McCarthy Has Strong Reaction to Starting ‘Fight’ at Vikings Camp
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy deferred to instinct when it came to the defense of his running back, Aaron Jones.
At practice on Saturday, August 2, Jones took a hard hit from rookie linebacker Tyler Batty, who went unblocked and leveled the veteran running back in the backfield.
McCarthy pounced on Batty, shoving the 6-foot-5, 270-pound linebacker to spark a dust-up with both sidelines converging around the play.
It was a rare act from a quarterback, a position that tends to stay out of feuds and lets other positions be their enforcers.
Not McCarthy.
“Those are my brothers. And no matter who it is, especially 33 (Jones’ jersey number), I’m the first guy in the fight, no matter what. They know that.
I know they would do the same thing for me,” McCarthy said at practice on August 6.
“Just as a QB and former hockey player — I used to be the enforcer out there, believe it or not — I love that stuff. Letting my teammates know I got their back, because I know they got mine.”
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy on being the first guy to defend Aaron Jones on Saturday after a hard hit:
“No matter who it is, especially 33, i’m the first guy in the fight… (as a) former hockey player, used to be the enforcer out there, believe it or not.
J.J. McCarthy Sets Tone for His Vikings Legacy
At just 22 years old, McCarthy is the youngest projected starting quarterback entering the 2025 NFL season despite it being his second year in the league.
He still has plenty of room to grow as a passer, but his defense of Jones at practice has the makings of the type of leadership traits that could carry him in the league.
“This will become J.J. McCarthy lore if he takes them where the Vikings are trying to go,” Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller said on Saturday, August 2.
“What McCarthy did today was something that I’ve never seen a quarterback in a practice do. I have seen guys go too far with physical play.
I’ve seen coaches get upset. I’ve seen players throw blows. but for J.J. McCarthy to get in the face of another player and put hands on another player was something that I did not expect to see,” Coller said.
After the dust settled from the scrum, several Vikings veterans responded affirmatively to McCarthy stepping up for Jones.
Pro Bowl right tackle Brian O’Neill said, “That was f****** sick,” according to Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Andrew Krammer.
“The team captain liked the edge brought by [Will] Fries — and J.J. McCarthy — shoving defenders after hits today McCarthy was the one who pushed Batty off Jones earlier,” Krammer said.
Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard was also seen fist-pumping on the sidelines afterward, Coller said.
J.J. McCarthy Has His Work Cut Out for Him
Vikings practices have been a pressure cooker for McCarthy.
Not only is he facing one of the most deceptive defenses in the NFL under Brian Flores, but the defensive front is also just flat-out beating the offensive line, which has been shorthanded at times with Christian Darrisaw and Will Fries working their ways back to full participation.
“Without getting into too much detail, some of [the pressure] hasn’t been schemed.
Some of it’s been guys like [Javon] Hargrave, [Jonathan] Allen, [Jonathan] Greenard, Dallas Turner, flat-out winning right now on a pass rush,” O’Connell said last Friday.
“And no, we have not had our top five [offensive linemen] up there, but that pass rush, without it needing to be schemed, has been winning up front. And that’s the challenge for our O-line as it comes together.”
The offense has also been short two of its top pass-catchers, Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson, who are nursing minor injuries.
The windows for McCarthy are smaller, with all these misfortunes playing a factor.
However, no NFL season goes entirely according to plan, meaning the less-than-ideal circumstances this camp are also blessings in disguise.
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