EAGAN, Minn. — Say sayonara to all the anticipation, the speculation, the handicapping. At long last, the Minnesota Vikings practiced Wednesday, which meant that the quarterback competition driving so much of the NFL conversation finally began in earnest.“Excited to be here,” Kyler Murray told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “Excited to get started.”J.J. McCarthy later added: “Best day of the year.”For many reasons, the first day of training camp looked like a continuation of the quarterbacks’ performances during spring workouts. Murray and McCarthy took a similar number of reps. Both participated in drills with the starting offensive group and threw to elite receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.Who are the most clutch NFL quarterbacks since 2020?Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenThe practice resembled organized team activities from an execution standpoint, too. Early on, Murray demonstrated the arm talent that made him the No. 1 pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, applying touch to passes in tight windows. Later on, a deep-ball interception zapped some of his momentum. Meanwhile, McCarthy needed a few practice periods to find a rhythm. Once he did, the 2024 first-round pick showed the product of his offseason work, layering passes with finesse.Nothing over the two-hour session indicated either had a dramatic advantage. The action validated coach Kevin O’Connell’s insistence that the team is holding a legitimate competition, and it also framed his preference to wait for a larger sample size before making the final declaration.Murray and McCarthy each met with reporters before practice, knowing their play later would speak louder. McCarthy said he threw to teammates this offseason in Minnesota, Tennessee and California. Murray kept the specifics to himself but said he “got a lot of good work in.”When the team gathered for its first competitive sequence, Murray started under center. He immediately connected with Addison on a deep ball down the left sideline. He followed that throw with a nice dump-off on a bootleg to Tai Felton, as well as a beautifully arced intermediate completion to Jauan Jennings.On McCarthy’s first real dropback, it appeared he was assessing the speed of the rush, but he responded a couple of plays later with a checkdown to receiver Myles Price. The back-and-forths picked up from there.Murray checked down to Addison. McCarthy layered an attempt over the middle to tight end Gavin Bartholomew. Murray sailed a throw down the left sideline in Jefferson’s direction. McCarthy pump-faked a throw to tight end T.J. Hockenson, then dumped off a late pass to the flat. Murray hit Addison over the middle in traffic, then McCarthy angled an impressive ball into Jeshaun Jones’ hands in a void near the sideline.But for the defensive noise when Brian Flores’ unit broke up a pass or hauled in an interception, staffers and players kept the responses to the quarterback play to a minimum. This speaks to the team’s tone entering 2026.“The urgency and the intensity in this building has been turned up to a level that I haven’t seen in a few years,” team captain and right tackle Brian O’Neill said. “Not in terms of goals but standards. One of the things (offensive line coach) Keith (Carter) said yesterday was, ‘Standards don’t really care about feelings.’ When you’re trying to go do something, you’ve got to rely on the standards every day, and the choices you make to go be the best you can.”In many ways, O’Neill was outlining why O’Connell designed this quarterback competition from the outset: to ensure the quarterback, as much as anyone, manages the same high standards that are necessary for the entire team.This speaks to the altered reps.It colors the reason for McCarthy and Murray’s head-down nature during Wednesday’s media availability.O’Neill’s quote also underscores why one practice does not suffice. Standards call for consistency, repetition and competitive stamina when the thrill of the anticipation fades.Best of the rest from Day 1• Vikings first-round pick Caleb Banks practiced for the first time since being drafted this spring. Banks even mixed in with the starters in some team periods. He lined up next to defensive tackles Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez, foreshadowing the possibility he makes an immediate impact.• Flores admitted he is still getting used to 37-year-old safety Harrison Smith’s absence. Smith’s future remains undecided. In his place Wednesday, the Vikings toggled with multiple personnel groupings. At times, safety Theo Jackson occupied one of the deep spots, and third-round pick Jakobe Thomas occasionally joined the starters.• What position does newly signed veteran defensive back Jamal Adams expect to play in Flores’ system?“I can play linebacker, safety, corner, nose tackle, D-end, kicker, it don’t even matter,” the three-time All-Pro said Wednesday. “Whatever you want me to play, I’ll play. You want me to walk the dog, I’ll walk the dog.”Adams explained his reasoning for signing with the Vikings as “Nolan and Flo,” referencing general manager Nolan Teasley and Flores. Adams, who tore his quad in September 2022, said he also spoke to former Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore about his potential fit in Minnesota’s system.