Breaking Down J.J. McCarthy's Magical Moment
J.J. McCarthy had a tremendous turnaround on Monday Night Football. His touchdown run was the signature play.
Anyone who follows along — there are a few of you out there — knows that things have shifted at The Vikings Gazette.
Less of a broad, general focus. More of a specific, granular approach. The main idea is to focus in on a particular play to offer an accessible-yet-educated take on a short film clip. Last week was Chaz Chambliss soaking up blockers.
Now that Week 1 is behind us, the focus shifts to a different play: J.J. McCarthy’s tremendous run to (somehow) push the Bears toward an 0-1 start.
McCarthy’s Touchdown Run
Safe to say that J.J. McCarthy was looking overwhelmed.
The crowd? Too loud. The defense? Too speedy. The progressions? Too slow. McCarthy, in short, was playing like it was his first ever NFL game.
But then something magical happened. First, there was the bullet pass to Justin Jefferson to break the deadlock. Then there was the rainbow to Aaron Jones to keep the good times rolling, proving that the first touchdown wasn’t a total fluke.
And then, of course, the touchdown run. Check it out:
The specific play is called Wanda Bear in the Vikings’ playbook, a read option the team can lean on due to McCarthy’s athleticism. The quarterback was excited by the call, thinking it was perfect for the moment.
Explain the words used to describe the play: read option.
J.J. McCarthy is tasked with reading a specific player on the Bears’ defense. More specifically, I believe he is watching #55, the defensive end who is lined up across from Brian O’Neill and T.J. Hockenson. After all, neither of O’Neill nor Hockenson make much of an effort to block the defender. Instead, Minnesota gives #55 two options before ensuring that whichever one gets chosen ends up being incorrect.
If the ball is snapped and #55 keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage even as McCarthy shows that Jordan Mason could take the ball, then the assignment is to hand off the pigskin to the RB. If, however, #55 turns his shoulders 90 degrees, then McCarthy is tasked with keeping the ball and running around that defensive end.
Go ahead and re-watch the clips above and below. McCarthy needs to make a decision in real time — hand it off to Mason or keep the ball for himself — and it’s based on reading that one, specific player. Reading the player correctly will lead to choosing the right option for the most successful run.
Oftentimes, being able to make a tackle comes down to taking the appropriate angle. As soon as #55 turns his shoulders toward Mason, there is little hope for him to catch up with someone as fast as McCarthy.
In all likelihood, the defensive end is looking to scrape down the line of scrimmage — a term to describe when a defensive lineman chases down a runner from behind the offensive line.
In pursuing that potential solution to the possible Mason run, the Bears defender unwittingly falls into a trap. McCarthy correctly reads the assigned defender, making that assigned defender wrong in the process.
From there, watch T.J. Hockenson and Brian O’Neill go to work. The tight end pushes #9 back while the RT seals off #49. McCarthy can see those blocks, plug the details into his internal GPS, and scamper into green grass before his strong finish for the score.
Other details to note.
Before the ball is snapped, Chicago has to confront the threat that exists on the strong side of the field (the side closest to the bottom of the screen). All of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Jalen Nailor are lined up down there, a reality that forces Chicago to respect the threat within those playmakers; put differently, there needs to be a sufficient amount of defenders — a minimum of three — allocated toward the trio of receivers. Otherwise, Chicago could easily see one spring loose for a score.
There’s even some eye candy, a bit of movement from Thielen to insert more uncertainty into Chicago’s pre-snap calculations. All of that just to see McCarthy bring the ball in the other direction because a single defender moves the wrong way in a split second decision.
Ever play volleyball? The ball gets sent over the net to the other side. The other team moves through its hits, setting up someone for a spike. You do your best to read the angles and position yourself accordingly, getting into an athletic, low position to dig the fastball that’s soon to arrive. Guess the ball’s trajectory correctly and you’ve got a chance; get your feet in a bad position based on your pre-hit educated guess and there’s just no time to field a ball that’s moving so fast.
Likewise, the NFL operates at insane speed. Make an error in the play’s initial moment and then the player is ill-quipped to handle what’s going to arrive in the play’s second, third, and fourth moment(s).
Good play design and good execution. Tip of the cap to both the head coach and quarterback.
Odds & Ends
Dad Joke of the Week
“I got a hammer lodged in my esophagus and doctors can't remove it. They say it's the worst case of Thor throat they've ever seen.” — Dad Jokes
Game Prediction
Short week for the Vikings. In a couple days, Kirk Cousins returns to U.S. Bank Stadium yet again. Unlike last time, Mr. Cousins is now the QB2. So, it’s another battle between a pair of sophomore passers from the 2024 NFL Draft: No. 8 pick Michael Penix versus No. 10 pick J.J. McCarthy.
Vikings 31 — Falcons 20
Season Prediction Record: 1-0
Vikings Reading
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Thanks for reading and take care of yourself.