Reports: J.J. McCarthy Gains Ground

Somebody needs to fire up Chumbawamba. J.J. McCarthy gets knocked down but then gets up again. It’s an admirable trait that’s going to serve him well no matter how this thing goes.

Per the word from various onlookers, Mr. McCarthy was better at Friday’s practice. By no means does that result in him being the favorite to be the starter for Week 1. Rather, the updates function as a reminder that this thing is still going and that the competition is real.

J.J. McCarthy Better than Kyler Murray on Friday

Consider what Will Ragatz had to say.

The veteran writer’s social media update: “Vikings just wrapped another padded practice. Not a very riveting one, to be honest. Lot of special teams work early on and run game focus. I’d give the QB edge to McCarthy, who looked sharp. But there weren’t many eye-popping throws from either guy. Murray continues to get more of the reps with the starters.”

Some onlookers are going want better than just being “sharp,” but Kevin O’Connell may not being among them.

Whoever starts at quarterback needs to function as a point guard, as Kirk Cousins used to say. Be a good distributor who puts the ball into the playmakers’ hands. Doing so will lead to points getting put on the board. Do that across enough possessions and wins will follow.

For the Vikings, “sharp” is exactly what’s needed. For the Vikings, “sharp” was exactly what was missing.

However, many will think that McCarthy needs to be Hercules to overcome Kyler Murray. Quite possibly, that perspective will prove true since the veteran has accomplished a decent amount.

What’s worth remembering is simply that the competition is ongoing. We haven’t yet arrived at the preseason games and nor have the Baltimore Ravens travelled to Eagan for joint practices. Those are going to be crucial pieces of the puzzle for evaluating who is capable of elevating the team. Seeing one prove far better — sharper? — in these settings will mean a lot.

Consider another perspective. Judd Zulgad of SKOR North offers his two cents:

“J.J. McCarthy had the better day today than Kyler,” Zulgad explains. Note that the reporter does say that Murray continued to get more work even though he “had a very average day.” Zulgad is among those who thinks that Murray is going to win the competition.

As I’ve said a few times, McCarthy isn’t a static entity. Rather, he’s dynamic, getting better or worse as the days go. So, too, is Murray seeing his game change. Hopefully, both are getting better. Who is going to be better in a month, two months, and so on? In theory, the younger of the two should have more room for growth, but that’s not a locked-in outcome.

J.J. McCarthy is still only 23. Kyler Murray just arrived at his 29th birthday. The battle continues.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.