T.J. Hockenson says J.J. McCarthy has a 'championship mentality'

This offseason has been a series of checkpoints for Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has been handed the starting role after missing his rookie season with a knee injury. Earlier this year, it was about getting back to full health. Since then, it's been about making constant progress in his development, both in terms of his mental command of the offense and his physical skills.

Last Saturday, which saw McCarthy play one series in the Vikings' preseason opener, was a big step. So was Wednesday's joint practice against the Patriots, in which he got a ton of reps. The results, like we've seen throughout training camp, were a mixed bag with more good than bad.

"If you ask 9, he probably isn't super happy with some of the things that happened," tight end T.J. Hockenson said of McCarthy's day. "But I thought, in my head, he played well. Put the ball where he needed to, played fast. We were able to move the ball pretty much the whole practice. ... For him to play as fast as he did today, mentally and physically, was a lot of fun to see, and you'll see that on Sunday (in the fall)."

Facing a new defense for an entire practice — and a Patriots defense that has added a lot of talent this offseason — was an important test for McCarthy. How quickly could he process things against a group different from the one he's seen all throughout training camp thus far? For the most part, the results on Wednesday were encouraging. But there were some missed throws and some plays where he held onto the ball and was sacked. Hockenson said it'll be those growth reps that McCarthy focuses on the most.

"That's who he is. He's got a championship mentality. He's got a standard for himself that he wants to live by and that he holds himself to. That just elevates everybody in that huddle and elevates everybody throughout the day."

One thing that has been consistent throughout camp is that Vikings teammates and coaches have raved about the way McCarthy operates the huddle and gets everyone aligned before the snap. That may not seem like a big deal, but for a 22-year-old quarterback, it's important.

"He doesn't feel like a young guy," Hockenson said. "The way he controls the huddle, the way he comes in, his energy in the huddle, how he talks about the game, and the mentality, it's high-level thinking.

"He has no problems with that. You talk about a veteran or a young guy acting as a vet, he doesn't have any problem with pre-snap stuff. He's got his keys that he goes through. He controls the huddle, he mixes the cadences, he remembers all that stuff. He's feeding the calls really well to us. There's a lot of good things to say about him."

A second joint practice with New England on Thursday will provide another test for McCarthy, who isn't expected to see any further time in the preseason. After that, the Vikings will continue to ramp up their preparation for the regular season to begin in Chicago on September 8.

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