Earlier this week, Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd had former NFL quarterback and current NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms on his "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" show with the hope that the two could join together and continue the summer of trashing Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
However, Simms didn't play along in his discussion with Cowherd.
After delivering an unnecessarily long intro to his question, Cowherd finally asked Simms how he thinks McCarthy will perform for the Vikings during the upcoming 2025 season. The former NFL quarterback then shared an answer that Cowherd probably didn't want to hear.
"I would be shocked if it didn't work out. Now, the things you bring up, I think, are legitimate questions. You're right there. You'd like to have had some more games right through the ball 30 and 40 times.
But at the same time, Colin, I'd argue, he did play a pro-style football type of attack. You know, maybe an NFL [defensive-minded] type of team, and he had to manage the game that way.
And when he did drop back to pass, it wasn't like, 'Oh, I throw a screen here or a little bubble screen over here.' He had to throw the ball and push the ball down the field.
...I think he has an incredible arm, his body looks good, [and he's] definitely put on some weight.
O'Connell is a quarterback whisperer. They're going to be better running the football this year in Minnesota than we've seen in years past. And of course, he's got the weapons around him on the outside.”
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy is in great hands with Kevin O'Connell
While McCarthy has his doubters, like Cowherd, there are also many people like Simms who know that the young quarterback has an advantage this year that almost no other passer in the NFL has: O'Connell as his head coach.
Since becoming Minnesota's head coach in 2022, O'Connell has helped guys like Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, and Josh Dobbs put together what some would argue as the best seasons of their pro careers.
Despite missing the entire 2024 campaign with a knee injury, McCarthy was still around the Vikings and O'Connell for the majority of last season, soaking up all the information he possibly could. So, it's not like he started from square one when Minnesota handed over the starting job to him earlier this year.
Some could say McCarthy even has an advantage over other second-year quarterbacks like Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots, since both have had to learn a new offense compared to what they were doing their rookie seasons in 2024.
Whether McCarthy emerges as the second coming of Patrick Mahomes or not this year, it's incredibly difficult to envision him experiencing any sort of significant struggles in 2025 as long as O'Connell is his head coach.