New York Giants coach John Harbaugh saw more than enough from JJ McCarthy in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to give him the starting nod in Sunday’s match with the Houston Texans.
After coming off the bench to replace Jameis Winston and leading three scoring drives in the final 10 minutes, the tie will come from McCarthy for a team that desperately needs consistent quarterback play with Jaxson Dart on the shelf for the rest of the campaign.
With New York having a bye week after Sunday’s game, it would be a surge of momentum to beat the Texans. The Giants will also gain confidence before the start of November, possibly 4-2-1 and atop the NFC East.
“What gives us the best opportunity to be our best? Gives us the best opportunity to play the best offense that we can, and I thought Jameis did a tremendous job,” Harbaugh said this week of his decision. “We’ve won games, played well. But as we move forward here, this is going to be our direction, and we think it gives us some good options on offense.”
Harbaugh said the move to McCarthy after a month was due to giving the franchise quarterback fresher time in a different system following the trade with the Minnesota Vikings. Harbaugh joked that not even Tom Brady could start right away for a new team if he comes out of retirement ready to go, given the complexity of learning a different playbook.
Winston threw for 957 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions in five games after Dart’s injury, going 2-2-1 overall.
“Both guys are great quarterbacks. It’s not really a comparison,” Harbaugh said. “Just, you know, JJ’s got a skill set that we can take advantage of, and we’re excited to see what we can do with it. He’s obviously out there throwing right now. I’m kind of watching him as you guys ask the questions out here, getting some extra work.
“He’s got a heck of a skill set, you know? He can throw it. He’s picked up the offense really fast. He’s an athletic guy, obviously, and he’s going to play some good football.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan have spent the last few weeks with McCarthy, assuring Harbaugh that the third-year pro is ready to hit the ground running.
“The offense is – the book itself is huge, and it’s always tailored to probably your players, and certainly your quarterback, right? But he’s got the game plan,” Harbaugh said. “I think he headed last week, pretty much fully, more so this week. It’s been tailored a little bit more in his direction, maybe, but he’s ready to go.”
McCarthy, a former first-round pick, told reporters this week that he was “honored” to be named New York’s Week 7 QB1.
“You know, excited to go out there, and tomorrow really go into the film room and just go over today’s practice and get better, and go from there,” McCarthy said.