Justin Jefferson's Presence Creates An Unexpected Hurdle For J.J. McCarthy

It’s only joint practices. Still, J.J. McCarthy didn’t hide the fact that he used tape from the New England Patriots’ first preseason game to scout Mike Vrabel’s defense before they scrimmaged on Thursday.

“Going into yesterday, I took a lot of the film that I saw in the first preseason game and tried to apply it to today,” McCarthy said. “And they did not do much of [what they showed on film].”

Such is the case with New England. Bill Belichick may be working for his girlfriend as the head coach of the UNC football team, but the Patriots are still an amoeba. Brian Flores learned how to create a fluid and unpredictable defense while working under Belichick from 2004 to 2018. Vrabel played for Belichick from 2001 to 2008.

It was a good lesson for McCarthy to learn in a low-stakes environment. The Patriots built a dynasty by adjusting to their opponents every week, a strategy Kevin O'Connell and Flores aim to emulate in Minnesota. It’s also inevitable that teams will give the Vikings meaningfully different looks because they must focus on containing Justin Jefferson.

“I was talking to Jets the other day in the locker room and telling him [about New England’s adjustments],” said McCarthy. “And he’s like, ‘Dude, there’s going to be a lot of teams this year that are going to show one thing on film, and then they come play us and play me, and they’re gonna show a different thing.’”

Wherever he goes, Jefferson instantly captivates people’s attention with his million-dollar smile and has hips that lie. His precise routes create oil slicks for defenders, and he

The effervescent receiver can pop off at any moment, a luxury for any quarterback. Jefferson has made Kirk Cousins look like a top-10 quarterback and helped rejuvenate Sam Darnold’s career. Ultimately, Jefferson will be a reliable outlet for McCarthy in his first year as a starter.

McCarthy is O’Connell’s proof of concept. O’Connell believes that organizations fail quarterbacks more than quarterbacks fail organizations. The former Michigan quarterback will enter a situation where the Vikings should elevate him, unlike Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, who revived moribund teams.

Flores’ madcap defense has helped prepare McCarthy to adjust in real time. Like O’Connell, Flores uses the illusion of complexity to muddle opposing signal-callers. He often places eight defenders on the line of scrimmage and makes the opposing quarterback decipher who is blitzing and who will drop into coverage.

“Just being able to see that every single day [is good preparation],” McCarthy said. “Having a thought pre-snap, but always having to rely on post-snap confirmation is huge because young quarterbacks get caught up with, ‘I saw this, so I expect this.’”

McCarthy will spend the rest of camp learning to adjust throughout a game. He will not play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Patriots, and likely won’t take snaps in Minnesota’s third preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans.

Therefore, his next live action will be against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. McCarthy will return to his hometown, in primetime, to quarterback a team with Super Bowl ambitions. He must readily adapt throughout the game to avoid a 0-1 start.

The Vikings will be without Jordan Addison, who caught three of McCarthy’s seven passes in Minnesota’s first preseason game. However, Jefferson should be available in Chicago, and T.J. Hockenson can act as a de facto WR2. Still, McCarthy must readily adapt in a league where change is the only constant.

McCarthy says he adjusted to New England’s defense by relying on the principles he’s established while learning the offense last year and executing it in practice this offseason.

“ switched my mindset to this day,” he said, referring to the scrimmage on Thursday. “Just hear the play call, focus on my fundamentals, and go through the progressions, and just kinda play from there.”

There’s been a lot of consternation about Jefferson’s absence hurting his chemistry with McCarthy. Still, Jefferson’s presence will ultimately be a boon for McCarthy in his first year as a starter. Having a receiver with magnetic hands and the ability to create polar separation from defenders is beneficial for any quarterback.

The only drawback is that McCarthy will face unscouted looks from defenses every week. Ultimately, he’ll have to adapt, something he’s already started doing during practice this offseason.