McCarthy is not dog or wolf; his authentic state is both, and it is remarkable that he is able to both use it and articulate it at such a young age.
His on-field play is very remindful of what a 22-year-old should be doing. His performance is uneven, imperfect, breathtaking in one moment and cringe-worthy the next.
There is nothing about his personality that suggests he is 22. Sometimes he sounds like he’s 15 and sometimes he sounds like he’s 100.
It feels to cheap to label his personality an “intangible” quality, but there is something to be said for how he has won at every level of football and how he seems to save his best moments for the ones that matter most.
In that time, in that space, he is operating in the hour between dog and wolf. His authenticity reminds me of Anthony Edwards, even if the expression of it is different, and McCarthy is fortunate to have a head coach who understands him beyond Xs and Os.
“The guys look at him and they see J.J. McCarthy being himself. That’s all I’ve ever thought quarterbacks in the league need to do. Much like a head coach, you have to be authentically yourself every single day,” Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday. “He’s absolutely that. That’s what allows him to be ready for the moments in games where he’s answered the bell twice now in two divisional road games.”