KEVIN O’CONNELL – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Big Apple Will Be No Retreat for QB J.J. McCarthy

Posted on September 28, 2026September 28, 2026 by David Shama

If quarterback J.J. McCarthy felt the impact of outside criticism during his tenure with the Vikings, he should know he is diving into the deep end of the pool in New York City.

Gotham is now home for the 23-year-old as of today when the Vikings sent him to the Giants for a 2027 fifth round draft choice. McCarthy, Minnesota’s first round draft choice in 2024, never did establish himself as the team’s long-term answer as the starter at the most important position on the field.

This despite head coach Kevin O’Connell declaring his protégé “the franchise quarterback” prior to the beginning of the 2025 season. McCarthy couldn’t achieve enough consistency to prompt a commitment from O’Connell who brought in veteran Kyler Murray to be the “man” during the past off season.

McCarthy’s subpar mechanics have been a repetitive topic of conversation in the northland and amateur psychologists have debated his level of confidence. While, of course, McCarthy didn’t acknowledge self-doubts, his mental outlook understandably could have been at least side-swiped by booing fans, media jabs and digital digs.

There’s no pretention here to know what’s inside McCarthy’s head but he is a long-time practitioner of meditation and mindfulness. And it will be no yoga camp or mental health retreat in New York where media and fans are capable of eating quarterbacks for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If McCarthy wants a tutorial, he’s probably got the phone numbers of former quarterback teammates Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones on speed dial. They could tell stories about the raucous and often disapproving culture of the big city from their times with the Jets and Giants respectively. Darnold got an earful for not being the franchise savior and Jones was even booed on draft night.

J.J. McCarthy, Vikings QB, image by David Shama — J.J. McCarthy

This is a change, however, that McCarthy and his inner circle apparently wanted. He could have a shot at the starting job later this season, replacing 32-year-old journeyman Jameis Winston. Starter Jaxson Dart is injured and out for the season.

McCarthy will start out with the confidence of head coach John Harbaugh who almost certainly spoke with brother Jim Harbaugh prior to the trade. The latter was McCarthy’s head coach at Michigan in 2023 when the Wolverines won the national championship. There’s no reason to believe Jim gave his brother anything less than a positive endorsement about McCarthy.

The Giants get a quarterback friendly deal with McCarthy. He’s under team control through 2027, with a team option for 2028.

The Vikings apparently lost patience with McCarthy’s development. Why else would you move on so quickly from a No. 1 draft choice and the possibility of still becoming your starter in a quarterback cluster where neither Carson Wentz nor Murray have come close to dazzling and may not.

The view here is McCarthy didn’t cause problems internally for the Vikings. He was a solid teammate and could be among the first to congratulate another Viking on making a big play.

If the Giants finish around .500 or worse in the standings after this season, the fifth round draft choice could yield a top 150 or so player in the draft. This year the Vikings took Max Bredeson in the fifth round and the fullback projects as a valued part of the team for years to come. BTW, the best of modern day NFL fifth rounders include stars Tyreek Hill, George Kittle and Puka Nacua.

Don’t think the Vikings didn’t try to do better than a fifth round pick. That’s apparently the market value right now for McCarthy who in his 10 NFL career games has thrown 12 interceptions and 11 touchdown passes.

The Giants had a firsthand look at McCarthy in the preseason. He completed four of seven passes for 34, with no interceptions. He had moments when he looked hurried and produced no points of what would be a 13-10 preseason opening win over the Giants in New Jersey.

If McCarthy turns out to be an NFL bust, the deal will look like a good one for the Vikings. If he becomes a star in the Big Apple or elsewhere, and the Vikings are still on their marathon search for a franchise quarterback, well, let’s just say the jackals will be howling like never before.

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Vikings Now Face Potential Quarterback Controversy

Posted on September 22, 2026September 22, 2026 by David Shama

Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will be the Vikings starting quarterback on Sunday in Tampa against the 0-2 Bucs.

Murray has missed almost two whole games as the Vikings have started 2-0 on the season. He suffered a concussion in the opening minutes of the first game and Carson Wentz replaced him. Efficient game managing by the 33-year-old veteran Wentz has helped the Vikings to wins over the Packers at home and the Bears on the road.

Since the 29-year-old Murray was head coach Kevin O’Connell’s choice to the No. 1 quarterback in the weeks leading up to the season, it’s no surprise the diminutive and potentially explosive passer-runner has been reinstalled as the starter.

But if Murray and the Vikings encounter “head winds” near the Gulf of Mexico Sunday and falter after that, too, look for a quarterback controversy to surface. If the Vikings are losing and Murray is even mediocre, the fan base (and media) will be restless.

Listed at 5-foot, 10-inches and 207 pounds, Murray has a high velocity throwing arm, quickness of foot and running ability that can bedevil opponents. His potential dazzles and we have yet to see what kind of offensive plays O’Connell has created to take advantage of his potential playmaker.

The Cardinals gave up on Murray, now in his eighth NFL year, after last season. His career profile has included persistent injuries and periods of inconsistency. His resume and profile instill optimism, though, among those who want to feel it. In 2019 he was the Pro Football Offensive Rookie of the Year. Twice in his career he was a Pro Bowler.

If things go south for the Vikings, O’Connell knows what he’s got in Wentz who he praised yesterday. “I think Carson is just so steady. He knows exactly, and we talk a lot about what’s going to be required to win, and his role over these last, whatever it is, maybe 106 snaps.

“You think about it, we have no turnovers during that time, and I think we had maybe one procedural penalty where the left side of our O-line lined up too deep yesterday (Sunday). But outside of that, he’s running the show. …”

With either Murray or Wentz running the offense, fans hope the Vikings can not only qualify for the playoffs but win their first postseason game of the O’Connell era that started in 2023. It’s been a quarterback carousel dating back to that year, with nine different starters.

Leading the offense (at least for two games) have been Max Brosmer, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Murray and Wentz.

Cousins, the 38-year-old who left the Vikings in free agency for the Falcons after the 2023 season, is tied with the most touchdown passes in the NFL after two games. His six have helped the Raiders to a 2-0 start.

Worth Noting

Wide receiver Jordan Addison has only two receptions in the first two games but O’Connell liked his blocking on Sunday. He praised it as well timed with wide receiver Jauan Jennings, a quality blocker, not playing in the game for personal reasons.

O’Connell also said on Monday defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has a hip injury and the coach considers him “day-to day.” Punter Brett Thorson has a hamstring injury that will be evaluated during the week.

Brian O’Neill told Sports Headliners the knee issue that made him listed as questionable for last Sunday’s game isn’t going to be an ongoing problem. He played in the Bears game and doesn’t expect the knee issue (details not disclosed) to trouble him in the future, including at the Bucs on Sunday.

Who is the only Golden Gophers football player ever to be the coverboy for Sports Illustrated? The answer is quarterback Bobby Cox who played for Minnesota in 1956 and 1957 after transferring from Washington.

He was labeled the nation’s top quarterback on the November 4, 1957, cover. Interestingly, the 1957 Gophers defeated Cox’s old school 46-7 that year. Also of note, Cox was of Hispanic background, and this is National Hispanic Heritage month.

The Gophers play at Washington Saturday night with a 10 p.m. kickoff on Fox Network. It’s the first game between the two programs since 1977.

Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch is in his third season in Seattle. He was 32 years old in 2009 when Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster hired him to be offensive coordinator.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning knew of Fisch and wanted him to be his quarterbacks coach in Indianapolis, but Fisch chose the Gophers where he coached for one season. Then Fisch left to become quarterbacks coach for the NFL Seahawks.

Joel Maturi, the former University of Minnesota athletics director, attended the 60^th reunion of the 1966 national champion Notre Dame football team in South Bend earlier this month. The Minnesota native was a student trainer on the undefeated team that included former Vikings legend Alan Page.

Maturi, 81, stays active walking a total of eight miles a day.

Former Gopher quarterback Tanner Morgan, who did the color analysis on the Big Ten Network coverage of last Saturday’s Minnesota-Akron game and still lives in the Twin Cities area, runs QBMotion Midwest where he uses science-based mechanics to tutor teen quarterbacks.

Throne Spud, the digital creator and vlogger, posted the 10 most liberal and conservative FBS schools on Instagram. The Big Ten landed six in the top 10 most liberal including Oregon No. 1, Minnesota No. 6 and Wisconsin No. 10. No Big Ten schools on the conservative list with Liberty No. 1, followed by a top five of BYU, Baylor, Mississippi State and TCU.

Sports scorer Stew Thornley — Stew Thornley

Stew Thornley, 71, is finishing his 20^th year as an official scorer for the Twins. A highlight this summer was working as official scorer for the Twins-Phillies Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

The Minneapolis-born Thornley estimates he’s done 750 games as a scorer for the Twins, including 2018 when he worked two games in Puerto Rico. He has also worked the 2017 World Baseball Classic games in Mexico which he referenced as a “wild scene.”

Thornley, also known to Minnesotans for authoring sports books, is an official scorer for Gophers and Timberwolves basketball games, penalty timekeeper for Gopher hockey and sometimes scoreboard operator for Gopher football. And wait, not done yet: official scorer for Gopher baseball and sometimes public address announcer.

Thornley estimates his roles have him out of the house over 100 days and nights per year. Asked tongue in cheek if wife Brenda was happy to have him gone, he said: “Yeah, she is.”

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Vikings Stop Bears, Nix Chicago’s Records Attempts

Posted on September 20, 2026September 20, 2026 by David Shama

On a rainy Sunday today in Soldier Field the Vikings went to 2-0 on the season by controlling the much-hyped Bears offense in a 9-3 win that left rival and defending NFC North Division champion Chicago 1-1 after two weeks of the NFL regular season.

The Bears scored 59 points in their season opening over Carolina. Sunday was much different as the Bears struggled, including near misses. They got inside the Minnesota red zone in the third and fourth quarters but couldn’t score touchdowns.

Defensive back Isaiah Rodgers was a hero for the Vikings recovering a third quarter fumble by De’Andre Swift on the Minnesota one yard line. Late in the fourth quarter he blocked a field goal attempt that would have closed the score to 9-6.

The Bears lost glitzy playmaking quarterback Caleb Williams late in the fourth quarter when he fell to the ground after being pursued by Andrew Van Ginkel. It looked like he could have sustained an ACL injury but later came news of a hamstring issue.

Williams couldn’t return to the game on a day when the Vikings frustrated him with different coverage looks and considerable pressure and push including from the defensive line that featured rookie Caleb Banks’ best performance.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell image by David Shama — Kevin O’Connell

If this was a matchup of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Ben Johnson, the Bears head coach and offensive savant, it was a win for the Purple. Williams threw an interception, was sometimes inaccurate and the Bears had numerous offensive penalties.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell called it an “unbelievable” performance by his defense after the game while talking on KFAN Radio.

It was a sloppy Chicago performance on a day that the Bears wanted to pick up on their headline making work in the opener against the Panthers.

The Bears had 560 scrimmage yards (291 rushing, 269 passing) last Sunday with six rushing scores and two passing touchdowns fueling the 59 points. The Bears tied the 2019 Ravens, 1968 Cowboys and 1963 Chiefs for the second-most points scored in a season-opening game all-time. Additionally, the Bears tied with the 1920 Detroit Heralds, 1920 Rock Island Independents and the 1922 Canton Bulldogs for the most rushing touchdowns in a season opening game in NFL history.

With 37 points scored against the Vikings today, the Bears could have surpassed the 1968 Raiders (95 points scored) for the most points scored in a team’s first two games of a season in NFL history. The Bears could have also become first team ever with at least 250 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in consecutive games.

The Vikings offense showed the commitment to running the ball that was an offseason priority and also in the opening win over the Packers. The Vikings had 28 rushing attempts for 119 yards while passing 20 times for 143. QB Carson Wentz looked hesitant at times in throwing down field and the Vikings didn’t have a huge explosive play all day.

Aaron Jones, 31, ran for 105 yards with O’Connell remarking his starting RB is “not going to be a guy that goes 70 but he’s going to find yards.”

On a day with not only rain challenging footing on the field but with wind guests in the air, Vikings field goal kicker Will Reichard came up with makes of 35, 49 and 39 yards. Probably the best field goal kicker in the league, he has now booted 22 perfect kicks.

Not to be lost in the kicking performance is holder Brett Thorson. The rookie punter hadn’t been a holder in college and there was skepticism in preseason about his important role. No problem putting the ball down for Reichard, though, and his punting was a weapon averaging 49.5 yards.

Worth Noting

It will be interesting to see how the Golden Gophers handle practice this week in preparation for their game Saturday that starts at 10 p.m. Minneapolis time in Seattle against Washington. Will coach P.J. Fleck schedule 10 p.m. practices?

The two programs haven’t played each other since 1977 but have a historic rivalry that includes a 17-7 Minnesota loss in the 1961 Rose Bowl.

The Gophers paid Akron $1.2 million for yesterday’s home game Saturday against the Zips, per information obtained from the University of Minnesota through the public records process. For two other nonconference home games this season, Minnesota paid guarantees of $500,000 to Eastern Illinois and $350,000 to Mississippi State.

Next year State will pay the Gophers $350,000 for a return game in Starkville.

It was 30 years ago that the most popular Gopher basketball team of all-time embarked on the 1996-1997 season that ended with a Big Ten title, trip to the Final Four, 31-4 record and final A.P. ranking of No. 3 in the nation. The academic scandal that later resulted in vacating the season record to zero wins will never diminish the memories fans have of that extraordinary team.

Congrats to Twins pitcher Pablo López on being the franchise’s 2026 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. This is López’s third consecutive nomination with Minnesota and fourth of his nine-year career (Marlins’ nominee in 2022).

Each MLB club nominates a player for the award that annually recognizes a player who best represents extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. The annual award is a tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character.

Fans can vote through Sunday, September 27 at MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (site available in English and Spanish)

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