J.J. McCarthy's QB coach has fiery response to criticism from Cris Carter
J.J. McCarthy was 16 of 32 for 150 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions on Sunday against the Bears. It was an up-and-down performance, but a 10-play, 95-yard touchdown drive with four minutes left in the fourth quarter gave Minnesota a 17-16 lead.
Former NFL linebacker, now analyst Emmanuel Acho, quickly shared his thoughts online. "J.J. McCarthy got that clutch gene!! Struggled all game, but this was nasty! #Skol," he posted on X.
NFL Hall of Famer and former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter quickly responded, "Did you watch the first 59 mins ?" he asked.
McCarthy's quarterback coach, Greg Holcomb, took serious offense to Carter's comments, calling him a clown.
Without the final drive of the game, McCarthy's stat line would've been 10 of 24 for 74 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. It's hard to poke holes in Carter's comments. Holcomb has worked with McCarthy since middle school, so he's obviously going to defend his guy, and he has been vocal about criticism surrounding McCarthy's development all season.
The thread didn't stop there. Acho conceded to Carter's original post, but the former Vikings' star wide receiver did not appreciate his name being misspelled.
This season has obviously not gone exactly how McCarthy or the Vikings would've hoped, and it's not a good sign when someone's QB coach is calling one of the best players in franchise history a clown. McCarthy will get another chance to prove a growing list of doubters wrong this week on the road against the Packers.
Home of Browns QB Shedeur Sanders burglarized during debut
The Ohio home of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was burglarized and three suspects made off with about $200,000 in stolen property this weekend, local police revealed Tuesday.
The Medina County sheriff's office said in a news release that the trio of suspects entered Sanders' residence at approximately 6:46 p.m. local time Sunday, wearing masks and gloves. Surveillance camera footage showed them exiting the home about 12 minutes later with property, the nature of which the police did not detail.
The theft happened while Sanders was with his team -- playing in his first NFL game against the visiting Baltimore Ravens after fellow rookie and starting QB Dillon Gabriel left with a concussion.
"Any information regarding this should be directed to Captain Eric Bors," the sheriff's office said in the release.
Sanders went 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards and an interception in his NFL debut. He may make his first professional start this Sunday at the Las Vegas Raiders if Gabriel remains in concussion protocol.
Sanders, the 23-year-old son of Deion Sanders, has had a difficult year since plummeting to the fifth round of the NFL draft in April. He began his Browns tenure as the team's fourth-string quarterback before they offloaded veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco.
The incident is also the latest in a high-profile string of home burglaries targeting star athletes this year, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
