J.J. McCarthy in, Jameis Winston out.
Sure, thisswitch with the New York Giants quarterback flow has been in the wind for a minute. From the time they landed McCarthy from the Vikings on Sept. 28, it figured to be a matter of when, not if, Winston would get the hook as injured Jaxson Dart’s replacement.
That John Harbaugh made the call now, though, despite his high praise in recent weeks for Winston’s emergency work, says something beyond the mere promise that a recent first-round pick can offer as an alternative.
Why now?
“We think it gives us some good options on offense,” Harbaugh said in confirming the move after Wednesday’s practice.
In other words, this represents the best chance to win. We think.
There’s certainly nothing to lose for a team
trying to hang onto first place in a division where, at least at this point, winning seems optional – the NFC East is the first division in NFL history to go winless in consecutive weeks – and could use more of the spark that McCarthy provided when he came off the bench last weekend and passed for 243 yards and a touchdown (with one pick) to lead the rally that fell short.
Go ahead, J.J., meet the wolves.
The Giants (3-2-1) are installed as the NFL’s biggest underdog for Week 7, giving 10 points against the spread as they head to Houston to face a revived Texans defense that still knows how to wreak havoc on quarterbacks, led by premier edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. McCarthy’s legs, which produced a 28-yard scramble that allowed him to lead the team in rushing (2 carries, 26 yards) during his quarter of relief work against the Saints, will be in full survival mode.
Yet this decision, too, reflects the bottom line of what Harbaugh needs to establish – a high standard driving a winning culture – during his first year at the helm. Sure, he’s trying to win, week to week, despite the “shock sandwich,” as he put it to me recently, of losing his emerging quarterback, Dart, and most proven defensive player, Brian Burns, to season-ending injuries.
Just this week, Harbaugh sent Winston back to the bench after his two second-half interceptions contributed to New Orleans’ takeover of the game, cut Najee Harris after the veteran running back grumbledabout his lack of action and oversaw an operation that resulted in zero carries for Cam Skattebo – a week after his fumble cost New York the chance to try for a game-winning field goal in overtime in Washington. Although Harbaugh denied that the mistake-prone Skattebo was being “punished” the coach emphasized that the backfield rotation hinged on a desire to find a hot hand.
All together the moves amplified a certain message underscoring a standard at the heart of the new culture. Harbaugh pulled the trigger after witnessing enough in practices from McCarthy, who has had a crash-course in learning the offense administered by coordinator Matt Nagy and QB coach Brian Callahan. It’s time.
“He’s got the game plan down,” Harbaugh said. “I think he had it down last week pretty fully, even more so this week.”
Will it make a difference? While the option exists to switch back to Winston if McCarthy face plants, that’s hardly the plan as they try to hang onto the lead in the sketchy NFC East. Winston won his first two starts after Dart blew out his knee in Week 2, but this is a reset that seemingly had to happen.
“Life is day to day, minute to minute,” Harbaugh said. “So there’s really no guarantees. I would never say anything is permanent in football or life. But that’s the plan going forward.”
In building the culture, it’s a plan Harbaugh was poised to enact sooner or later.
Follow Bell on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: J.J. McCarthy move caps a week of power plays from Giants' John Harbaugh | Opinion
