The Purple Persuasion

@dronebait911 Great at completing passes too.

@TPPSkol So he’s a great running QB who sucks at the very thing KOC needs him to be good at….. cut ties with this guy already…he’ll never find Jefferson on any of his inside routes, and JJ can’t outrun most DBs

“It's easy to see how Murray doesn't fit in the O'Connell offense -- he doesn't throw to the middle of the field well and doesn't hang tall in the pocket…Murray is without question the best running QB to start in a McVay-inspired offense…The ceiling in Minnesota with Murray is far, far higher than we're inclined to estimate.” @BenjaminSolak goes into both sides of the Kyler Murray/Kevin O’Connell pairing, both of them have validity. The key to this all is not the QB, but the KOach and it’s up to him to put Murray in a position to succeed, just like with the other 7 QBs under his tenure.

@SoTaKnew Most of the those who make a fuss about JJ didn’t watch Vikings football pre-cousins…. They just don’t know.

@TPPSkol 3 years of playing for a place, hearing that same old excuses; “ he needs more time, he’s only had 10 games.” Gave me so many Christian Ponder flashbacks. I do think he could be that guy after sitting/learning from KOC/Murray for 5-6 years; BUT JJ has to open to being QB2.

“The truth is, the worst place you can ever be as a pro coach in any league is when you have to lie, when you have to protect. They don't want JJ McCarthy to be a bust, but he's a miss. Doesn't mean he can't go elsewhere and succeed…Kyler Murray is going to win the job because he's going to own the locker room because the players think he's more talented and JJ McCarthy may flourish elsewhere. But when you go to a solid organization and it doesn't work after two or three years, it's not going to work.” Colin hits the nail on the head, you don’t have to like it, he’s speaking the truth of the situation.

@JacobBooth6 Why do you think Kyler cannot throw the ball?

@TPPSkol Why is the ceiling higher if he can run but is not that good at making the needed throws for the system to work?

@SoTaKnew There are going to be a number of ways that the Vikings should be able to exploit what the defense gives them. If they find a way to have the RBs play above where they’re expected, they’ll be cooking with gas.

@TPPSkol That’s exactly what I’m thinking is it could be something new that hits the league and is explosive, hard to stop from defensive coordinators/players, & can win a Super Bowl; a new hybrid offense. #skol

@HammerPWR There's a lot of contracts set up for that after this season if it goes south.

@TPPSkol Wouldn’t be surprised if the new gm cleans house after the season if things don’t go well

It's "come to the table" for negotiations time for Justin Jefferson after this upcoming season. A massive decision point for the face of the franchise next offseason. If this season goes poorly like last season... do not be surprised if Jefferson is playing for another team. Vikings get back to their winning ways... expect another extension in purple and gold for Jefferson. This ZERO playoff wins isn't going to work for Justin anymore. No more excuses. (Via: OTC)

Most clutch throw of 2025 for the Vikings 😭

@Ryanfitz711 Correction “JJ sucks ass”

@TPPSkol Murray sucks ass!!!

@alwayssbased @AlecLewisShow @alec_lewis They can’t afford screw this up.

@TPPSkol @AlecLewisShow @alec_lewis No way it goes on that long. Murray will take the 1st reps immediately

On the @AlecLewisShow, @alec_lewis weighs in on what his opinion is of how long the Vikings QB battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy should drag on. "My answer was by joint practices August 20th against, you know, the Baltimore Ravens. If you've not figured it out, I think you are really opening up the opportunity for criticism... I mean, you start to get real dicey at that point or if it goes that long [beyond joint practices]."

@KSG_SKOL I don’t disagree but he was the most competent I could think of outside of Willis.

@TPPSkol Not really the shanahan offense in general Has really evolved since 2015 and Mcvay has added his own flavor to the same style of offense

@KSG_SKOL Do you count RGIII?

@TPPSkol Ya Willis is the only guy who comes to mind. The second was that 1 good game Josh dobbs had lol

@KSG_SKOL McVay and co have tried and yet to find the guy who can run and throw the ball. Willis appeared most competent last year but but sample size was so small.

@TPPSkol I’m curious who the running quarterbacks have been in a similar system. Surely it can’t be many

Florio is spot on with this “The key is to get Justin Jefferson on board…at the end of the day, it's year seven for Justin Jefferson, he wants to win.” That about sums it up. If the Vikings screw up the QB decision again in 2026, Jettas wasting another year in MN isn’t likely, especially when he’s got a 49M cap hit due in 2027.

Analyzing "new coach-player scheme pairings to watch" in 2026, @BenjaminSolak lists 8 pairings with Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell and Kyler Murray being one of them 👀 This somes it up perfectly: "The ceiling in Minnesota with Murray is far, far higher than we're inclined to estimate". "Murray is a poor fit for O'Connell's offense. But O'Connell's offense is not a static thing. Over his seasons as the Vikings' head coach, he has done well to put imperfect QBs in strong positions to succeed" "O'Connell has endured a far more brutal carousel of quarterbacking quality than his fellow branches off the McVay tree, including McVay himself, Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor. As such, we've seen him forced to innovate more desperately. I'd argue this puts him in a better position than Taylor or LaFleur might be to build a quick-fix offense around Murray's strengths and deficiencies. He has had to solve similar problems in the past."

No Vikings LBs make the list. Tomorrow is WRs... so I'm envisioning at least one Vikings player lands in the top-10 list.

@johnwil08956134 Minnesota

@TPPSkol Where exactly has all that talent gotten him? More to QB play than talent.

@PatVal41529 Worse ways to make money

@TPPSkol Cowherd nailed it when they drafted McCarthy describing his game as Mitch Trubisky with a better college coach. I see JJ having the same pro career as Mitch being a solid backup. Not a bad gig