One of JJ McCarthy’s former teammates is excited about the quarterback’s chances with the Giants.
In fact, Adam Thielen believes the signal-caller brings something “incredible” to the table that could help the Big Blue.
McCarthy will make his first start for the Giants on Sunday against the Texans, officially replacing Jameis Winston, who started in place of the injured Jaxson Dart.
Thielen, who was McCarthy’s teammate at Minnesota last season, said on SiriusXM this week that the Michigan product has good deep ball ability and should help the Giants offense. But Thielen added that developing more skills would go a long way.
“Honestly, I think the best thing he does is the deep ball. He throws the best deep ball I’ve seen in a long time,” the retired two-time Pro Bowler said. “I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s unbelievable. I think the biggest question when he’s in Minnesota is, can he throw touch and layer the ball, like you saw [49ers quarterback] Brock Purdy throwing? I mean, there’s a lot of examples in that game [Monday]. I thought, man, if JJ can develop some of these things, be careful because he’s got all these other tools in his back pocket. “
McCarthy made his Giants debut in Sunday’s loss to the Saints when he completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed twice for 26 yards.
While the comeback against New Orleans ultimately fell short, head coach John Harbaugh praised McCarthy on Sunday for everything he did to keep the Giants in the game.
“He did an outstanding job considering the situation and the desperate timing,” Harbaugh said. “It was different than normal football but made some plays and gave us a chance to win the game. We ended up throwing the ball in the end zone, so that was good. You have to give him credit.”
Thielen talked about McCarthy’s character and said teammates enjoy being around the quarterback and his genuine passion for the game.
“He’s a gamer. Man, everybody loves him,” Thielen added. “We’re back to where we were at the beginning of the show, everybody loves him. Like on the sidelines, they’re patting him on the back, they’re like, ‘Man, thanks for trying.'”
Because everyone loves him. Everyone enjoys being with him. They love his energy, his attitude, his mentality. Like, he’s a gamer and you can’t — you can’t teach him. So if we can develop some of that stuff and control it and set up the right offense around him, I think it’s going to be really fun to watch. “
McCarthy, the 2023 national champion at Michigan State, will face familiar foe C.J. Stroud, the two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year at Ohio State, this weekend.
In a 2022 game in Columbus, McCarthy threw three touchdown passes to beat Stroud’s Buckeyes. Sunday will be their first time playing against each other as professionals.