Those around the Eagles know what it’s like to win a trade and one of their most prominent voices believes the Giants got the upper hand in landing J.J. McCarthy.
Longtime defensive coordinator Vic Fangio labeled the Giants acquisition of the former first-round quarterback from the Vikings for a fifth-round pick as a “steal” ahead of Sunday’s clash.
“The quarterback has come in, in a short period of time and really done a nice job,” Fangio said Tuesday. “For them to get him for a sixth-round (sic) pick is a steal.”
It’s certainly far too early to grade a trade, but the Giants sending the Vikings a fifth-round pick for McCarthy represented a a potential low-cost, high-reward trade.
A fifth-round pick shouldn’t make or break an organization, and McCarthy living up to his draft pedigree would make the move a home run for Big Blue.
McCarthy has played well through six quarters with the Giants, completing 31 of 49 passes (63.3 percent) for 495 yards and one touchdown.
Facing a stout Texans defense in Week 7, McCarthy completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards to lead a 27-21 overtime upset that perhaps changed the Giants’ season.
If McCarthy can keep producing those type of performances, the Giants (4-2-1) have a real chance to win the division for the first time since the 2011 season.
However, that’s obviously a big “if” considering the inconsistency that plagued McCarthy in Minnesota last season and factored into its decision to trade him.
As Fangio complimented the McCarthy acquisition, he also praised the Giants other additions on that side of the ball.
“They’ve got a really good offense,” Fangio said. “They’ve got skill at the receiving position. They did a nice job raiding the Ravens not only for John (Harbaugh), but for (tight end Isaiah) Likely and (fullback Patrick) Ricard. They’ve got a lot of the Ravens-type offense that they had when (senior offensive assistant) Greg (Roman) was there, and they’ve intermixed Kansas City-type passing in there with (offensive coordinator) Matt (Nagy). They’ve got it going right now. They’ve got good wideouts, good tight ends, two good backs.”
