J.J. McCarthy showed real promise before season-ending surgery, and more preseason impressions thus far

We finally are getting the drip of football games to watch and respond to (and re-respond to, and re-re-respond to, and …). Wasn’t it great?

Now that the dust has settled on our first preseason games, I took a gander around the NFL and what stood out and what has me reevaluating and confirming prior takes.

Those first games were a reminder of how fun football is, and how sloppy preseason football is. It also was a stark reminder of the downsides of this great game. Like, say, injuries that come out of nowhere to a team’s first-round quarterback!

J.J. McCarthy grew on me throughout the scouting process. His limited sample size checked the boxes for those into the strict #QBwinz fare, but his actual play had more flashes from which to extrapolate his NFL potential than you’d first expect. He has a pro-ready arm (that he sometimes has to hitch into more than you’d prefer) with a loose athleticism that allows him to get creative with how he places the football, plus a real understanding for playing quarterback, something that showed up at the Vikings training camp practices I attended.

The best aspects of McCarthy’s game showed up during his first (and now only) preseason jaunt: the pocket movement, live arm, athleticism and willingness to stand and fire on his throws all popped up against the Raiders.

It wasn’t perfect. He still could move through his reads at a quicker rate and eliminate an extra hitch (both things that should and will improve with more live reps — which, ya know …). He got punished with an interception when trying to do a little too much. But it was everything you could hope to see for the youngest quarterback in his class dipping his toes in NFL waters for the first time.

Sadly, McCarthy won’t get to add to his Loch Ness Monster-esque sample size this season. Not because Sam Darnold clearly outplayed him in the preseason (although Darnold had his preseason moments as well), but because of a surgery to repair a torn meniscus in…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-14 22:44:33

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