cbssports
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh has seen enough from J.J. McCarthy to make a change at quarterback. McCarthy, who came off the bench in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to the Houston Texans, led three scoring drives in the final 10 minutes, prompting Harbaugh to hand him the starting job for Week 7.
The move comes as the Giants desperately need consistent quarterback play with Jaxson Dart out for the remainder of the season. New York heads into Sunday's game against the Texans before a bye week, and a win would give the team momentum and confidence heading into November, potentially a 4-2-1 record and first place in the NFC East.
Harbaugh's Reasoning
Harbaugh explained that the decision to switch to McCarthy after a month is partly about giving the franchise's newest quarterback time to learn a different system following his trade from the Minnesota Vikings. The coach emphasized that the move gives the offense more options.
"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," Harbaugh said. "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."
Winston, who replaced the injured Dart, threw for 957 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions in five games, posting a 2-2-1 record as the starter.
Harbaugh made it clear that the change is not a knock on Winston but rather an opportunity to utilize McCarthy's talents. "Both guys are great quarterbacks. It's not really a comparison kind of thing," Harbaugh said. "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. 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."
Coaching Staff's Confidence
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan have spent the past few weeks working with McCarthy, assuring Harbaugh that the third-year pro is ready to operate at full efficiency. "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," Harbaugh said. "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."
McCarthy, a former first-round pick, expressed his excitement about the opportunity. "You know, thrilled to get out there, and tomorrow really get in the film room and just evaluate today's practice and get better, and go from there," McCarthy said. He also told reporters he was "honored" to be named New York's Week 7 starting quarterback.
Originally reported by cbssports.