Urban Meyer expresses doubts about JJ McCarthy: 'Of course it was going to be bumpy'

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Former coach and current FOX Sports analyst Urban Meyer joined Colin Cowherd on his show on Thursday and faced a question about former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy . McCarthy is off to a rough start to his second year in the NFL, which is essentially his first real year of action.

Amid the questions about whether McCarthy can hack it at the NFL level, Meyer said the expectation should have been for some uneven play. McCarthy simply doesn’t have a ton of experience with an entire team relying on him.

“I never heard him complain. He’s a national champion, so I have a lot of respect for him,” Meyer said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “But of course it was going to be bumpy. There’s no doubt that it was going to be, and I think he’s still going to be fine.”

That said, Meyer is in the camp of people wondering whether JJ McCarthy can get it done long-term. Unequivocally.

“I question this: Is he that franchise guy that can go win a bunch of games as the quarterback?” Meyer asked. “That still remains to be seen. I think he’s a hell of a player, but that’s a big task.”

Through two games this NFL season, JJ McCarthy has gone 24-of-41 passing for 301 yards and two touchdowns. But he has thrown three interceptions.

Minnesota scored just six points in a loss to Atlanta this week. It was a far cry from the fourth-quarter rally against Chicago the week before.

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