Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - How did JJ McCarthy look? Vikings Day 1 training camp review

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

Matthew Coller is joined by Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press to recap everything they saw at the opening day of 2025 Vikings training camp.

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Coller here along with Dane Mizzetani, the Pioneer Press inside TCO Performance Center after we have just watched, wait for it, the first training camp practice of 2025. We all had our sunglasses and sunscreen and we're ready to go outside and Mother Nature had other ideas. So it was an inside practice here today, but it was a full practice without pads and we have a lot, a lot of takeaways to discuss. And where to begin? What player to start? Oh, how about JJ McCarthy? That seems like a fair spot to begin. I know what everybody wants to know. How did JJ McCarthy look in his first training camp practice ever as QB1? So for that,

I will let you react first, Mr. Mizutani. Go ahead. How did you think that that JJ McCarthy looked at his first training camp practice ever as QB1. Yeah, a little tongue twister there. I thought he looked good. I thought he looked the part. I thought it was, we talked about how the spring was a continuation of last summer and how he hit the ground running and there was no rust. I thought today was a continuation of the spring.

He just looked like QB1. It was like not even a question. I saw him running over to the offensive lineman after stretching and dapping everybody up. He just carries himself with not only a youthful exuberance but like a guy that just knows he's the guy. So that's the starting point. Even before he threw a pass,

he looked like the quarterback of the future, of the present and of the future. But then you watch him in practice and when the when the bullets actually start to fly and you see him actually drop back And throw the ball. It was kind of a slow start but not a bad start by any means I think this is the time of the year We have to remind ourselves and I think both of us will probably have to remind ourselves this At least of once or twice over the summer that the defense is ahead of the offense.

Just inherently that's how it works in training camp. So it wasn't a bad start by J.J. McCarthy, but I thought he really hit his stride once they went to seven on sevens. His best throw of the day to me was, it was a 60 yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison roughly. Ball was at the 40 roughly when when he let it go and it wasn't 60 yards in the air but it was 35 yards on a

rope and if he put any loft into it I think Harrison Smith who was I think playing cover too would have drifted over probably broke it up so it had to be on a rope and you really got to see JJ McCarthy's arm strength there. A couple other good throws right after a not not a bad throw, but a questionable, maybe tried to do too much, fitting it over the middle to Justin Jefferson. Byron Murphy breaks it up, makes a good play on the ball. Very next play, we talked about this in the spring, his ability to move on quickly from mistakes or things that didn't go his way perfectly.

Very next play from McCarthy, McCarthy drops back hits his back foot Hits Justin Jefferson over the middle for 15. So it wasn't the most spectacular day You'll ever see a guy play quarterback But it was I think everything you would want to see out of your QB one on day one of training camp I felt the same exact way today that I felt at the end of mini camp which was This looks like a QB one in the NFL running a practice Not going to be able to tell today with a lot of seven on seven work There was not quite as much 11 on 11s as there probably will be when the pads come on and then they're just running rep

After rep after rep So it was a lot of seven on seven opportunities for JJ McCarthy Which means having some time to throw not facing pressure but just identifying what the defense is doing making accurate throws and he was on time with a lot of the throws looked like he was going to the right place I only spotted one little meeting with O'Connell and McCarthy and there was a throw at first maybe he's one of the first reps that went to absolutely nobody where I think he thought somebody was going deep he laid it up over the top and there was a throw at first, maybe he's one of the first reps that went to absolutely nobody where I think he thought somebody was going deep.

He laid it up over the top and there was no wide receiver there, but hit on a number of passes that had that kind of velocity that makes you go, whoa, okay, that one was coming at you. And sometimes for us, they'll run right by our sideline and you can really get the sense of how the speed was on the football. And that was kind of like the Jordan Addison one that was down our sideline and you can really get the sense of how the speed was on the football and that was kind of like the Jordan Addison one that was down the sideline where you could tell that McCarthy this wasn't a balloon ball that he was throwing up and I think that his deep ball is probably always going to be this way where it's going to be more of a line drive type

of trajectory like if you think of golfers and off the tee you have golfers who hit it Like if you think of golfers and off the tee, you have golfers who hit it really high and you have golfers who kind of hit it at the 45 degree parabola or whatever. And then you have your kind of low line drivers. I think he's always going to be that way with just the way that he throws, but it has the velocity to continue to carry.

And I think that's the biggest area of growth from even last year, especially last OTAs, but even last year in training camp, I thought early on it was a little bit of trying to ramp that up and then he just comes out today, makes that great throw. And even on the throw that was broken up, might've been a tad bit behind Justin Jefferson, I think, and I'm not trying to call out Byron Murphy,

I think he might've got a little hand on the jersey of Justin Jefferson that slowed him down. He also, there was a really nice pass that stuck out to me where Jefferson was one on one with Jeff Acuta, which we will get into the whole secondary thing. And Jefferson ran a disgusting comeback route. I mean, just like all world, put it on your teach tape, 15 yards, slam on the brakes, spin around and bang, the football was right there and hit Jefferson. And those are the types of plays that they're

going to run all the time. But I think the main point is, I've talked about this with any type of practice that we see, is does it look like it's running functionally the way that it's supposed to run? Like, in none of these practices is anybody going to come out and just like laser all over the place like it's you know a Monday night football or that kind of thing.

Like it's a slow progression of things but it's supposed to run a certain way. The ball is not supposed to be hitting the ground very often. It's not supposed to be getting picked off which it was a couple of times today but not when JJ McCarthy threw it. Again that's something we'll get to. So I don't think that there's a lot new to say about how J.J. McCarthy looked. I think it's a very positive carryover

from the way that he ended mini camp. And then I want to bring up one other thing because there was a lot of discussion about this today. At the very end of practice, McCarthy let one rip to T.J. Hockinson into a very tight window from where we were standing, which was kind of behind the goal line. We were prepared for the players to come off the field to interview them so we could see the whole route progress.

And he had to fire it into a very, very small space for Hockinson to make the catch. And Hockinson kind of leaned out, grabbed it, fell onto the ground, that type of tight window throw. And when we were talking to Hockenson after practice, he was talking about how McCarthy throws the football. And he said, like, he can fit that ball into tight windows. And he made a comparison to Matthew Stafford for how the ball gets on you, he said, with a lot of velocity, but you also have to be ready,

because even if you're covered, he's gonna be able to fit it in there. And I thought, of course, the deep ball stood out the most great throw. But that's one where we talk about finding out what you can do and trusting your arm and kind of learning to believe in what catches

these guys are going to make. Michigan receivers, I'm sure, were fantastic. They're not TJ Hawkins and Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. So learning what those guys are able to bring in. And the other subject was just that he got together with these guys in the off season and I don't know, maybe it's confirmation bias.

I felt like that happened. Like I felt like I came out and saw a guy who had been throwing to his wide receivers, the timing was pretty good, the accuracy, location was pretty good, but if there was one area that might have been difficult for someone just taking over as QB1, it would have been timing. And I thought the timing overall of this practice, again, first practice of the year, tomorrow's

another day, but the first practice of the year, the timing was good. And so I've got nothing to walk out of here and go, I don't know, man. So that's a major positive, I think, just to start training camp. Yeah, I'm actually very glad you brought up TJ Hockinson and the fact that they met up. Because JJ McCarthy, at two different times this off season, or in that gap of time between the spring and the summer, one time down in Nashville, I think it was him, TJ Hockinson, Josh Oliver,

and probably a handful of guys that work out in Nashville with TJ Hawkinson. Jajan McCarthy picked the date, said I'm coming down to Nashville, let's do this thing. That speaks to his leadership, that speaks to his mocks he has as QB1, but then to do that again, they got together at Woodbury High School, right, 35 minutes down the road from from where we're sitting right now. He threw with Justin Jefferson with Jordan Addison and it's just you're right you see that kind of manifest on the field today with the timing but I really do think that those little things those little moments when he doesn't have to do that it's not like Kevin O'Connell is saying hey you better

go meet up with the like he is doing that on his own. And maybe people watching at home or listening at home would say, well, yeah, I really hope my QB1 is doing that, but they're not all doing that. They are. This is their one moment of downtime throughout the year before this thing really gets dialed up.

What was J.J. McCarthy doing in that gap of time? He was meeting up with teammates and making sure he was ready for today. You saw that out there today. I think you will see a continuation of that throughout training camp. Reps really matter. I asked him why was that important to you to meet up with your teammates during the downtime? He said because reps are everything in this offense. He said like you said, timing is everything in this offense. So just to see that kind of play out today, I thought it was a good sign. And like the point that kind of we both always make is does the practice run functionally?

Yes, it does. No qualms about where JJ McCarthy is at. I will say it's probably not going to be every single day. Wow, look how good he looks. There's going to be ups and downs, but there was no downs today, at least not to me. No, and I think the next step that we'll get into in the coming days, especially when the pads come on, but I think they get going with situational stuff in the next few days as well when we get outside, especially. And that, it was another point of emphasis for Kevin O'Connell in the next few days as well when we get outside especially. And that, it was another point of emphasis

for Kevin O'Connell in the press conference. And I asked McCarthy about that. And he talked about how Jim Harbaugh had really, really hammered home when he was in college situational football. He mentioned the Vikings have a game management coordinator. Sorry if I have that title wrong, but that's basically what it is. Even kind of name drop, that guy is somebody to understand

situational football and where you really start to see the progress of a quarterback is in two minute drills that they do. That's where they think about it this way. If everybody in your schoolyard gathered around in a circle for two kids to fight, like that's what it's like in the two minute drill. There's pressure on, there's a scoreboard,

they put a score up there. All right, you gotta get a touchdown. All right, you gotta get a touchdown. All right, you gotta get a field goal. And then they've got the referees running it like it's real plays. They don't tackle, but they estimate where the tackle would have been. We didn't have that today, it's day one.

They're just starting to get ramped up here. But those are the situational things that McCarthy, I think will really have to focus on in this training camp because that's what real football is gonna be like. and it'll be the first time in a very long time where he has had to stand under center with the clock ticking down and the pressure and Kevin O'Connell screaming in his ear and stuff like that. by those drills because I know that they're putting the most work into those and the most thought into those and they have said it really since day one of Kevin O'Connell, situational, situational and I don't think that it's random that they've won a lot of those close games as long as Sam Darnold or Kirk Cousins was the quarterback but they were really excellent situationally.

So that's kind of the next step that we'll be looking for is, all right, what's his comfort once he gets into those? Because you could see everything, the leadership, the decision making, the play making, even when a guy scrambles. Today was much more of a mini camp carryover with a little bit of full 11 on 11. But I wouldn't say that it was some sort

of super intense practice that we can learn everything. I just thought him's commentary on all that stuff, knowing the clock, knowing, I mean, he even mentioned, and this I think speaks to his diligence, he even mentioned knowing when the defense is tired, when you get to the line of scrimmage, knowing who has come off the field and on the field for the opposing defense and their personnel, which I think is an awareness that he naturally has, and then you have to hone in these practices. So what do you want to see day two from JJ McCarthy?

Cause day one, it's like box checks that looked fine. Onto the next one. Yeah, I mean, I think it really is just like a continuation because we're not going to see the two minute drills over the next few days. This is the acclimation period. Days one, days two, days, day one, day two, day three, generally a ramp up, like no pad. So like I really just want to see does the practice continue to function as it should and I have pretty very zero low

doubts that that that will be an issue because it hasn't been really at any point So I think next week is when I'll be able to say I want to see this I want to see this I want to see this right now. I think we Having been out here having seen a training camp knowing how it functions We understand that it's probably gonna be a lot of this, at least for the next 72 hours, and then we'll get to see it really dialed up. First day for the public, Sunday, nope.

First day for the public is Saturday. First day with pads is Monday. So I guess, like, I really just wish we could push fast forward and go to Monday, because I've seen everything I need to see out of McCarthy, at least with what I know or think we're going to see over the next three days. Well, I just want to see consistency.

I want to see this type of practice, and maybe even a little bit sharper from the very beginning in 11 on 11s, just carry over from day to day. And then if it doesn't, we'll have to talk about, well, why didn't it carry over from day to day? But call it a good start for JJ McCarthy at Vikings training camp. Now let's get to some of the lineup stuff that for weeks

and weeks we've talked about well who's gonna play here what's gonna play here and this is another one of those oh we get to finally have real information here. The guy that his usage stood out the most to me and I was wondering if this would be the case based on some of the stuff we saw in mini camp was Josh Mattelis participating fully by the way, not sitting off to the side. And again, as the pads come on, if there's no extension like what that is going to look like when it gets a little

more physical, but for right now, a full participation from Josh Mattelis and he was a Cambynum and not a Josh Mattelis. Like he played the role of the deep safety alongside Harrison Smith much more than the role he's been playing over the last couple of years. And the only time that Theo Jackson was on the field was when they were in a dime package,

and then Theo would come in as that sixth defensive back, so they would have three safeties and three corners on the field. Do you like the idea of Josh Metellus playing next to Harrison Smith, and not the super dynamic role, we saw him move up to the line of scrimmage, I think we know he's still gonna blitz and things like that,

but not the, hey, you're a defensive lineman, hey, you're a nickel corner, hey, you're a safety. Hey, you're a linebacker. Uh, instead, how about maybe you're just a safety? Do you like that change for Josh Mattelis? Hard to know right now. I like seeing if it works on the first day of training camp. I also acknowledge that what the defense looks like on day one of training camp is probably not what it's going to look like in week one of the season. So they're probably not showing all of their cards right now. What I do like trying, Josh Mattel, is your most experienced safety sans Harrison Smith as the guy to take the thousands of reps that Kam Bynum has over his career. I like the idea of putting him there and seeing if it works.

But at the same time, I think Josh Mattelis' superpower is his versatility. So if you're just going to say you're a deep safety, I think that does take away his value in a way. So I like seeing if it works right now. I like it on day one. I like entrusting your veterans to kind of be the guys to lead the defense forward. But if we are in week one and all of a sudden the Vikings just have turned Josh

Metellus into a deep safety like Cam Bynum, I think you will be leaving meat on the bone for what he is capable of and what this defense is capable of. We did talk to Josh Metellus after practice and he said, because we asked him like, do you think you're going to be Cam Bynum this year? He said, I'm not going to give everything away. But he said also like his versatility in the defense in the past was because of how the roster was constructed. I think he sees himself as a safety at heart with the ability to do a little bit of everything. So maybe part of it is letting him play safety

because he thinks that's his natural position and will use him in other places later as the summer progresses, as we get into the fall. I believe him to a degree. Like if he wanted to see the field, he had to do a little bit of everything because they had Harrison Smith. They had Kam Bynum. Now that they don't have Kam Bynum, maybe they just want their best 11 on the field and he is that as a deep safety. So we'll see. But I think the most important thing is what you let off with is that he was out there. He was

practicing. Will it look different when the pads come on? I really don't think so because we talked to him about that today too. So like, why are you practicing? Did you think about holding out? Did you think about holding in? And he basically said, no. Like I understand my role on this defense.

I understand the importance of building chemistry. And I understand that I am a leader in the locker room. And if I understand that I am a leader in the locker room And if I want to say I'm a leader in the locker room, then I can't not be out here It would be pretty bold of him to say that on day one And then when the pads come on on Monday to be like, yeah, I'm good So I think he's gonna be out there. I think part of him probably understands Like this might just be what it is at this point. Byron Murphy Jr. at one point last summer

like was working towards a contract extension, did not get it and then cashed out. So there might be at least part of Josh Metellus that is starting to come to the realization, maybe this isn't coming. And rather than create a big fuss, like maybe I should just go ball out again. He said he's been betting on himself since he came into the league. He's comfortable doing it again. I

Still think that there's a chance that a deal gets done but the fact that he's out there I do think speaks to kind of who he is and The role he understands he has so with this contract relating to the usage So with this contract relating to the usage, now that I know that he's probably not going to play the same role that he has in the last couple of years, which I think it ultimately be better or it's a sign of what they have at the linebacker position where they're probably going to have some, a lot of actually traditional three, four,

which you don't see around the league almost at all, but where they do have three defensive linemen and then four linebackers and two safeties and two corners because they have the personnel to actually be able to do that. And if they want Mattelis on the field in those situations, he has to play a regular type of safety spot where then he creeps up, you know, a little Troy Palamalu action with the Steelers in that position where you creep up. And maybe you've got Harrison Smith

doing a lot more deep stuff as opposed to playing in the box just to try to keep him a little healthier, keep him on the field, adjust his role a little bit into his age to be somebody who's more in the right place over the top as opposed to slamming into people all the time and making tackles. I think that would make a lot of sense, but I also think from a Vikings perspective, if the way that you see him longer term is a just a rate and I say regular safety as if it's not a very dynamic

position by nature, it is, but it's not quite the same as this hybrid Kyle Hamilton type of thing, where sometimes over here, here sometimes over there and You're in all these different spots doing all these different jobs if you're playing one position I think that might change the price. I think it might change the offer I think it might change what I think of that Because he might not be as good at this as he was at that very Josh Mattel AC type of position and if he not, then they have to make a change. It also could be, and this is kinda like early camp PSA,

they're trying stuff, they're seeing how things work. So if they're just seeing how this works, and if they like it better in his old role, then we might see a lot more of Theo Jackson there, who did have a PBU, by the way, today. Theo Jackson, the rule of Theo is that he must have a pass break up or interception every single day in training camp for his entire life. But I can see why they would say well Metellus is the better player than Jackson and we want to have Dallas

Turner on the field and we want to have the both linebackers and both outside linebackers and we want to have Hargrave and Allen and Phillips on the field at the same time. Well, you can't have everybody, and one of the best ways to make room is to have Metellus there, and I think if they keep a dynamic element where he is more of a box safety, and then it doesn't change it, you know, hugely, I guess. So what's the better word for that? It doesn't massively. It doesn't make him learn an entire new position. It's just that he is doing more deep safety stuff.

But I think from a skill set standpoint, I kind of think of those deep safeties as being a little bit more ball hawking type guys, maybe a little smoother type guys, where I see him as kind of a wrecking ball in there. And I don't know exactly how that's going to translate. So I think that that was the biggest thing lineup wise that it took away. But why don't we stick with the secondary in this conversation, where we saw Jeff Okuda playing with Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rogers when they were in their nickel spot and it was not McKay Blackman. Now this is why we give the PSA because I think they want to set

a bar with Jeff Okuda that hey McKay Blackman if you want to be a starter in this league you have to beat out somebody who's been a starter and is a veteran. We saw this with Joanne Williams a couple years ago and even someone like Fabian Morrow coming in and kind of hey young guys like here's a veteran go try to beat him or Caleb Evans who had played for a couple years but I also think that they're taking the Jeff Okuda thing seriously and Blackman did get a couple of snaps with the first team in dime. He's also coming back from an ACL injury so there's a ramp up period there.

But that was a development to me, and I think it would be an amazing story for Jeff Okuda if he could go from a guy that was left for dead in the NFL, who wants this guy, give him a million bucks to come play for your team, and then whoa, Jeff Okuda's good now. But what I don't love is the idea of relying on that. So when I look at this secondary with him in there,

based on his history, I go, okay, I think you would much prefer McKay Blackman to prove that he deserves that job. And if Blackman can't, then I think I want to phone call to Stefan Gilmore and see what he's doing. And this is, it's not to disrespect Okuda. Again, it would be a great story of redemption.

Guy goes from a high draft pick. He plays on a bunch of different teams, then finally finds a home. But this is not a redemption story type of team. This is not one of those, hey, the team could be scrappy and maybe Sam Darnold's good or whatever. Like last year, if Sam Darnold won three games, who cares?

Right? That never mattered. Everything matters now. And if the bet is on someone who has struggled this much during their career, that would make me nervous. Yeah, I don't know that I love if in this reality, you just said, rosters lock today. This is what you have. I don't know that I would love Jeff Okuda being my starting cornerback, but I do not

mind seeing if he could be your starting quarterback for the first week, first two weeks, first three weeks, I don't care, of training camp and seeing where this thing goes. I don't love the idea of a reclamation project that didn't work out as a first round pick in the past and has bounced around because generally speaking, they don't work out. They just are what they are at a certain point. So Jeff Okuda might just be what he is, which is just a guy in the secondary. But it is worth seeing. It is worth finding out if the guy, I think he went third overall.

Like five years ago, He's 26 years old 27 I don't he's young. He's still like in what would be his theoretical prime So we know how much Brian Flores likes big hulking DBs on the outside and Jeff Okuda is that so if they want to just see Sure, it's day one and I'm fine with that want to just see, sure, it's day one and I'm fine with that. Maybe tomorrow though like Makai Blackman will be the starting cornerback and Jeff Okuda will be working more with the twos. This is why like right now it's hard to make too much out of where this guy is slotted on the depth chart, where that guy is

slotted on the depth chart, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was intrigued by oh look Jeff Okuda's starting on the outside with the ones I think it's worth finding out and I also like that the Vikings have decided let's just let the string play out like we don't need to bring in another guy if they would have brought in Jalen Ramsey or traded for him that I would have been all for that but I don't know if they needed a Jaiyer Alexander. I think the fact that they're willing to see what they have knowing that if you just look at the free agent market there are guys out there still waiting for jobs that if it doesn't

work out you could go sign one of those guys. I'm fine with that right now. It's exactly what they did last year at training camp. I don't know if they sign Stefan Gilmore if Mackay Blackman doesn't blow out his knee on day one of training camp. So there's a lot that is left to be kind of proven over the next few weeks. And if they don't like what they have, I'm sure they've built in some contingency plans based on who's available on the open market. So we'll leave it at that. Or I'll leave it at that. I think I'm intrigued, but I don't know if I love betting my season on Jeff Okuda being my cornerback two, cornerback three. I just always think from our seat,

it can be a little bit hard to talk about these guys because the fans root for them, the team is rooting for them. They want to be the genius team that turns around the guy. And yet we've seen it happen. A lot of teams go out and get the first rounder, and then OK, it's the same whatever. 18 teams have had Laquan Treadwell on them.

50 teams have had Jalen Rieger on them. It's just, it is, right? Right. But if you ask the team he was currently on, and their fans and reporters, they'd be like, right. But if you ask the if you ask the team he was currently on and their fans and reporters They'd be like maybe and so like I want to give Okuda the opportunity here to see if like wow This really clicks in Flores defense Flores defense is unique It is very different from probably any other defense in the entire NFL

So there is always a chance that someone just fits better here. We have seen that on past occasions, but we've also seen a lot of, you know, other guys who come in and don't work out. And with his level of pure talent as a former number three overall pick to have almost no interest and then be out there with the starters, you go, okay. I mean, if that's what you're going to do, then it better work. But I think that it's more of a bar for Mackay Blackman to get over. And then if, wow, Okuda is amazing,

then that's just a bonus. With the rest of the secondary, a little bit of Dwight McClother, and he had a pass breakup. Also sort of the same thing with Theo Jackson. Like Dwight McClother just always gets a PBU. Felton was running a deep route on him, and he was able to get in there and break it up very nice play. Zmaia Vaughn got a lot of run with the

second team out there. He's pretty gangly so he stands out quite a bit. Some other lineup stuff that I noticed Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez were taking the first reps with the second team as we keep an eye on that battle for the interior the defensive line. Kobe King got a lot of work alongside Eric Wilson, leaving Brian Osemwa behind those guys. I don't think that's any surprise, but I did see Kobe King on the field quite a bit there, which, you know, that linebacker position feels pretty set,

but when you draft a guy in the later round and there's someone else who's more experienced on the roster, it's notable that one guy would be ahead. And as far as injury situation goes, Rondale Moore seemed like he did everything, right? Yeah. Thought he was out there running with the second team. And we'll see how that plays out as he goes forward.

And Wil Fries took a few reps with the first team. Blake Brandle came and filled in for him. Am I missing anything? Oh, I would say the other guy that stood out that was out there with the first team. Blake Brandle came and filled in for him. Am I missing anything? Oh, I would say the other guy that stood out that was out there with the second team was Tyler Batty. It was not Bo Richter. It was Tyler Batty. I kind of wondered if Richter would get some

outside linebacker reps, but it looked like the undrafted free agent from BYU was kind of getting first dibs on that along with Gabriel Murphy. And last year, Gabriel Murphy was the darling name that we talked about a lot early in camp, and then he got hurt and then we didn't see him. And then we saw him a little and then we didn't see him again. And so now he's back and he's got an opportunity here, I think, to carve out

an actual role with this team, because the outside linebacker group is they didn't add any veterans. Yeah I think Gabriel Murphy was one of the players that Kevin O'Connell kind of went out of his way to mention last year and then after He gets hurt He just kind of disappears and once you get hurt towards the end of training camp into the regular season Like very rarely, especially as an under-apted free agent Are you gonna carve out a niche for yourself in season?

The only other thing is Christian Derrissau's back too. He didn't participate in team, but there was a couple of weird, right before team, they did a few reps on air, and he was there with the ones alongside the entire starting offensive line, Derrissau, Donovan Jackson, who I don't know if, he's the left guard. We can just say Donovan Jackson, who like I don't know if it's like he's the left guard.

Like we can just say Donovan Jackson's the left guard. Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Brian O'Neal. You got to see what that offensive line could look like. I think it'll be a week, maybe longer, before we really see Christian Darasaw, Will Fries going blow for blow when we go to 11s but the fact that they're out there both out there both have avoided the pup list big win for the Vikings I think it does speak to how far they've come along in the recovery process and I don't want to project out too far but makes me feel pretty good about their availability for week one. If they're not limited, at least on a pop list right now and day one of training camp.

Was there any other lineup thing that stuck out to you that I did not touch on? No, not really. I do think the Kobe King thing is interesting. He had a pass breakup. I think it's interesting because I think in the spring we thought Kobe King was probably ahead of Ryan Osamuah. And I think it's confirmed at this think in the spring we thought Kobe King was probably ahead of Ryan Osomaw. And I think it's confirmed at this point Kobe King is ahead of Ryan Osomaw. If Kobe King makes the team it means Ryan Osomaw will not.

I think they're basically the same player, a depth linebacker that can contribute at special teams. Right now the nod goes to Kobe King. Again, day one, we'll see. Maybe they rotate Brian Osomwa on day two, but I think they do like Kobe King. They talked a lot about him. So yeah, I think you covered pretty much most of the the notable lineup, you know, positioning. The only other thing as I would say, listening to Kevin O'Connell talk before practice, they love Blake Brandle's versatility. He's gonna be like a swing guard, basically,

who can bump out and play tackle if he has to. There's some value in that, I guess. Like, you want somebody who can step in and play. I am glad that they are not relying on Blake Brandle to level up and take the next step, but you need depth, and I think you're seeing the depth on display, kind of his ability to play right guard, play left guard,

play left tackle if he needs to. So he, again, we're deep cutting now. We're 30 minutes in on day one of training camp. These are the deep cuts. He just talked about Tyler Batty, but names to keep an eye on for sure for the Sickos that are keeping track of who's gonna make the 53. You wanna really get into the sick

and twisted of this roster. How about this? I noticed that Logan Brown, the undrafted free agent, was starting a left tackle with the second team, and Walter Rouse was over on the right side. And we had wondered, you know, could they move Rouse to a guard position or maybe cross train him?

And that right away, the fact that Rouse was a left tackle last year and he's over on the right side now, makes you think that maybe there's a battle there with Walter Rouse and Logan Brown, because Brown had a very good profile as far as physically and good numbers and something else that seemed to cause him to fall out of being drafted. But as far as a specimen at the left tackle position, which you really have to be, uh, he kind of fits the bill physically. So him getting those early second

team reps, I think Joe Huber was also out there with the second team as well. So a couple of undrafted free agents who may be putting their name into the mix and when the pads come on, we'll start to get a real feeling for that. But at least something to watch when they move a guy out of left tackle over right tackle, who they drafted and played, I thought pretty well in camp last year to slide in an undrafted free agent

might say something, I don't know if it's everything. And two other completely random plays that I wanted to bring up was I thought Ty Felton had a really nice catch over the middle of the field and Felton was playing right with the second team. He was in there, call it wide receiver three for I don't know because there are three of them out there at the same time. So who's wide receiver three? I'm not sure, but with Lucky Jackson who's got a lot of experience.

So it looks like they kind of want to toss Ty Felton into the fire and see what's there. Had a chance to talk with him after practice. Real sharp kid. And I think he could pick things up quickly, because they like to do that. They like to draft guys who have a high intelligence to them, I think because they think they can learn quicker.

And so Felton, I thought that he would need some development when it came to the route running and stuff like that. And we'll just have to see how that comes along. But him making a nice catch today stood out to me. And then here, you talk about deep cuts. You talk about reaching on day one. There was a swing pass, stay with me here, to Jordan Mason. And I was right there.

And wow, Jordan Mason is a lot of person. That's like, oh, we're like, you know, I'm human, you're human, but we are not the same because you are much larger than me. But I thought that he was very smooth in catching the football. And they didn't throw it to him a lot, but that doesn't mean he can't catch it.

And if he can add that element, if they feel confident in him catching the football out of the backfield, then that kind of gives him a chance to get on the field, I think, a little more. I was talking with our friend Andrew Kramer about the percentage split, what we think it is if they both played 17 games. What do you think it would be

between Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason? Percentage? Yeah. 60-40. they both played 17 games. What do you think it would be between Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason percentage? Yeah. 60 40. I think it's going to be pretty, pretty significant in terms of wanting to spell Aaron Jones, wanting to give him a breather and like believing in Jordan Mason and what his presence can do not only for the offense, but for Aaron Jones, keeping him more healthy. I thought Kevin O'Connell kind of alluded to

that in his press conference today. He said, I he was asked, how do you see the backfield being deployed? And he said, I think it's Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. And then he started to gather his thoughts. And he said, No, it's exactly what I said, it's Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. So 5050, probably not. I don't I still think you probably lean more on Aaron Jones, assuming both are healthy. But I think Jordan Mason absolutely

has a role in this offense. OK, I waited 37 minutes to bring this up, because longtime listeners of the show know how I feel about backup quarterback conversations and competitions. I don't love to talk about them. The guy who matters here is JJ McCarthy. Let me tell ya.

We gotta talk about it. Yeah. That's how I want to describe day one for the backup quarterbacks. We did not see Brosmer take reps. It was a very tiny amount of Brett Ripon. Didn't look great, but it was a lot of Sam Howell, which looked all sorts of not great.

It's day one. Okay? The guy doesn't know the offense in the same way that the other quarterbacks do. He was traded here during the draft, et cetera, et cetera. But yuck. It was not good. There were two pick sixes. One of them may have been Rippon.

One of them was Rippon. Okay. One of them was Rippon. Rippon only took three reps and one of them was a pick six. Not great. To Andrew Van Ginkle, though. So he did his thing. As if you wouldn't know that he would do that, though.

It was literally the Giants play. We asked Josh to tell us about it. He said, what would you think of that Andrew Van Ginkle pick? And he said, do these guys not watch film? Don't throw that bubble around. But that's the point. That is the point, though. You play on this team.'s the point that is the point though you

play on this team you know who that is look Brett Rippins he's you don't ever want him on the field necessarily but Sam Howell's supposed to look better than he did today he threw one directly into the stomach of Ivan Pace you know how I joke around all the time about yeah we couldn't do a darn thing out in the football field if I was standing right there and he threw the football it would probably just stick in my rib cage and I could run it back. That's what he did to Ivan Pace. If Pace was the receiver, he threw it right to him for what would have been an easy pick six. And if that had been the lone mistake, we could be like, ah, well, you know, one bad play, one bad read, it's day one. But the ball was not coming out very well.

One bad play, one bad read, it's day one. But the ball was not coming out very well. I didn't think that his timing with receivers was very good. I didn't think the accuracy looked all that great. And we talked about how McCarthy, when he was out there, how everything ran smoothly and on time, did not feel that way with Sam Howell. And we already had this a little bit on the radar in mini camp, but it is Sam Howell v. Sam Howell.

And if he looks like this during training camp throughout, then by the middle of this thing, there will be somebody else as the backup quarterback. It's one day, all caveats, he's got plenty of time to get it going. But you need to evaluate your second team. You need to know whether these are there's a receiver battle here.

Rondale Moore's gotta get the football. Ty Felton's gotta get the football. So does Lucky Jackson. You gotta see who's your next receiver up, especially with a starter potentially facing a suspension. You can't have practices like this where basically guys can't even really execute. Yeah, he threw one nice pass to Ty Felton, Sam Howell did.

And I was like, wow, he did it. pass to Ty Felton, Sam Howell did, and I was like, wow, he did it, but it took 15 minutes of him having reps for him to put together a rep that I would say you could be proud of on film. What I will try to at least give him a little bit of grace about is that he was going up against the Ones on the defense and Brian Flores is a psycho in on day one of training camp so there were there were exotic looks pre snap movement post snap it looks way different and it seemed to rattle Sam Howell now that doesn't absolve him of not being able to put together a string of plays that looks like

an NFL offense it It's me trying to at least look at it from his perspective of your you know the offense and then all of a sudden you're sitting under center and Harrison Smith is up at the line and then he's back in the back in the defensive backfield and Josh Mattelis is there and then you have Jonathan Grenard and Andrew Van Ginkle off the edges and Jonathan Allen and Jay Vaughn. It's scary. I get it.

But you are an NFL quarterback and you are one snap away from playing. You have to be better. I've used this comparison in the past. He looks like, for those of you who played Madden, he looks like when you are playing Madden and you've thrown an interception to your friend and you clam up, you forget how to play, you turn into somebody who can't push the ball downfield, he looked paralyzed with thought. Like you don't want to be that as a quarterback in the NFL and He looked scared today and and there's really no other way

That I could describe it other than he looked scared to progress. He looked scared to put it downfield He looked scared to go back to the huddle and step back to the line of scrimmage It just wasn't happening the way it should have It's day one. So I'm not going to cut him today. But if he looks like that tomorrow, over the weekend, when the pads go on, yeah, then we have a problem. What we want to see out of JJ McCarthy is the consistency. Can you look good day one and then in day two and then in day three?

I want to see out of Sam Hall tomorrow, can you just not look as bad as you did in day two and then in day three. I want to see out of Sam Hall tomorrow. Can you just not look as bad as you did in day one? Because if that's what we keep seeing, I really think there is an issue here. So let me just two real quick stories then we'll go. Jaren Hall, one of his earliest practices as a rookie was so fantastic. I remember us being like, could they cut Mullins for Jared Hall? And that didn't work out very well. And my favorite one was before the first preseason game in 2017,

first preseason game was against Buffalo. Before that game, Mike Zimmer said, yeah, there's an open competition here between Case Keenum and Taylor Heinecke. Because Case Keenum had struggled so much in training camp that it was not clear that he was even going to be the backup quarterback and he ended up taking them to the NFC Championship game. So early training camp can fool us with quarterbacks

especially who are still getting a hold of the offense. But just reporting the facts here folks, it was not a very good day. So we will come back tomorrow and I'll definitely have more reporting and interviews and conversations from here on What happens in these training camp practices? Hopefully? Outside I feel like it's so much easier to see outside the vibes are better and it was insanely hot Inside of that facility. So I'd rather have at least the sun if I'm going to be sweating like crazy.

Anyway, there you go. Day one is down and off we go into the future of the Minnesota Vikings. So thanks so much for watching and listening and we'll catch you all soon. Football. Football.