In a few short weeks, Minnesota Vikings fans may find the jersey of their favorite player hiding inside a gift box. The sight of a Justin Jefferson jersey may be enough to make the most enthusiastic Vikings fan scream like he just got a Nintendo 64. But no matter who they get, it may not compare to the popularity of the backup quarterback.
When the starting quarterback struggles, the backup becomes the most popular player on the team. The Vikings have reached that point as J.J. McCarthy has played poorly and is in concussion protocol, meaning the team may have to turn to backup Max Brosmer for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. It’s not officially confirmed just yet, but McCarthy’s chances aren’t looking good.
For a team that looked ready to head to Cancun after Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, putting Brosmer under center would be a jolt of excitement. But let us not forget the five stages that Vikings fans go through when the backup quarterback is thrust into duty.
SHOCK
The first stage happens when it’s clear the backup quarterback needs to play. In 2016, a jarring injury in practice altered Teddy Bridgewater’s career and the history of the Vikings. In 2021, a positive COVID test sidelined Kirk Cousins for a month after he threatened to entomb himself in plexiglass.
Whatever it is, it sends Vikings fans through a range of emotions. How could this happen to us? Our quarterback’s career is over? Why are we so cursed? We should have kept Kirk [or Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones]. Aaron Rodgers wanted to play for us!
In the current case, it’s jarring just how bad McCarthy has been. Only JaMarcus Russell has been a worse quarterback in terms of EPA per dropback. While some would like to forge ahead and see what they have in J.J., others are wondering what is hiding in the mystery box behind him.
CURIOSITY
At this point, fans start pulling up YouTube videos to find out who their new quarterback is. In the old days, fans would also rely on beat reporters for practice reports. Terms like “aura” and “upside” are thrown around now, while others wonder if “the hot hand” would be enough to save their season.
In the early 2000s, people wondered what Todd Bouman could do behind Daunte Culpepper. In the 2010s, Joe Webb was considered a diamond in the rough. Even Kellen Mond and Kyle Sloter had layers of intrigue, while Bo Levi Mitchell rocked the boat enough to make the Vikings think twice about choosing him as Cousins’ backup.
This year’s Vikings have already experienced this. When McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain, many wondered if Carson Wentz could take the job. Never mind that this was his sixth team in the past six seasons, and they had picked him up two weeks before. He was a Vikings fan as a kid, and that surely had to stand for something.
OPTIMISM
By mid-week, we learn everything about the new quarterback, including the teams he cheered for as a kid and what he ate for lunch in elementary school. Being against square pizza was a bigger red flag than anything Mel Kiper Jr. could point out, and slowly, fans began to believe.
Reports of the coaching staff “really liking this guy” begin to surface. Fans wonder what kind of demon they’ve been hiding on the bench. Some compare some of the great examples of starting quarterbacks getting “Wally Pipped” due to injury, and the hype begins to build.
This week, it has been Brosmer’s introduction. He processes faster than the T-5000. When he began his FBS career with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh suggested that he was processing too quickly. Fans dig up old videos of training camp practices and preseason games, and believe it could be a sign of what’s to come.
EUPHORIA
At this point, the hype train is barrelling down the tracks. In the early days, fans would call into sports talk radio, telling them how hyped they were about Josh Freeman’s debut. Others just wanted to see Mond get a chance over Sean Mannion and how Gus Frerotte had a bigger arm than Tarvaris Jackson.
Today’s era is a little different. After reading all week about their new QB1, the video edits have hit social media. Brosmer’s near-upsets of Penn State and Michigan inspire hope, and his strut along the sidelines has a boss-like feel set to the soothing sounds of your favorite mumble rapper.
Nicknames like “Purple Purdy” start hitting the internet. People line up to start calling themselves “Brosmer Bros.” Some even see a young Kurt Warner minus the experience at a local Hy-Vee. Everyone is ready to see their hero take the field. Their caveat is, It can’t be much worse.
REALITY
In a narrator voice, it usually gets worse. Joshua Dobbs goes from Passtronaut to throwing hospital balls to Justin Jefferson. Nick Mullens plays with “Shoot to Thrill” blasting in his brain. In some cases, like Mike Zimmer toward the end of the 2021 season, the head coach not only throws the backup quarterback under the bus but also runs it over two or three times.
Are you sure you don’t want an extended look at your quarterback? Of course not, because a seventh-grade JV quarterback might look better right now.
The national media is laughing. First Take leads off its show with “Should they have drafted Shedeur Sanders?” Fans slowly realize they are not looking at the second coming of Brock Purdy or Warner. They’re looking at a quarterback who is about to become a meme.
Perhaps Max Brosmer is the quarterback who can break the cycle and become the next Tom Brady or Tony Romo, wresting a job away from the starter. But for now, Vikings fans will continue through the cycle and hope this time is different.
