The Minnesota Vikings held their first public practice on Saturday afternoon, and Vikings fans got to see a stellar display from one particular quarterback. In what has been a highly-scrutinized quarterback competition, Kyler Murray was the winner on Saturday, according to multiple media outlets.
The quarterback competition has favored J. J. McCarthy to this point. There was even a sentiment earlier this week that McCarthy had won the first two days of training camp practice. On Thursday, it was reported that Murray looked a bit more unorganized, and he even fumbled some snaps. However, it seems like he was able to focus and gain more control this weekend. Bring Me The News’ Will Ragatz weighed in on the competition, and talked about his connection with star Justin Jefferson.
Ragatz also was able to collect numbers as well. Murray went 14-of-17 on the afternoon. McCarthy was 8-for -16 with an interception
In the meantime, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis talked about Murray’s overall solid day. He looked sharp according to Lewis, and was able to make some key throws. This was an important development for not only Murray himself but the Vikings organization. Although this is a quarterback competition, having a veteran struggle out of the gate is certainly not an ideal recipe for success.
Vikings Veteran No Stranger To QB Competitions
Quarterback competitions are nothing new for Murray. As a matter of fact, it seems like he has had to face one at almost every stop he has gone to. It started in 2015, when he was battling quarterback Kyle Allen at Texas A&M. Allen won the job initially. Murray was able to take things over when Allen had a mid-season slump that year.
Murray ended up transferring from the Aggies, and had to take on a quarterback battle at his next collegiate stop. This time, his battle took place with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2018. After his transfer, Murray had to sit behind quarterback Baker Mayfield. After Mayfield departed, Murray then went to battle against quarterback Austin Kendall. Murray won the job, and ended up putting together a Heisman Trophy-winning season that year.
Now, he is in the middle of a battle with the Vikings. It seems as though he has been able to put together a solid couple days of practice throughout the course of training camp, with Thursday being an outlier. SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad indicated that he believes that Murray still has the arm talent to throw deep down the field, and that his arm is not gone. Saturday was further proof of that.
Saturday Was Big Day For Vikings Veteran
Either way, Saturday was a big day for Murray. He needed to have a big day and he was able to get it. Of course, the real test will be how both quarterbacks performed during preseason action. Although it’s not a regular-season NFL game, it does offer a bit more in terms of game -like situations than practice does. That will be the real test for both quarterbacks, and give coach Kevin O’Connell a bit more clarity as to who will start in the opener.
To use a school English class analogy, both quarterbacks are writing their initial ‘first drafts’ before submitting their final copy at the end of August.
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