Shelby Harris made his debut as a host on SiriusXM NFL Radio's The Players Point this week, joining Carolina Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen for a conversation that turned quickly to the New York Giants’ newest quarterback.
Harris, who will be part of a rotating roster of hosts on the Tuesday night program, was asked what kind of organization J.J. McCarthy is stepping into, presumably as a backup to start. His answer centered less on the depth chart than on the people around the position.
“Well, what I will say is he’s stepping into an organization that has the best coaching staff, especially on the offensive side of the ball, best coaching staff with a lot of star power on that side of the ball,” Harris said. “You gotta think the QB coach is Brian
Callahan, a former head coach, literally just head coached last year. Then you have Matt Nagy at OC, you have Greg Roman as run game coordinator.
"So you have these guys who have so much experience in the game that I feel like it’s truly the best situation for a young quarterback to come into, to learn from a guy who’s worked with Andy Reid. You have guys who have been around the league that have over 30 years of experience almost each.”
Harris framed the opportunity as a clean start rather than an immediate competition. He said McCarthy is not arriving in a quarterback battle or under an expectation to play right away, and that the assignment for now is simply to learn the offense and stay inside that process. He added that McCarthy seems energized to be in New York.
The defensive lineman tied that environment to what he has seen under head coach John Harbaugh. Harris pointed to the Giants’ 12-7 win over the Titans, when Tennessee reached the 7-yard line late and the game still held, as evidence that preparation shows up when the margin is small.
“And so when you have coaches, when you have a real strong organization, the players feel supported, but then I always just feel like that’s how you pull off those fourth-quarter wins,” Harris said. “That’s how you pull off those tough back and forth games, is coaching. That’s where coaching comes into play, when you’re battling [and] who’s gonna make a mistake first, the most well-coached team will not.”
He described this year’s camp as the hardest he has been a part of, and said the work comes with support from Harbaugh. In Harris’ view, that combination is what McCarthy is joining: A well-coached team that works hard, and a head coach willing to put belief behind a young quarterback.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Shelby Harris calls New York Giants ideal spot for J.J. McCarthy
