Phillips comes into his fourth year in Minnesota and does not say McCarthy is meant to become Allen – and he does not say he will not. Still, a certain type of mindset is needed to evolve into the elite level of team manager and leaders.
Allen entered the NFL with a number of questions. Many thought he would never develop into what he has become. Few, if any, have improved their accuracy as much as Bills Passer, underlined his ability to optimize and increase all aspects of his game. The leadership factor grew from that ability to improve.
Similarly, McCarthy came in with questions about whether he could switch to different starting teams after not installing high -performance numbers in Michigan. Injuries of year 1 added another other questions. As Phillips pointed out, McCarthy understands his role as a leader and how to sail in a dressing room with ceasefire that has been much longer than himself.
The jury is still on how McCarthy looks on the field, but he seems to understand enough how to be a leader. It is a big part of the job in the NFL team manager.