‘The gap was not close’: Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy frontrunner emerges
· Yahoo Sports
During the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings acquired longtime Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray through a trade to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the team’s starting quarterback spot. As the competition heats up, it sounds like a frontrunner has already emerged.
Last week, the Vikings opened up their team practice to members of the media, allowing a first look at the competition between Murray and McCarthy. And according to one reporter, it doesn’t sound like much of a conversation at all.
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‘Not Close’
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert was in attendance for the team’s practice this week to observe the quarterback competition. But it does not seem like he believes there is much of a quarterback competition, saying, “You can only have a genuine competition if there is actual uncertainty about who the best quarterback on the roster is.”
According to Seifert, the “competition” between Murray and McCarthy was “not close,” as Murray looked like the far superior quarterback.
“With the caveat that this was one day in May, with no pads and some drills performed at half speed, it is only fair to point out that the gap between the two quarterbacks was not close,” Seifert wrote for ESPN this week.
“Murray made all of the best throws of the practice, demonstrating his downfield touch and accuracy. Nothing McCarthy did was objectionable, and one of his few incompletions — a pass to the flat that cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. nearly intercepted — occurred when two receivers drifted far too close to each other,” Seifert wrote. “And while McCarthy’s post-practice comments about their relationship delivered headlines, it was Murray who might have said the most notable four words of the afternoon: ‘My confidence is unshakeable.'”
McCarthy Not Ready Yet
While Murray shined in the practice, Seifert said that McCarthy’s performance was another reminder that the young quarterback is simply not ready for the starting role just yet, and even if he continues to develop, it’s likely that he won’t overtake Murray.
“Overall, the afternoon was a reminder that McCarthy could continue along the upward trajectory he established at the end of last season — and still fall well short of matching Murray’s experience, arm talent and potential to make big plays in the passing game,” Seifert wrote.
Needless to say, while there is indeed a quarterback competition between the two players, it sounds like Seifert fully expects that it will be Murray who serves as the team’s starting quarterback when the Vikings begin the season against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13.
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