectly running car. JJM was driving with a flat tire.

[CharVike]

I don't think anyone is sold on JJM. It's hard to get sold or unsold after only 2 starts. Dobbs after 2 weeks was our franchise QB then fell back down to what he has always been. JJM was offensive player of the week in his 1st start. Had a comeback road victory. One quarter of playing well is very bad I get that. He never seemed to get comfortable. Having Darrisaw back in the lineup helped Wentz. Hendrickson had 1 tackle and 0 QB hits. I watched them on several plays and Darrisaw owned him.

Dobbs is a case study in how early results can mask fatal flaws. During those early starts Dobbs was showing many of the things that would later become big problems but he got a pass because the team won and defensive coordinators took time to exploit them. Once they did the shine wore off quickly. McCarthy hasn't even gotten that far. He has been bad out of the gate, which means for the most part the flaws are his alone (like the accuracy issues).

You can put the best offensive line in front of a QB that can't read the field, doesn't trust what he sees, doesn't see what he needs to see and/or is just downright inaccurate and it won't matter. At best a head coach can take a crappy QB and with great OL play and a great supporting cast make him look decent. Why he'd want to do that is the question.

We had 169 yards rushing by far our best effort and our best back was out. The OL along with a terrible D front made that happen.

I think our best back was in.

Wentz can't stick with any team and teams weren't chasing him in FA. There's a reason for that. JJM needs to play once healthy. Playing is the only way to develop.

This isn't Pop Warner where kids get their chance to develop. McCarthy is an NFL QB. If he is inaccurate and has trouble reading the field at this point in his career those may be things that more playing time isn't going to really help.

The question I have is what has he done other than being drafted with the 10th overall pick to merit such deference? There is a season going on right now. There are many guys whose livelihoods are hooked to the team's performance. Does McCarthy get to screw that all up just so he can "develop"?

Either he's ready to be a starting NFL QB or he isn't, and if he isn't KOC should call the ball and go with the guy on the roster who he can trust to run the offense. Maybe Wentz wasn't in high demand, but neither was Sam Darnold last year. The only question that should matter is can the guy play the position the way KOC and the rest of the offense needs it to be played? If the answer is yes, I could care less how in demand Wentz was this offseason.

Most players need time to develop their skills to play at their best in the NFL. There's no blue print in place for that. JJM has been inaccurate his first 2 starts. There's not a QB who ever played this game that hasn't gone through periods of inaccuracy. Last year Goff threw 5 Ints in one game. He's considered one of the best playing behind a great supporting cast. The HC needs to determine if a guy is ready and of course he needs to listen to his coordinators and it goes on. Of course after seeing Ingram plugged in maybe they have no clue. If we fall to pieces it will be the HC who takes the blame. Obviously he made the choice to clear the roster for JJM so he must feel confident. If JJM stays the same then livelihoods will be impacted including the GM and HC. Wentz is getting all the credit which is how the NFL works but we played about as good as we can across the board. The game was iced before half time. If we continue to score 2 defensive TDs and kick any FG we attempt the Super Bowl is a lock. Of course that will never happen. No player performs the same week in and week out. Will the thrill could miss a 30 yarder to cost us a win. I'm just glad we beat this Bengal squad because that weren't that good before Burrow got hurt because they can take over the LOS.

[VikingLord]

I agree that if the offense is playing well with Wentz and then JJM comes back under the same conditions; good offensive line play, good running game, defense playing lights out and suddenly the offense can't move again then Wentz should start.

I think we agree on that.

I do give KOC's judgment a lot of deference in this. He's the head coach. He's the guy who sees these players perform week-in and week-out at practice, who sees how they prepare. He watches the film and he knows if a play failed because the QB missed something or because other players failed to execute. And KOC has probably the most riding on the outcome of his decisions. If he starts the wrong guy because he's convinced he alone can coach the bad out of him the consequences of that decision will ultimately fall at his feet.

I just hope as this all plays out that KOC will be honest with himself. I do think there is a high risk of bias on his part given he drafted McCarthy and that may lead him to excuse a lot of the poor performance up to this point. As I understand it, McCarthy had a very uneven offseason and preseason. KOC also kept him out of most of the preseason which I thought was a very odd decision given McCarthy likely would have greatly benefited from those reps. KOC treated him more like he was an Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes than a rookie who can use all the experience he can get. And now we're here with 8 of the most ineffective quarters of offensive football anyone's seen in the history of the team. Surely not all of that can be laid at McCarthy's feet but it is calling KOC's judgment into serious question from where I sit. When Wentz got behind the wheel things got untracked and the offense started moving again. Everyone pretty much agrees Wentz brings nothing terribly special to the equation other than his experience.

It's going to be really interesting to see how things play out going forward if the team does well again with Wentz next week.

[VikingLord]

Most players need time to develop their skills to play at their best in the NFL. There's no blue print in place for that. JJM has been inaccurate his first 2 starts. There's not a QB who ever played this game that hasn't gone through periods of inaccuracy.

All I ask is objectivity. Excuses are fine and as you note even established QBs have bad games. But let's call a spade a spade. McCarthy has been really bad for almost all of the 8 quarters of football he's played. Even in the single quarter where he produced against the Bears many of his throws were off in terms of placement or timing. The TD throw to Jones was actually underthrown and honestly late. Jones made the adjustment to reel it in but it wasn't a great throw. Some of the other throws weren't great either but the receivers pulled them in.

And none of that even mentions the negative plays like the really poor decision on the pick 6, the fumble on the sack, taking numerous sacks, etc. For a young QB who supposedly is good on the move we haven't seen much evidence he can move in the pocket or extend plays. On one of his scrambles he had Aaron Jones wide open for a dump pass and he kept it and either took a sack or got minimal yardage because he kept the ball. Jones, mind you, was literally right in front of him on the play. What McCarthy's thought process was on that play is beyond me. There is also the possibility he didn't see Jones, which is even more disturbing. A good QB, or even a mildly competent one, would dump it to their RB in that situation.

I could point to many plays were McCarthy just outright missed an opportunity or made an inexplicable decision. Yes, he's been under some pressure but there are plays to be made and he's just missing them either because he doesn't pull the trigger or he doesn't see it or he's just inaccurate. It all adds up to a lot of ineffective offense and that shouldn't be acceptable to KOC or McCarthy's teammates.

[CharVike]

Dobbs is a case study in how early results can mask fatal flaws. During those early starts Dobbs was showing many of the things that would later become big problems but he got a pass because the team won and defensive coordinators took time to exploit them. Once they did the shine wore off quickly. McCarthy hasn't even gotten that far. He has been bad out of the gate, which means for the most part the flaws are his alone (like the accuracy issues).

You can put the best offensive line in front of a QB that can't read the field, doesn't trust what he sees, doesn't see what he needs to see and/or is just downright inaccurate and it won't matter. At best a head coach can take a crappy QB and with great OL play and a great supporting cast make him look decent. Why he'd want to do that is the question.



I think our best back was in.



This isn't Pop Warner where kids get their chance to develop. McCarthy is an NFL QB. If he is inaccurate and has trouble reading the field at this point in his career those may be things that more playing time isn't going to really help.

The question I have is what has he done other than being drafted with the 10th overall pick to merit such deference? There is a season going on right now. There are many guys whose livelihoods are hooked to the team's performance. Does McCarthy get to screw that all up just so he can "develop"?

Either he's ready to be a starting NFL QB or he isn't, and if he isn't KOC should call the ball and go with the guy on the roster who he can trust to run the offense. Maybe Wentz wasn't in high demand, but neither was Sam Darnold last year. The only question that should matter is can the guy play the position the way KOC and the rest of the offense needs it to be played? If the answer is yes, I could care less how in demand Wentz was this offseason.

Most players need time to develop their skills to play at their best in the NFL. There's no blue print in place for that. JJM has been inaccurate his first 2 starts. There's not a QB who ever played this game that hasn't gone through periods of inaccuracy. Last year Goff threw 5 Ints in one game. He's considered one of the best playing behind a great supporting cast. The HC needs to determine if a guy is ready and of course he needs to listen to his coordinators and it goes on. Of course after seeing Ingram plugged in maybe they have no clue. If we fall to pieces it will be the HC who takes the blame. Obviously he made the choice to clear the roster for JJM so he must feel confident. If JJM stays the same then livelihoods will be impacted including the GM and HC. Wentz is getting all the credit which is how the NFL works but we played about as good as we can across the board. The game was iced before half time. If we continue to score 2 defensive TDs and kick any FG we attempt the Super Bowl is a lock. Of course that will never happen. No player performs the same week in and week out. Will the thrill could miss a 30 yarder to cost us a win. I'm just glad we beat this Bengal squad because that weren't that good before Burrow got hurt because they can take over the LOS. Penix was just shutout. Dak only 13 points. They all have streaks.

[CharVike]

Most players need time to develop their skills to play at their best in the NFL. There's no blue print in place for that. JJM has been inaccurate his first 2 starts. There's not a QB who ever played this game that hasn't gone through periods of inaccuracy.

All I ask is objectivity. Excuses are fine and as you note even established QBs have bad games. But let's call a spade a spade. McCarthy has been really bad for almost all of the 8 quarters of football he's played. Even in the single quarter where he produced against the Bears many of his throws were off in terms of placement or timing. The TD throw to Jones was actually underthrown and honestly late. Jones made the adjustment to reel it in but it wasn't a great throw. Some of the other throws weren't great either but the receivers pulled them in.

And none of that even mentions the negative plays like the really poor decision on the pick 6, the fumble on the sack, taking numerous sacks, etc. For a young QB who supposedly is good on the move we haven't seen much evidence he can move in the pocket or extend plays. On one of his scrambles he had Aaron Jones wide open for a dump pass and he kept it and either took a sack or got minimal yardage because he kept the ball. Jones, mind you, was literally right in front of him on the play. What McCarthy's thought process was on that play is beyond me. There is also the possibility he didn't see Jones, which is even more disturbing. A good QB, or even a mildly competent one, would dump it to their RB in that situation.

I could point to many plays were McCarthy just outright missed an opportunity or made an inexplicable decision. Yes, he's been under some pressure but there are plays to be made and he's just missing them either because he doesn't pull the trigger or he doesn't see it or he's just inaccurate. It all adds up to a lot of ineffective offense and that shouldn't be acceptable to KOC or McCarthy's teammates.

I know JJM hasn't looked good in 7 of 8 quarters he's played. I agree the accuracy was off both games. I give him credit for coming out of his funk and scoring enough for the win. That showed me something. But Wenz was signed to be the backup and he did his job. He certainly didn't take the beating JJM did and I give that to Darrisaw. He was dominate. He makes the G next to him better. They ran behind him. That's a huge help for any QB. KOC made it perfectly clear JJM will play when healthy. I agree with this.

[VikingLord]

I know JJM hasn't looked good in 7 of 8 quarters he's played. I agree the accuracy was off both games. I give him credit for coming out of his funk and scoring enough for the win. That showed me something. But Wenz was signed to be the backup and he did his job. He certainly didn't take the beating JJM did and I give that to Darrisaw. He was dominate. He makes the G next to him better. They ran behind him. That's a huge help for any QB. KOC made it perfectly clear JJM will play when healthy. I agree with this.

Hang on a second. Wentz was sacked 3 times for 19 yards and was under pressure on other throws. Most of that pressure occurred early in the game with Darrisaw on the field, and on most of the sacks it was because Wentz held the ball too long.

I'm not saying McCarthy wasn't under pressure in his starts, or even that Darrisaw wouldn't have made a difference, but the implication that McCarthy is not at all responsible for his poor play because he wasn't adequately protected is a stretch for me. Wentz, like McCarthy before him, was part of the problem, at least early before he settled down a bit. At least Wentz has the excuse of not having a lot of reps with the offense coming in. McCarthy had the entire offseason and preseason.

I'm telling you, if the offense hums with Wentz the decision on whether to put McCarthy back in will not be that simple. That is a huge risk for KOC and if the offense goes in the tank again he's going to be in a really bad spot. He'll either have to swallow his pride and pull McCarthy back out or grit his teeth and ride his conviction out to the bitter end. In a way he'd better hope Wentz pulls a Dobbs and starts to struggle a bit, although as a Vikings fan I find that thought repugnant.

This is already one of the more interesting seasons I can remember.