Vikings Choose Kyler Murray. What It Means for JJ McCarthy
episode
The Viking Age Podcast: A Minnesota Vikings Podcast from FanSided
53 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the Vikings’ opening announcement about Kyler Murray and why does it matter?
Welcome to the Viking Age podcast, the official podcast of the Viking Age.com. My name is Chris Shad. I write for the Viking Age and ZoneCoverage.com. My co-host is Adam Patrick, managing editor of the Viking Age, as well as a lead NFL editor at Fansighted. We do this right here on the Viking Age YouTube channel. We're also in podcast form on Apple and Spotify the very next day. But however you consume us, make sure you like, comment, share, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode. We can spread the word to the masses online. On today's show, the Vikings have a starting quarterback and they could be getting ready to pull the plug on another. And we'll take a very brief look at Saturday's preseason opener against the New York Giants.
But there is an obvious way to start the show. And that is Kyler Murray being named the Vikings starting quarterback, a shocking development. really in Vikings training camp. But Murray dominated first team wraps throughout training camp pretty much through a couple of picks in the night practice on Sunday night. And Kevin O'Connell walked to the podium with an eight minute explanation as to why he is making Kyler Murray the starter since then. You know, Kyler Murray has looked really sharp in the past two practices, including passes downfield, connecting with Justin Jefferson, all that good stuff. And what Kevin O'Connell basically said in his long explanation was what Murray could be in this offense once he gets enough reps.
So let's start. I want to split this into two parts because there is a football part of this. And then there is a weird emotional part of this, at least for me. I don't know about you, but let's stick with football first and just ask, you know, did the Vikings make the right decision by making Kyler Murray the QB one?
They made the right decision by picking him. They didn't make the right decision by how they went about it. There shouldn't have ever been a competition. Everyone knew he was going to be the quarterback from the moment he signed in March. We knew it. Other outlets knew it. Just everyone knew it. But for some reason, Kevin O'Connell wanted to stage this facade of a competition, this battle for whether to get the most out of JJ McCarthy or who knows. But it just now it seems like Kyler Murray's kind of behind.
How did Kevin O’Connell justify making Kyler Murray the starter?
I have confidence that he'll be able to catch up, but they essentially wasted 10 practices to do something that everyone already knew was going to happen. Like, I don't know if they thought Kyler Murray was going to just, you know, fall flat on his face and, and JJ McCarthy was going to emerge, but that didn't happen. And, and even, even on the days where, where Kyler and the reports that Kyler and JJ were playing sort of, you know, evenly or JJ had the better day. All you had to do was look at the first team reps that that score North's Judd Zolgad kept track of every single day in 10 practices. Kyler Murray had 53 more first team rep. I don't care if he had a better day or a worse day than JJ McCarthy.
That right there told you all you needed to know. It didn't matter how he played in the night practice. He was going to be QB1. I thought that that was Tuesday when they made the decision. I thought that was going to be probably around when they made the decision, if not after the joint practices. But I think it was just getting to the point where Kevin O'Connell either decided or people, you know, in the front office decided like, hey, we we can't be just, you know, We can't be fucking around. We got jobs on the line this year. We need to get this show on the road. And Kyler's the guy. We want J.J. McCarthy to develop and be better, but he's still doing a lot of things that he needs to work on. He's 23.
He still has a career in front of him. But right now, Kyler's the guy. Let's not waste any time. Let's give him all the first team reps. And that's what they did. It took too long, but they came to the decision that everyone thought was going to happen.
Yeah, I think we both knew this when he put pen to paper or DocuSign, however they do contracts now, in March.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the Vikings’ opening announcement about Kyler Murray and why does it matter?
0:11–2:34
2
How did Kevin O’Connell justify making Kyler Murray the starter?
2:34–8:58
3
Why do the hosts think the quarterback competition was unnecessary?
8:58–16:45
4
What does the decision mean for JJ McCarthy’s development and future with Minnesota?
16:45–30:21
5
How are the Vikings’ ownership and coaching staff influencing roster patience?
30:21–36:44
6
What are the realistic win expectations for the Vikings this season?
36:44–41:59
7
What should fans look for in the preseason opener against the Giants?
41:59–47:37
8
How do the hosts wrap up their thoughts on the Vikings’ direction?
47:37–53:24
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Viking Age Podcast: A Minnesota Vikings Podcast from FanSided
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