There are plenty of practice recap stories and many say that our young QB is struggling a little. This should not cause any alarm and should be expected especially when facing a BFlo defense that is not giving any breaks. This is actually a good thing in my (and many other’s) opinion. He needs all of this he can get right now. When you consider Jettas is out, it makes it even better for his development. I feel fairly confident that most fans are very worried at this time. Now, the backup QB situation does seem a little worrisome. We should remember what Nick Mullens and Josh Dobbs did playing for KOC though. If KOC likes his QBs then so should we right?

Congratulations to Jared Allen!

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Former Michigan star struggling in training camp

Alec Lewis of The Athletic shared these observations:

“The Vikings’ defense is just on an entirely different level right now. You have Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner synced up in their celebrations, you have Andrew Van Ginkel obliterating folks. It’s very one-sided.”

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The good and bad of J.J. McCarthy at Vikings training camp

If there is anyone inside the Minnesota Vikings organization with a license to speak freely about J.J. McCarthy, it’s Justin Jefferson. The team’s star receiver spent the offseason working with his new quarterback, hanging out with him on and off the field, and Jefferson’s genial public nature allows him to make frank judgments without disturbing the peace in the locker room.

So it was worth noting how Jefferson assessed McCarthy as training camp began last week. His words have proved prophetic.

“You definitely have to have patience,” Jefferson said. “He’s pretty much a rookie. Last year pretty much doesn’t count for him. He’s still new to the scheme, new to coming out here and throwing to these different receivers. So you have to have that patience.

“You’re not really expected to have that same mindset as a veteran. You can’t really have that expectation from him. But we do have the expectation of him being great, coming out here every single day, working his butt off and progressing every single day.”

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But there is no substitute for time on the field, and McCarthy’s uneven start to training camp has required more patience than some might have expected. He opened camp with a series of concern-free practices during the NFL-mandated acclimation period, leading efficient drills and making accurate throws in full team settings, even after Jefferson was sidelined by a strained left hamstring.

Once the pads came on, however, McCarthy and the entire Vikings offense have struggled to move the ball. During one eight-play sequence of starters versus starters, the offense gained positive yards only once.

Working against a defense that has unleashed its full arsenal of blitzes and coverage disguises, McCarthy’s accuracy has been inconsistent, particularly in the red zone. He has led receivers out of bounds and thrown high to a number of open targets running along the back line.

At one point during a meeting with reporters Friday, O’Connell felt compelled to look up and say: “The sky has not fallen, so it’s all good.”

McCarthy acknowledged that one of his camp goals has been to regain the touch on passes that he believes he lost during his long injury layoff, and he said this week that he appreciates that training camp can be a setting to run plays — and potentially fail — with “no consequences to it.” The goal is “constant improvement, learning every single day,” he said.

“And when the periods don’t go your way,” he added, “you’re always asking why. It’s never a loss, and you’re always learning from it, good or bad, but especially those periods where they really get you. I feel like that’s where we can learn the most about ourselves in our offense and identity.”

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But the next step, and perhaps the most difficult, is performing in game-like conditions — which in Minnesota comes with unique defensive looks from coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme.

There has been a natural tension in Vikings training camp ever since Flores arrived in 2023, largely because his combination of blitz packages and coverage schemes are different from almost every NFL team. Former quarterback Kirk Cousins once bemoaned what he said was in essence an unequal matchup with an offense that was preparing to face more traditional schemes.

So O’Connell had little time for questions about why, on a four-play sequence during Monday’s full-pads practice, McCarthy held the ball twice without throwing before the whistle blew.

“Those are called sacks,” O’Connell said, before suggesting that no quarterback would have much of a chance when pass rushers are converging before he has finished his drop.

“Your job is to just fight through the down with the possession of football,” O’Connell said, “and not allow the defense to take that away and possibly catastrophically change the end of a half there.”

Asked Friday how he is judging McCarthy in the context of the defense’s pressure, O’Connell pivoted to their post-play conversations. In particular, he noted a play from Wednesday’s practice during a two-minute drill, in which McCarthy tried to throw across his body to running back Aaron Jones Sr., nearly leading to an interception by linebacker Blake Cashman.

Mimicking their conversation, O’Connell said: “‘Did you understand that when you’re in a two-minute drive, when we’re right at midfield — potentially throwing the ball back in the middle of the field on first-and-10 — that you can maybe just use your legs and get five or six [yards]?’ That’s what I care about.”

“Those are the things that I’ve really enjoyed and really seen him grow,” O’Connell added. “But at the same time, he’s a competitive sucker now. He wants to win every drill and win every day, and it’s kind of my job to try to bring a complete feel to everything that we’re doing.”

Asked midweek about some of those passes, McCarthy said he was “missing by inches.”

“That’s what happens when you’re down in the red zone,” he said. “You’ve got to be detail-oriented and really specific with where you’re putting the ball. But there was a lot of good things on tape, and at the end of the day, those concepts are going to be crucial when we get down there. Just the rhythm and timing of everything. So, just more great reps to put under my belt and the rest of the guys.”

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Vikings training camp recap, Day 8: Theo Jackson, J.J. McCarthy’s day

Vikings safety Theo Jackson has been ready for the opportunity that’s now in front of him for a while. Poached off of the Titans’ practice squad as a rookie in 2022 after Lewis Cine got hurt, Jackson has impressed behind the scenes over the last three years in Minnesota. He shined on the scout team and was deserving of playing time, but he was blocked by Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus at his position.

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All Jackson has done this offseason is validate that decision. He’s been one of the standouts of training camp, making plays just about every day. On Wednesday, he snagged an interception off of Sam Howell to end the practice.

“I always called Jonathan Greenard ‘The Closer,’ but when (Jackson) made that play to end practice the other day, people were coming up to me saying that Theo actually already had that nickname,” Kevin O’Connell said.

On Friday, Jackson secured two more picks. First, he athletically contorted his body to catch a J.J. McCarthy pass that had deflected off of Jordan Addison’s hands. Later, he read and jumped in front of a route to intercept Howell for the second straight practice.

“When you’re doing things the right way, the ball finds you,” Jackson said afterwards.

“Really since we acquired him, he’s always kind of been an ascending player,” O’Connell said earlier on Friday. “But at times, with how deep that safety room was and has been, just without opportunity. But when coaches have identified having Theo in the game in some of those three or four-safety grouping defenses over the past couple years, we’ve had some real positive things happen. Any time he’s around the football, in the deep part of the field or getting a vision or a key to break on something underneath, he’s gonna make the play.”

The daily McCarthy update

The theme of J.J. McCarthy’s training camp has been ups and downs. There were more ups early on and more downs this week, particularly during Tuesday’s practice. But even if there was still some inconsistency, Friday may have been McCarthy’s best day since he put on a show last Saturday.

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One thing we’ve seen from McCarthy is the ability to bounce back and shake off bad reps. He missed a couple throws in the next period, then connected with Addison for another chunk gain. In a red zone period, McCarthy made an impressive throw on the move to find Lucky Jackson in the back of the end zone.

Other notes

The Vikings’ backup quarterback situation is worth keeping an eye on. Sam Howell usually takes all of the reps with the second-team offense, but he’s had an underwhelming camp, including an interception in each of the last four practices (five total in camp). After his pick by Jackson on Friday, Howell seemed to lose that role briefly. QB3 Brett Rypien got more reps with the second-team offense than we’ve seen in any previous practice. Howell was back out there with that group in the situation drill at the end of practice, and was unable to lead much of a drive. I wonder if we could see more and more opportunities for Rypien and/or rookie Max Brosmer — or if the Vikings’ QB2 for the regular season isn’t currently on the roster.

It’s only been a little over a week, but third-round rookie Tai Felton is another player having an underwhelming camp. On Friday, he slipped on an end-around, couldn’t come down with a pass from Howell in the red zone, and then had some weird ball tracking on a deep ball from Howell on the final play of the day. It was a 4th and 15 desperation heave, but it actually looked like Felton had a chance to make a play if he had kept running under it instead of spinning his body too early. Of course, there’s still all kinds of time for the rookie to find his groove.

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Christian Darrisaw Slowly Increasing Snap Count, ‘Feeling Really Good

Darrisaw said it feels natural being back on the grass doing what he does best.

“I feel like it’s instilled in me. This is what I’ve been doing my whole life, playing football,” he told media members. “Being away from the game, knowing that things aren’t over yet, there’s a lot of football still left, and just fighting through that — my teammates, myself, my family, and God just leading the way.

“Truly trusting the trainers and everything they were telling me to do has led me to this moment,” Darrisaw added. “And it’s really a blessing to be here now. Being able to put on these pads and be back out there on the field.”

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Darrisaw explained he’s spent time talking with teammates like T.J. Hockenson and Jonathan Allen, who have recovered from knee injuries and surgeries before, about getting through the process. Both told him it’s key to “trust the knee.”

“You kind of question yourself a little bit,” Darrisaw admitted, “but going out there against guys like that, you can’t have any hesitation.

“I trust it, and everything’s been feeling good,” he added. “Everything’s been trending in the right direction.”

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about seeing Darrisaw and right guard Will Fries, who worked his way back from a broken leg suffered with the Colts last season, in the lineup together.

O’Connell called it “awesome,” saying he’d spent time during Thursday’s off day reviewing film and enjoyed seeing the full line all together for the first time.

“When there was a lot of really good tape to watch, I always like going back through it all … and I’m kind of buzzing through, and then all of a sudden — bam! — There was 76 at right guard and 71 at left tackle,” O’Connell said. “Wasn’t a whole lot of snaps quite yet, but it was certainly great to see those guys out there.

“Now it’s a matter of conditioning for both Will and Christian, mixed in with getting their technique and fundamentals dialed in at that position,” he continued. “And it’s going to be a great challenge and a real runway for them to feel like they’re game-ready based upon what they’re practicing against on the other side of the ball every day.”

Darrisaw is grateful for the opportunity to practice against Brian Flores’ defense, which has given the offense plenty of challenges throughout camp.

There are a few wrinkles the offense wants to work out, Darrisaw said, but certainly nothing to panic over.

“We’re just trying to come out here each day and get better at the little things and working our way to that first game of the season,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of time, but we’ve got time to figure things out. And there’s some things that we need to figure out as a unit just to be the offense that we know that we’re capable of being.

“We just take it a day at a time. Everything’s not gonna be perfect, especially going against the defense like B-Flo’s, man; you’re not gonna see that every Sunday,” he added, smiling. “So it’s great to go against that, and it’s fun just to be out here on this field. Just competing and getting better. That’s what we’ve got to do every day.”

Not to mention, getting to be back in the trenches moving defensive linemen out of the way.

“Oh man, it feels great. I haven’t done that since October,” Darrisaw grinned. “Just being able to be out here with my teammates and playing a game that I love, getting to go against a defense full-speed and getting my feet back under me, man, everything’s been feeling really good.”

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‘I see a clear role for him’ — Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell speaks highly of new defender who’s having a great training camp

Their depth at cornerback has been really impressive, leaving a lot more confidence in the cornerback group than we had previously. The biggest standout has been Jeff Okudah, which was a fascinating addition in real time.

During his press conference on Friday, head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about Okudah’s performance in training camp, and he also raved about him.

“You guys probably felt it. I mean, when he gets up and presses, you know, at that line of scrimmage and wins that early fight in the down, you don’t see him lose very much, you know, when he gets his hands on people. I think I’ve been probably surprised. I actually got a chance to spend some time with him many years ago, at Ohio State, went for the pro day. A friend of mine, who happens to be the coordinator up in Green Bay now, was the coordinator there, and I got to spend some time with Jeff. And just remember thinking to myself, This guy is going to be a top-five pick. I mean, felt like he was as tall as I was, you know, big, strong, fast, and then he was and we’re very fortunate to have him. I see a clear role for him. Not all corners in our defense play the same spots, play the same roles, so to think that we’re going to have him in a role we feel pretty strongly about, it’s great to see him take it and run with it early on, because I think he’s had a phenomenal camp. And I hope you know that’d be a good question for Flo [Brian Flores]. You probably asked him already, but I know flow in my dialog about Jeff has been really positive early on.”

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Lunchbreak: Kevin O’Connell’s Approach to Vikings Training Camp Spotlighted by ‘The Star Tribune’

It’s definitely a grind, but the finer details of training camp show Kevin O’Connell is fond of it.

The Vikings head coach played quarterback in the NFL. He was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams when they won Super Bowl LVI. He’s going into Year 4 in Minnesota and still designing and dialing plays for the offense. So when the unit gets flustered in training camp, it spoils his mood… right?

Wrong.

Demonstrating the extent of his leadership, O’Connell told Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune, “No matter what side wins the day, it’s a good thing for me.” (Under the condition “practice is put together well.”)

O’Connell finds joy in the whole team’s improvement. Obviously, there’s an attachment to the offense, and specifically the quarterback, but O’Connell isn’t worried, for instance, by Brian Flores’ defense winning drills or entire practices. O’Connell is attentive to defenders in team meetings and film review.

“I’m watching them make a play against the offense that I was coaching and I’m all geeked up [saying], ‘Hey, that’s a great play by Gink’ right there, picking off that screen!’ “ O’Connell said to Scoggins, referencing an interception that would’ve been returned for a touchdown by Andrew Van Ginkel on the first day of camp. “[The defensive coaches] all kind of look at me like, ‘Can we trust you right now?’ “

Scoggins wrote:

Nope, he’s not a spy from the enemy side. O’Connell has discovered a truth about training camp.

The truth is, scheduling is paramount. Safety drives decisions. Uncontrollable things happen, and it’s important to plan for them if possible. Even the best plans demand adjustments. And the basis of what O’Connell does – every quirk, switch and emphasis – revolves around two things: First, the football team.

“But second,” said O’Connell, “our quarterback.”

“It’s that balance of getting our defense ready to play how they’re going to play and then allowing some ability for J.J. to progress into Football 501,” O’Connell recently told Scoggins. “Luckily, he’s smart. He can handle it. But I’ve told our staff and really our organization, I’m constantly going to be making tweaks to the daily feel of practices. You don’t always have to understand what I’m doing.”

In his column, Scoggins provides a glimpse into how O’Connell built and has implemented his priorities for this year’s training camp. Scoggins guides us through color-coded sheets on O’Connell’s desk, minutiae like how much time to allow players to eat lunch as well as big-picture philosophy, and other elements, such as the logistics of moving practice indoors on occasion because of inclement weather.

There’s an overarching question tied to O’Connell’s every decision: What does his team need from camp?

Here’s an excerpt from Scoggins’ story:

O’Connell plans an intrasquad scrimmage the final week of camp because starters don’t play in the final preseason game. The goal is to get starters 50-60 reps. Last year, rain forced them inside halfway through the session.

As practice restarted, a handful of veterans told O’Connell it didn’t feel right. The turf was sticky because of the moisture. O’Connell canceled the rest of practice with 20 reps left on the script. He didn’t overreact to something that was uncontrollable, despite cutting short a practice he finds especially valuable.

“I’ve learned if I don’t make a big deal out of things, normally other people won’t,” he said.

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Minnesota Vikings 53-Man Roster Projection: One week into training camp has cleared up multiple positions

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Yore Mock

Trade Partner: Chargers

Sent: 2.50

Received: 2.54, 4.122

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Trade Partner: Saints

Sent: 4.122

Received: 5.143, 6.182

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18. Jeremiyah Love RB Notre Dame 6’0” 214

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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54. Jake Slaughter IOL Florida 6’4” 303

Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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82. Michael Taaffe S Texas 6’0” 195

Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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97. DeMonte Capehart DL Clemson 6’5’ 315

Ken Ruinard – Imagn Images

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118. Malachi Fields WR Virginia 6’4” 223

Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images

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140. Daylen Everette CB Georgia 6’1” 190

Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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143. Taylen Green QB Arkansas 6’6” 235

Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

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182. Trey Moore EDGE Texas 6’3” 246

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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232. Eric Gentry LB USC 6’6” 225

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

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257. Bryce Robinson LS Virginia 6’7” 265

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