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Training camp for the Minnesota Vikings is going to be must-see TV this preseason. Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are in a competition for the starting job and while it is assumed that Murray will win the job, there have been some concerning reports about the former Arizona Cardinals quarterback locking the job down.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic details some of Murray's struggles.
"Everything here revolves around the quarterback, and the most notable aspect of workouts was Murray's progression in head coach Kevin O'Connell's system. The Vikings didn't dumb down the complexity for Murray. If anything, the team installed the full breadth of concepts and play calls to challenge Murray. He looked uncomfortable at times, working his way through the lengthy verbiage and downfield route distributions, but the Vikings believed this would be best in the long run. The competition with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy will continue into training camp. Barring major setbacks in terms of health or scheme understanding, the platform should exist for Murray to prove he deserves the starting job in an offense with loads of weapons."
It isn't at all shocking for Murray to struggle with a new system, particularly when the new concepts and play calls installed are not tailored to his strengths. Working on things is reserved for the offseason programs and training camp, so there isn't much to be concerned about. The concern is how long it will take since the offense needs to build a rhythm and gain consistency before the season kicks off.
With the reps being split, it's hard for Murray and the offense to build rapport, especially with the addition of designed runs, bootlegs, and read options to maximize Murray's skill set and effectiveness. O'Connell's system has been known as "QB-friendly," but all of the quarterbacks under it have been pure pocket passers with little to no rushing ability.
Blending new concepts and ways to attack defenses will be the fun part for O'Connell. The hard part is executing, and Murray seems to be off a ways from having everything down pat. The good news is there is time.
Continue reading...
Alec Lewis of The Athletic details some of Murray's struggles.
"Everything here revolves around the quarterback, and the most notable aspect of workouts was Murray's progression in head coach Kevin O'Connell's system. The Vikings didn't dumb down the complexity for Murray. If anything, the team installed the full breadth of concepts and play calls to challenge Murray. He looked uncomfortable at times, working his way through the lengthy verbiage and downfield route distributions, but the Vikings believed this would be best in the long run. The competition with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy will continue into training camp. Barring major setbacks in terms of health or scheme understanding, the platform should exist for Murray to prove he deserves the starting job in an offense with loads of weapons."
It isn't at all shocking for Murray to struggle with a new system, particularly when the new concepts and play calls installed are not tailored to his strengths. Working on things is reserved for the offseason programs and training camp, so there isn't much to be concerned about. The concern is how long it will take since the offense needs to build a rhythm and gain consistency before the season kicks off.
With the reps being split, it's hard for Murray and the offense to build rapport, especially with the addition of designed runs, bootlegs, and read options to maximize Murray's skill set and effectiveness. O'Connell's system has been known as "QB-friendly," but all of the quarterbacks under it have been pure pocket passers with little to no rushing ability.
Blending new concepts and ways to attack defenses will be the fun part for O'Connell. The hard part is executing, and Murray seems to be off a ways from having everything down pat. The good news is there is time.
Continue reading...
