Season of Gratitude

J.J. McCarthy’s first media interview, since returning from his torn meniscus, has me thinking about living with a gratitude mindset. No matter what life throws at you, no matter how bleak the future can look, no matter how painful the past can feel, being grateful for the good things will always overcome the bad. For those who don’t know me, which is everyone reading this article (with the exception of my brother, Kollin), I am a firm believer that you can manifest anything you want in life. If you want to get to know me, check out my writing contest submission. If you are an OG, you may recognize me as a former Bleacher Report Minnesota Vikings Community Captain, from before they terminated that program.

Whether you keep a gratitude journal, like our franchise quarterback, or simply block out the haters and live your best life, you can rise above all of the negatives to achieve something remarkably profound. Never before in my life have I been as confidently hopeful about the Minnesota Vikings as I am right now. When I daydream, I envision a season of greatness. A roster that is constructed to win any type of game. A team that can POUND THE ROCK. One that is absolutely LOADED with incredible, proven talent; peppered with up-and-coming players with immense upside. When I think about this team, I visit a place that transcends reality. A place where the Vikings’ dynasty begins. To ensure my vision becomes truth, I have started compiling a list of things about the Minnesota Vikings, for which I am grateful.

Reason to be grateful #17: The Running Back Room.

Fun Fact: Jordan Mason is YOUNGER than Ty Chandler. The newly acquired RB, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, who we got a good look at in Week 2 last season, is only 25 years old. Over 12 games last year, he averaged 5.2 yards per carry. The standard for good running back play is 4.0 yards per carry, to put it into perspective. For Minnesota last year, the wily veteran, Aaron Jones, averaged 4.5 yards per carry and was a dangerous weapon in the passing game. This is the first 1A/1B running back situation we have seen since the McKinnon/Murray Monster. Some might make a case for Cook and Mattison, but we saw last year that Mattison is not a starting-caliber running back in the NFL. We have a true one-two punch coming out of the backfield now. That’s exciting, everyone!!!

Speaking of exciting things, after a trade with the 49ers, the Vikings addressed a second glaring weakness, which was overshadowed by the terrible play by the left side of the offensive line, in the final two games last season. The weakness I am referring to is running in the red zone. Perhaps it was a symptom of the problematic offensive line, but it has been a long time since short-yardage rushing situations were a strength of this team. In 17 games last year, when in the red zone, Aaron Jones had 43 rushing attempts. He ran for 87 yards, 2.02 YPC, and 4 touchdowns. In 12 games, on 34 red zone attempts, Jordan Mason ran for 107 yards, pi YPC, and 3 touchdowns. Where the vast improvement will show are runs inside the 10-yard line. Last season, inside the 10, Jones gained one(repeating, of course) yards per carry. Mason, on the other hand, had 19 attempts for 25 yards and three touchdowns. For runs that are too long for a QB sneak, this is going to be a tremendous boon for the offense. This is why the front office went and got him, basically for free. I mean, come on!!! Kwesi absolutely COOKED this offseason with free agency and the draft. Having Adofo-Mensah as our GM is my reason to be grateful #4: post coming later.

The Vikings need more balance on offense. There were times last year when the run game would disappear for drives at a time. It would feel like we hadn’t run the ball since two quarters before. I think the reason for this is that the rushing unit simply could not get it done. I know it is a pass-heavy scheme, but for this offense to be successful in 2025, McCarthy needs to have a strong play-action game in his tool belt. I think the magic number is 25, as far as a strong average of rushing attempts we see in a given game. If you ask on social media, the trolls will credit all of J.J.’s collegiate success to “having an amazing running game behind him.” Well, guess what haters!?!?!? He has that now, so what negative and frivolous narrative are you going to come up with next?

Ty Chandler is still on the roster, and I am hoping to see a healthy competition for that backup spot. I think Chandler is out as a kick returner with Rondale Moore and Tai Felton joining the squad. If that’s the case, it is time to prove himself as a running back in the NFL. The Vikings have found gems in the pool of undrafted free agents, recently, (think Ivan Pace and Jalen Redmond) and have a ton of them with potential this year as well. Perhaps our RB3 is in that mix and will emerge during training camp and the preseason. That development will be fun to watch.

The NFL is our ocean, Super Bowl is our oyster, and the Lombardi Trophy is our pearl. The season of gratitude has to start somewhere. What better place than with two feet on the ground, lined up behind future Hall-of-Famer J.J. McCarthy?

Side note: Detroit has Sonic and Knuckles. What are we calling the Jones and Mason combination? I don’t know that I have seen any official decision regarding this. Let’s discuss in the comments!