Deciphering What Kevin O'Connell Said About Vikings' QB Competition

Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of this week's minicamp on Thursday, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spent much of his time answering questions about the team's high-profile quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.

As O'Connell sometimes does, he said a lot of words without revealing many specifics. But we did learn some things about what the plan appears to be moving forward.

"We have a plan in place to make sure that the decision we make is gonna be about what's best for the Minnesota Vikings," O'Connell said. "And the timeline of that does involve making sure we get our starter ready to go. We want to make sure by the time we play the Green Bay Packers that there's been ample time to have the best possible offense we can have to help our football team, and the quarterback's gonna play a big role in that. That's kind of where we're at right now.

"As far as the timeline goes, I think to give an actual date would be not necessarily accurate from a portrayal of how we see it, but there is a timeline to make sure that we can allow the competition to continue and advance and really lay out a training camp that will allow us to do that, but also make a timely decision."

The main thing to take away from Thursday's presser is that O'Connell isn't ready to name his starter yet, and that the competition will continue into training camp. That makes sense, considering OTAs and minicamp aren't exactly real football. Neither is training camp, to be fair, but it's a lot closer to full-speed competitive action, especially once the pads come on.

"It's an open competition," O'Connell said. "And I want to see these guys, in a very unique and in many ways difficult circumstance, elevate themselves and their games to help the Minnesota Vikings."

Kevin O'Connell watches a recent Vikings practice | Alli Rusco, Minnesota Vikings

What exactly that's going to look like remains to be seen. For it to be a true competition, the two will have to continue to split reps, even if that means less preparation time for each player. O'Connell is well aware that every little detail in training camp will be scrutinized, even if he'd prefer that to not be the case.

"I wouldn't read much into who gets what on which days," he said. "I know me saying that was a waste of the time I took to say it. But I will say that we're gonna put together a way where we can — the different aspects of situational football that they need to get, the call-it periods will obviously be massive periods where they don't necessarily know what's coming, because that's what football is.

"It is very competitive. It is making our team better, I think our players are seeing that every single day with how even these days went, and I'm sure they'll feel that early on (in camp). But ultimately, what's best for the Minnesota Vikings is gonna be the direction we go, to win football games and move the ball and score points."

The exact date on which O'Connell announces his starter for Week 1 against the Packers is entirely up in the air right now — and it might depend on how things go early in training camp. Maybe there will be a clear winner a week or two into camp. Maybe it'll take a bit longer and carry into the Vikings' first preseason game on August 15. The team also has joint practices with the Ravens on August 19 and 20 ahead of the second preseason game.

"Sometimes it might be 'This is the guy and we're going full send,'" O'Connell said. "Sometimes it might be 'There's been some separation, and we want to maybe use another phase or a joint practice or two or even a preseason game or two to try to help finish that.' You've gotta put it together in a way that challenges those guys and see who responds, see who handles adversity well, and ultimately see who elevates the offense. That player that elevates the group as a whole is gonna be the guy that's under center against the Green Bay Packers."

The assumption, since the Vikings signed him in March, is that Murray is the clear favorite to win the job, just given his seven-year NFL resume as a former No. 1 overall pick. That still appears to be the case. But Murray is currently going through the difficult process of learning a complicated Vikings offense and all of its verbiage and nuance. If he can continue to get more comfortable in the system, his raw talent — which has been evident at times during the offseason program — should show up.

"He's made a ton of really impressive throws," O'Connell said. "He's layered the football, he's drove it down the field, he's checked the ball down to avoid sacks and things that are really positive for the position. And we really haven't even been able to see his true athleticism impact the position, either. So I'd say he's improved massively calling plays, just running the show, and it will only continue to get better as both those guys continue to push to make our team better."

Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings — Kyler Murray during Vikings offseason workouts. | Image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings (Ali Rusco)

McCarthy doesn't have Murray's NFL experience or pedigree. He struggled mightily last season. But he does have a leg up in his knowledge of the offense, with this now being his third year in Minnesota. McCarthy can't be written off in the competition, but in order to have a chance, he'll need to show he's come a long way with his mechanics and his ability to layer the ball and throw with anticipation.

"I think it's been physical, with his fundamentals and the way he's really tried to apply the different types of throws," O'Connell said of McCarthy's growth. "He now has the experience. He can learn plays based upon reps. He knows he's worked on a lot of those throws and the rhythm and the timing and the trajectory of those throws. It's just been fun to watch him totally dive into an individual improvement plan for the betterment of the group."

On paper, Murray still seems like the safe bet to earn the job. But O'Connell is continuing to emphasize that this will be a real competition that either player will have a chance to win.

"These guys are handling it in such a great way that they're both going to massively improve," he said. "It's probably going to end up being a difficult decision, just based on where I know those guys are going to go."

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