Days before the preseason opener for the Minnesota Vikings, and a bit ahead of what had been the generally accepted date it would most likely happen, head coach Kevin O'Connell officially named Kyler Murray as the team's starting quarterback instead of J.J. McCarthy.
The "competition" was tilted toward Murray the moment he arrived back in March. McCarthy was going to have to completely outdo the former No. 1 overall pick to win the job, while showing he is a completely different quarterback, and he didn't get it done.
Of course, without taking all of what he said at that time into account, O'Connell's words about "organizations failing young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations" are set to be thrown back at him now.
It's also fair to say former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was made into the scapegoat for McCarthy's struggles last season, and to some extent for drafting him in the first place. As if O'Connell had no say in the matter when it came to drafting a quarterback, which we know better than to believe.
Winning too many games in 2023, after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles, cost the Vikings a chance to have more options to pick from in a deep quarterback class in the 2024 draft. That's the No. 1 issue, though Bo Nix was an option and he was passed on.
A Kevin O'Connell-J.J. McCarthy 'blame game' has all kinds of gray area
During a recent edition of ESPN's "First Take", in response to Chris Canty saying the decision to start Kyler Murray over J.J. McCarthy was more of an indictment on O'Connell than McCarthy, and with a visible reaction before it was his turn to speak, Dan Orlovsky took the opposing view.
"How is this an indictment on Kevin O'Connell more than J.J. McCarthy? Kevin O'Connell doesn't have 'end power' in Minnesota, to our knowledge. He doesn't get to determine, Oh yeah, let Sam (Darnold) out the door. We don't want Sam. Or let Daniel Jones out the door."
Orlovsky reiterated what others have also forgotten regarding the Vikings' general effort to keep Darnold and/orJones. Each left for more money or a better opportunity to start.
"This falls on J.J. McCarthy. And this story is not over. But J.J. McCarthy, two reasons. One, he wasn't healthy. And part of that is out of his control, and part of that is within his control, in some ways. And two, the play just wasn't good enough."
When it comes down to it, with half his rookie contract in the books, the Vikings are not in a position to wait and see if everything eventually clicks for McCarthy.
The rest of the roster is built to win, and the prime years of the careers of key players can't continue to be lost to uncertainty at the most important position on the field.
Not to mention how O'Connell's seat, after Adofo-Mensah was made into the scapegoat, has warmed as he enters his fifth season still looking for a playoff win.
Debate shows like "First Take" boil every topic down to a black-and-white opinion battle, with no real room for nuanced analysis. The Vikings' situation with McCarthy is flush with nuances that don't have to yield to pointing all the blame at one person.
Sometimes, things just don't go as hoped. McCarthy will hopefully be able to put his early hiccups behind him and have a long NFL career.
The idea of O'Connell as a "quarterback whisperer" failed its first young quarterback test, for reasons both in and out of the control of both men. If there's blame to be doled out, it should be shared.
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