Analysis: Vikings Nation needs to stay patient with J.J. McCarthy

If you’re among the few humans left with the patience to read these words, please reduce them to a catchy video soundbite and share with the others in Vikings Nation.

This is a tale about some young quarterbacks who were gosh-awful through six games of NFL careers that began as first-round draft picks.

The first fella was terrible. In his sixth game, he threw five interceptions and posted a 42.2 passer rating as his record fell to 1-5 with a 53.7 completion percentage, five touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.

His name: Matthew Stafford.

This next guy was even worse. In his sixth game, he completed 48.8% of his passes as his record fell to 1-5 with six touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.

His name: Peyton Manning.

We could go on.

None of this is meant to say the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy will be the MVP front-runner when he’s 37, like Stafford. Or win five MVPs and stroll into the Hall of Fame, like Manning. Or start next season 10-2 while completing a league-best 71% of his passes on a team that sits atop its conference, like Maye is doing in Year 2 with New England.

It is, however, meant to somehow influence Vikings Nation and national media folks to CALM THE HECK DOWN! Just a whiff of something resembling a hint of patience would be a good start.

McCarthy is 2-4. He’s a 54.1% passer. He has thrown six touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. His passer rating is 57.9.

He has not been good. And now he’s in the concussion protocol and unlikely to play Sunday at Seattle.

But…

So, to answer the ridiculous but predictably uber-impatient NFL question of the week, no, the Vikings shouldn’t move on from McCarthy. Not now or next week if undrafted rookie Max Brosmer somehow helps upset Sam Darnold and the Seahawks.

Good Lord.

Franchise-altering decisions were made with McCarthy as the focal point. More will follow. Brosmer? Sorry, Max, but please. In this movie, your name comes at the end of the credits as “third quarterback to appear.”

Granted, McCarthy’s sixth game included a second half in which the Vikings posted 4 yards while holding the ball for 8½ minutes in a stinker at Green Bay. But still…

Six games. SIX.

Yes, one is well aware that there are other tales about young quarterbacks who were gosh-awful through six games and never turned it around.

Like McCarthy, Josh Rosen was a 10th overall pick (2018) who started 2-4. The Arizona Cardinals gave up on him after 13 games (3-10) to select Kyler Murray No. 1 overall the next spring en route to paying him a now-franchise-choking $46.1 million a year.

Does anyone believe the Cardinals hold the blueprint for success at making quarterback decisions?

Ryan Leaf started 2-4 with one touchdown pass and 12 interceptions as the second overall pick in 1998. He lasted three years, went 4-14 with the Chargers, 0-3 with the Dolphins and become synonymous with draft busts.

Christian Ponder started 1-5 as the 12th overall pick of the Vikings in 2011. Believe it or not, he had a higher completion percentage (56.3) than McCarthy. The Vikings gave up on him completely after four years and 36 games (14-21-1).

But McCarthy has a more stable franchise than Rosen had, better coaching than Ponder had (we should try to remember what Kevin O’Connell did for Darnold’s career and bank account just last season) and appears to be infinitely more mature than Leaf was as a player or rich, young person off the field.

Where McCarthy goes from here is anyone’s guess. But, for gosh sakes, he’s six games into his journey.

Patience, people.