An Open Letter to J.J. McCarthy: Questions Heading into Week 6

Even when he’s on the sidelines healing from an injury, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is still the name on everyone’s lips. Vikings fans, opposing fans, and analysts have created plenty of noise around the second-year signal caller. It’s understandable, given he was handed the starting quarterback role with no NFL regular-season experience. Still, he’s been injured for three games now since the disastrous Week 2 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons. The talking heads have been saying plenty about who he was, what he stands for, how high his potential actually is, and if he’ll ever reach it. But what about the head of the offense himself? J.J., I gotta know what’s going on in your mind as you head into the bye week to hopefully fully heal from your ankle injury for Week 7. What do you have to say to all those questions out there? Let me pose a few that won’t be drowned out by shouting talk show hosts and angry fan tweets tagging you on X. 

A few questions for J.J. McCarthy:

How’s your newborn son doing?

You’re a new father. That’s awesome! People love that you’re so committed to football as to have an iPad in your hands so soon after your son, Rome, was born, but how’s being a new dad treating you? Hopefully, these weeks of healing from injury have been a secret blessing, helping you learn what being a new father’s all about. And hey, if you’ve been studying while Rome’s with you, then you may just have a football dynasty in the works for the McCarthy household.

How do you plan to balance football with being a father?

We all admire your dedication to the game. You were so dedicated to this team that you even asked Head Coach Kevin O’Connell if you could miss practice on Thursday for the birth of Rome, which he, of course, let you do. And then you showed your effort again when you returned to practice the next day and had what KOC said was a great practice. Surely the turnaround was a bit of a whirlwind, though, when you had to face the Falcons in Week 2. No one would blame you if a big part of that performance being less than ideal was because you were still dealing with being a new father. Still, the fans really want to see you play great football, and I’m sure you do too. You can’t let being a father take a backseat, but you shouldn’t let your offensive duties slide away either. What’s your game plan for juggling both responsibilities at the same time?

You seemed like a man possessed in the 4th quarter of Week 1 against the Bears. What was your thought process going into the 4th that helped you flip the switch and take over the game?

You basically single-handedly willed the Vikings to win that game after the offense had stalled for 3 quarters. What inspired you to be “in the zone” in that final quarter? Do you meditate? Talk to teammates and coaches? Recall inspiring quotes? We’d love to know what happened to get you in that winning mentality.

There’s no shortage of expectations for you this year, both from the media and from fans. How do those expectations affect your play?

Do you not give them any attention? Or do you use them to light a fire under you and push you to go all in? For a 22-year-old who’s hardly had any time playing in the NFL, you seem to have a positive mindset about how you’re approaching the season. We want to know how you manage the weight so many seem to place on your shoulders as a major piece of the Vikings offense.

You’ve had two tough injuries keep you off the field for an extended time, both last season and part of this season already. How do you handle these setbacks early in your career?

Injuries are so challenging to deal with because they keep you from physically doing what you really want to do (in your case, from playing football). I’m wondering if you have a strategy or mindset not to let these injuries ruin your preparation for the season or keep you from having to “shake the rust off” when you return to full-speed NFL action. 

Are there specific aspects of how you throw the ball (where you want to place it, how you release it, etc.) that you focus on daily?

I’m sure you have no shortage of reps in practice making different throws, developing your internal clock, and reading the windows for receivers. But are there any specific things about throwing the football that you practice/focus on daily that those who aren’t a quarterback wouldn’t know? If you’re a golfer, think about it like focusing on a swing change when you practice at the driving range. What do you try to turn into instinct as a passer?

I recently may or may not have compared you to Spider-Man. How do you feel about that comparison?

Feel free to check out my article about it here. It’ll explain the comparison in greater detail. It may seem random, but trust me, there’s a thought process that goes into it. Though if you want to claim another superhero and tell me why you think you’re like him, I’m all ears.

J.J., we hope the ankle recovery’s going smoothly. Fans are excited to see you back in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s go destroy the defending champs. Skol Vikes.