Michigan Football: J.J. McCarthy will get better over time

For as much as we really want J.J. McCarthy to be the best version of himself right now, it is possible that we might need to wait until next year to truly see the progress that we want.

When JJ originally committed to Michigan football, he was viewed as the savior of the program, somebody that would annually have Michigan in the playoff, with trips to the national championship sprinkled in.

While JJ technically wasn’t the catalyst for last year’s team and the “savior” of the program, it doesn’t mean that he can’t still live up to his five-star billing and finally be the QB that Michigan football fans have desperately craved for a very long time.

No matter what happens this year, we need to remember that this is only JJ’s first year as a starter.  JJ is learning as he plays because starting is still a new experience for him.

It’s true that I asked for JJ for a long time, as I wrote several articles about him, but I think that was warranted, with room for growth, as Joel Klatt said the same thing on his YouTube show.

Why it’s harder to judge J.J. McCarthy with Michigan football

We may not truly see JJ break out this year (although I could be wrong, and JJ goes on a dominant stretch to end the season), but next year, I think he will hit the ground running.

Or not. The thing is, Michigan’s offense isn’t like an Ohio State, or an Alabama, or a Tennessee, where the ball is thrown 35-40+ times a game.

Because of that, it’s really hard to judge JJ. We might never see his full capabilities with Michigan football, to be honest. That’ll definitely be sad, and feel like a complete waste of his talents, but that’s a possible scenario.

I don’t think Harbaugh is going to change his run-first style of play for a more modern, balanced approach. If the run game is working, that’s what Harbaugh and the OCs will ride with, for as long as the opponent allows them to, even with the talent JJ has.

With all of that being said, despite that, I think JJ will still improve leaps and bounds from where he is now until his senior year at Michigan.

I think we as fans need to adjust our own expectations moving forward. The bye week definitely made me think about a few things and the state of Michigan football, and this was one of them.

Again, I could be totally wrong, as it’s probably not a good idea to bet against JJ, but in almost two complete years of JJ getting into games, the offense still hasn’t opened up.

It’s fair to wonder if it ever will.