SerpApi.Org
Training camp for the Minnesota Vikings starts July 29, and yet the news about the team’s much anticipated quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy has been coming hot and heavy well in advance of that.
NFL Media’s Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the team is expecting the QB competition to continue much longer than some might have thought. Rapoport stated that, “For the Minnesota Vikings, no doubt, one of the biggest storylines of all of training camp, they have their quarterback battle as well. Is it Kyler Murray? Is it J.J. McCarthy? That is gonna be going on throughout camp, through the preseason games, right up to the start of the season."
This update was an unexpected surprise in what most fans assumed would be a quick process to get one of the guys some quality first-team reps before the season, but at second glance, this is actually a cunning move by head coach Kevin O’Connell. A prolonged QB battle has obvious challenges and consequences, but the upside is often overlooked.
In the NFL, cliches like “Iron sharpens iron” and “adaptability is the best ability” are often overused, but still true regardless. When a player like Kyler Murray, who, for the first time in his career, is not the obvious QB1, has to fight for his job against a young QB who is one bad training camp away from irrelevance, you can easily see how this situation can create the kind of pressure that can turn one of these pieces of coal into a diamond. But remember, it doesn’t only take extreme pressure to make gems; it also takes time, and allowing that pressure to build over the preseason can help one of these guys not only improve his game but also his consistency and confidence.
Another factor of this prolonged battle that could benefit the Vikings this season is the adaptability and versatility that this move creates within the offensive system. Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips will be tinkering with the offense in order to get the best out of both players and, in doing so, may diversify an offensive attack that seemed stagnant last year; they may also be able to get ahead of the defensive coordinators of the Packers, Bears, and Buccaneers as their first three opponents won’t know what QB to prepare for.
