Vikings' J.J. McCarthy introduces world to 'Nine' personality after viral clips

Second-year Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy went viral on multiple occasions for the intensity he showed as he returned to the lineup and helped Minnesota earn a 27-24 win at the Detroit Lions this past Sunday. 

Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN, McCarthy revealed on Wednesday that such antics are part of an alter ego he birthed as he spent his entire rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair. He referred to this persona as "Nine," the jersey number he wears with the Vikings. 

J.J. McCarthy has "built up anger" after not playing as a rookie

"It really kind of started to show up this year," McCarthy told reporters, "and it came about last year [while on injured reserve]. Just never had a full season where you want to be out there so freaking bad, but you can't. It was just this built-up anger that was kind of ready to just explode, and I chose to harness it instead of letting it go into a self-destructive kind of way."

An ankle injury sidelined McCarthy over Minnesota's previous five games this season before he guided the Vikings to a victory at Detroit's Ford Field. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Minnesota improved to 4-4. McCarthy also rushed for a score in the win. 

J.J. McCarthy will feed the "wolf" ahead of Ravens clash

The Vikings next host the Baltimore Ravens (3-5) this coming Sunday. As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had Minnesota as a 4.5-point home underdog for that matchup. 

It sounds like McCarthy could use that line to pick up some extra motivation as he prepares to make only the fourth regular-season start of his young career. 

"I kind of love feeding that wolf," McCarthy added about firing himself up on game days. "Because my entire life at [the University of Michigan], there was a smiley face on my hand, and [if] you smile, and you have fun, you're going to play better and all that -- which is true. But I also think there's a lot of power that comes from that built-up anger that you can transmute into your performance."