Everyone knows you only have one chance to make a first impression. Everyone except JJ McCarthy.
McCarthy, who's next in line to have a long career with the Vikings putting up huge stats in home Wild Card losses, is off to a rough start. And yeah, it's like Day 2 of OTAs, but I've seen enough. JJ McCarthy's career is spiraling. Here's a report from "Inside the Vikings" reporter Will Ragatz, titled "Vikings Working on Mechanical Tweak With Rookie QB J.J. McCarthy."
"The spring is about coaching up players on their technique, installing offensive and defensive schemes, and aiming to get better through repetition. To that end, it's notable that the Vikings are working with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy on a specific element of his footwork ... "
"McCarthy has a long ways to go in his development. There's work to be done on his footwork and lower-body mechanics, his upper-body mechanics, his ability to read NFL defenses, his command of the playbook, the consistency of his accuracy, and everything else you can imagine. Nonetheless, the Vikings are pleased with where he's at right now."
So, to be clear: the Vikings are pleased with how McCarthy looks so far, but he just needs to do a bunch of work improving his feet, his legs, his torso, his upper body, and his mental load. But besides that, the Vikings are pleased with where he's at. Other than those things, it's going well for the rookie.
They're apparently working on McCarthy lining up out of the shotgun with his left foot forward, which is entirely different than his setup while at Michigan. The NFL is a notoriously safe place to re-do your entire footwork and posture, so that checks out.
I don't think it's unfair to say that the McCarthy era in Minnesota is looking bleak. OTAs are where Super Bowls are won, and it's hard to win a Super Bowl when you don't know which foot to put in front of the other. I'm calling it: the NFC North is a three-team race for the next half decade.