Good morning, New York Giants fans! Here are the stories you need to know as John Harbaugh get set to announce their starting quarterback for Sunday.
> There must be urgency. A sense of urgency. An emphasis on urgency. Urgency for this upcoming practice. Urgency for the next game. The offense must have urgency. The defense must have urgency. Urgency for all.
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> What is probably inevitable does not need to happen right now. What’s the urgency to replace Jameis Winston with J.J. McCarthy? The upcoming schedule offers a smarter option if a change is to be made.
> The element of the unknown is perhaps McCarthy’s most attractive trait. He has talent as a top-10 pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, and who knows, there might be high-end quarterback play buried somewhere in there. At the very least, McCarthy flashed that potential in his short stint Sunday. It was impressive.
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> So was McCarthy’s ability to throw the ball deep downfield. He went 3-of-4 for 119 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions on passes of 20 air yards or more. Winston did not attempt any such passes against the Saints. Harbaugh said he would judge the quarterbacks based on “performance.” And it’s hard to argue what McCarthy did leading the Giants on three scoring drives and close to a fourth even though it was in a helter-skelter football circumstance trying to rally in the final minutes. McCarthy could also provide a much-needed boost to the running game. The Giants designed an offense for Dart filled with zone-reads and quarterback rollouts. That’s better suited to McCarthy’s game than Winston’s. Harbaugh conceded that.
> McCarthy’s arm talent was never in doubt, and he delivered a highlight reel’s worth of impressive throws in a short period. But the Saints played very conservatively as they tried (unsuccessfully) to guard against big plays. They sent four rushers almost exclusively and played soft zone coverage. That was a change from the first half when the Saints crowded the line of scrimmage and mixed blitzes at Winston on passing downs. It will be much different if McCarthy has to play a full game against the Texans’ defense, which hasn’t played up to its standard but still has elite talent, led by All-Pro defensive ends Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.
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> A key factor in McCarthy’s favor is that he has enough athleticism that opponents must respect the quarterback runs that were a staple of the playbook with Dart. The struggle to establish the run has been a source of immense frustration for Harbaugh.
> Harbaugh needs to steady this ship, not keep running out a different captain every few weeks hoping the change will sprinkle magic pixie dust over the rest of the crew. The first-place Giants (3-2-1) have Sunday’s game against the Texans, a bye and then two NFC East tilts away at the Eagles (2-4) and at home against the Commanders (1-3-1 entering Monday night).
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> Regardless of what happens in Houston, if the Giants beat Philly and Washington after the bye, they would be 3-0-1 in the division entering the back half of the regular season. Winning those division games should be the priority. And frankly, so far, Harbaugh has empowered Winston as this team’s North star since Dart’s season-ending injury. So pivoting hard to McCarthy this quickly could give this uncertain Giants locker room some whiplash at a time when they seem a bit fragile and beaten up.
> **J.J. McCarthy Can Revive the New York Giants’ Offense.** Seeing McCarthy on the field during a meaningful contest less than a month after he joined the team shows just how desperate the G-Men are. With Winston reverting to his turnover-prone ways—tossing a pair of picks that effectively put the game out of reach—the coaching staff elected to see what it had in the third-year backup.
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> Although McCarthy racked up 243 passing yards in short order, he also struggled with accuracy (completing just 11 of 21 passes) and turnovers (tossing an interception on his first drive). Those same issues doomed McCarthy’s chances of leading the Minnesota Vikings and will prevent him from becoming a quality starter in the Big Apple. If McCarthy does usurp Winston as the starter going forward, the G-Men will remain a fringe playoff team at best with no real shot at contending for anything beyond a Wild Card appearance.
> Helping breast cancer survivors has become a passion for Winston, who has held an annual event at games since he was with the New Orleans Saints in the early 2020s. He was inspired by the stories of his Aunt Lois in Birmingham, Alabama, and his Aunt De-De and cousin Tonda in Louisville, Kentucky, who are all survivors of the terrible disease.
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> “It’s one of the most rewarding things I get to do,” Winston told me. “We want to give these women a special experience, but every year I feel like I’m the one walking away blessed. Hearing their stories, sharing some laughs and just spending time together means so much. Football is a game we love, but opportunities like this remind me that our purpose goes far beyond what happens on the field.”
Big Blue View
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Who should start at QB vs. the Texans?
](https://www.bigblueview.com/post/Qz4moSutDNMM)
The Giants have a quarterback decision to make. Who do you think should start next week. vs. the Houston Texans?
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