A few weeks ago, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy revealed to the world that he has an alter-ego when he steps out onto the field that he calls "NINE." Since sharing this, McCarthy has struggled more often than not, and it's led to people turning the NINE gimmick into a meme factory.
This past Sunday against the Washington Commanders, he played well, but his postgame reaction was much more subdued than it has been after previous wins this season. It almost felt as if someone told McCarthy to tone down the whole NINE thing.
Coincidentally (but probably not), longtime Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen expressed his dislike for McCarthy's alter ego in a recent conversation with Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell when the two were recording an episode of "X's and O's with Kevin O'Connell."
"After the Lions game, okay, you win, and you get that alter ego thing in the locker room, and somebody asked me about it a couple of days after, and I'm like, 'The NINE bit sucks.'
If he wants to go with it the rest of his career, go ahead. I don't like it. It's not who he is, [judging] from the McCarthy that I've gotten to know.
...I don't dig [the alter ego] because I don't think that's who that kid is. That's who he was in the moment, but it doesn't mean that's who he is."
Kevin O'Connell's reaction to criticism of Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy is extremely telling
Now, with O'Connell sitting directly in front of him during the recording of this episode, do we think Allen would say something like this about McCarthy if he didn't already know that the Minnesota head coach feels similarly?
The answer to that question is incredibly obvious.
Allen is known for being an extreme Vikings homer, and he almost always goes along with whatever opinion or narrative that the team's current regime is attempting to spin. So he likely wouldn't bring up something like McCarthy's NINE alter ego if he knew O'Connell had a different opinion about it than he did.
After Allen said "the NINE bit sucks" to his face, O'Connell was unable to hold back a smile in reaction, and in response to the criticism of his young quarterback, Minnesota's head coach shared his desire for McCarthy to be authentic.
"If it's authentic in the moment, fire away, let's have at it. But we don't need to exhaust any energy. Our jobs are hard enough already. Trying to be somebody else or trying to play to some sort of persona, whatever it may be, let's just go back to work, man."
O'Connell says he's fine with reactions and celebrations if they are authentic, but then he makes it clear that he has a problem with the way that McCarthy has acted after games in the past.
So which is it?
For as much as McCarthy has struggled this season in his first year as the Vikings' starting quarterback, it's not like O'Connell has done him any favors with how he's handled his development.
And we're not even talking about the play-calling.