EAGAN, Minn. -- August 2 was a big day for J.J. McCarthy. The Minnesota Vikings were finishing their second week of training camp, and to that point, their rookie quarterback had managed to keep afloat in an environment that can swallow up young players. As it turned out, coach Kevin O'Connell was planning to give him his first snaps with the Vikings' No. 1 offense.
Right away, something seemed off. McCarthy said later he felt "rushed up mentally, just not settling in." On more occasions than he had in other practices, McCarthy tried to create additional time in the pocket rather than trusting his reads.