When you select a rookie quarterback high up in the first round, it's going to be a roller coaster. There is a lot for quarterbacks to learn going into the National Football League, especially elements of mechanics.
The Minnesota Vikings knew all of that when they selected quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. The Vikings' patience so far with McCarthy shows they are in this for the long haul and aren't worried about forcing him into the lineup.
One of the things that the Vikings are working on with McCarthy is his mechanics. It can take a long time to fully iron out and in turn, it causes some unintended consequences. McCarthy had a great quote on the upds and downs of practice.
"Failure is inevitable in sports," McCarthy said via ESPN. "You've just got to learn from them and learn from those little dips and not be attached to them emotionally."
That epitomizes what McCarthy has been dealing with so far during his first practices with the Vikings. ESPN's Kevin Seifert highlighted what the ups and downs have looked liked so far.
In sum, McCarthy looked like a quarterback with the talent to be a top-10 pick but with the inexperience of a 21-year-old. In other words: Exactly what should have been expected. At times, he fit darts into small windows against aggressive coverage. On other occasions, he bounced passes to receivers with no defenders in the drill.
That shouldn't come as any surprise. McCarthy has been trying to iron out his mechanics and that can cause an unintended reaction when you chance something else. Once that happens, you identify it and find a fix for it.
The Vikings are going to continue working through McCarthy's shortcomings and likely stay patient as he figures things out. At least we know that McCarthy isn't worried about any struggles.
