'They're just kind of standing there out there’ Kevin O'Connell's anecdote about practice spells out why J.J. McCarthy is in great hands

Kevin O'Connell explains how his practices translate to Sunday

Right now, the goal is about getting McCarthy ready for the season, and facing Flores' defense is going to be a big factor. That is something that head coach Kevin O'Connell alluded to when asked about having a quarterback who is learning.

"I think Sam [Darnold] said it best last year after an offseason in training camp, and then we played in those first two or three games, and I remember him making a comment about how easy it was to see the field. ‘Hey, they're just kind of standing there out there’ versus what we see every single day. And the premise of our schemes is really to try to get the other side of the ball uncomfortable through the tools that the schemes have, whether it's our defense and it's an attacking scheme, it's a check defense, it's a lot of things that you guys have heard me talk about. But it’s at its best when it kind of starts to come together and the player ownership comes about; that just comes from time and reps." 

The first training camp that Flores was here was a gnarly one early on. The offense couldn't do much of anything with the defense being a dominant force. Once they got rolling, Kirk Cousins was playing at an MVP level. That's also where Sam Darnold was at at one point last season before things cratered at the end.

Having that element is a huge bonus for McCarthy, as he will be facing a defense in practice that will more often than not be better than who he faces on Sunday's.

O'Connell understands how to teach and develop quarterbacks, which means McCarthy is in great hands.