A day after national talk show host Colin Cowherd unleashed a sloppy rant centered upon J.J. McCarthy’s “modest” arm strength and overall lack of a special trait, the Minnesota Vikings’ young quarterback gave a response.
When asked about the growing perception that he’s lacking in arm strength for an NFL quarterback, McCarthy said it comes with the territory as a Michigan Wolverines product.
“I would say, you know, a lot of it just comes with the stigma of playing at Michigan,” he said, “and not throwing the ball a lot. But at the same time… it could be my frame. They don’t see a 6-5, 240 guy, so how can he throw 61 miles per hour at the combine? But at the end of the day, you know, it’s gonna show up, and the people who know, know.”
McCarthy’s recorded throwing velocity at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine ranks him among the likes of Josh Allen and Joe “Bazooka” Milton III. Those measurements are recorded as platform throws, so it’s not exactly a straight-line indicator of NFL success, but the idea that McCarthy’s arm strength is lacking has come a bit out of left field. His size, at 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, is hardly on the “small” side for a quarterback as well.
Cowherd mentioned McCarthy’s interceptions during spring workouts before unleashing his long, meandering rant on the 22-year-old QB who’s yet to take a real NFL snap due to last summer’s meniscus injury.
It’s hard to gauge anything at OTAs and minicamps, as guys aren’t exactly flying around the practice field. Training camp and the preseason games will be the better to make judgments on McCarthy’s command of the first-team offense, but it’s mid-June, and the national media trolls are going to do what they do to create conversation and headlines.
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