EAGAN, Minn. -- If there is one attribute that Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell wants his quarterbacks to embody, it's confidence. So when J.J. McCarthy produced an uneven performance during the first of a two-day joint practice Wednesday with the New England Patriots, O'Connell went to work.
Along with the rest of the offensive staff, O'Connell put together a mini game plan for Thursday's session. McCarthy and the rest of the offense needed to "do some things that make sense from a rhythm, timing and spacing standpoint," O'Connell said. McCarthy responded with his best practice of the summer, completing 13 consecutive passes at one point -- six of which were touchdowns, including four in the red zone -- and finishing what O'Connell said was the most important part of training camp on a high note.
"It felt decisive," O'Connell said, "and it felt like there was an incredible amount of conviction to some of the decisions he made. ... It was all things we've been working on, all things he's talented at and capable of doing. But to do it in this setting should give him some confidence moving forward."
McCarthy, the No. 10 pick of the 2024 draft, isn't competing for the Vikings' starting job. He will be under center when the Vikings kick off the regular season on "Monday Night Football" Sept. 8 at the Chicago Bears (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
But McCarthy has spent most of training camp searching for the rhythm and level of consistency expected from an NFL starter. That's not surprising given he missed last season with a torn left meniscus and is 22 years old. He has sailed his share of passes -- including one over the middle toward receiver Jalen Nailor on Wednesday that resulted in an interception -- and short-armed others. Also on Wednesday, he forced tight end T.J. Hockenson to leap for a short pass, limiting the yardage Hockenson could get afterwards.
Hockenson noted afterwards that McCarthy wasn't "super happy about some of the things that happened." Thursday, O'Connell worked to put him in some more favorable situations. Of the 13 consecutive completions, two were big gainers downfield -- to running back Aaron Jones Sr. and receiver Jordan Addison -- and the others were quicker concepts.
In other words, O'Connell got the results he was looking for. McCarthy was buoyant afterwards while speaking to reporters, saying the "offense was humming as a whole" and that he felt "a lot more accurate today than yesterday."
He turned serious when asked how he has been thinking about himself as a thrower, especially in regards to accuracy, over the course of camp.
"I think I'm one of the most accurate guys out there," McCarthy said, before going into more detail about the way he has approached his throws this summer.
"Just being able to take it day-to-day and really hone in on just every single throw," he said. "It's not just, 'Was the ball completed?' It's, 'Did I give him a runner's ball? Did I put it on the right pad for him to turn a certain way?' So just being able to really lean into that as one of my strengths. I always have to be extremely hard on every single throw."
Indeed, teammates have learned that he can be particularly hard on himself in the moment.
"We can get a first down, but he's upset about something," Hockenson said. "We just have go to back to the film, talk about it and learn from it. ... That's who he is. He's got a championship mentality and a standard for himself that he wants to live by and that he holds himself to."
McCarthy said he has been working on moderating what he called a "perfectionist" personality.
"There's always ways you could get better," he said. "There's always little things like ball placement that you could have done more. That's kind of the psycho in me when [a player] catches a 20-yard high cross and I'm like, 'Could have been 30.' But at the end of the day it's about just staying neutral the whole time after those plays. Good or bad, focus on the next play and kick it in the teeth."
Teammates have continually praised McCarthy for many of the intangible attributes he has demonstrated. They have raved about his presence in the pocket, in the confident way he calls plays and his efforts to raise the offense's energy during competitive drills.
Left unanswered, however, has been a basic question: Can he make the throws? Thursday was the best evidence yet than he can -- with some help from O'Connell. McCarthy won't always benefit from a schematic nudge, but on Thursday, O'Connell decided it would be helpful.
"You want to see some natural reaction," O'Connell said, "but at the same time you want to prepare him in many ways like you will when it becomes real.
"I understand there's going to be some things that people want to see immediately. There's going to be things that the reactions will be justified because it's the National Football League and the expectations are on all of us, me included -- me mostly, hopefully -- but we're just going to keep coaching and ask our players to keep getting better every single day."