EAGAN, Minn. — J.J. McCarthy is feeling great as Vikings Training Camp is coming to a close.
The Vikings quarterback spoke with media members Wednesday following the team's scrimmage-structured practice. McCarthy led the offense through a physical session that featured a pair of impressive passes to Jordan Addison in the red zone.
Asked afterward to describe his confidence level, McCarthy said the following:
"Just looking at the guys around me and the coaching staff like that gives me all the confidence in the world to go out there — knowing [what] I've got at my back, at all of our backs — I just get goosebumps right now just thinking about it.
"The way we attack every single day, we put in the work, and the rest is going to take care of itself," McCarthy added. "Having that confidence level as a precursor of the work we put in, it makes me really excited."
During a pre-practice media session, Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips noted the 22-year-old QB is often "wise beyond his years." Teammates have said similar things of McCarthy, whose leadership has been noted on multiple occasions.
McCarthy is intentional about building connection and camaraderie with players across the locker room, regardless of position or depth chart standing.
"I feel like it's one team, one heartbeat," he said. "It's not just the quarterbacks, the receivers, the o-line. We are in this thing together. I know training camp is a lot of head-to-head and going against each other, fights and all that — but every single time we're in this locker room, it's one family.
"I feel like I do a really great job of trying to connect with every single person on this team," McCarthy continued. "Starter, not starter, defensive player, special teams guy. You know, that's your role as a quarterback. And at the end of the day, I just love every single guy. We have such great human beings in there, and they're a joy to talk to and get to know."
Leaders come in many shapes and sizes, and McCarthy thinks of himself as a quieter, lead-by-example type rather than one who defaults to reprimanding.
"I'm not going to get on you. I'm not going to scream at you if you get something wrong," he said. "I'll pull you to the side, you know, our previous conversations are going to let me know how I should approach that. If a guy needs to get a little chewed out and yelled at a little bit, then yeah, I'll do that, but I don't do it in front of teammates. I won't do any of that where it's exposing him in some way.
"If it's somebody that, I sit down 1-on-1 with them and say, 'Hey, man, what were you thinking on that? I need you here,' little stuff like that," McCarthy added. "I feel like with success comes more leadership and being able to use your voice more. I've got to earn my stripes in order to get up in front of the team or something like that — but I'm constantly doing it in all these different ways that I learned from the past."
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