Scoggins: Vikings have plenty of mixed metaphors, but few quick fixes, for J.J. McCarthy

The head coach likened his quarterback’s development to concrete drying. The quarterback described the process of being taught a new way of playing the position as “rewiring neurological pathways,” but that he feels like it’s a “cork about to come off a bottle.”

More succinctly, this is not going well.

J.J. McCarthy is completing only slightly more than half of his passes. He has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes. He has the highest “bad throw” percentage in the league (24.8%), according to Pro Football Reference.

He’s also 22 years old and set to make his sixth NFL start Sunday in Green Bay.

The consternation being expressed over the start of McCarthy’s career is the byproduct of an incompatible combination of a TikTok society that demands instant gratification, an organization and fan base that are starved for a homegrown franchise quarterback, a head coach hailed as a whispering QB guru, visions of Drake Maye and a young quarterback who requires a lot of work.

Those ingredients don’t mix well.

Clearly, this is not what the Vikings leadership envisioned when constructing a roster of expensive veteran free agents motivated to contend this season. Ten games in, the Vikings sit in last place in the division while McCarthy’s mechanics and fundamentals have become the focus — or obsession — of every single interview session.

Growing pains are inevitable with young quarterbacks, but this case feels different for different reasons. McCarthy has been wildly inaccurate, and the incessant conversation about his mechanics creates the impression that he needs more than just tweaks to become a reliable passer.

I can’t recall another situation in which an athlete’s fundamentals have been discussed, dissected and scrutinized to the degree that is happening with McCarthy after each performance. I can hear Kevin O’Connell’s words in my sleep by now: Eyes and feet, base and balance, posture.

O’Connell earned his whisperer nickname by helping veteran quarterbacks improve or rehabilitate their careers. McCarthy was an unknown, a blank slate. Totally different challenge.

This experiment was never going to be as simple as plug-and-play, though one wonders if even O’Connell miscalculated McCarthy’s preparedness based on what we’re hearing about his mechanics.

McCarthy acknowledged that he essentially had to re-train how he plays the position. O’Connell’s system is different than what he was taught at Michigan and earlier stops, creating an elongated learning curve. Even so, it’s hard to grasp how his mechanics get so out of whack.

McCarthy comes across as a player consumed by the work and the process of problem solving. His struggles are not a product of indifference to tasks. He sounds intensely passionate about his job. Heck, he admitted to working on his dropbacks when he takes his dogs outside to potty.

He looked overwhelmed in the loss the Bears last week until the final drive. The game still seems to be moving at warp speed as he deciphers coverages and blitzes while making sure his fundamentals are properly aligned. He probably has a gazillion things swirling around his head when he steps onto the field.

The season began with so much hope because of what McCarthy represented. The idea that he can become that elusive franchise quarterback. The only way to determine if that vision will become a reality someday is to let him navigate this path, good and bad moments.

Benching him is not the answer. What would that accomplish? Nothing. Watching from the sidelines is not going to improve his accuracy.

McCarthy has played five games. Much of that sample size has been a struggle. As O’Connell indicated, it’s time to start showing more consistency. McCarthy needs a stellar performance to lower the temperature and put a moratorium on discussion about his mechanics.