The Minnesota Vikings are about to learn quite a bit about their starting quarterback in the next week. It starts Saturday when they take the field at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Minnesota Vikings are about to learn quite a bit about their starting quarterback in the next week. It starts Saturday when they take the field at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Houston Texans for the first preseason game of the year. Then, in the coming week, the Vikings will share the practice field with the New England Patriots.
J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus 364 days ago, and now he returns to the scene of the crime to begin his run as the most important player on the team. Vikings observers have been led to believe by head coach Kevin O’Connell that McCarthy is the real deal and he will be a better quarterback than Sam Bradford or Kirk Cousins – remember him?
Bradford led the Vikings to a 14-3 record last year and Cousins was the quarterback in O’Connell’s first year as head coach in 2022 when the Vikings won the NFC North title. O’Connell is considered one of the elite coaches in the NFL as he has graduated from the category of “hot, young coach.” His greatest strength is his ability to get the most out of his quarterback, and that’s a formula for coaching a very long time in the NFL.
His second-greatest strength is his ability to build a winning atmosphere in the locker room. The Vikings players and coaches have built a supportive environment that is unlike most in the NFL.
