After the New York Giants replaced quarterback Jameis Winston with J.J. McCarthy during the team’s loss against the New Orleans Saints, most of the attention from the game shifted to a potential quarterback change in New York.
McCarthy impressed and tied a franchise record for the most passing yards in a fourth quarter, as he rallied the Giants back and nearly helped them overcome a 24-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Lost in the shuffle is that the Giants blew an early 10-point lead and allowed 34 unanswered points from the New Orleans Saints, who had previously only won one game before Week 6. After the game, one Giants analyst called head coach John Harbaugh out for several decisions during the game.
New York Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh Called Out
Aside from benching quarterback Jameis Winston during the game, New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh also controversially reduced running back Cam Skattebo’s workload, as the running back totaled zero carries during the game. While some were critical of the decision, as the Giants run game struggled to get going, Giants on SI’s Alex House did not seem to mind.
Despite this, Alex House included Harbaugh among the “losers” from Sunday’s game against the Saints. House wrote: “We had no problem with how Harbaugh handled the Cam Skattebo situation by reducing the running back’s snaps to just six for the day and, whether by design or not, not putting the ball in his hands. Harbaugh runs a meritocracy, and if you don’t do your job, you don’t get game snaps, end of story…
That said, a few developments from this game didn’t sit well with us. For one, the Giants’ special teams unit again had only 10 players on the field, the second time this season. That’s simply inexcusable.
The second thing we didn’t like is this running back rotation. We get that Harbaugh is looking for a guy to step up and take the bull by the horns, but how exactly is a running back supposed to step up if he isn’t allowed to get into a rhythm?
For that to happen, there needs to be a degree of taking the good runs with the bad, and right now Harbaugh’s criteria for that seem muddied, at least outside the building…
As the team’s head coach, all of these issues fall under his umbrella.”
Giants Running Back Rotation
New York Giants running back Najee Harris expressed similar frustrations about the team’s inability to establish a rhythm during the game.
Harris stated that as the team’s starter, he should have been given more carries. When Harris was asked whether it was possible to find a rhythm with the team’s rotations, he replied, “Of course not. I don’t think anybody can. This is not anything against the coaching staff. This is just that running backs, like a quarterback, get in a rhythm. It’s hard to get into a rhythm with one or two runs. The first couple runs you’ll be like: OK, how are they playing me? And then the next ones will be like: This is how you attack it. But if you’re getting a play here and you get taken out for a series, there’s nothing you can do. That’s why I’m saying I don’t know. I’ve never been through this before.”
Giants HC John Harbaugh Called Out: ‘Simply Inexcusable’