QB J.J. McCarthy: 'All that matters is getting that victory'

Art (0:00)

Yeah, was that fun?

J.J. McCarthy (0:00)

It's a lot of fun. Yeah, it's so much fun to be out there playing football, but with this group, it makes it that much more fun.

SPEAKER_3 (0:07)

That's for sure.

SPEAKER_4 (0:09)

I think with everything you've gone through in your career to this point, where it kind of went south to Minnesota, the trade, I mean, the way that you came out today, just no fear slinging at it. I mean, what was going through your mind when you walked on the field for the first time and then carried throughout fourth quarter and overtime?

J.J. McCarthy (0:29)

The same thing that goes through my mind every time I step on the field to practice or game.

What can I do in those six seconds to the best of my ability to help this team move the ball and help this team overall win? And I just had a blast out there with these guys. We had a great week of practice and just executed at a really high level. And to be able to go watch the tape and find ways to get better, that's the number one thing we're focused on right now.

Art (0:54)

JJ., sometimes guys have a box score game and you can look in the box score and go, damn, that guy must have been really good. You might look in your box score and say, okay, you know, decent game. I would imagine the tape makes you feel a little bit differently.

What do you think about that and how you performed today?

J.J. McCarthy (1:11)

Truly the only stat I care about is going 1-0.

You know, I could care less how we get it done. At the end of the day, you want to perform well, you want to execute well, and you know, it's one of those things where, you know, if the running backs are getting their touches and getting their touchdowns, I'm as happy as I can be. Whether I'm throwing the touchdowns, I'm as happy as I can be. You know, at the end of the day, all that matters is getting that victory.

SPEAKER_5 (1:33)

How did you get to this point where you were so comfortable, so quickly admitted very long, and it just looked like different, you know, very comfortable up in the back?

J.J. McCarthy (1:40)

Football is football. You know, at the end of the day, there's a lot of similar concepts in every single scheme in the NFL and even going to college. But, you know, I just give so much credit to the coaches and, you know, Jamis and Jake and Jackson for helping me out, you know, the second I walked in the door. And, yeah, all credit goes to everyone in that building for helping me get prepared for this game.

SPEAKER_6 (2:00)

How much did you feel in complete command? Right, it seemed like you just knew where you were going with the ball, you didn't hesitate to, like, make tight window throws. Like, why do you think you were able to do that?

J.J. McCarthy (2:11)

Preparation, you know, I feel like preparation, you know, over the years of playing football, you just refine the routine each and every week. And I feel like I'm in a really good spot right now, just Monday through Saturday. And, you know, just being able to have that trust in these guys as early as now, you know, since I've been here, I haven't been here long, but, you know, I trust those guys every time the ball comes out of my hand. And, you know, I trust the whole line up front, trust the backs are going to get us in great situations when, you know, I do hit the check downs. But, you know, at the end of the day, it's the players around me in the preparation.

SPEAKER_3 (2:44)

JJ., did you see anything special on the two runs, you know, over time, the way things opened up, did you kind of see something that, you know, maybe they were playing differently, maybe looking for the pass or something like that?

J.J. McCarthy (2:55)

I think those two runs is just a microcosm of what this team's all about. You know, they're resilient, they fight to the end, they empty the tank every single game, and you see it multiple times throughout this year of just, you know, the grit and the determination and the willpower that this collective has. And, you know, it's almost like we can't wait to put it on display every single week. And, you know, we want to start fast and, you know, finish faster. And at the end of the day, we're just going to do whatever it takes to get the win. But, you know, it just really showed up of just the mentality and the will to finish.