J.J. McCarthy quiets the noise with camp performance Vikings fans needed

Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy | Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesKevin O’Connell is always on the hunt for teaching moments, and Saturday’s padded practice in front of the fans at TCO Performance Center was the perfect backdrop.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the entire Minnesota Vikings offense experienced some well-documented struggles this week at training camp. Brian Flores’ defense had been dominating 11-on-11 reps since the pads went on, enough that O'Connell used Friday's media session to challenge his offense, which is still breaking in a bunch of new pieces.

It’s a “tremendous challenge for not only our young quarterback, but our whole offense, to respond in the moment,” O’Connell said,…