As Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy prepares for the team's preseason opener on Saturday, Dianna Russini and Colin Cowherd have been busy adding to their never-ending criticism of the young signal-caller this week.
Whenever he's bashing McCarthy, Cowherd always references an unnamed source as the person who is providing him with the latest evaluations of the Vikings quarterback. Well, that source may no longer be unnamed thanks to Fantasy Life's Thor Nystrom, who shared who he believes is Cowherd's source on McCarthy during a recent episode of SKOR North's "Purple Daily" show.
"The things Cowherd says [about McCarthy] are ridiculous, and it's just because he's echoing Greg Cosell's scouting report from [2024], which has been soundly addressed by now. People don't believe that anymore.
I've said this a million times. I respect Greg Cosell. I don't know what happened there.
I mean this as respectfully as possible. I don't know if Greg watched the wrong quarterback. I don't know if that's his perception of Michigan quarterbacks.
So he said those things. But the things he was saying about, 'Oh, this guy can't move around the pocket. This guy doesn't have a strong arm.' You weren't watching J.J. McCarthy, dude. You weren't watching him.
So now Cowherd for the last year and a half has just been echoing these points as though Colin was the one guy who was given, you know, up on Mt. Pious, he was handed the script of J.J McCarthy's career from the great Greg Cosell.”
Is Greg Cosell the unnamed source feeding Colin Cowherd bad information about Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy?
Greg Cosell has been covering the NFL for a very long time, so he knows the type of players who typically succeed at the pro level. However, Cosell isn't right 100 percent of the time, and it's safe to say that even he would admit that.
Just take a look at some of the criticisms he listed for McCarthy in a scouting report he published on The33rdTeam.com in April 2024.
" - Doesn't have a naturally strong arm. Needs a firm base with his front foot pointing to the target to drive the ball with velocity. Some deeper intermediate and deep throws lose energy on the back end. Has a good arm but not an explosive arm.
- 2023: At times, labored to drive the ball when on the move. Ball did not jump off his hand with natural velocity.
- Not an off-platform thrower. Needs a firm, solid base to drive the ball and throw with any kind of velocity; has to use his entire body to deliver with juice."
Any of these sound familiar? If they do, it's likely because Cowherd shared almost the exact same criticisms about the Minnesota quarterback earlier this year.
Back in May, Cowherd said on an episode of his "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" show that McCarthy has "a modest arm," and "he's marginally athletic." Then, a few weeks later, the FS1 host doubled down with his terrible take about McCarthy's arm strength.
"He does not have a big arm. His arm is considered modest. It is a middle-of-the-pack arm, middle-of-the-pack escapability. In fact, they question his release. His release, at times, can be a little plodding."
If the second-year Vikings quarterback didn't have a strong arm, then Minnesota star receiver Justin Jefferson probably wouldn't have said in June that "[McCarthy] definitely has an arm. That's for sure. He can definitely zip it whenever he needs to."
If McCarthy didn't have a strong arm, he probably wouldn't have thrown the ball 61 mph at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, which tied for the second-fastest throw velocity in the history of the Scouting Combine, behind only Josh Allen and Joe Milton.
At this point, whenever Cowherd says absolutely anything about McCarthy, whether good or bad, it's better to just turn on the mute button or keep swiping, because at this point, Stevie Wonder could come up with some better analysis about the young Vikings quarterback.
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