EAGAN, Minn. — Kevin O'Connell wants J.J. McCarthy to have fun playing football Sunday.
Not in the sense of dismissing a desire to win. Quite the contrary. Get back to his roots and the game he loves, get the ball to his teammates and move down the field.
"I don't want him overthinking or worrying about if the fundamentals need to be changed, if they need to be adjusted," O'Connell said Wednesday. "Let's just make the throws. Let's just throw and catch. Let's just play with rhythm and understanding of the plan, and then the ultimate plan of our team on what it's going to take to win a game involves not giving the ball away to the other team."
McCarthy is slated to start against Washington Sunday after being sidelined last weekend while in concussion protocol. He spoke with media members Thursday afternoon and acknowledged the overthinking O'Connell referenced, as well as noting his mentality has changed since playing the Packers in Week 12.
"I was just too focused on doing every rep perfect and making sure every little detail was crossed and checked off," he said. "Coach O'Connell and Coach [Josh] McCown [talked] to me about, 'Hey, let's worry about that stuff in the offseason. Go out there, play your ball. Just, execute the plan at the end of the day.'
"That frees up a lot of space mentally to be instinctual, react and respond to what the defense has given me," McCarthy added.
He later noted this doesn't mean coaching points are going out the window; but compartmentalizing and "letting it loose" come game time will help him reconnect with that natural passion for the game.
"You only have so much brain space and so much intention and attention going into every play," McCarthy said. "So, it just opens it up a lot more."
McCarthy has fallen victim to over-analyzation over the years both on and off the field, self-identifying as a perfectionist.
"You know, I really want to please the coaches and do everything right," he said. "But at the end of the day, it happens so fast. This game moves too quick. You have to … think on the fly and react. The paralysis by analysis shows up sometimes. It's good to feel those experiences and know how to bounce back from this."
O'Connell emphasized the 22-year-old QB playing with "a clear head and a clear mind" while still prioritizing ball security.
"All those things have to be of the utmost importance because we've learned, you know, our turnover number is where it is, and it's not a winning formula," he said.
The Vikings enter Sunday's game last in the NFL in turnover differential at minus-15, contrasting starkly with last season, which they finished plus-12.
McCarthy doesn't need to just protect the football, though; he also needs to protect himself.
"How can I avoid those situations where something catastrophic could happen, or something … like an ankle sprain that puts you out for six weeks?" McCarthy rhetorically asked.
Self-preservation has been a topic of conversation around the league, specifically regarding young quarterbacks, and Minnesota's passer is no different. O'Connell said he's talked to McCarthy about making smart decisions as a runner — even if that means sliding short of the sticks from time to time — to stay healthy.
"I think it's part of the learning process," O'Connell said. "Especially with the guys that are so competitive and have played a certain style and made a play to win a national championship by doing so, [or] maybe early on in their career, made a play to win a game by doing so.
"We have a good amount of data that says that he can impact the game athletically, but it can't come at a cost of not having him in there for either the next snap or, as we've learned, the next week — even if we somehow persevere through that day," O'Connell continued. "The sustainability of it week to week is obviously a factor in quarterback play, and availability is, as Bud Grant talked about, the greatest ability."
