NFL
By Steve Rogers
Here we go! The NFL is back, and the 2025 season is officially open. So, training camps are just starting up. The players are just arriving. Teams are going through basic drills, essentially conducting walk-throughs, with all 32 teams currently working on improving from last year.
Let’s take a look back at what 2024 was like for the Minnesota Vikings. The storyline heading into last year was the state of the quarterback position. After taking JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the first round, the expectations began to swirl.
Sam Darnold was also brought in to be the “bridge” quarterback. Darnold hadn’t proven his first-round top-three pick status to that point. He was to be the younger veteran to mentor and show McCarthy the ropes of the NFL. He was barely assured of starting the season under center until McCarthy was ready to slide into the starter role himself.
Then McCarthy got hurt, and the story became this was Darnold’s team and shot to prove himself worthy of remaining a viable starting option at the quarterback position. As the whole season was now his. I wrote then that, barring some sort of ridiculous breakout season from Darnold that McCarthy was still the future for the Vikings. I said he’d have to go for somewhere between 4 and 5000 yards passing.
Well, Darnold went out and threw for 4316 35 touchdowns, only 12 interceptions, and a rating of 102.5. From a guy who was being cast aside by most of the league. Not only did Darnold get considered for the Comeback Player of the Year, but he was making a case for MVP honors.
Even with all that, the Vikings let him walk in the off-season. Yet the questioning of the Vikings’ commitment to McCarthy has persisted. Also, what is this nonsense non-substance dribble drooling talk of “We don’t know what McCarthy is because he’s never thrown an NFL pass”? Trash garbage if that’s your take, you have none, you don’t watch or care about football, you have to be clueless to say that as ANY reason for doubt of any “rookie” who has yet to play a snap or down in the NFL.
Wasn’t that true of ALL five other quarterbacks drafted in the first round of 2024, along with McCarthy? Was that the story of Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix? How about Caleb Williams or Michael Penix Jr?
What makes that even funnier is that McCarthy has the best resume of this group of quarterbacks. His entire football journey has been about one thing: TEAM winning. He transferred to a highly competitive, athletic, performance-driven high school across the country from his hometown during high school. He WON not one but two NATIONAL high school championships. His overall high school record is 36-2! Two losses!!
Let’s jump to college, where he WON a National championship as well. The only other quarterback in the 2024 draft with a NATY is Penix. McCarthy’s win-loss record at Michigan oh just 27-1!!?! One loss in college.
He has lost all three games in the last seven years of playing ball at the highest levels of competition. He won 63 games combined. You doubt what he can do now? You’re wondering if he can make NFL throws? I wonder who and why they’re paying you to speak idiocy. I doubt your actual knowledge of football or your ability to recognize a superstar talent.
McCarthy is about to come in and, calmly with Jedi-like focus, set this league on fire. He is the next coming of Joe Montana mixed with the mobility of Steve Young. How bout this for high praise and comparison, teammate defensive tackle Harrison Phillips told McCarthy he reminds him of Josh Allen! That’s Buffalo Bills and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen. All this 22-year-old kid does is win and set the standard within his teams to that where winning is the expectation.
Also, he’s landed in Minnesota, where head coach Kevin O’Connell is quarterback nirvana. O’Connell has been squeezing the most out of the quarterbacks he’s been coaching since he was with the LA Rams as the offensive coordinator. In 2021, they got Matthew Stafford. That year Stafford threw for 4886 yards, 41 touchdowns, 17 interceptions with a 102.9 rating. Oh, the Rams won the Super Bowl as well (foreshadowing?).
His first year as the HC of the Vikings, he got 4547 yards and a 29/14 TD to INT split out of Kirk Cousins. In 2023, he had to play quarterback by committee after Cousins went down with a torn Achilles. At least five different quarterbacks started games for O’Connell’s Vikings, and in total, they passed for 4700 yards. As I stated earlier, last year Darnold threw for over 4000 yards out of nowhere.
That’s a different measure of calculating than anyone else is talking about, four consecutive years his quarterback (s) have had or near career years in passing. Consistency is being put into practice with O’Connell as the head coach. The 2025 Vikings season is bright with purple skies and a chance of championship gold shine at the end of the season. You can help support me and the site by heading over to our partners at the NFLShop.com and grabbing some merch. I receive a small commission from your purchase. Thanks in advance and #SKOL.
