As expected, Kevin O’Connell didn’t have any concrete updates to share about the Vikings’ looming quarterback decision — which may or may not have already been made internally — at his latest press conference on Wednesday. He declined to name a starter for this week’s game against the Eagles when he last spoke to the media on Monday, and there was never much reason to believe that would change two days later.
The second question he was asked is the one on the minds of Vikings fans everywhere: “Where do things stand as far as your starting QB for Sunday?”
“They stand in the same place they did Monday when I answered that question,” O’Connell replied in much more terse fashion than the vast majority of his presser answers.
The Vikings still have three practices to get to this week, starting on Wednesday afternoon. Both J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and Carson Wentz (shoulder) will get reps in those sessions, their head coach said.
“They’re both gonna get work, both gonna get reps,” O’Connell said. “Very much looking forward to our whole team getting back out there.”
As O’Connell said on Monday, the timing of the coaching staff’s quarterback decision and the timing of when the public finds out the answer are two different things.
Maybe they already know who it’s going to be. Maybe there are things they need to see — from a health standpoint or otherwise — in these three practices that will determine the answer. Either way, O’Connell’s next press conference on Friday has always felt like a more logical time for an announcement to be made. He said on Tuesday, in his weekly KFAN radio segment with Paul Allen, that he doesn’t think fans will have to wait until Sunday to find out who the starting quarterback will be.
O’Connell also said on Tuesday that “there’s no mystery here.” But at least for now, it absolutely remains quite the mystery, at least to everyone outside of the Vikings’ building.
After some shorter initial answers on Wednesday, O’Connell eventually opened up a bit when asked quarterback questions that weren’t about who his starter is going to be against the Eagles.
Like this one, on a topic he’s covered plenty in recent weeks: What does he most want to see from McCarthy this week?
“I think the big thing is just getting him back on the grass, in uniform, practicing, getting real live reps of a pass rush and taking drops and applying some of the things that he’s worked really hard on as of late, as he’s kind of gotten to that phase of his rehab,” O’Connell said. “Applying it and then, when he does that, instant dialogue about what he’s able to do and what it felt like.
“I’m having a blast coaching him. It started last week, when he was able to really start ramping up a little bit. That 1-on-1 work, and then obviously the work he does with Josh and Jordan (QB coaches McCown and Traylor) is gonna be critical.”
Asked about the focus on McCarthy’s mechanics, which he’s talked about quite a bit, O’Connell noted that the 22-year-old hasn’t had all that much practice time over his two seasons with the Vikings, due to a pair of separate injuries. He also mentioned that in McCarthy’s most recent game against the Falcons, he finished the night playing through what the Vikings later learned was a high ankle sprain.
“He’s been here (for parts of two years), but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s been on the grass, practicing, doing the things that help you build a layer of consistency where you can not only take it to the game with you, but then the ebbs and flows of the position, whether it’s the pocket breaking down or maybe it’s, once the injury happened, being firm on that back foot,” O’Connell said. “And what the combination of a lot of those experiences can do to your fundamentals are a very, very normal thing for a young player.”
“That was really a significant injury that he was playing through in that (Atlanta) game,” he added. “That, coupled with how the game had gone and the fact that he had about an hour and 20-minute practice on that Friday after leaving the hospital on Thursday, sleeping there, and showing up here, I mean there was a lot of variables to that one performance that I know, because he hasn’t been out there, we’re taking a lot of looks at, and I understand that. But there’s a bigger picture to playing quarterback and how I view the position.”
The McCarthy part of the decision remains fascinating. Is he healthy enough to drive off of his back foot with power? Is he mentally and mechanically ready to go out and have success against a Vic Fangio defense?
It’s also not the only element that exists. Wentz, who helped lead the Vikings to a 2-1 record over their last three games, is dealing with a fairly significant injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He’s working hard in hopes of being available for the Vikings, whether his number is called as the starter or if he returns to a backup role.
“We’ll work through the week, but he got some good work in Monday, at least feeling positive from a health standpoint to go through and throw,” O’Connell said. “He took a normal amount of throws, there wasn’t any throws he didn’t take because of it. But there’s a layer of working through it, even though it’s his non-throwing shoulder, for sure.”
Both McCarthy and Wentz will speak to the media after practice on Wednesday, and you can bet neither one of them will be revealing anything about the Vikings’ plans. For at least a couple more days, the mystery remains.
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