NFC Notes: Jaire Alexander, J.J. McCarthy, Packers, Vikings

Packers

Packers CB Jaire Alexander compared WR Jayden Reed to another longtime Packers receiver.

“I mean, he has full potential. He reminds me of a young Randall Cobb. But he’s, I think, you know — (whispering) he’s better,” Alexander said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “He’s hungry, man. When you got a young guy coming in who’s hungry for the ball, they’re gonna make their plays. And you see it.”

Jaire Alexander

Packers All-Pro CB Jaire Alexander is coming off a season where he missed nine games to injury and one to a team suspension. Alexander knows the secondary has to be on the same page and play with a sense of togetherness to reach their goals in 2024.  

“Just going into Year 7, at this point, I’m trying not to make it as much about myself and just do what’s best for the team,” Alexander said, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

“I think the biggest thing is just understanding that although I am on an island all the time and all day, it’s the culmination of everybody being around and the culmination of the chemistry that we’re building now that’s going to matter later on in the season. You’ll see it.”

Vikings

Vikings QB coach Josh McCown reflected on their decision to draft first-round QB J.J. McCarthy, saying the rookie was very impressive in meetings and could tell he was “very well coached.”

“Then when we went back for the private workout, just the meeting-room time — you could tell he’s been very well coached and his retention on the plays and materials we gave him and asked him to talk through was spot on. He was A-plus in that regard,” McCown said, via ProFootballTalk. “That was encouraging as well. But I’d say the classroom more than anything and his personal ability with — you’re sitting in a classroom with a bunch of coaches, it can be intimidating as a young player. And he held his own, both intellectually on the board and then relationally and emotionally.”

McCown said they need to keep a “growth mindset” with McCarthy.

“We have to strike it perfectly and ultimately maintain a growth mindset with him,” McCown said. “We want him to perform well every snap that he gets. But every snap that he gets, a lot of these things are his first snap at some of these looks and some of these throws. And just the things that you get asked to do in the pros across every organization is different than what you’re asked to do in college. I mean, the hashes are different. So, so many of these things are new and first time for him.”

McCown added they must balance developing McCarthy and expecting him to execute. 

“And so, you understand those things, you frame them properly as he grows through it. But always expecting a level of production and a level of execution that doesn’t step back from what our group is as a whole. So, you’re always striking that balance. But ultimately I think taking a growth mindset with him and looking at everything as what it is here in Year 1.”