A look at Day 2 of the training camp battle between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray that came in another no-pads, no-contact practice on Thursday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. The Vikings will have two more days of the NFL’s acclimation period before getting a day off Sunday and then practicing in full pads on Monday.
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Who went first? After Murray got the first set of reps on Wednesday, McCarthy got the first snap Thursday in an 11-on-11 session that came six periods into the 10-period practice. For the second consecutive practice, Murray took more snaps than McCarthy. Carson Wentz (10 snaps) and Max Brosmer (two snaps) also got their first work of camp.
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Murray’s snap count: 25 (19 in 11-on-11, six in 7-on-7)
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McCarthy’s snap count: 20 (14 in 11-on-11, six in 7-on-7)
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Murray’s unofficial passing stats: 10-for-17, including 8-for-11 in 11-on-11 and 2-for-6 in 7-on-7
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McCarthy’s unofficial passing stats: 10-for-13, including 6-for-7 in 11-on-11 and 4-for-6 in 7-on-7
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Under center vs. shotgun: Murray has spent his career playing out of the pistol or shotgun formation, which isn’t how coach Kevin O’Connell usually runs his offense. But on Thursday, Murray took 14 of his 19 snaps out of shotgun in team drills. McCarthy took nine of his 14 snaps in 11-on-11 under center.
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McCarthy’s day: McCarthy would have been sacked on his second snap in 11-on-11, but he finished his eight-rep session by completing passes to Myles Price, Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. McCarthy found Jeshaun Jones down the left side for a big gain in a later 11-on-11 portion of practice, but Tai Felton was unable to catch a pass over the middle on the next play. There are times that McCarthy appears to be making quicker decisions than he did last season, but there also are moments where you can tell he’s still taking longer to process than what O’Connell wants.
