There is an element of the Minnesota Vikings quarterback competition that hasn’t been discussed enough, and Kyler Murray is attacking it.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Minnesota Vikings is what they will do at quarterback.
There will be a competition between incumbent J.J. McCarthy and new signee Kyler Murray. While the Vikings have been honest about how there will be a genuine competition, public perception is this job is Murray’s to lose.
It’s not going to be as simple as picking the best player on the field; there are other elements at play. One of them is how they build relationships on and off the field.
McCarthy has one major advantage over Murray going into the season: he’s been in the building for two years. That advantage matters when learning the offense and building relationships within the building. Murray has already done a good job of beginning to build those relationships within the building, something linebacker Blake Cashman highlighted during an interview with Jim Rome.
“Kyler’s been great. I would say with where we’re at, and have been in the offseason program, obviously the offense and the defense has been pretty separate, but Kyler has been very engaged with everybody in the building. From what I’ve seen, and in our locker room. We went as a group to a [Minnesota] Wild playoff hockey game, and he was there, and that I think that’s important, especially being a new guy, because you’re into a brand new environment working with brand new people, and those relationships haven’t formed yet. But to put yourself out there and get to know your teammates, and start building those relationships is important to having a good football teams. I think that that camaraderie pays dividends, especially as the season goes on. Kyler’s doing all those things, and we expect him to obviously bring what he brings in that locker room, but bring that on the football field as well.”
Murray already immersing himself into the culture of the Vikings is a big deal. Sure, attending a sporting event on the surface isn’t a big deal, but going with your teammates is a great start to that success.
Will that be a deciding factor in the competition? Hard to say, but it’s not going to hurt him whatsoever.
