The Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason to push McCarthy for the starting gig. All indications are that the veteran signal-caller is ahead in the early stages. KOC added that McCarthy has handled the reworked quarterback room “really well.”
The coach doesn’t care if the players grow particularly close, only that they both have the same goal: to improve each day and help the club win.
“What actually matters is what I care about,” O’Connell said. “Did we take the right footwork on a play? Did we have our eyes in the right spot? Did we make a protection call against one of [defensive coordinator Brian Flores’] blitz looks? Did we do our jobs to manufacture the starting point and potential path to success for the offense? And there’s enough that goes into that that I don’t have a ton of space left over for who says what and how they say it.
“I mean, it’s all a reflection of how people handle competitive situations and we’re all going to handle them differently. What I care about is when they step between the white lines, that there’s growth and development and that it really is a competition.”
Eventually, one of the QBs will be named the Week 1 starter. For now, O’Connell will keep praising the entire room.
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