Kevin O'Connell raves about J.J. McCarthy's preseason debut

"Thought it was a great first start for him, really getting some game reps under his belt in our offense."

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell reiterated how he impressed he was with rookie QB J.J. McCarthy's preseason debut, telling ESPN's Pat McAfee he thought it "was a great example of what playing quarterback in this league is all about."

Joining The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, O'Connell said he felt the rookie had "poise" and "confidence" during his outing in Saturday's 24-23 win over the Raiders. McCarthy threw for 188 yards, bouncing back from an early interception to connect on two touchdown passes in the third quarter.

"I thought J.J. played really well. For his first time out... there's really not much more you ever want to see than just the guy take the work (over) from the practice field," said O'Connell. "Especially as you get into different groups on your team, you find out who's prepared and you find out who's ready. Obviously, anytime you play a game, preseason or not, in an NFL stadium... you tend to see who guys really are as players.

"I just thought there was a ton of learning moments in the game for J.J. What I was most proud of is just the way, even after (he) turns it over early, (he) comes right back and is ripping the ball down the field, standing in the pocket, generating explosives on early downs (and) a couple big third down conversions and got the team in the end zone a couple times there."

"(I) thought it was a great first start for him, really getting some game reps under his belt in our offense," continued O'Connell.

"I thought JJ McCarthy played really well against the Raiders..

It was great for his first time out and I was proud of the way he played" ~ @KevOC7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iCfkkFZmvJ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 12, 2024

It was a performance that most likely garnered the rookie more snaps with the first team, according to The Athletic's Alec Lewis. Minnesota will hold their annual night practice Monday evening before heading to Cleveland for a couple joint practices with the Browns. The Vikings and Browns will then play another preseason game on Saturday, which could potentially feature McCarthy getting some reps against Cleveland's top-rated defense.

"One of the things that drew me to him throughout the draft process is this guy is authentically himself, every single day," O'Connell said when asked about how the rookie is handling the transition to the NFL off the field. "(He) brings a ton of juice and energy, enthusiasm and the guy works his tail off. He is truly in that quarterback room with (QB coaches) Josh (McCown) and Grant (Udinski) trying to get better."

O'Connell continued praising McCarthy, saying the rookie has the "makeup" of a professional QB and that the Vikings veterans "love being around him."

As for the win itself — O'Connell's first preseason win as Vikings head coach — he said he was "happy with the way that we won it."

"Will (Reichard) coming out there and kicking the game winner. Jaren Hall taking the offense down the field to get us into field goal range. It's really being a situationally sound football team, it's a testament to your whole roster because those guys are all in the same meetings," said O'Connell on the win. "For the defense to get the stop the way they did in the four-minute situation and then our offense to get it in field goal range, take that clock all the way down and Will to go out there and kick the first, of hopefully many, game winning kicks in his career."

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