The Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason to push McCarthy for the starting gig. All indications are that the veteran signal-caller is ahead in the early stages. The KOC added that McCarthy handled the renovated captain’s room “very well.”
The coach doesn’t care if the players get particularly close, only that they both have the same goal: to improve every day and help the club win.
“What really matters is what I care about,” O’Connell said. “Did we make the right footwork on a play? Did we have our eyes in the right place? Did we make a protection call against one of the [defensive coordinator Brian Flores’] blitz look? Did we do our job to create a starting point and a possible path to success for the offense? And there’s enough that goes into it that I don’t have much room left for who says what and how they say it.
“I mean, it’s all a reflection of how people handle competitive situations and we’re all going to handle them in different ways. What I love is when they step between the white lines, that there’s growth and development and that it’s actually a competition.”
Eventually, one of the QBs will be named the Week 1 starter. For now, O’Connell will continue to praise the entire room.