EAGAN, Minn. — Championships can't be clinched, and scores are inconsequential.
But those facts don't lessen the importance of the NFL preseason. For Vikings rookies, Saturday's exhibition opener against the Raiders will be a battle; a nerve-racking experience; a dream come true.
The stakes will be high, and emotions real, regardless of what is reflected on the scoreboard.
"No matter what, playing at U.S. Bank, there's always going to be sizzle," Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy said to the media before Wednesday's practice at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is working diligently in training camp to "perfect the perfect routine" in every aspect of his job, critiquing clips on the field and fine-tuning habits pre- and post-practice. After Sam Darnold, McCarthy was listed as OR alongside Nick Mullens on the initial unofficial Vikings depth chart.
The big picture can be saved for a later date. Right now, the focus should be having fun and leaning on preparation – these young Vikings have put in the repetitions; they're ready to display their talents.
"I was so excited," said Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, a third-round draft choice of the Patriots in 2008, remembering his NFL debut, "You get all those butterflies and then you get out there and you realize it's the same old game you've been playing [all your life]. It's just happening faster [with] maybe some different looks."
That last part has McCarthy giddy. Reporters giggled when McCarthy told them that he's most eager to see a vanilla defense – it was said jokingly, but it counts as a legitimate reason to be excited.
McCarthy's training wheels were stripped off as soon as he stared down Brian Flores' defensive unit in Vikings practice.
"It's nice to get the 400-level training before you go down to the 100 and 200 levels," McCarthy said. "It's very fun watching film [of other teams], just understanding the simplicity of it that's coming my way."
The 21-year-old said the variations that Flores throws at him daily are "extremely complex." The Vikings defensive coordinator is clever, hiding and moving around the defenders that can sometimes give quarterbacks clues as to what coverage is being run or which positions are gearing up for a blitz.
McCarthy can't wait to decipher disguises, and heed Flores' advice to use his cadence as a weapon.
Related sentiments were shared by O'Connell – that opponents might roll with a simplified version of their stuff in the preseason. On the contrary, however, O'Connell pointed out a desire that teams sometimes possess to test new things. A core philosophy is about the only certainty in exhibition action.
"There's not four or five games of inventory of tape that you can just go to work on to give yourself that quieted mind and comfort," said O'Connell, expecting to see more basic looks. "You're really just kind of going out there trying to … give guys a chance to compete by doing their job on an individual basis. Through the process of that you hope you come out with some success moving the ball, scoring points, getting some stops on defense [and executing] good, clean plays in the kicking game."
That latter wish falls in part on the shoulders of rookie kicker Will Reichard.
Reichard will be booting a bigger ball than he did in college – Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels thinks it's easier to strike because of its surface area.
Yeah, it's a new environment. But Reichard is trained to thrive under pressure.
The Alabama product nailed 50-yarders and set records in front of more than 100,000 rowdy onlookers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. That is, it's not Reichard's first rodeo.
"It's all mental at the end of the day – between the ears – when you start talking about the specialist positions – kicking, punting and even long snapping," said Daniels, clarifying it's a different introduction to the NFL for position players. "It's maintaining and having that confidence. Are you able to respond when things aren't going your way? Are you able to self-correct when you feel like you miss-hit one?"
Reichard played for Nick Saban in college. Saban required the very best. Reichard knows nothing less.
"That's really who Will is – he wants to be pressed, he wants to be challenged," Daniels said. "He doesn't like a coach to pat him on the back when things aren't going [well] and say, 'That's OK.' … He's got tough skin and he really appreciates that."
Reichard and McCarthy are two higher-profile Vikings rookies to watch Saturday against the Raiders because of Year 1 expectations (Reichard already won the position battle) and future implications.
In total, there are 19 Vikings rookies.
One of them is sixth-round tackle Walter Rouse.
Rouse said Wednesday that he's nervous, but more than anything excited.
He is anticipating taking the field with his brothers and unveiling his personal growth.
"I've surprised myself with how I've been able to pick up certain things that I wasn't able to do in college," commented Rouse, noting his enhanced ability to discern different forms of pass rushes. "That's just a testament to the coaching of [Offensive Line Coach Chris] Kuper and [Assistant Offensive Line Coach] Shaun [Sarrett] and me learning from the other tackles and guards and centers."
Rouse is stoked to advance his football career. The "NFL is the cream of the crop," he said.
An early training camp experience where Rouse initiated a SKOL Chant with Vikings fans is fuel for his imagination. He's never been to a game at U.S. Bank Stadium but can't wait for rallying calls and the Gjallarhorn.
Settling down in the thick of NFL patrons, even in the preseason, can be complicated.
"I got a little too caught up in the crowd, the noise. It was kind of like a wild moment for me, realizing the speed of the game, how much coaching is really involved, how much adjustment is involved on the sideline and how in tune you truly gotta be," said Daniels, mulling over his first NFL game as a player.
Physicality was essential to Daniels' style of play after he entered the league out of Duke. But even he had a wake-up call – no one takes a play off at this level.
It's why he preaches to his guys now to "play with your hair on fire."
"I'm not looking for a guy who's out there thinking too much, overthinking," Daniels said. "More times than not you're going to be able to use your instincts and react to it, and more than likely you're going to end up being right, and it always puts you a step ahead when you do go about it that way."
Veteran wide receiver Trent Sherfield, Sr., who is approaching his seventh season and first on the Vikings, started his NFL career as the longest of shots – an undrafted free agent chasing one of 53 roster spots.
He knows the secret to defying the odds.
"I've been in these battles before, and more often than not, by God's grace, I've been able to come out on the good side of it. I just stick to what I know," Sherfield said. "It all goes back to controlling what I can control. … What I've kind of lived off in the league is not doing the sexiest thing."
He's a willing blocker. He sprints his routes unconcerned about targets – it's OK with him if his route happens to free up a teammate in a different spot on the field. It's an uncommon unselfishness.
But it has helped Sherfield last in the Not-For-Long league. So, he looks out for the youngsters.
"I just try to do my best to guide those guys, especially the undrafted guys because I was in [their] shoes," said Sherfield, giving props to undrafted Vikings rookie receivers Ty James and Jeshaun Jones.
Sherfield reminds them of what can be done, and why doing the assigned job is top priority.
Football moves quickly, and personnel turnover seems even quicker. The 2024 season is here.
McCarthy quotes his college coach Jim Harbaugh when asked if it all feels fast: "The days are long, but the years are short. … Being here for four months or so, it has felt like four days," McCarthy said.
Superstar receiver Justin Jefferson, the player with arguably the most confidence, the most swag on the Vikings, provided McCarthy with the piece of advice that he predicts will prove handy: Confidence is key.
"That's something that is earned through the work you put in every single day," said McCarthy, "and I know wholeheartedly that I've put in the work to be confident out there on Saturday."
