EAGAN, Minn. — It's fitting J.J. McCarthy has an extra day of preparation.

All good things are worth the … you don't need us to tell you.

Waiting on the other side of Sunday for McCarthy is his NFL debut in prime time at Soldier Field, roughly 15 miles east of Chicago suburb La Grange Park, his hometown, against the team he idolized in his youth.

But don't get it twisted.

"Home is in Minnesota, so at the end of the day it's just a business trip," McCarthy quipped with a tight-lipped smile. "We're going to go down there, execute some football plays and see what happens."

Still – how does someone get ready for such a moment, with family friends down the block and schoolmates and teachers who helped shape his life in his heart? With "a lot of gratitude and grace."

"I just try to be completely present," McCarthy said about a game of this magnitude. "There's going to be anxiousness, excitement, and a whole lot of adrenaline. … That's completely normal, and accepting those emotions [allows you to] let go of them a lot quicker than trying to deflect them and avoid them."

McCarthy is anticipating an "amped up" feeling. Who wouldn't?

There's no way to suppress every emotion, including pressure. There's an approach to tame it, though.

"Those are a lot of things that don't really necessarily have to do with him doing his job," Head Coach Kevin O'Connell imparted Wednesday. "We've tried to build a world where running the offense and playing quarterback is a collection of really small things; some would even consider them routine things.

"Obviously it's different than the Eagan practice fields here or anything he's experienced, at least in the NFL. I think he's got a lot of really good experience at the collegiate level in front of 100,000-plus people, but it's still Monday Night Football," O'Connell continued. "We don't just start talking about playing quarterback in the NFL this week for him. It's about doing a lot of the things that make up playing quarterback for us in our offense with the guys in the huddle with him who we're really excited [about].

"Then the ball gets kicked off, and he knows he's definitely not going to be alone out there – from the standpoint of the coaching staff and myself right there with him," O'Connell added. "Maybe me too much sometimes in his ear via the coach-to-quarterback system, but I know those 10 guys in the huddle, regardless of who's in the game, those guys are excited for No. 9 to come in and call that first play."

McCarthy's aim, therefore, is doing the routine things, well, routinely.

"Everything about the way Coach O'Connell talks about playing the quarterback position is success in the simple," McCarthy said. "Just following your reads, doing your job each individual play, and the rest will take care of itself. You could get overthinking: Is it a 2-high shell? Are they going down to 1-high? But at the end of the day, if you stick to the reads and do your job, then it'll be a good outcome for that play."

The 22-year-old is the highest-drafted Vikings quarterback (and highest-drafted Michigan quarterback) and only the second quarterback since 1990 to make his first career start in a team season opener after missing his entire rookie slate (Carson Palmer preceded him, debuting for Cincinnati in Week 1 in 2004).

"I would not discount the fact that a lot of the time, J.J, whatever team he's been on, tends to be a good version of himself on game day," O'Connell recognized when asked about McCarthy's history of winning. "There's a lot of guys that are talented. There's a lot of guys that can light up the practice field every day, but the guys that can either take it to the game or maybe even be a better version of themselves in the game … have those, the 'gamer', whatever tag you want to put on it; I think he's got that trait.

"I think it's important he doesn't just solely rely on that trait showing up to Soldier Field," O'Connell added. "I think [he'll pair] that with the work he puts in throughout the week so that he's comfortable. And then it's going to be his first start in the NFL. I'm very much aware of that. He's aware of that. We're all aware of that. But that doesn't mean we put a ceiling over him. And at the same time, that doesn't mean, because of all that success throughout his football journey, we raise the floor either.

O'Connell wants McCarthy to focus on the subtleties of his job versus a stout defense: "We're going to make some plays. They're going to make some plays – the ebbs and flows of the game, it's just onto the next snap; start banking some of this experience and using it for your benefit moving forward," he said.

Veteran running back Aaron Jones, Sr., a team captain like McCarthy, praised the quarterback's ability to keep a cool head at all times in the huddle – even in noisy environments, which is important for Monday.

"He's very good at communicating as well," noted Jones, "which I feel separates some quarterbacks."

Jones shared some simple but sound advice to McCarthy this week.

He told him to do the "same thing you've been doing since you were a kid – you're a winner."

"'If there's any other way we can help, let us know,'" Jones shared his message to McCarthy, whose debut will occur against a franchise Jones has totaled 13 of his 70 career scrimmage touchdowns against. "I'm excited to be able to go out there with him and get to see him start his first game and lead us."

Piggybacking on O'Connell's assessment that McCarthy is a "gamer" Jones recalled participating in a kickball tournament with the 22-year-old and appreciating his all-out effort, including diving for balls.

"I would define J.J. as a 'gamer' for sure," Jones said, extending kudos to McCarthy's work ethic and confidence in him getting the job done. "We're here to just give him everything he needs, like I said, and be that person in his ear: 'Hey if you need a pick-me-up, we're here to pick you up, or if you need somebody to tell you good job, we're here to tell you good job as well.' Hopefully it's a lot of good jobs."

McCarthy expressed he is "extremely prepared – most prepared I've felt in my life," a testament to his journey to this point and the support at his side. He said he's gleaned information about "first games" with "Coach Wentz," in a nod to veteran newcomer Carson, who boasts four wins and 13 passing touchdowns in seven career Monday night appearances, as well as a spotless 4-0 mark in all games against Chicago. McCarthy learned last season from former starter Sam Darnold, specifically how Darnold balanced his workload with his recovery process. He's of course picked things up on his own, too, with a year in the system.

Preparation, however, doesn't guarantee a positive result. That's why "staying locked into the simple things" and reacting to what the Bears defense gives the Vikings offense is the principal strategy.

McCarthy is most proud, he said, of his growth in the offense – his capacity to hear a play call, visualize its success and then execute it. He also is pleased with his navigation of sticky situations and "not making a bad play worse." McCarthy commented on budding chemistry with O'Connell and teammates, too, and shared that he's refined his compartmentalization skills to "play free with a clear mind – and play fast."

"We're not even close to hitting our peak," he assured, "but we're in a really good spot right now."

Although the intensity level will be heightened Monday night on the shore of Lake Michigan, he played in big games for the Wolverines and has plenty of reps experiencing and managing significant emotions.

Ironically, this one pits McCarthy against Da Bears in a rematch of the first NFL game he attended with his father. That one featured a narrow Vikings win and 224 yards rushing by future NFL MVP Adrian Peterson in the running back's fifth career game.

It's been a long wait, but everything good is worth it.

"There's just pure excitement, pure confidence," McCarthy commented with a steely look in his eyes.

"I would say the best advice I received was just 'Go be you,' " he said. "It's just the confidence and belief in myself. At the end of the day, that's going to be what is most pivotal and profound for the outcome of my performance. It's just the belief in myself and belief in my abilities and the rest will take care of itself."

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