Ex-Jets GM Declares Vikings Legit Super Bowl Threat

The Minnesota Vikings have replaced the reformed Sam Darnold with an inexperienced second-year quarterback, JJ McCarthy, for the new season.

Ex-Jets GM Declares Vikings Legit Super Bowl Threat

JJ McCarthy, Mike Tannenbaum (Images via Minnesota Vikings/The Athletic)

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The Minnesota Vikings went toe-to-toe against the Detroit Lions in the NFC, with the No. 1 seed being decided on a head-to-head in Week 18. The Vikings, although they lost the game, finished the season with 14 wins and 3 losses and entered the postseason as the top wildcard entry.

The Vikings were led by Sam Darnold, who had a redeeming year with 4,319 yards, 35 TDs. Darnold moved coasts in the offseason and secured a $100 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks. The move has prompted the Purple and White to promote young second-year JJ McCarthy to the starting position.

JJ McCarthy has a stellar collegiate time, leading the University of Michigan Wolverines to a perfect record and their first national championship title since 1997. He threw for 6,226 yards and 49 touchdowns from 28 starts with a completion rate of 67.6. However, he has no experience in the professional field after spending a year on the sidelines due to a meniscus injury.

Despite the inexperience, McCarthy has been touted to lead the Minnesota Vikings to yet another successful regular season and maybe even the Super Bowl. The latter claim was recently made by former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who said that the trio of JJ McCarthy, head coach Kevin O’Connell, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores can lead the Vikings to their maiden title. Tannenbaum said on Get Up:

Absolutely [the Vikings are Super Bowl contenders]. I’m going to go with the combination of Kevin O’Connell, J.J. McCarthy, and Brian Flores — that’s going to be really hard to beat. I agree, there’s going to be some growing pains on defense, but they’ll still bring pressure. I can’t wait for that opening-night game in Chicago.

Tannenbaum heaped praise on McCarthy. He called the 22-year-old Illinoisan quarterback a full-field quarterback. He added that wideout Justin Jefferson is the best in the position apart from the Cincinnati Bengals’ counterpart Ja’Marr Chase. Tannenbaum claimed that the Vikings can achieve the impossible with their intact roster and a “really, good, young, emerging quarterback.”

JJ McCarthy threw 13 completions for Vikings in joint practice with the New England Patriots

The latest hype around JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings is his performance in the joint practice against the New England Patriots. Facing Mike Vrabel’s ninth-ranked defense, Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan charted him at 14-for-16 with five touchdowns in red-zone and two-minute drills, including 13 consecutive completions.

J.J. McCarthy (2)
JJ McCarthy (Image via Imago)

The 22-year-old’s performance has earned praise from the Vikings fandom. Matthew Coller of Purple Insider said that McCarthy impressed him.

He made good decisions with the football. He threw the football accurately. He was absolutely on point today… To have a day like this where everyone is standing around watching that two-minute drill, watching him control it, make good decisions, smart plays, and then a great throw into the end zone for a touchdown… I think everyone walked out of today feeling like, yeah, we can go places.

The Athletic’s former Vikings beat reporter and current Patriots reporter, Chad Graff, echoed the same sentiment. Coller noted that Graff asked him where he put his money on the Vikings for the Super Bowl after that practice. He added that the practice was too good.

McCarthy’s performance also earned praise from the head coach, Kevin O’ Connell. O’Connell described that the quarterback was “decisive” and played with “conviction.” Nevertheless, until McCarthy shines similarly in the NFL, there will be questions about his grit and talent.

Also Read: Ex-Super Bowl Champion Disrespects Cowboys, Claiming They Play For “Entertainment Purposes Only”