There are a lot of areas in which Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has to improve in, but head coach Kevin O'Connell wants him more focused on one area in particular.
That one area, according to Vikings.com, is his decision-making, as O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday.
“I want him to have a clear mind and just go play, but with an understanding of the decisions that I make with the ball in my hand," O'Connell said. "The decisions that I make as a passer, as we’ve learned, very imitative as a runner to protect himself and make sure that we can keep him in there.”
“If the fundamentals need to be changed, if they need to be adjusted, if we need more time on task on that, that’s one thing. But let’s just make the throws. Let’s just throw and catch. Let’s just play with great rhythm and understanding of the plan," the Vikings head coach added.
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Decision-making has no doubt been an issue for McCarthy, who has thrown 10 picks in six games.
Far too often the game just looks too fast for the second-year quarterback, which is at least partly why he makes bad decisions. And, with the margin of error being so small, it's been impossible for the Vikings to overcome that problem.
But decision-making won't matter that much if McCarthy isn't more accurate with the football. The Vikings signal-caller is completing just 54.1% of his passes, and his struggles with inaccuracy have no doubt led to some of those interceptions.
All that said, O'Connell is taking the right approach here.
It's clear he can't put too much on McCarthy's plate right now, so giving him one thing to focus on is the correct move.
And, if McCarthy can improve his decision-making from here on out, he might just improve his other issues in the process.
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