John Harbaugh isn’t ready to choose J.J. McCarthy or Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants just yet, but one of the head coach’s favorite players has cast his vote.
Former Baltimore Ravens All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard followed Harbaugh to the Giants, and the six-time Pro Bowler knows why the Giants “definitely” need McCarthy at the controls of their offense.
Ricard explained, “I feel like whenever you have a dual-threat quarterback that teams kind of know that it can be in the offense with him running the ball more, maybe it does kind of change their defensive mindset of how they call the game and how the defense plays. I played with Lamar and Tyler Huntley, and that’s definitely true that teams definitely have to play a running quarterback very differently. So … we’ll see what happens,” per The Trentonian’s Greg Johnson.
“I feel like whenever you have a dual-threat quarterback that teams kind of know that it can be in the offense with him running the ball more, maybe it does kind of change their
The reference to playing two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is significant to Harbaugh’s current dilemma. He built several offenses for the Ravens around Jackson’s rushing talents, and Harbaugh was following the same plan for the Giants before young starter Jaxson Dart got hurt.
McCarthy’s ability to do some of the same things as Dart is why there’s a brewing quarterback controversy with pocket-based passer Winston. It’s a battle where McCarthy has already fired the first verbal shots.
All-Pro Makes the Strongest Case for J.J. McCarthy
The quarterback-led running game isn’t just something Harbaugh’s comfortable coaching. It also expands the playbook for both phases of an offense.
That’s important for a Giants team struggling to find a workhorse running back to lead a competent ground game. Harbaugh’s challenged out-of-favor RB1 Cam Skattebo to rebound from being benched for the 34-27 defeat to the New Orleans Saints.
Veteran Najee Harris was more involved while Skattebo rode the bench, but even the experienced power back doesn’t like running by committee. Harris doesn’t have to enjoy it, but the work-share is likely to continue after the re-emergence of a forgotten playmaker.
The harsh truth is it doesn’t matter which running back takes the lead for the Giants, if defenses don’t respect their threat. What defenses will respect is the ability of a mobile QB to turn broken plays into big gains.
This was summed up by McCarthy’s contribution after entering the fray late against the Saints. As Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View noted, “The Giants can’t establish the run. J.J. McCarthy was their leading rusher with TWO runs, and one of those lost 2 yards. McCarthy finished with 26 yards. Mooney was their second-leading rusher with 20 yards on a jet sweep. Cam Skattebo didn’t receive a touch.”
The numbers for the Giants’ backs will improve the more the quarterback occupies at least one run defender. That’s how it worked when Ricard helped the Ravens field the three most-prolific rushing offenses of the last 10 years with Jackson at the controls, per StatMuse.
Those teams form the best case for McCarthy stepping in ahead of Winston, but there are compelling reasons for the Giants not making the switch.
Giants Still Need Caution Over QB Decision
Harbaugh’s been around the pro game long enough to know he can’t ignore the caveats about McCarthy’s prolific showing against the Saints. There were mitigating factors, like Saints’ head coach Kellen Moore resting starters with his team ahead 34-10 in the final quarter.
Moore conceded how, “Obviously, looking back on it, they got things going. And they were able to score a lot,” per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.
Tyler Shough came out for 2 plays and went back in when it was 34-18. Weird.
“Obviously, looking back on it, they got things going. And they were able to score a lot, and we had
McCarthy feasted on a defense reduced in strength. A unit that played as though the game was already won.
He still couldn’t complete the comeback. McCarthy came up short when he threw an incompletion into the end zone on 4th-and-1.
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McCarthy faced a tough task threading the needle, but he also hasn’t completed enough of these plays in a so-far disappointing NFL career. The 23-year-old went from a top-10 draft pick to a third-stringer with the Minnesota Vikings for a reason.
Getting traded to the Giants offered McCarthy a second chance, and he’s in a strong position to seize the opportunity. Even though Harbaugh may still proceed with caution when the Giants face the Houston Texans on the road in Week 7.
All-Pro Explains Why Giants ‘Definitely’ Need J.J. McCarthy