Hey, Vikings fans, been over here. I'm so excited to be a new Lifetime member, and so are my kids. They love the tennis, the pick a ball, the basketball, and of course the Yummy cafe. Check them out at Lifetime dot life to find a club nearest you.
Well, the Undefeated edition of the Minnesota Vikings podcast is underway, and it is a special privilege to be joined by a man who is making such a huge impact not only on the field but off the field for this Minnesota Vikings team. Quarterback coach Josh McCown appreciate.
You joining mes. Josh awesome. Thank you for having me.
Look, we talked about it a little bit before before the camera turned on. The first time I met you was twenty eighteen Charlotte, North Carolina Josh Norman's All Star Celebrity Basketball Game tournament, or like the Celebrity All Star Game. And I went into that day walking into the gym seeing Terroll Owens dunk right.
Yeah.
And I left that game basically thinking to myself, why didn't anyone tell me Josh mccowca who walk us through just that the celebrities on deck that day, Yeah.
There was there was a few guys out there. Man, I mean, I know Cam, I love Cam was there.
And Lukeley and Louke Keikley.
It was a fun day and the funniest part I remember about it is like it was Josh's event, and I think we came down to the last second shot which in which he got a charitable foul call and had like on a three pointer that he had like three chances to make it.
Yeah.
I think it was like a laying violation too, so he can finally make the free throws like.
He doesn't make any of them.
And I think it was the me or t O or one of us look at each other like all right, well, like if he ain't gonna win it, like we're winning it now, like you know, like we're trying to let him win his event. But man, that was because it's you know, his squad. I know there was a few of his his family members there too with him and uh and so it was competitive as far as charity games go.
It was fun though. It was fun day, yeah, just from start to finish.
Just that the people that rolled in, the people that that are athletes that were either retired or playing and just thinking about you know, your journey, what twelve teams, eighteen different eighteen seasons in the NFL. I don't know if you know how many Hall of Fames, I don't know how many Hall of Famers you play with. But do you have an idea of just just some of the guys that.
You had a I mean, yeah, just rolling through them, like Emmitt Smith, you know, Larry Fitzgerald will be in there for sure, and Kwam Bolden probably should be in there at some point.
Kurt Warner there in Arizona.
Staying on that point, right, Like, when you're around all those guys that have played at the highest level and you've had a chance to be teammates, spill relationships with them, what does that teach you when you get into the coaching aspect of it.
Well, I just think the biggest thing you learned being around those guys is watching their habits, their practice habits. And that's one of the things that throughout the course of my career, whether you're talking about Brian or Lack or Julius Peppers, you know, Joe Thomas, these guys that I was fortunate to be around, and then late in
my career in Philly, Jason Kelsey Lane Johnson. You know, these type of Hall of Fame type of players, their practice habits are such that it flex these things that we're talking about, and that's you know, you want to impart that on young players.
Is just EMMITTT. Smith. I got him at the end of his career and play with him as the end of his career.
In every practice, he's you know, running the football thirty forty yards downfield, are scoring and getting back to the huddle. And he was, you know, thirty two, thirty three years old as a running back. Joe Thomas, how he would approach walkthroughs, the level of focus that he would bring
to a walk through. Watching Jason Kelsey and Brandon Brooks or Isaac Somalo like work through their single blocks over and over and over again after practice, blocks that they had done a million times, but working these combinations again over and over after practice because they wanted their feet to be in their hands to be exactly right. Are just some of the things I took away of just the detail that these Hall of Fame type players approached their position.
At what point for you, right after seeing all of that, at what point do you make a decision that, hey, you know what like, I may want to coach when I'm done with this.
Yeah, I think very early on, just because the cool thing is watching and coaches impact those players, you know, and how those players wanted to be coached. They wanted to be coached hard, they wanted to be held to a high standard, and it's it's reflective in the way that they played on Sundays and then while we're talking
about them as Hall of famers. So I do think that impacts you, you know, if you're interested in coaching, you know, as I was, I think it impacts you because it lets you know that, even at the highest level and even with the best players, that you can do something to influence and help their career.
You have a moment when you, you know, finally realize that hey, or like that that first spark of you know what, I actually might be good at this when I when I get done playing.
Yeah, I don't know.
I mean, I think changing coordinators over and over throughout my career, I think I learned a lot about different systems and how to assimilate and learn a system quickly and try to apply that. And then from there it was as an older player, was just like okay, how can I help a young guy? It's kind of starting even going back to when Kevin and I first got together in Cleveland, trying to help a young young guy like Johnny Menzel the head coach, Mike Peden was the
head coach, that's right. So that's you know, kind of when some of this all started. You know, we're going way back, and then even even with Sam as a rookie, you know in New York, so looking at ways to like how can you how can you still impact the game when you're not playing and you get an opportunity to do that as a backup quarterback, and then I think you you take that and take some of those tools and go, how can I apply that maybe to coaching,
you know, and a full time aspect. So so I think, you know, later in my career really is when, and even maybe a little bit before that, even even working with Jay Cutler in Chicago, I think some of those things is where I really started to feel and some of the interactions with with men like Lovely Smith and Mark Tressman and Rod Marinelly like really you know, uh legends and the coaching profession, like those guys impacting my career and really encouraging me along that path.
I think were some of the moments that led me to this. I love that.
I think one of the I mean we talk a lot, you know, North Carolina quarterbacks, just that the whole scheme of how we're trying to make the state of North Carolina basketball turning from a basketball state to a football state. I know you're from Texas, but just spending a lot
of time of your life in North Carolina. It brings me to my next question of thinking about at the quarterback position, could you, you know, just provide our fans with an example of going from one team to another, having to learn a new playbook and having to digest that and then get in the huddle and then dissect that all in the span of three to four months.
If you're Sam Darnold, yeah, exactly. It's not easy.
And the longer you play, obviously, the easier it gets, even if the language is new, because you can apply some of the basic principles of every system to what
you're doing. But at the same time, when you get a playbook and you're you're taking it and trying to make it its own for you, the depth of the information you know learned has to be so solid because when the stressors come, when the game comes, and and and or you know, starts in OTA's and then pray well, when the stressors come, you want to be able to access that knowledge in real time to to be able to get a good response out of your body, to
be able to do the physical things. For a young player, it's more difficult because he hasn't had the physical reps as a veteran player, but the same thing applies both those guys have to get this information as quickly as possible, so it really takes so much learned. Like rope memorization, everybody has different tricks to the trade. Sometimes you want to associate it with some of the things you learn
in another system. I try to tell guys as much as you can wipe clean and start over, that's really the best bet, because, yeah, just because there may be things that were taught in the old system that don't apply in this system, because everybody teaches things different, and you don't want to drag some of those things into
this new thing. And again, the old experiences, both positive and negative, can benefit you, but from a system learning standpoint, you really want to kind of cut those things and go, Okay, what are these coaches? What's this group of coaches trying to teach me about this play that I need to learn for the Vikings versus how I played it for the Bears or the Cardinals or these are a team that you are on previously. So that exercise can fill up your off season pretty quick. Yeah, and it really
takes a lot. I know a lot of guys employ the services of their spouses to kind of help them, you know, whether it's calling out plays or their significant others just you know, helping them.
Helping them learn the playbook is huge.
I remember I can buying them.
Talked about that.
He said when he was trying to learn the switch from cornerback to safety, he would have his wife like hold flash cards and like give them play calls and seeing how that applies to not only the safety position but the quarterback position. I think that's a unique insight, especially for a guy in Sam Darnold right, like everybody's talking about him.
The difference is that the speed at which you get that done allows you to begin to attack the defense. Like if you're still in memorization mode, then you're walking to the line of scrimmage going, what is Justin Jefferson doing? What is Jordan Adison doing? What's our protection? Like what do we call things? You're not really attacking, you're just kind of accepting things as they come and dealing the football. When you have the offense down and it's in your core.
Now you're like, we're about to attack these guys like this is We're going to attack this coverage and I'm going to go with them with this route. So those are the levels of learning that you really want to get to, and we're trying to progress that way with Sam, you know, as soon as possible.
Let's rewind back to July twenty seventh of twenty eighteen. That was the first day that both you and Sam reported to New York Jets camp, and it was Sam's rookie year, a third overall pick, and you got a chance to be the backup that year. And understanding his thought process from that day until where we are right now, how has that guy evolved into who he is right now for this team?
Yeah, he's you know, I say every now and then, like he's such an adult man. He's such a grown up, you know, and on a personal level, it's just really cool. You know, to watch somebody that you got to know seven years ago kind of mature in their life and grow.
But he's grown as a player as well. And I think the number one thing that I see in Sam is as his coach is just a level of focus that he brings to preparation every week and how how he goes about internalizing the game plan and so that uh, so that it can manifest on Sundays like that, and of itself is a is a practice of like we're talking about, of just you're getting this playbook and how how quickly can I get it in my core so that I understand it at a level that when the
bullets are flying and it's real in the game and the pressures against me the things I want, my natural talents will take over because I know this game plan
so well. So how he you know, obviously it starts with like note taking questions, He asked, whether it's with with coach Phillips or coach O'Connell, like the time he spends with them, and then and then after practice the time he puts in uh with Grant Yudinsky, who's unbelievable asset to our quarterback room, Like the time he spends with Grant and getting kind of the background of some of the system knowledge that that that Grant has that I don't have because Grant's been here, so some of
those things, like he's turning over every stone to be as prepared as possible, and and I think that's the thing I'm most pleased with with him, and looking back seven years to now of saying, man like, if you're telling me seven years ago the guy that you were hoping to look up and see this would this would be who I want to see. Is this version of Sam?
I love it.
I love it.
We're talking to quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and before we go to break, just staying on that question of your relationship with Sam Donald. A lot of people have an opportunity to be coaches, but not a lot of people have the opportunity to coach a friend. So how do you coach a friend and him still be able to excel at the highest level in Sam Darnald.
Yeah, you know, I think to a degree, he knows he knows that I know.
You know what I'm saying, he knows that I know.
And ever since he got in the league, and even you know, from our first time together of just wanting to see the best and wanting the best for him.
And so the level that the standard that we hold him to and that I'm tasked with holding him too as the QB coach does not change, And as a matter of fact, I think it raises it because you know how your interactions, like with with people that aren't maybe as close to you, you kind of like you're you're cool with how they they can act a certain way, but like when your kids start acting silly, like you hold them to a higher defender, right, or your family
acts silly, You're like, hold on now, like we need to have a conversation. And and I feel that way a little bit with me and Sam, where there's a level, you know, to our relationship that it's like I want the best for him, you know, on so many levels, obviously just for the vikings in general, but just personally because we do have a history. So I think it's it's there's a trust there that when we call out the greatness in him and demand better in certain areas,
that he can respond to that. And I think that's unique and I enjoy that part of it.
I love it. Can we do one more quick second with you. Let's do it. Josh McCown coming up.
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Brady to have your spirits lifted. Then the laugh out Loud comedy Ghost is for you. The new season premiere Thursday, October seventeenth on CBS. Well we are back. This is the Minnesota Vikings Podcast. The Minnesota Vikings are four and l heading across the Pond to London this upcoming Sunday to face the New York Jets. And this is a New York Jets team that Josh McCown, who is our guest, that you're you're very familiar with, and the fact that you play them across the pond, a new fan base
for you with you know, this UK Vikings fan base. Like, what are your thoughts like as a as a coach who played for that team, Like, what are your thoughts going into that game as a from a from a human perspective.
Yeah, you know that they're obviously they come from a big market. When you get to play in that market, you understand the scrutiny that that you're under as a Jets player and that all eyes are on you. So this game will be no different given our record and then and then the success that they you know that they're having and and you know the hope that they have with with you know, with their quarterback, especially you know,
being a Hall of Fame player. So you know, we're excited about it, but it's just it's another opportunity for us to to go out and here to grow and get better, and that's the main focus. And we know that we'll have our hands full. They're a good team. And a and a very good defense Robert Solids an excellent excellent football coach, excellent defensive football coach. And so
we know we got our hands full. And uh, you know that preparation will start, you know here soon and and uh and we'll get ready to roll in all the aspects of getting over to London and getting ready to play. We'll be a part of that.
Yeah, the logistics is uh, the underrated portion of this entire thing. But I know our staff does a great job and making sure everybody's well taken care of, well arrested, and just thinking of Sam right and playing against his former team, Like, I know a lot of people are going to make a lot out of that, but for me, I feel like Sam just wants to be a guy that plays football and just like it's just a normal human being. Yeah, what have you sense from him?
This? We know for sure.
Like that's what I'm most impressed with right now, is that he has such a present mentality where it's just executing this thing in front of him, whether it's this meeting or this walkthrough or this you know, lifting session, Like he's just executing the thing in front of him. And so you're right, there will be I'm sure stories and noise and things you know that are you know, of interest, you know, to everybody outside of the game.
But for him, his.
Focus will be on you know, I know it'll be on the Jets and and how he's going to prepare and be on our game plan and how to internalize that. And so I'm not concerned with that because I know what I've seen since the day he got here to now has just been a very intentional focus to be present.
And be the he can in every moment. How does that help your coaching?
I mean it's those things obviously make it easier because you're not having to dial, you know, real somebody in from you know, doing this or doing that. You know that you feel him in the meeting. You feel his intention to the game plan, to the to the information you're presenting him. You feel that, and so you appreciate that as a coach because you know it makes your
job easier. And again, when you get that kind of attention, you're able to focus and dive deeper into some details that are going to give you an edge.
On game day, you talked about assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Grant Udentsky earlier, and we're talking to quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. But a guy that we haven't mentioned is a former NFL quarterback who just so happens to be our head coach. Kevin O'Connell. Describe just his impact as a former coach, as a friend of yours, being able to help Sam's process so far this.
Year, man, he's been. He's been lights out. I'm so impressed with our whole coaching staff in general. So you don't want to go into it like West Phillips is a rock star, has Roc and they've just been they've just been awesome. But Kevin's ability to game plan and to lead our team and the call plays, you know, at the highest of levels, has been really impressive.
It's it's it's.
What we you know, what I thought we saw in him ten years ago as a young quarterback coach. But man, he is just you know, I'm just every day the more and more I get to see it, it's just it's so impressed with with how he handles himself and how he leads our team, and relative to Sam, you know, some guys they get outside of it and playing, like you said, a formal quarterback, they can kind of forget kind of what it feels like to play that position, but it's never too far out of Kevin's mind about
what it what it feels like to hold that ball back there and to be in that position. And I think because of that, he draws on those experiences and utilizes that knowledge to help put our quarterbacks and advantageous situations. So it's very helpful as a quarterback coach to to have a guy like that at the helm, both as the head coach and as the play caller, because he helps your team out so much.
So very very thankful for KO.
I think all of Minnesota Vikings fans are thankful for Kevin o'conno and Josh mccowns, who we're talking to right now of Minnesota Vikings quarterback coach, and staying in that quarterback room. We know, you know, that's a very talented room. You got Nick Mullen, she got Brett Rippon, but a lot of people haven't heard about Jj McCarthy, the guy who we drafted tenth overall this year, and being in that room, seeing him every day, understanding his process. How
instrumental has this process been for Jj? McCarthy who's recovering from an injury right now.
It's been it's been huge. I mean he's in every meeting that he can be in. You know, the tension right now is on the rehab and getting him to you know, there's phases of that, and Tyler and their team take care of that. But as we go through the phases and stages of that, you know, he's attacking that just like you would expect JJ to attack it. But the meetings that he's involved in, which as many
as he can be involved in, he's engaged. He's a tenant of you know, we throw questions at and randomly, you know, we want him to feel involved, and he spits those answers out quickly and and they're correct most of the time, and he's right on, and so we're really pleased with how he's interacting and those interactions that relative to you know, how the program goes with him from a rehab standpoint, will will continue to you know,
be more and more. And we're excited about that. And yeah, we just we talk about it all the time.
We love our room.
When you turn the tape on and you see Brett Rippon and you see Nick Mullens, who has been invaluable to myself as a as a guy with system knowledge to be able to lean on. And when you talk about plays, and it goes back to like learning the playbook, Like everybody teaches him different. And when you have a guy that's actually played in the system sitting in your room, he's such an asset to Sam, he's such an asset
even to myself. And it was great to add Brett, Like, we really feel good about our room and the support that our room has for one another. And and so I pinched myself every day when when we get to when we get to walk in there, because you're working with pros. I mean, these guys, the way they take notes, the way they give reminders to one another, the way that they compete.
It's really it's a really really cool process.
And I'm thinking just of the quarterback room in particular outside looking again, I know I'm working inside of the building, but outside looking, I think the greatest part that I've seen about this quarterback room is how JJ McCarthy cheers on his teammates, including Sam and everyone else on social media, Like we know, we know it's a competition. Every position is a competition battle. But I feel like he's the
biggest cheerleader for this quarterback room. And I'm sure that probably affects the entire room, including Sam correct.
Oh, no doubt.
I mean, you know, it's it's to have the support of your teammates is critical, and especially within your room. And JJ this speaks to who he is as a person. It's just like, as soon as you know, you want to be able to encourage and impact the game at whatever level. When you're on the field, you obviously you have that impact on the field, but when you're off
the field, it's like, what else can I do? And so he's you know, he's using his voice to to to be a support for his teammate, and I think that's awesome and uh, and we appreciate that from him, and we're excited about you know, his progress and and and where he was where he was headed, uh going through you know, he had the one preseason game and thought he played really well, and really pleased with with how he attacked uh learning this playbook and and you know, excited about his future.
And he makes our room fun.
Moving into this upcoming week, you get an opportunity weekend and week out to go against Brian floor as in his defense. When you look at the stats, I mean there are number one or number two in almost every single category. As a coach, like, how beneficial is that going against a defense like that?
Every day in practice?
Man, iron sharpens iron, And I think that saying gets thrown around so much in our business, and I I don't know if I've felt it as much as I had this offseason and especially this training camp. I think those guys just when you have to go against that every day, you have to find solutions and then and then from a quarterback standpoint, you.
Have to be ready.
You have to have great eyes and great discipline within your reads. And I can just there's a handful of plays that I can look at throughout the course of our season, already our young season, and tell you that
Sam is benefited from going against our defense. You know, as tough as it is when you're in training camp and you're like, man, can we just get something simple or we you know that was my first reaction, but now go guys again, Yeah yeah, yeah exactly, But now going through it, you're like, all right, man, Like you know, it's like anything, the more you lean into too, that discomfort, you know, and you get comfortable being uncomfortable, so to speak,
the more it benefits you down the road. And so Flow and Dronte and Swerve and those guys, like it's a phenomenal staff they have over there, and they do a great job and they have they have been unbelievable early on, you know, in the season here with taking the ball away and just the intensity that they play with and and it's certainly we felt that in training camp and it's paid dividends for us.
My final question for you, We've heard a lot of guys talk about this team being different, like this is something unique about this team and being in the NFL as long as you have playing with so many different teams, being on playoff teams, like, what makes this twenty twenty four Minnesota Vikings team unique?
Yeah, I think it's the It's just the collection of guys that are that are smart, tough, you know, discipline football players, you know, and it's not about it's not
about them, it's about their teammates. And you go back just yesterday you look at the play Jordan Jordan gets on the on the Jets suite that he gets around the anity scores and there's you know, justin Jefferson there he is on the edge blocking to spring him, okay, and you just you just have to ask yourself, like how many guys that are in that conversation, like jets is how many guys do that?
You know?
And so I think that's reflective of our team, and it's reflective of the culture that that Kevin and West and Flow and the guys have have created here already, you know, over the first few years and and and I think that's what makes this feel what it what it feels like right now. And so it's you know, still one day at a time. It's a one day at a time mindset dominating the next thing, the next meeting and the next next walkthrough. But you know, those
feelings are real. We gotta lean into them and keep being selfless and keep doing the little things and we'll see where that leads us.
I love it. I love it.
Well.
Look you caught you talked about teamwork and reflection of a team. And I promise you for our radio fans, Josh McCown and I have on the same exact shirt. We did not plan this out, No, we did not plan this out, but I feel like it's just a reflection of what this entire building is because everybody's on the same page. Josh, always a pleasure, always a pleasure
talking to you. Appreciate you joining me to That was Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and kickoff is upon us this upcoming Sunday eight thirty eight m Central Time against the two and two New York Jets. That will do it for today's show and this undefeated Minnesota Vikings team heading across the pond to London to play at Tottenham Hotspur. So for our special guest of the show, Josh mccount and our producer Eric Davidson.
My name is Gabe Henderson.
Thank you guys again for tuning in to another edition of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast presented by Pepsi. Unreal is back with their limited edition Vikings Drop. Head over to nurl dot com for more details.