Kevin O’Connell insists ‘there’s no mystery’ about Vikings’ QB situation

J.J. McCarthy could start Sunday when the Vikings host the Eagles, but it's starting to sound like the circumstances will have to be perfect for that to happen.

McCarthy, who hasn't played since suffering a high ankle sprain Sept. 14 against the Falcons, participated in full-team reps at practice on Monday and will continue to do so Wednesday through Friday. That's a good sign, especially with Carson Wentz — who has won two of three games starting in place of McCarthy — still sore with a left shoulder injury.

But while there's no question that McCarthy will be QB1 again at some point, head coach Kevin O'Connell is treading lightly when discussing the plan with the 22-year-old. Right now, it's all about getting McCarthy used to the offense and finding a rhythm after so much time on the sideline.

Last week, while the Vikings were on the bye, O'Connell spent time with McCarthy, attempting to get him back up to speed before returning to practice this week.

"We went out there and just really breaking a lot of things down to core principles of playing the position. And then repping things, drilling things, and figuring out what was causing him to maybe still feel that ankle more often times than other things that he was doing. We were trying to use that as part rehab, part getting football acclimation back going," O'Connell said Tuesday during an interview on KFAN-FM 100.3.

"There's just a lot of time on task of the muscle memory of our offense of playing that position, where we're trying to make up for that time lost. He'll get a great opportunity this week to get back into the team reps and start getting himself to a place where we know he's going to go out and play well."

McCarthy's return 'could be this week'

The Vikings' coach opened the door to the possibility of McCarthy returning this week, but he certainly stopped short of swinging the door wide open.

"It's not just getting him back and throwing him back out there as much as it is getting him to a place — and that could be this week, that could be something where a lot of things go in a direction where it leads that way," O'Connell began.

"There's no mystery here. It's really not that. I hope people understand. It's a little more real than that. It's a little bit more me trying to do what's best for our team, but also, this player's very important. Important to me, and I feel obligated to make sure I always am doing the things to help him stay on the path to where we think he's going as a player and why we brought him here."

Any chance fans won't know who the starting QB is until Sunday?

"No, I don't think so," O'Connell answered.

"Look, we got out on the practice field yesterday, and it was a lighter workload compared to what it'll be [Wednesday] when we put the pads on and have a full session," O'Connell continued.

"You're talking a significant amount of time as we prepare our team, but also work through, allowing these guys to get the reps that they need, both J.J. and Carson, to get them both ready. Also, understanding they're both not 100% healthy and they're working through their individual things."

How quickly McCarthy reacclimates to the offense may be the deciding factor for O'Connell. The longer it takes O'Connell to announce this week's starter, the better the odds might be for McCarthy.

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