Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Bucky Brooks explains why he LOVES the fit for Kyler Murray in Minnesota

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Former NFL player, scout and current co-host of "Move the Sticks" and "The Bucky Brooks Show" Bucky Brooks joins Matthew Coller to talk about Kyler Murray's fit with Kevin O'Connell's offense. He also explains why the NFL Draft scouting process is so complicated and what he learned from playing in the NFL. Bucky also talks about his vision for JJ McCarthy in the future, explaining why he still has a chance to make it in the NFL and who he'd take with the 18th overall pick in the NFL Draft for the Minnesota Vikings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

welcome to another episode of Purple Insider presented by Fandul, Matthew Collar here. And on the show today, all right, now we welcome into the show a very, very special guest. He's got the Bucky Brooks show now, but you may know him from such shows as Move the Sticks. Buckey Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah, one of my favorite podcasts. Can't tell you, Bucky, how much I have learned about scouting NFL players through that show. But I want to welcome you to the show with a little story about a young Matthew Collar, growing up in Buffalo in the year, 1994. It was a preseason game where a wide receiver goes down the sideline,

catches a spectacular touchdown. And I said, you know what? That's the next Andre Reid right there. The Buffalo Bills just drafted. That man's name is Bucky Brooks. And well, it didn't quite work out like that. You did have an NFL career. You switched to defensive back, played for a couple different teams in the NFL

and have made a heck of a media career for yourself. But I thought you were the one, Bucky. I thought you were the next, Andre. I thought, man, I can't believe the bills have this guy. And Andre Reed, it's unbelievable. Yeah, no, it was, look, it was a fun journey. I learned a lot on that journey. But that rookie preseason was a lot of fun for me.

A lot of things kind of fell into place. And those things, it was unfortunate that I couldn't continue to have it work out in Buffalo, but certainly I learned a lot. Had a great time. You are one of a ton of people that I've met from my time in Buffalo. And so I'll always cherish those memories in Buffalo, regardless how it turned out. I mean, those teams were incredible.

That was the perfect time for a childhood to fall in love with football because, you know, that four times to the Super Bowl, I know it didn't work out for them. But having Jim Kelly is the first quarterback, you get to watch every single Sunday, was really something, you know, the comeback game with Frank Reich and all those, all those times. And as you know, there is something different about the Buffalo Bills fan base than every other one. It's basically a city that is a football team. And then you also played in Green Bay, too. So I feel like you had some of the best fan-related experiences with the teams that you played on.

Yeah, very unique experience. And so you talked about Buffalo. Like, literally the stadium is kind of right around. Like, everyone is right around Orchard Park is just plop right there. And Green Bay is very similar. Lambeau Field is right there in the middle of the town. Everyone knows every player. When you go to the grocery store or whatever, like, it's a community.

You have these things. it's a it's a very unique experience to go to both of those spots where it is such a community feel behind the team what did you learn when you were playing that helped you when you started scouting and still today like what did you take away from maybe those early experiences when you first learn hey what it's like to go from college at the NFL and then as you went on your journey because I think most players like yourself you have to switch positions in the NFL. It's going to be a pretty rough ride, right, for most guys. I mean, that kind of means it's usually over for you, and it wasn't for you. So I'm really curious about, like, how you carried

over that experience into learning how to scout. I would say in Green Bay, I was fortunate to, look, Ron Wolf, Hall of Fame, general manager, executive, he signed me to a deal. He was the one that encouraged me to move to another position. That's how I got to Green Bay. And he also kind of nurtured me along the way when it came to scouting. And, And he always had a feel, and he learned this from Al Davis from the Raiders. They always had a sense that former players would make great scouts because it's no different than being able to look around the huddle and identify who are the players that I want in this huddle.

And a lot of that continues to stick with me as I look at players, evaluate players, who are the guys that I would want to play with? Who are the guys that I would want in the huddle with me? Can I feel them? Do they have a vibe? Do they come through? do I get a sense that they're going to deliver? Then it's about being able to use, I would say, those gold standard players.

So in Buffalo, you talked about Jim Kelly. I use Thurmond Thomas and Andre Reid and Bruce Smith as guys that I kind of use as that gold standard for elite players, Green Bay, Reggie White, Laura Butler, Brett Farr, on and on and on to even my days finishing up with the Oakland Raiders with Eric Allen and Charles Woodson. Rich Gannon was an MVP. being able to lean back into those, as I forgot to mention, Tim Brown, who's also a Hall of Famer, but being able to have kind of that rolodex of, hey, this is what a gold jacket player looks like.

Okay, how would this player compare to those guys and then working your way down? That has certainly helped me kind of build standards and expectations for how players should be if we're talking about them being these elite players when it comes to drafts or free agents or others. I also think that you get the ability to see up close how those people handle every single day, which is something that we try as reporters in a locker room to kind of figure out. But we're in there an hour a day, a couple times a week. We don't see everything that goes into the success or into guys that don't have success. And we try to pick it apart from talking to people and hearing as much as we can.

But really, unless you've been in that room, you don't understand fully what it takes in terms of commitment. in, I think the most underrated skill is intelligence for NFL players. I've seen so many guys. I'll just use an example. Josh Mattelis. I mean, that's a sixth round draft pick, a guy who's kind of multi-positional. Where does he fit in? Is he a special teamer?

Then you get to know him and you go, okay, I understand how he made it. Because this is one of the most intelligent players that the Vikings have. So I find that to be interesting of trying to, all look at the combine and we can all look at highlight reels and identify those skills. But it seems like someone like yourself would understand. how to pick up on those markers that there's more to a player that's going to fit, and then not to mention a different environment in the NFL, which is so wildly different than anything in college.

Yeah, so I was saying intelligence is a big one. In fact, when I was with the Carolina Panthers, at the time we went to the Super Bowl, I think it was Super Bowl 38. We were big on drafting players who were college graduates. And in the Final Four, like I think it was the Colts and the Patriots, us, and I think we might have played the Eagles. And we had the most college graduates. Those teams had the most college graduates on teams.

So it spoke to intelligence. It spoke to goal setting, starting something, finish it, and the like. But also there's a maturity that comes with that. And when we think about guys who play in the pros successfully, it's not only the talent, but it's the character. And when we talk about character, the football character, the work ethic, the intelligence, the ability to process complex things and be able to act it out and make decisions, the right decisions in action. It takes a lot of things and you're trying to factor it in. And you talked about the environment, the culture, the environment around you.

What are the expectations in the building? You talk about Buffalo and Green Bay early. You asked me about that. Well, in Buffalo, they go in the four straight Super Bowl. So the expectation is that you go there. And when you have your peers who kind of expect that, you have to raise your level. Same thing in Green Bay. They are, look, tidal town is what they call it.

Lombardi is still the guy that they kind of heed his ethos. And it's about that. And they tell you very clearly when you step in there, like, hey, we're about titles. And so you raise your level of professionalism to meet what those standards are. So a lot of that goes into a player being successful in the league. Yeah. And I think about even from like a Kevin O'Connell perspective,

we know the players have graded him very high in the NFL players survey and things like that. And I don't think it's just because he's a nice guy. I mean, I think it also. has to do with exactly what you said, like setting a standard and communication. I think you also need a coaching staff to identify what works for a player specifically. Like you talk about that role and where you can possibly fit in because we see players sometimes get overlooked or go to a different place. I'll give you a random example.

Eric Wilson was a special team or bounce around type of guy. And Brian Flores last year said, well, what if we just blitz him like all the time and see what happens? and then he has a big breakout game against the Lions and then they keep doing it more. And then they're signing him to a three-year contract. I find that part fascinating, Bucky is because when we're looking at all the drafts and you are so good at breaking this down on the show, a lot of times we talk about, well, if that guy goes there,

then it's got to be a good fit for that player or it might not end up working. And I think that's so hard because you look at your hits and misses, why did I love that guy and it didn't work? Why did I, you know, not love that guy and it did work? I feel like that's a lot of it what it comes down to too. Well, it's a number one part of it. Like they'll tell you, fit and scheme is the number one part of it. Because if you have a player with all the talents,

but he doesn't fit what you're asking him to do, it will never work. And as a scout for a team, everyone thinks that everybody has guys rated the same, but they don't because every draft board is a snowflake. And it's a snowflake because you're ranking players based on how they fit within your system, how they fit within your culture and those things. And you have to be courageous enough to know that someone can be extremely talented, but not fit what we do. And we're okay when people say, well, why didn't you take him?

Hey, he just didn't fit what we do. It's not that, but we want a certain type of player. We want certain type of characteristics of the player that we bring into the locker room. That is why the more times that you can get around the player, the more you can get to know a player, the better. Because then you have a true feel for who that player is. More importantly, who is he going to be when we bring him in the locker room? So I know that I brought you out to talk about Kyler Murray because you did an awesome breakdown for your Bucky Brook Show.

But since we're rolling on this and I'm learning stuff, I want to learn more. I would love to know from your perspective what it's like in the room as you guys are putting together a draft board because so often, and we've dealt with this, the Vikings have struggled in the draft, especially, I mean, one, they've not had a lot of draft capital recently, but they've had some very notable misses, have not put together a young team. And that's got to change if they're going to be a long-term successful team. They've got to do that. A lot of it gets put on one person, which is the GM. And that's fine because that's your final decision maker.

And that's, you know, the person who has to lead those meetings. But I'm curious about like the collaborative process between scouts, executives, personnel, people, coaches, and how that all comes together to make those decisions for a draft. Yeah, and every team, every building has a different process. I can tell you in general, the area scouts, the college scouts that are on the road, they spend much of the year on the road looking at college players, watching tape, interviewing, gathering background information to bring back to the team. Then you sit in meetings and you dispense the information. Some of the higher reps have also gone out there and done the film work, talked to people around the building. And so you have these conversations about, the player. And then you have the general manager and the guys that kind of come in late to the process and they're listening to everything, sifting it out. And then decisions are made on where guys go on the board, how they rank it, what our strengths, what our weaknesses, what do we need? Does this player fit? And you're working through all of that. I would tell you, one of the more

unique processes that I was privy to comes from the Green Bay Packers and Ron Wolf. And one of the things that they did very early in the process when I mean January before, until, the combine. We were spending maybe three weeks together and from seven o'clock to seven o'clock, we're just grinding through the tape. And so if you can imagine, we're going to look at offensive tackles today and they would be listed in alphabetical order. And so we're looking at Joe A today and we're going to watch as a group three games with Joe A play. Then we'll talk about him as a group and then he'll go on the board somewhere. And then we're going to look at James B. And we're going to go through the same process and is a long grueling process. But the reason why it was so good is

because everyone got a chance to watch all of the players on tape. And I'm on the West Coast. Well, the player that I'm looking at on the West Coast may look different than the player in the South. And so it expanded my horizons in terms of, oh, man, I got us a first round player in the SEC might look a little different than a guy that's a first round player in the Mountain West. I need to change my eye a little bit. So there are these processes that every team goes through to make it a collaboration so then you can make the best decision. But ultimately, a lot of times the general manager get blamed,

but it's a collaborative decision. It's a team decision. And so when the GM gets blamed for getting it wrong, the team got it wrong because all of us had to say and how that player was evaluated and who was ultimately picked by the team. Right. I mean, that's the thing that I think is maybe a little unfavorable. to the outside world.

It's just how much goes into this. And the really tough part about it, Bucky, is that you can be sitting there as a scout or as a group who loved certain players and they come off the board before you think. Or, you know, you get to a point and you have to decide as a group, are we going direction A or direction B? And it might be a coin flip. It might be 50% chance it's going to work or 50% it's not. And if you're the Vikings last year and you had five draft picks,

man, you guys put in a lot of work for five draft picks. at the end of the day. So it is such a complicated process with so many layers. The most complicated position, though, in all of the National Football League is the quarterback spot. And I am curious about if you can remember going back when you initially evaluated Kyler Murray, because I thought he was a really interesting discussion when he was coming out.

He didn't throw a ton of college passes when he did. It was spectacular. He was an incredible college player, but not a lot of experience. and the undersized thing. Now, as you may have picked up on being from Buffalo, I'm always going to fight for those guys. Doug Flutie showed up a few years after you, and that was some of the most fun football I've ever seen.

But other than Russell Wilson and Flutie, we haven't seen a lot of those really truly undersized, scrambling quarterbacks make it. Do you remember how you felt about him when he was coming out about what his upside and potential was? So go all the way back before Kyler was even in college, had an opportunity working at Elite 11, the opening camps put on by Nike, Calamary is there. And I got to tell you, there's some in the state of Texas that would tell you that

Calamari is the best high school player to ever put on pads in the state of Texas. And when you think about the great players that have come from that state, that is lofty praise for a player. Calamari is a remarkable athlete to be drafted in the top 10 in baseball, to be the number one overall pick in football that speaks to the talent that he brings. when you watched him after he made the transfer from Texas Nand, where his dad was a star quarterback to Oklahoma. He sat behind Baker Mayfield.

So I want you to think about that. I told you this is the most talented player, the best player that played in the state of Texas. He goes to Oklahoma and sits behind Baker Mayfield while Baker Mayfield wins a Heisman trophy. Then picks up the mantle and goes on to be a super successful collegiate player who also earns some hardware in his own regard. goes to Arizona, offensive rookie of the year, two-time pro-baller within those first three seasons.

Yes, it falls off the rails a little bit, but some of that is due to injury. Some of that is due to maybe general dysfunction of the franchise, particularly the last couple years. The talent is there. And what I do know going back, because it's a full circle conversation, Ron Wolf, you always talk about Al Davis, the late Al Davis from the Raiders saying, if someone is drafted in the first round, particularly a quarterback, it is your duty. be an obligation to kick the tires on that player.

Because if someone viewed him as a first rounder, talent is there. A new voice, a new environment can unlock the talent that might not have been unleashed on the football world prior to. I think Callow Murray eventually going to Minnesota is the perfect experiment to see what Kevin O'Connell can do with. And I'm going to say this. It's the most talented quarterback that Kevin O'Connell has ever had since he's been in Minnesota.

Can he unlock him and get him to take this offense to another level? Well, let's pick that apart in terms of his skill set because, I mean, I think that his career is kind of fascinating to look through because he sort of explodes on the scene in that second season, 2020, 2021 and is one of the most dynamic players in the league. But I also think that you could sort of see some of the issues with their offense. And then he has the injury. The roster falls apart. I just implore people to go look at the receiver names from 2022 and 2023. Let me tell you, they're not Jefferson, Hawkinson, and Addison. They're definitely not those guys.

And then in 2024, Bucky, what's really fascinating to me is it was very different, but I think in good ways for him in terms of progress for his career. He was under center. He was playing from the pocket in rhythm a lot more in 2024. And the ESPN reporter who covers Arizona, Josh Weinfuss, said to me that he had to really learn, like, because the system had roots with Shanahan and Kubiak. like he had to really like dive in and learn that X's and O stuff that which was really good for him. And then the wheels come off last year.

They've got a couple games. They should have won with Kyler. He's got the injury. They just decide we're going to stick with Jacoby percent. And, and now we're here. But from a pure skill set, like breaking down of the pure skill set, what I've seen looking back is I don't know that people realize how much he can play with accuracy, rhythm, timing from the pocket. Like, can you talk about him as like, let's take the playmate.

out of it just as a traditional quarterback and the things that they're asked to do and he will be asked to do in Minnesota and how he performs under those situations. Okay. So Tyler has been kind of, I would say, miscast because a lot of people think he's a shotgun-only guy. He's a runaround scramble guy that he doesn't play on time or in rhythm, that everything is basically like a mini version of Pat Mahomes in terms of he wants to play on the edges of the pocket as opposed to play from the pocket. Collier would tell you, no, he plays within the pocket.

And even though people talk about the size, the size has never really been a factor when you talk about bat at balls or those things. He finds open lanes, open windows. He's as accurate as they come, and he has big time armed talent. In this offense that we're talking about being able to play a little more under center, being a play with the advent of bootlegs and movement passes and using the running game to protect you or using him to protect the running game, a lot of advantage to being able to do that.

When we think about the quarterbacks that are played in this system and Kevin O'Connell's system is an offshoot of the Kyle Shanahan, Mike Shanahan system, and the Sean McVease system, there's this blended thing of play action, shots, rhythm, where they can do different things to create big plays. But the running game is a big part of that. This would be the first time that Kyle doesn't have to feel like he has to do everything for the offense to go. There's comfort in that, but there's also comfort for Kevin O'Connell knowing, man, I got to be. a player that may be able to get me out of jams when I call the wrong play. Like if it's not dialed up perfectly, he may be to a race to play and make it right with his athletic talent. That is different. That's unique. But that also as an explosive dimension to the offense, that didn't exist before. Right. And that's where, you know, if you just say, oh, well, you know,

you ran for 500 yards. Well, hold on. That's a lot. I mean, that is a lot of first downs that you weren't supposed to get. And I was just watching back his opener last year against New Orleans multiple times. New Orleans actually had a more complicated defense than I realize. Multiple times there were just miscues up front and there's free runners at him and it's a first down. Or it's a play where he steps up away from the rush. And he actually keeps his eyes down field when he's making plays. It's not like put my head down and scramble. It's like looking, scanning, looking and he hits Trey McBride for like a 15 yard gain despite the fact that somebody ran free. And like that, that, is different kind of playmaking.

But when you say arm talent, so I hear Kevin O'Connell say arm talent a lot, how is arm talent defined within the context of Kyler Murray and just like by scouts in general? Because I think of, I mean, we all played madden growing up. So it's like, well, throw power, throw accuracy, arm talent, there we go. I'm sure that there's more to it than that. No, I mean, that's a great way to do it. Throw power, throw accuracy is that. but it's high velocity,

is accuracy, it's touch timing and anticipation, is can he make every throw that needs to be made with ease? There are all of those nuanced factors to it. I would say that the playbook expands with Caller Murray's arm. It isn't reduced. And that means he can hit every level of the field. He can make every throw that you want a quarterback

to do it. He can do it from the pocket. He can do it on the move. He is unique. And the baseball background also factors into it because in baseball, they talk about velocity and below and all those other things that come to it because it's such an analytical, data-driven sport. Talk about a top-10 guy outfielder that is unique in terms of his ability to throw a ball, whether it's a baseball or football. All of that shows up in his game. He is in the upper echelon when it comes to talent in terms of as a thrower. Now it's about putting him in a position where he can make those throws that you want to see. What do you see with his deep ball?

Because when I watch the tape, I see a lot of 50-50 balls that were not coming down in the receiver's hands. And like everyone else, I thought Marvin Harrison Jr. was going to be that guy. I thought to toss it up and he's going to go up and get it. The NFL is a little bit different, I guess, than college. And he hasn't made that adjustment fully yet. I think that hurt Kyler's numbers in terms of his deep ball. But I also feel like when I look at 2021 versus 2024 and 2025, it doesn't feel like, it feels like something's missing there.

Like, I don't know if it's a confidence thing or if the ACL injury or if he was already dealing with a foot injury when he was playing in 2025. Like, do you think that he's the same quarterback when it comes to pushing the ball downfield that he was early in his career? He wasn't under the previous system. I think that's where environment coaching. All that matters. Sometimes your quarterback is as only good as the play call and the play designer.

We don't have any questions about the play designer in Minnesota. People will talk about Sam Donald. I'll go back and talk about Kirk Cousins and Sam Donald and how they look and how easy it was for you to see Justin Jefferson wide open on the scripted winners. Same thing for Jordan Addison and the like. Kevin O'Connell will find a way to create these explosive play opportunities for Justin Jefferson and Hawkinson, Addison, while also making it easy for Murray.

I just have so much confidence in the coach and in the player individually that collectively, I know this is going to work, and I know it's going to be spectacularly. We don't get a chance to see it in Minnesota. So when it comes to that, it's interesting because, you know, fans of their own team that watch every single game and so forth,

and look, from the press box or your couch, we all think we can call the plays. I know that that's not true, but we all think that. When it comes to O'Connell, though, when I talk to other people around the NFL, they have a very similar opinion of yours of Kevin O'Connell's passing game. And I think an interesting angle to Kyler Murray is how much does Kevin O'Connell have to adapt or adjust for Murray? I think it's less than people think after watching his previous offense and his most recent. But I'm curious about what you think about that.

Like, one, I mean, why people in the league have so much respect for O'Connell? I'd love to hear you talk about. and then also just how much does he have to adapt for Kyler? They got a lot of respect for him because they've seen him make things happen above the X's and O's. They've seen the player development of players that he has personally worked with, particularly Sam Donald, even Kirk Cousins, like how you could track their growth. And even because people have a lot to say about J.J. McCarthy, I would say J.J. McCarthy's injuries and some of his inexperienced things have limited him.

But make no mistake, when J.J. McCarthy's been available, they still found ways to win games in spite of some of the things that may have showed up on tape. And he could win with Judge McCarthy because he's proven that he can do that. And Kyler Murray, you always want to adapt to the talents of your player. So there will be some adjustments that Kevin makes to make sure that Kyler is comfortable. And some of that will come from Kyler making requests like, hey, I like this play. I'm not as much of a fan of this play because it doesn't work with like the way I see the game. or whatever that is. And so it will be a collaborative effort, but Kevin will find a way to take all of the volume of his offense and wipe away the things that don't fit color and just

feature the things that really work well for him. And that's how you maximize Kyle. And I'm sure that's what Kevin O'Connell is going to do. And that is why OTAs, training camp, those workouts, they matter because that's part of the experimental trial and error process that I help Kevin it down as they get closer to the season. So what do you think the upside is here, Bucky? I mean, the over under on Fandul. I know you mentioned their division odds are still plus 600, which is fourth out of four.

The over under on Fandul is eight and a half for this team. If it clicks, if he stays healthy, which is just such a huge deal, can he play 15 to 17 games for them? But let's just assume that he can. What's the upside do you think for this team? I think the team can get to 11 plus. I think when you look at the combination of defense, being able to continue to have Brian Flores on defense, being able to really come after people in a unique and exotic way with the pressures, plus what they're going to be able to do on offense, I think that gives them a chance.

The running game to me is the big factor for the Vikings because in a perfect world, they would have a top five rushing offense to complement what they want to do in the passing game. because the rushing game will allow them to control the game against the likes of the lions and the bears who also want to do it. So if they get that fix, man, I have no doubts that this team could not only win 11 plus, but this team could end up being the team that we talk about winning division when it's all sitting down. Yeah, I mean, because we know they have a baseline of defense that you start with, which somebody pointed this out, that Kyler never had a top 10 defense the entire time he was in Arizona Cardinal. and that's why when we compare and contrast the environments, it's just so much different. I know I've kept you for a long time, Bucky, but I do want to ask you about J.J. McCarthy,

though, because the scouting reports on McCarthy when he was coming out were really interesting to pick apart. The lack of experience, the offense that he came from, and touch on the football and all that sort of stuff. And yet the personality, the work ethic, the competitiveness, like everybody really like that stuff. But I think what we found last year was that he could wow in practice and he could impress in practice and he was getting a lot of it. But the lack of experience I think really showed when he was actually out there.

And even though we saw some development throughout his time as a starting quarterback, I think them going out to get Kyler Murray shows you that they feel like he's just not ready for this. And that's where I'm at with J.J. McCarthy. I think that there's tools there to work with, but it feels like it's going to take a while for them to come together. And the unfortunate nature of the NFL is you don't have a while. The NFL just doesn't give you, you know, four or five years. So I'm curious about what your take about this whole arc for J.J. McCarthy has been from the time you would have scouted him when he was coming out to where we are right now. One, when he was coming out, I love him.

I love him in terms of who he was as a person. I love that he'd gone through some adversity at Michigan. that he was willing to check his ego to be a guy that won at a high level at Michigan. He could have gone anywhere that he wanted to go to be a quarterback, but he chose Michigan because he wanted to be a part of something bigger where his team could win. And he personally kind of, I would say, checked his ego at the door to go to a run-heavy attack to lead them. And I think there's something to his ability to manage the game in a winning fashion, the comfort level there. I think the biggest thing that has heard, J.J. McArthur has been the success of Sam Donald.

And unfortunately, in that city in Minnesota, because Sam Donald has success and it culminated with his new team winning a Super Bowl, JJ gets a lot of that blowback. Because make no mistake, Sam Donald wasn't a perfect player and he was flawed in Minnesota. It just happened to work out. And because the Vikings weren't having the season that many of them hoped that they would have, JJ gets some of that. Now, he's contributed to it because the play has been up and now, but young players are going to have up and now more. moments. Also, the injuries that have kept him from being around, I would say it's injuries and other stuff, right? He has a baby. He has this. He has these things that just kind of disrupted his timeline in terms of development. But if Callow Murray wasn't an option, if it wasn't clear

and apparent that Callow Murray would be an upgrade at the position, I think the Minnesota Vikings could have rolled out the ball with J.J. McArthur and being okay with him being the starting quarterback. Now, how this is going to read, once you go with CalaMurray, it kind of ends the J.J. McCarthy experiment, unfortunately, in Minneapolis. But there's no reason why he can't do the same thing that Sam Donald has done. Because the talent is there, the skill is there. Sometimes you might need a new environment, a new voice to fully unlock what he can be. Because to me, he reminds me a lot of Alex Smith and the journey that Alex Smith was on.

I think J.J. McCarthy is very, very similar to the former number one overall pit. Yeah, and the thing with Alex Smith was he had a lot of touch issues early on. He was like throwing a lot of bullets and so forth. But he also got, what, four or five years to develop and come along. And that's just something with the rookie quarterback contracts that feels like it's really changed the timeline. And I know that Daniel Jeremiah was talking about this when I was at his press conference at the combine. He was talking about how the reason he thinks that we see this a lot. is because of the rookie quarterback contract pressure,

where if this was 2002, you can stick with a quarterback a lot longer. And I also think you make a great point about setting the bar at 14 wins and then having a veteran team, like, that's what everybody expected. And when you come short of that and the performance is so wildly volatile with him as it is for young quarterbacks, it was just really hard for everyone because they were going into the season thinking

we should be a Super Bowl contender. And then it's like, oh, but your, your quarterbacks. quarterback's not on the same timeline as the rest of your roster. And that circles back to our conversation about fit, environment, situation, and how a lot of things play into whether someone succeeds or not. Yeah, I mean, I think some of that is definitely true when it comes to their timeline, JJ McCarthy's timeline. But I'll say this, everybody didn't play well for the Minnesota Vikings.

It wasn't just a quarterback. And so others have to own that. Like, there's not a one player cure-all that's going to fix the Minnesota. the Vikings woes. Unfortunately for JJ McCarthy, the quarterback gets a lot of the credit and a lot of the blame because in previous years, Sam Donald played great, but it was easy to play great when you have those weapons on the outside dominating and maximizing what they can do individually and collectively. For JJ, I think it's just interesting to see how he handles this. I think observing how he handles mini-camp, OTAs, off-season workouts, what he does in training

camp because the competition will either bring out the best in him or he'll step back and almost kind of fade away. I'm willing to bank on that we will see probably the best version of him in camp, even though it likely won't result in him winning the starting job. But if he's a fighter and he really is all in on ball, you will see him really narrow his focus and really drive himself to be a much better player the next time we see him on the field. And you think about this, Buckie, I mean, we could be in week three and J.J. McCarthy's starting, right? I mean, we just don't know with Kyler's injury history and there's so much that's unpredictable about the quarterback position. Once upon a time, I would never would have expected Doug Flutie to be the starter when Rob Johnson had been the guy they traded for or Kurt Warner or 100 different examples of situations that have played out.

The 49ers, one of my favorite is the 49ers tried to get Tom Brady to play for them. And then Brock Purdy took them to the Super Bowl. Like, you just never know, man. Okay, leave me, leave me with this, my friend. This has been incredibly insightful and I really, really appreciate it. Look, you want your preseason heroes from 1994 to be great guests on your show. And it's really come through. Who you mock into the Vikings?

Daniel, Jeremiah has settled. He's got Dylan Thieneman. He's going to mock him to Vikings every time, which I love that fit for Brian Flores. and I think he's dead on with his analysis. Who you got? Look, man, I would go the same way. Like, look, I think Thineman is perfect. And just how he plays the game,

you talk about that natural void Harrison Smith's departure creates for Thinemann to be able to do it. But if we're not going to go there, let's think about a cornerback. And normally, if you can play a cornerback in that system, has to be a high IQ guy. People don't talk about Gerob McCourt, but let's throw him off because he has injuries.

To me, there's two guys. It's Aviontarel from Clemson, who can be a nickel in the mold of a Marlon Humphrey, or there's Colton Hood from Tennessee, who can play outside and inside, who has great instincts, awareness, has a great feel for playing the position using a variety of techniques.

To me, you have to have a full toolbox to be able to play successfully for Brian Flores. I think those two guys will be great fits. I really love how Aviontorel looks, although here's my thing on the show. And maybe you'll appreciate this as a former wide receiver. I think people should just be drafted wide receivers all the time. And here's why.

Here's why. Because look at what Denver just traded for Jalen Waddle. Look at what Pittsburgh had to do to get D.K. Metcalf. Look at the free agent market where Alec Pierce is a free agent and he gets almost $30 million a year. And he's good. But is he $30 million a year good? I mean, that's kind of on the edge for me. they are so costly now that I think we should talk about it almost the same way we do about the

quarterbacks and the rookie contract advantage there and where the Vikings, and I don't think they'll do this. I think you guys are exactly dead on that defense is the way to go. But it's a good wide receiver class and kind of that middle of the first round, it feels like. And you don't know what is going to happen with Jordan Addison. If he has a really big year, do you have to pay him 30 plus million dollars when you're already paying Justin Jefferson gets a little bit dicey there. and they also lost their number three wide receiver in free agency, Jalen Naylor. So I'm kind of banging the drum a little bit, even though I totally agree with you that those guys are perfect fits for Flores. You need to have an elite defense without Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, a quarterback.

But I'm kind of liking the idea of a weapon here. Yeah, they can take a weapon. Normally what you do is a supply and demand analysis. And this year, the wide receiver class is deep in day two guys. And so you look at the fall off between what is the drop off for the top defensive backs versus the top wide receivers. And if there's a greater drop off at DB, you get the DB early and come back and get the wide receivers. To me, if they need a weapon, I would make sure I secure the defense first and then come back in the second round where we could talk about some of the guys. People are talking about whether there's Omar Cook or Zechari Branch or Antonio Williams or whoever down there.

there are a bunch of different players that are be in play. To me, it makes more sense to go get the defender than come back and get the wide receiver later. It's a classic draft season that I have already fallen in love with certain players for the Vikings. And Antonio Williams is the guy that I feel like great, great fit for them. But we'll have to see how it plays out. Bucky Brooks. You got the Bucky Brooks show now on the Believe Network. You also have moved the sticks, all your other television work.

Dude, it has been amazing to talk to you and to listen to you for. for such a long time with you and Daniel Jeremiah. So appreciative of your time for coming on the show. Thanks so much for doing this, man. Hey, thanks for having me on.