J.J. McCarthy fires back at critics, talks about 'stigma' from Michigan's offense

Former Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy was asked on Thursday about questions surrounding his arm strength, which became a hot topic on Wednesday after Colin Cowherd, host of "The Herd," said he didn't think McCarthy had a strong arm.

Cowherd was talking about the Vikings quarterback situation in general. McCarthy missed last season due to injury but after letting Sam Darnold walk, and passing on the chance to sign Aaron Rodgers, Minnesota is moving ahead with McCarthy as their starter.

It's fair to question McCarthy because he's never played for any extended period in the NFL. He only played in one preseason game last season. The former Wolverine threw two touchdown passes, but looked the part.

Yet, there is still plenty to prove. Questioning the arm strength of McCarthy is just silly, though. His 61 MPH throw at the NFL combine is only behind two others since 2008 -- Josh Allen and Joe Milton.

McCarthy, who is taking part in minicamp with the Vikings, was asked about the comments. He laughed it off and said, "The people that know, know" among other things, including how there is a stigma attached to having played in a run-heavy offense at Michigan.

"A lot of it comes from the stigma of playing at Michigan and now throwing the ball a lot," McCarthy said. "At the same time, it could be my frame. They don't see a 6-foot-5, 240-pound guy, so how can you throw 61 MPH at the combine? All that. But at the end of the day, it's going to show up. The people that know, know."

Despite "stigma" J.J. McCarthy has an elite arm

Anyone who watched McCarthy at Michigan knows he routinely made incredible throws. Former Michigan football quarterback Devin Gardner, now a college football broadcaster, clipped together some highlights showing off McCarthy's arm.

There is some truth to the "stigma" McCarthy talked about. Even with a top-10 quarterback, the Wolverines once ran the ball 32 times in a row. That's who they were. Rival fans refer to him as a hand-off specialist, even though he led the Big Ten in the passer rating, completion percentage, and yards per pass attempt as a junior. He also threw 44 touchdown passes in two seasons in a run-heavy offense.

McCarthy, a dynamic runner, just doesn't get the credit he deserves. Maybe he will with the Vikings.