J.J. McCarthy update: Next step for injured QB will be watching home games from the Vikings' sideline
Coach Kevin O'Connell sees value in getting the first-round pick on the home sideline at U.S. Bank Stadium, but that won't happen until he's no longer using a motorized scooter.
(Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)
The angst felt by Vikings fans after J.J. McCarthy’s suffered a season-ending knee injury has been lessened by Sam Darnold’s fantastic start to the season.
This has enabled McCarthy to fade into the background (at least publicly) as he rehabs from the torn meniscus he suffered in the Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
McCarthy continues to use a motorized scooter or crutches to get around TCO Performance Center, but it sounds as if the first-round quarterback soon could be watching home games from the sideline. That won’t happen until the Vikings medical staff is confident McCarthy can protect himself if a play comes toward him.
“I don’t know exactly where he’s at when it comes to that, and I’m sure we’ll be cautious, but I do think it’s important getting him traveling on the sidelines, feeling the difference between what maybe the sideline was like during a preseason game to what it is now,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Friday. “It’s different.”
O’Connell said that his hope is McCarthy can ditch the scooter “pretty soon.” The Vikings will play Sunday in Green Bay and then have a “home” game the following week against the New York Jets in London. That will be followed by a bye week before the Vikings play host to the Detroit Lions on Oct. 20.
The Vikings could be targeting that date for McCarthy to begin watching games beside his teammates and experiencing game day from field level.
While McCarthy might not be top of mind for fans, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to O’Connell and the team. The quarterback and coach meet each week and McCarthy plays an important role in the quarterback room.
“The way he’s pouring into the preparation every week, he’s got some roles in that quarterback room, kind of owning the information of the opponents and of our plan,” O’Connell said. “Then my dialogue with him, when I get time with him, has been really, really good.
“Great questions, a really thoughtful and in-depth kind of understanding and it’s been really cool seeing the dynamic between Sam and him both in-house here and then, obviously, with these young guys nowadays, there’s got to be some level of social media component to it. But it’s been cool to see. … He’s maximizing his time and my hope is that it will be more and more visible when he gets to a place in his rehab where he can.”
O’Connell, who told the story of McCarthy crashing his cart into the wall in the coach’s office earlier this month, also provided an update on McCarthy’s driving skills.
“I can report he’s driving with much more confidence and accuracy through the halls of our building, and right about the time he’s mastered that I hope to get him off that darn thing,” he said. “It should, hopefully, happen pretty soon.”
Would it be helpful to have McCarthy up in the booth from which play calls are made by the offensive coordinator (or other offensive staff)? He could then see/hear how much the coaches have to do in very little time, and it might help him anticipate what to do next if a play is less than successful.