Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has shed the walking boot, as he tries to expedite his return from a sprained ankle suffered in a Week 2 loss to the Falcons. Coach Kevin O’Connell, however, isn’t inclined to rush McCarthy back to the lineup.
O’Connell made it clear on Monday that McCarthy will play not only when he’s physically ready, but when he’s entirely ready.
“First and foremost, he’s got to get healthy,” O’Connell told reporters, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “And then, I don’t think it’s one of those things where it’s, hey, he’s healthy the night before a game, we’re going to throw him out there and say, ‘Hey, go figure it out’ type of thing.”
The goal is to ensure that McCarthy has his full mobility — along with his ability to practice, completely.
O’Connell pointed to the fact that McCarthy missed a day of work prior to Week 2. While more than justifiable (his first child was born), it impacted his preparation.
“I think we saw, as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game, he did miss practice that week,” O’Connell said. “And when you’re in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours of what it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can’t cut corners on that.”
While O’Connell has denied that the injury amounts to a “soft benching” of the second-year quarterback, the coach said “there is value” in McCarthy watching veteran Carson Wentz play.
“Sometimes, it’s the reactionary ability to still consistently play with the rhythm and the poise and the decision-making, and all that becomes much easier when you’re taking the right footwork and you’re balanced throughout the drop and reading with your feet,” O’Connell said, via Seifert. “That can be an incredible weapon for a quarterback, whether they’ve played 20 years or they’ve played two games.”
In other words, when things start to go sideways, can the quarterback stay true to his fundamentals?
Wentz played well on Sunday. Yes, the defense (which scored 14 points and set up more) had plenty to do with it. Still, Wentz authored the team’s best offensive performance of the season. That matters. And it’s looking likely that Wentz will get the next game, against the Steelers in Ireland, and perhaps the one after that, against the Browns in London, before a decision is made as to whether it will be Wentz or McCarthy after the bye — when the team that made Wentz the second overall pick in the 2016 draft comes to town.
