Long article on Cade McNamara
There are some interesting quotes about the QB competition last year. Also some stuff about tension between McNamara and McCarthy that I had not read before. Worth a read.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:40 AM ^
Whoa - this is an interesting and tough one. Both Cade and JJ were capable QB's - and, that's been discussed at length on this board.
I wish both young men - great success.
Go Blue!
August 30th, 2023 at 11:59 AM ^
One was and is clearly more capable than the other, though 🤷♂️ js.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
A year ago - this is what my perspective was. Cade led the team through a very tough season and the result was a great accomplishment - defeating OSU, B1G title, and reaching the CFP.
Cade was good at reading defenses and adjusting. He was more experienced than JJ in game situations and leading the offense.
JJ offered a more dynamic option - with his athleticism - deep ball - and dual threat potential. JJ was a bit quicker and mobile.
My perspective hasn't changed. JJ is certainly getting better at leading the offense, and reading / adjusting to the defense. Both players performed well against the Buckeyes - and, they'll forever have my appreciation for their contributions to Michigan football.
The above being said - the goal is - to be better today than you were yesterday, and be better tomorrow than you are today. I don't attend practices - and, in the game situations at the beginning of the '22 season - JJ was more effective.
Again - wishing Cade well - and, I'll always appreciate what he did during the '21 season.
Go Blue!
August 30th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
Yes. You have to make tough choices that hurt feelings as a head football coach. The fact that we beat OSU, won the BigTen championship, and made the playoffs bith years makes it hard to say Harbaugh messed up in QB choices.
We likely couldn't keep both long term and we currently have the younger more dynamic one with a higher ceiling. Nothing but love for Cade though.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
Yep, most of this is not new news. There was a feeling of tension last season and many of us knew it as Cade was expressing his views albeit very carefully at that time.
It will be very interesting to see if Cade can jump start that lame Iowa offense this season and if Eric All will be the man to help Cade be successful. I too wish Cade well.
Let JJ do this thing this season and Michigan will be fine on offense.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
I wish Cade all the best when he is not playing Michigan. I appreciate his efforts during the 2021 season. Sometimes life isn't "fair."
August 30th, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
Read something about him dealing with a current injury at Iowa. Hope that's not the case as I think we'd all like to see him shine (save for having to play Mich) and Iowa hasn't had a reliable QB since... --checks notes-- Rudock!?
Given Iowa's dominant defense, Cade would be the perfectly safe QB to win a bunch of B1G West games by a delightful score of 9-3 or if the offenses are really rolling, maybe 10-7.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:48 AM ^
CJ Beathard replaced Rudock and he was a solid Qb. Nate Stanley was ok as well. Obviously the last three seasons have been a disaster but that's all created by Ferentz and the awful Qb room. I can see Cade being ok but limited by the offensive imagination of the HC and his son.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
Ooh I have relevant input here!
Despite the article’s source badmouthing Cade’s delivery, he was MONEY on short throws last season, especially to running backs and tight ends.
The amount of RB Receiving Yards (my new favorite Moneyball stat) skyrocketed as soon as Cade took over. And it wasn’t just Donovan Edwards: Haskins and Corum got receiving yards too. And with Erick All also being at Iowa, they have a star TE.
I’m betting that Iowa’s offense gets a LOT better under Cade, especially if he starts ignoring Brian Ferentz and starts goes Full-Late-Career-Tom-Brady where the “running game” is basically a million 7-yard passes to RBs and TEs in a row.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:48 AM ^
It's naive to think there wouldn't be tension between the two.
You're talking about a situation where the QB who led the team to heights not seen in almost 20 years was now having to compete to keep his job.
Anyone who was being objective could see that McCarthy was the more talented QB. McNamara is not being talked about as an NFL draft pick...let alone in the 1st or 2nd round.
Regardless of how Harbaugh handled the situation, there was no way to avoid tension and conflict and hurt feelings.
EDIT (after having the read the article in full): Cade and his family come across...not the best. It was an open and honest competition. JJ is clearly the more talented QB and has a much higher ceiling. For Harbaugh to annoint Cade as the 2022 starter just because he was the incumbent or won a lot of games in 2021 would've been a fireable offense.
EDIT 2: The whole thing with dad being dismayed about what Harbaugh was saying publicly vs. what they were being told in private about the QB competition is bullshit. If you have a child who plays competitive high school or college sports, you are clearly familiar with "coachspeak." What else was Harbaugh supposed to say publicly?
August 30th, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
agreed.
I think Coach Harbaugh handled it about as well as one could. It gets settled on the field; and the potential for that opportunity is what gets guys like JJ McCarthy to come to Michigan. And it's what gives the team the best chance to win games.
August 30th, 2023 at 1:10 PM ^
JJ is clearly the better player and deserved to win the job. I continue to believe that the 2021 team most often won in spite of Cade rather than because of him.
August 30th, 2023 at 1:33 PM ^
I would have to disagree with your point here. Cade was what the team needed at the time, a good leader and game manager, able to remain confident in himself and the team during some tough moments. He also had moments where he had to make a play to keep the team in the game. There weren't many of those moments, but he came in clutch more than a couple times.
I still think of him saying (paraphrasing) that previous Michigan teams would have lost when this team won. None of us were going to disagree with him.
He still deserves credit for being a large piece of the team that finally turned the series around against OSU. JJ just has a ceiling that is far higher and he had to be the guy.
August 30th, 2023 at 10:18 PM ^
He also had moments where he had to make a play to keep the team in the game. There weren't many of those moments, but he came in clutch more than a couple times.
And then there was the MSU game.
August 31st, 2023 at 12:09 AM ^
? That was arguably cades best game.
August 31st, 2023 at 8:47 PM ^
After Michigan finally gave up the lead late in the 4th, Cade had two drives to retake the lead. On the first he turned it over on downs on the 31 and on the second, he tossed a pick.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:27 PM ^
It doesn't matter whether the competition was open and honest. It is very difficult for the "loser" to take in their stride. They will always feel slighted, in spite of all explanations.
August 30th, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^
It is never easy but Jalen Hurts handled it way better than McNamara.
August 30th, 2023 at 2:01 PM ^
And that's the difference! For every Jalen Hurts (we may not know what exactly happened), there are multiple Cade McNamara. That's how the world revolves.
August 30th, 2023 at 4:40 PM ^
Cade wasn't the issue. He was misguided by his family, especially his father.
August 31st, 2023 at 11:38 AM ^
Come on man :D Let's not blame the father all the time.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:08 PM ^
I think that Cade's Dad is emblematic of a lot of sports parents (and really parents in general) whose children might not be seeing as much success as they would like. There is always the ability to give vague critiques of the process or those involved with making the decision. And it's a natural parental instinct in a way. Parents can be willfully blind to a lot of stuff out of love, and it is natural to want your kid to thrive so badly that when you look at a comparison of your kid with someone else you sometimes don't really process what is before your eyes if it doesn't lead to the conclusion you want. I don't fault him for it. I might do the same were it my kid. It's something I think parents should be careful of because it can lead to disappointment and unreachable expectations for their children, but it doesn't mean it's not natural or even well-intentioned.
I guess my critique of the article is that it sort of gives the perspective of Cade's parents without offering this nuance. I would have liked some acknowledgement that Cade's parents are not at all objective viewers, and that there is a consensus among anyone not named McNamara that going with JJ was the right call.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
Couldn't agree with your edit any more .... in high school, the senior QB who started the year before gets "senior rights" to start... the talented junior gets the next year. This ain't high school.
EDIT: And this pertains to West Michigan Class B high school football... not IMG Academy
August 30th, 2023 at 1:25 PM ^
Politics. Dealing with the same crap in youth football. My kid's not going to start at qb on his current team because the local HS coach's kid is on the team and gets the spot by default. Didn't have a competition or anything and I've thrown with both of them.
August 30th, 2023 at 6:48 PM ^
You sound a little like Cade's dad. You know that, right?
August 30th, 2023 at 7:10 PM ^
Other way around. I couldn't care less if my kid isn't qb so long as he has a chance to compete for the spot and the other kid proves to be better.
Cade is entitled.
August 30th, 2023 at 9:34 PM ^
HS crap like that bugs me. My son changed district for his junior year. Despite being the hardest thrower in the program the varsity coach sat him on JV. Said he had a policy of always keeping seniors on varsity that played there as juniors.
Covid took his senior season.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
Yeah, pretty much everything coming out about Cade is coming from the Cade camp. And it’s all tried to paint a picture of Cade given a raw deal. JJ and UM have stayed pretty much silent on it. I think everyone knows what happened: Cade got beat out by a higher ceiling guy, didn’t like it, wanted to transfer while UM wanted him to remain as back up. Like all of that is totally understandable, and I don’t think anyone is mad a Cade for finding a place he can start. This whole publicity pity party from the Cade camp since then is upper weird.
August 30th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
I dont think the Cade camp has ever been able to accept that he just got beat by a better guy. Lots of attempts to fill the void with excuses about why Cade was given a raw deal.
If the on-the-field results the last 2 years aren't enough, it's gonna be pretty clear the right decision was made when JJ goes in the 1st next year and Cade is a 3rd day / UDFA. It is what it is and it's annoying Cade can't just go to Iowa and be happy
August 30th, 2023 at 2:40 PM ^
I imagine that Joe Milton was frustrated/upset when he got replaced by Cade in the Rutgers game in 2020.
Cade has experienced both sides of what it means to play in a meritocracy. He knew the deal.
August 30th, 2023 at 3:14 PM ^
I think because QB is often the most important position on the field, that Cade and his camp felt like they had personally helped deliver Michigan's first conference title in forever and 1st CFP berth and thus I don't really blame Cade for feeling like it was his job
But you go back to 2021 and while Cade was an important piece, it's not like he was the reason we were winning games. He was good, but that team was based on great defense and a great run game. Not surprising a talent like JJ would unseat him. We all saw it coming
August 30th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
I'll add to this, it's the coach's prerogative. If he sees something in a player, that player is getting the call. As a parent, you may think your kid is better (and he may be better) but you're not the coach. I also don't know why they would talk to his parents for the article. Cade's a grown up. This is his life, his career. He's 23, my son's age.
August 30th, 2023 at 4:29 PM ^
Why would you encourage your son to leave Michigan after the playoff loss to Georgia in '21? Because Cade wasn't a "guaranteed" starter the following season and thus, "the writing was on the wall?" Wasn't happy with an open competition?
This is pretty wild. There's no entitlement. Everything is based on meritocracy, as Harbaugh puts it. Awful advice from a father. Competition only strengthens one's character. You never teach your son to avoid it.
August 30th, 2023 at 5:37 PM ^
That and his dad moving to Michigan stuck out to me as major red flags for his dad.
August 31st, 2023 at 8:58 PM ^
Why would you encourage him to stay? All season long, the writing was on the wall that JJ was going to be given every opportunity to start. Toss in the rumors that IF Cade did beat out JJ, that JJ would probably hit the portal and go somewhere else.
Cade was near the end of his eligibility and JJ had a lot more. With all of that lining up, why should Cade stick around?
It was in his best interest to leave. If Cade had left after the Georgia loss and took the high road on the way out of town, I think things would have gone better for him. Sticking around only proved that JJ was the better option and the podcast (or radio show) he did after transferring to Iowa probably felt good for his soul, sticking to coach speak would have probably gone over better.
He made his choice and sounds happy with the decision he made.
August 31st, 2023 at 10:52 PM ^
Really???
Under any condition, you DON'T concede your job as the starting QB that just beat OSU (1st since '2011), won the Big Ten and made the Playoffs. This is not debatable. And, for the father to encourage your son to transfer because of an open competition and the fear of what JJ "may" become is just soft and absurd. You're encouraging your son to avoid competition.
Cade was near the end of his eligibility and JJ had a lot more
Cade- 2yrs min vs. JJ- 3yrs. Is this a lot more?
August 30th, 2023 at 4:55 PM ^
Agree with your edits, and funny to me this was from an Iowa article. I thought Cade's family came across pretty poor in this story.
Totally reasonable to expect two top notch athletes to be ultra-competitive and ultimately one is going to get their ego bruised. But, Cade straight up ghosted his young protoge and would not study film with him? That's not a teammate. That's asshole territory.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Interesting to see a bit into last year's qb battle. The mental toll of going from winning the game in 2021 and a B10 championship to losing the QB competition in the early season sounds rough. I hope Cade does well at Iowa.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Seems to be a lot of revisionist history in the article. I don’t think anyone outside of Cade and Gary McNamara thought Cade was the better QB after Week 2. Even the article suggests that Gary knew deep down (following Georgia) that JJ was the future. Cade’s Week 3 MCL tear while unfortunate had no bearing on the starting job. It was settled.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:50 PM ^
In the audition games, Cade went 13/24 for 162 yds, with 1 TD and 1 INT. This site had him for 42% and 75% DSR (50% combined on 22 charted throws).
JJ went 15/16 for 229 yds, with 3 TD and 0 INT. Plus 66 rushing yds and a TD. This site had him for 100% DSR in each game over a combined 16 charted throws.
It wasn't just a decisive victory. JJ was literally perfect and Cade was terrible. You have to be incredibly charitable to see it any other way.
Isn't it funny how the McNamara clan was annoyed Harbaugh didn't end the competition after 1-2 weeks of fall camp but wanted the competition to keep going after the 2 audition games?
August 30th, 2023 at 2:56 PM ^
The article even framed it as though JJ was awarded the job without being completely transparent that Cade kinda shit the bed and then got hurt.
August 30th, 2023 at 7:23 PM ^
Yeah the referee "extended the game..." It's not a soccer game, it's an ongoing evaluation of who's the best, Cade had plateaued and JJ was improving. Pretty entitled on Cade's part. Take the high road and stop talking about it my man.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
So Cade was delusional in thinking he was better than JJ and got mad JJ started over him. Honestly prior to the injury Cade just comes out of this looking bitter. No surprise he thought he was better than he really was, it takes that confidence to start at QB at a big time program. This delusion is also not unique to Cade, I would say 75% of basketball all players I know who played in the MAC or lower thought they were going to the NBA.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
I think this is a bit harsh. He was a two year starter with pro aspirations who proceeded all summer with the belief that he was the starting quarterback and really had not been given reason to think otherwise. I don't blame Harbaugh or the coaches for going to with McCarthy. I do think they knew they were going to before they indicated it to McNamara and that his bitterness was justified to a certain degree. And he really didn't do anything, aside from making one comment in answering a direct question, that made it any kind of distraction.
August 30th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
What if Cade had played great in game #1 and JJ stunk it up in game #2. Do you really believe they would have still given the starting job to JJ?
August 30th, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
He won a B1G championship as the starting QB for Michigan. I'm not sure he was delusional. Cade is a good QB, maybe not at JJs level but it be absurd to believe that Cunningham didn't think he was as good
August 30th, 2023 at 12:09 PM ^
McNamara
August 30th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
Sorry apparently hoops are on my mind 😕
August 30th, 2023 at 1:05 PM ^
I wish it could of been
Rudock
Cade 4 years
JJ 4 years
That wouldve been nice.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:51 AM ^
If Cade didn’t want a competition in 2022, maybe he shouldn’t have thrown 4 interceptions in the final 3 games.