After nearly leading the New York Giants to a 24-point comeback in the fourth quarter in relief of Jameis Winston this past Sunday, the team has named J.J. McCarthy their starter for this coming Sunday’s road game against the Houston Texans.
With the bye week just around the corner, some felt the Giants would have been better served waiting until after the break to give McCarthy more time to settle into the playbook. The former first-round selection arrived via trade from the Minnesota Vikings less than a month ago.
Head coach John Harbaugh addressed the decision directly on Wednesday.
“All things we talked about on Monday, probably, you know, the same. I guess it’s probably the same answer, you know, it’s all things considered," he told reporters.
"What gives us the best chance to be our best? Gives us the best chance to play the best offense we can, and I thought Jameis has done a tremendous job. Won us games, played well. But as we go forward here, this is going to be our direction, and we think it gives us some good options on offense."
The change comes after the Giants were getting blown out at home against the New Orleans Saints before McCarthy entered and sparked the comeback. One of the primary reasons the organization traded for him and has now installed him as the starter is his mobility, a point Harbaugh expanded on later in the press conference.
“Both guys are great quarterbacks. It’s not really a comparison kind of thing. Just, you know, J.J.’s got a skill set that we can take advantage of, and we’re excited to see what we can do with it,” Harbaugh said.
“He’s obviously out here 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 quickly. He’s an athletic guy, obviously, and he’s going to play some good football.
“The offense is—the book itself is huge, and it’s always tailored toward probably your players, and certainly your quarterback, right? But he’s got the game plan down. I think he headed down last week, pretty fully, even more so this week. It has been tailored a little more toward his direction probably, but he’ll be ready to go.”
The move to McCarthy gives the Giants the mobility to operate closer to the offense they envisioned entering the season behind Jaxson Dart.
McCarthy will face a stiff test against a Texans defense that has improved since head coach Demeco Ryans assumed play-calling duties a few weeks ago. Still, the coaching staff clearly believes he knows the playbook well enough and brings enough to the table to start on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' John Harbaugh explains switch to J.J. McCarthy
