Ohio’s Cleveland — Football players from Michigan ought to be sick of hearing the same accusations of cheating. They ought to be sick of being asked the same queries. And after responding to their questions nonstop for two months, UM ought to know exactly how to sidestep questions like these.
On Wednesday, however, quarterback J.J. McCarthy deviated from the script when questioned on the same subject. The Michigan junior scurried out of the cliché-filled pocket and looked well beyond his initial read, which, in light of UM’s evasive strategy, ought to have been “no comment.” Subsequently, he threw a deep ball that was up for grabs, and ballhawks nationwide jumped at the chance to make a play.
McCarthy remarked, “I feel like it’s so unfortunate because there’s probably a good number, if not a crazy number, of 80% of teams in college football that steal signs.” It’s a football tradition that dates back many years. We really had to adjust because, in 2020 or 2019, Ohio State was stealing our signage in a legitimate manner and it was legal. We had to catch up to them and level the playing field.
“It just seems so bad to me because we work so hard, watch movies, and search for those little tendencies.” Spend ten or fifteen minutes focusing solely on one clip and pay attention to the minute details: a linebacker’s or D-end’s stance, the safety level, whether the corner to the field is pressed but the corner to the boundary is off, etc. You could argue that all of this is sign stealing, but there are other factors at play as well; a lot of work is hidden due to the public’s misconception about the practice.
For the moment ignore the fact that Michigan did not play Ohio State in 2020 and that McCarthy did not visit the UM campus until 2021, despite his reference to 2019. Ignore his exclusion of the most important detail regarding this controversy: how specifically Michigan is accused of stealing signage.
McCarthy is attempting to alter “outside perception” from the inside, which is an issue with his battle against it. On the witness stand, lengthy testimony always draws more attention than compassion for the defendant. Furthermore, the jury in the college football case has already concluded that Michigan is guilty. Therefore, continuing to discuss the legitimacy—or lack thereof—of UM could be McCarthy’s worst course of action if his intention is to put an end to the conversation.
The greatest approach is to communicate with your pads, as Michigan did when defeating Alabama 27–20 in overtime in the Rose Bowl. McCarthy’s argument against stolen signs seemed much more compelling when he passed for three touchdowns and his defense controlled the line of scrimmage against a top-seeded SEC team. Critics’ accusations of a corrupted Big Ten three-peat were dispelled by UM when they defeated Ohio State for the third consecutive season and on an even playing field.
