DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Sticking with McCoy a No Brainer!!! (Art)

Sticking with McCoy a No-Brainer


By Fred Greetham
OBR Browns Reporter
Posted Nov 8, 2010


Fred Greetham on the rookie quarterback's progress in the wake of the Browns second straight victory. The rookie, Fred argues, has made his case.

BEREA, Ohio—Let’s get right to the point.

Colt McCoy should remain the starter for the foreseeable future. I know it wasn’t supposed to be this way, but again, it wasn’t supposed to be that way for Tom Brady, either.

If you remember, Drew Bledsoe was the Patriots’ entrenched quarterback who went down with injury and a little-known sixth-round draft choice from Michigan named Brady was put in. Bledsoe never played again with New England, other than filling in for injuries. The rest is history as Brady led the Patriots to four Super Bowl appearances and three wins.

Eric Mangini, who was on the Patriots’ staff when Brady went in for Bledsoe said last week, ‘It wasn’t like we (as coaches) were saying, ‘Alright, we have Brady, now.’

Mangini made it clear several weeks ago that when Jake Delhomme was healthy he was the starting quarterback. Mangini also said whoever gave the Browns the best chance to win would be the quarterback. If Seneca Wallace was healthy, he most likely would’ve started against New England and his play until his injury showed enough promise to be the starter.

However, things have changed.

McCoy has stated the case that he gives the Browns the best chance to win. He led the Browns to a win over the defending Super Bowl champions Saints two weeks ago and the Patriots Sunday, the team with the best record in the NFL prior to playing the Browns. Both had Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks at the helm in Drew Brees and Tom Brady.

“I knew we had to get more points because they have Tom stinkin’ Brady over there,” McCoy said after the game. (He's SMART too...lol)

The Browns dominated the Patriots and the same could be said in the Saints’ win.

McCoy has led the Browns to a 2-1 record in his three starts and an 83.5 QB rating against arguably three of the best teams in the NFL. He has not thrown an interception in the past two games. One of the two he threw in his debut against the Steelers was deflected off of Ben Watson’s hands.

He is 46-of-68 for 529 yards and a completion percentage of 67.6 with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for a 16-yard touchdown against New England.

McCoy’s accuracy is the key statistic. McCoy threw for a career completion percentage in four years of college of over 70 percent and thus far, he has the highest percentage of the Browns quarterbacks. For those who think he just dinks and dunks, he has the highest yards per attempt average of any of the Browns quarterbacks at 7.8 yards per attempt.

I went on record a couple of weeks ago stating that the Browns should not return to Delhomme, but Wallace and McCoy should play out the season. I felt Wallace showed enough in his last game against Atlanta, that he could run the offense efficiently.

However, after seeing McCoy handle himself in the environment he has been thrust into for the past three weeks, he has met every challenge that has been presented to him. He has managed the game and not turned the ball over. Delhomme has played only a game and a half and has four interceptions.

This is not to say McCoy is not going to have some rough outings, but at this point, it doesn’t seem that will faze him or hurt his confidence level. He’s running the offense and taking command of the leadership role that he is in. He has said all of the right things, but more importantly, he has performed on the field well enough to continue on.

There is a reason that McCoy led the Texas Longhorns to more wins (47) than any other quarterback in college history over his four seasons in Austin. The kid is a winner and knows how to lead. You don’t just lose that when you turn professional.

Wallace has been a career backup and a good one and there’s no reason he can’t continue in that role with the Browns. Wallace said when he returns he should be the starter. A week ago, that would be true, but he sat out one too many weeks. I expect Wallace will be ready to play against the Jets next Sunday, but Mangini, Holmgren and staff should not change a winning combination right now.

If McCoy can perform against Pittsburgh, New Orleans and New England, I think it’s fair to assume he will be alright against the Jets, Jaguars, Panthers, Dolphins, Bills and Bengals in the coming weeks. Most fans would agree beyond next week’s battle with the Jets, the following five games are very winnable. if the Browns play like they did against the Saints and Patriots, they could win any or all of the next six games.

If and when, McCoy falters, the Browns can always go back to Wallace.

But for now, it should be Colt McCoy’s job to lose.

https://www.dawgtalkers.net/newpost.php?Cat=0&Board=PureFootball&page=0

after this Jets game.. the rest of the season should come easy to Colt... He would just have to finish the season strong against the Ravens/ Steelers.

Also, if this defense continues to grow, it will also help McCoy look better. I'm hoping our defense improves on something each week.

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If and when, McCoy falters, the Browns can always go back to Wallace.

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See, this is the kinda thinking that gets us in trouble...

If McCoy falters? define Falters for me Greetham! Throw a bad pass or two, a couple of interceptions maybe.. fumble the ball off the snap?

There isn't any QB that hasn't done that..

If we go with him the rest of the year, then you stick with him.. No Matter What... No QB merry go round..

that's where coaches outsmart themselves.

Make a decision based on the facts before you and stick to it.

he's gonna make mistakes,, it's a given..

I think Colt is our starter at this juncture, no questions there from me.

I also think he has handled everything he has been asked to do and his retention of what he is being coached to do leading into the game has been key to that success. Few fans touch on what he and the coaches are saying about the kid.

He was given as has been true of all the Browns QB’s this season the ability to look over the defense and call the play at the line. Daboll simply sends in PLAYS and McCoy is given keys to look for pre-snap from there it’s up to him to get us into the most favorable play. So far he has shown he retains that information, and more importantly he retains the sidelines adjustments in game as well. This kid is an elephant; I bet he remembers every play and every look from the game. He can tell the coach I got this look so I went with this play, and better yet he’s right with his calls.

Colt says on every play there are checks and check with me’s that was the term he used. The coaches have echoed that in their pressers as well. I can’t help but wonder why this offense hasn’t been more efficient it seems to be grounded in trusting the players that are on the field to get it right, up until now perhaps we just haven’t had the right guy to handle that style of play calling. This kid is football smart.

The thing that sticks out the most though is his accuracy this kid throws the ball where it needs to be thrown. Even the throws that go incomplete are where there suppose to be and on time. And the best throws are the ones out of bounds. He isn’t afraid to say I didn’t get what I thought I was going to get lets get this thing in the seats and reload.

He has grown so much over the past 3 weeks you just have to be overwhelmed with his progress. I still think we need to be very protective of the kid. The coaching staff needs to be careful not to overload him with information. In other words keep it simple dummy.

At this juncture I’m still not certain that Colt gives us the best chance to win. There still is that game film thing hanging out there and defenses are bound to add some wrinkles to try to rattle the kid, but so far he has shown he is able to adjust, not just on the practice field but on the playing field. I see big thing for this kid. But he is still a rookie, and teams are going to throw everything they got at him trying to find a weakness they can exploit. As long as he doesn’t get rattled, and makes adjustments he should start.

Any loss of confidence or if he is clearly being overmatched by what the defense is doing to him I would pull him. Not to rattle his confidence but to protect him from becoming mentally injured. But that I don’t think is going to happen you just as a coaching staff have to always think ahead and plan for what if.

Colt is our starter from here going forward is my bet, and rightly so he has proven he can handle himself on the field. I think Mangini knows Colt is his guy and is just as excited and probable more so then us. I think he is just as overwhelmed as us by the progress this kid has made and to think he has progressed at such a high rate against the very best teams in the league is shocking to me and to Mangini is my bet.

Go Colt… Have our prayers been answered? Stay tuned…………………..

I have to weigh in here on the side of keeping him as the starter. The Colt that started the pre-season and the Colt that started against the Pats are light years apart.

My reasoning, (based on what I've seen so far):

1) So far it seems that he's making good reads at the LOS, that seems remarkable to me, his accurate recognition of these very good defenses that he's face. He's even grown over the last three weeks, and is much more comfortable in the pocket. That comes, at least partially, from recognizing what the D will be bringing. He's also been able to make the adjustments at the LOS, and adjust protection or check to other plays based on what he sees. He seems very smart and aware in that sense.

2) He goes through his progressions quickly and surveys the field, and he's improved on this aspect over the past three weeks. Part of that comes from being comfortable with his protection, but part of it comes from being able to "see" the field, quickly and decisively analyzing the coverage.

3) He's very, very accurate. He throws a very catchable ball and places it, (for the most part,) where it likely will be caught by the receiver and will be uncatchable for the defender. I think this is an aspect that is improving weekly, and will continue to improve as he builds chemistry with his receivers. His completion percentage is testament to that.

4) He's a leader. By all accounts, he works hard preparing, has command of the huddle, and has the respect of his O-line and the other players. Every time they cut to him Sunday, when he was on the sideline, he was studying formation photos. (On the other side of the field, Brady was sitting with his head down and his hands in his pocket.) I got the sense he was figuring ways to pick apart their D. He's focused, ambitious and driven, he's also very calm when bullets are flying. Even more so as his confidence has grown and he's become more comfortable with his protection. He's a good communicator. He puts his money where his mouth is. All these things make him an effective leader.

5) He's extremely mobile. He can use his feet to extend the play. He can use his feet to score. He throws accurately on the run.

6) He gets the WR's, and all his pass catchers involved. He threw to seven different receivers on Sunday, and I believe, as he continues to move forward, he will continue to develop chemistry with the WRs and TEs, and get them more and more involved in the offense. I think, (from what I've seen of his college play,) that he is the type of QB that depends heavily on the symbiotic relationship between himself and the guys at the other ends of his throws. He'll need to know, before he lets go of the ball, that they will be where they're supposed to be, and will make the grab when he gets them the ball.

7) He gets yards in chunks, and keeps drives alive. He did it in college and we witnessed some of that on Sunday. Sunday he had four passed that went for 20 yards or more. He wants TDs, not punts or FGs. It doesn't look like he's the type to settle if he doesn't have to, or can make some thing happen to extend the drive. (For me, that's really refreshing and a blast to watch.)

8) He's a winner. He just beat two of the best three teams in the league. Granted, it was total team ball, but that's what we want. He didn't do anything to hurt the team or cost us those games. That's a far cry from what we got from the two starters at the beginning of the season. Our record would be very different if we had gotten that same type of ball protection from Delhomme & Wallace. At this point in the season, there is NO reason to pull him in favor of those two.

I say he stays and I hope Mangini keeps him in there as long as he's healthy.

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“I knew we had to get more points because they have Tom stinkin’ Brady over there,” McCoy said after the game.

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Read in another article that the kid doesn't swear.. I think that is awesome...

He said it during his presser and it got a lot of laughs.

One of the things I find most telling about McCoy was that Mangini said he had never seen before where a player struggled with not being the guy but was so comfortable with being the guy.

Thar says a lot about McCoy. Being a leader is natural to him.

You can tell the team responds to him.

I've said this over and over and over. Find the QB and the wins will come.

I am grateful that Mangini has a sounding board in Holmgren and Heckert that he'll use before deciding his starter. I feel much more comfortable with that than Mangini running it by Mangini.

Mangini has taken a lot of heat for a lot of stuff. Some warranted, some not. And sometimes a great coach has to has to make unpopular decisions, and even great coaches make mistakes. I'm not calling Mangini great yet, (only time will tell,) but I like one hell of a lot about him. But, having said that, I do believe that he is most effective when he is just coaching, and I also believe that having savvy pros in the FO is key to our success. I really like our current regime and hope we can keep the status quo long enough to build an identity and entrench a winning culture.

Something to be remembered as we discuss the McBoy Ascendancy. He has produced, and done so against the best, arguably, that he will see this year. We play for him. He gets us some pine time for the D. He is doing what is asked of him, surprising people, and winning. He is getting experience; a judgment can be made when it must be made as to his ability. He is winning hard games now. He seems to be effective to me, moreso than any and all from last year, when it was three and out by committee. Did I mention he is WINNING?
Seneca is eager to start. He could share in play time. Jake is Jake, but overshadowed IMO by the McBoy's achievements. I see them as considerable. But my point was, Seneca had his starts as a result of injury to Delhomme. Not a competition really at all, and Colt was out of the picture artificially. Sometimes coaches talk too much. Hitch up the skirt on this one and announce he is the MAn, whoever that is. This mystery crap will wreck what is happening. I appreciate not losing job due to injuries to starters. But if I am McCoy, what do I need to do to play? Where have I been deficient. SW started by 2 defaults: JD injury, and CM being off limits for play this year. Take a seat former starters; healthier and had more success against stiffer opponents, so McCoy starts. Ratliff leaves after this week. But stop whining and trying to coach; and coaches should coach without a tea and crumpets outing. Coaches decide, period. Think the decision is made.

McCoy gives us the best chance to win at this point. Not only are we 2-1 with him as our starter, the rest of the team is responding to him unlike anything I've seen since the Bernie days. Watching a Joe Thomas interview after the Pats game, I could see a sense of enthusiasm in his appearance that I haven't seen before. Joe's never come across as negative but you can really see a different look now, the chemistry developing here cannot be interupted.

I have no problem using Seneca in some wildcat packages,but Colt needs to be the starter.

Imagine a Wildcat with Cribbs, Wallace, and McCoy all moving before the snap ......

You could do a flea flicker off a throwback from Cribbs to McCoy, then deep to Wallace .......

...good point Purp, can't give the kid enough credit.

I look for McCoy to throw a lot more in this game and he will be very successful at it

We will use McCoy throwing on 1st downs to back the Jets off early so we can run Hillis....McCoy is very capable of throwing the ball 20+ times a game and still winning...he did it a lot at Texas....we will use the pass to set up the run early against the Jets...once they realize McCoy is carving them up...they will have to adjust allowing Hillis to run...

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My only concern is that Rex Ryan will prompt his DC to try a patented Browns 'UFO/Amoeba D' against Colt next Sunday... since it's worked so well for us against "superior" QB's. It is after all, a copycat league. Now THAT would be a helluva test for the Rook.

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I think that would play right into our hands. Colt doesn't have the experience to recognize NFL caliber defensive schemes and adjust prior to the snap, and therefor doesn't have an instinctive routine that tells him "if they're lined up here, I do this...". That takes time. It seems he does most of his reacting after the snap, which is to be expected from a rookie with all of 3 starts to his credit. I don't think an amoeba D will affect him nearly as much as an experienced qb.

furthermore...an amoeba D will play into our hands even more because it opens up the run.

The Pats and the Saints both played against the amoeba D in situations where they had to pass because their run game sucks and/or they are playing from behind. With NE and NO...both were true and it made the amoeba great...go ahead and run the amoeba against us...Colt can just check off to a run play and we can rip off runs at 5-8 yards a clip if not more.

The amoeba defense can be destroyed by a solid run game...i mean...would you run 0-1 down lineman on 3rd & 8 if you knew that a solid run play during it would get 8-10 yards? no sir. So the only time Colt should see it is during 3rd&10 or more...in which case...he could just get rid of the ball and live to punt.

While the amoeba is effective...its more effective when the run game isnt a threat. which isnt the case...I could easily see Colt checking off a pass play from the amoeba D situation on 3rd n 10 and running for 8 and settling for a punt...

I can't tell if you were being serious or not, but Colt mentioned on his scramble TD that he felt really slow. I thought that was kind of funny.

Pit, that sig pic gets funnier every time I see it.

Cals is funny also,, The ? on the QB..LOL Might be time to change that to a 12

Oh God! Don't do it!

It would be awfully tough to top the Romeo face palm.

I sure ain't putting Delhomme or Wallace there.

Video of NFL analysts breaking down Colt McCoy...

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-playbook/09000d5d81c04601/Playbook-Rookie-report

I was just watching for a minute or two before my hockey game last night, but our Brownies got ALOT of facetime on ESPN last night.

AFC North QB's (plus NYJ since we play them this week)

Player Pct Avg Yds/G TD Int Sck Rate
Ben Roethlisberger 63.3 8.4 229.2 6 3 7 96.8
Joe Flacco 60.8 7.3 239.6 12 6 14 88.9
Seneca Wallace 63.0 6.9 138.6 4 2 6 88.5
Carson Palmer 59.7 6.6 262.9 14 8 14 83.6
Colt McCoy 67.6 7.8 176.3 1 2 6 83.5
Mark Sanchez 53.5 6.7 211.5 10 5 12 79.4
Charlie Batch 59.2 7.2 117.3 3 3 4 76.2
Jake Delhomme 55.0 5.4 162.0 1 4 1 48.2

Here is how I see the stats:

Positive:
Colt has highest completion %
Colt has 2nd highest Y/A (Ben 1st)
Despite bad TD:INT ratio, Colt still has a good QB rating because of above.

Negative:
Colt takes too many sacks (Pit game was first game and 5 from that though)
Colt doesn't have a good TD:INT ratio (we like to run the ball in though)

Glad to hear that there is teamwork and a "team first" attitude at work in Berea.


http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/11/cleveland_browns_jake_delhomme_6.html

Quarterback Jake Delhomme 'won't rock the boat' if team sticks with Colt McCoy: Cleveland Browns Insider
Published: Thursday, November 11, 2010, 6:26 PM Updated: Thursday, November 11, 2010, 10:30 PM
Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer


BEREA, Ohio — The Browns' veteran quarterbacks are in agreement that rookie Colt McCoy has earned the right to continue as the team's starter.
"We're not going to rock the boat, I'll tell you that much. Whatever's best for the team," Jake Delhomme said.

Two weeks ago, Seneca Wallace made the case that he should return as the starter when healthy. But after McCoy presided over the 34-14 win over New England -- his second in a row -- Wallace backed off.

"We're all trying to do the best thing for the team and win games," Wallace said. "Like I said, whoever's playing well [should] continue to be playing. You don't have to be switching it back and forth. The guy who's established and playing well, that should be the guy playing. Colt's playing well right now."

Delhomme spoke before taking the practice field for the first time since he aggravated his high ankle sprain Oct. 10 against Atlanta. He did it in relief of Wallace, who suffered his own high ankle sprain late in the first half of the same game. Wallace returned to the field for the first time Wednesday.

Coach Eric Mangini reiterated Thursday that there is no reason to declare a permanent starter until either Wallace or Delhomme is fully recovered. That is certainly not the case yet. Wallace might be available as McCoy's backup against the New York Jets. Delhomme isn't as close.

Thus Mangini would only say: "I think we're like every other week. We're heading in one direction."

Delhomme and McCoy have grown closer as the season has progressed. They often carpool to work. Delhomme said he's been "a sounding board" and not a coach for McCoy. He said he's proud of the way McCoy has played.

"We didn't get to see a lot of him in spring or training camp because Seneca and I did get the bulk of the reps," Delhomme said. "That's difficult for anyone. Because when you get in there you want to do well and you want to impress a little bit. It's one thing to be able to practice, but then to transfer over to the game, make some adjustments in the game and not have it be too big, it's something he's doing extremely well."

Delhomme said he thought the light went on for McCoy in his second or third drive in the fourth preseason game against Chicago. That's when McCoy started playing without thinking, he said.

He was extremely impressed with McCoy's debut against Pittsburgh and said he's been progressing ever since.

"Against Pittsburgh, his first third down, to throw that corner route to Evan [Moore], to stand in there with pressure coming, eyes downfield, that was very big," Delhomme said. "If you're not excited about what he's done, then you're not watching what we're doing."

Delhomme said playing against Atlanta definitely set him back, but he doesn't regret going in. He said he never believed his season was over and surgery was not an option.

The Real McCoy? Browns believe they have their QB of future

By Vic Carucci NFL.com

Published: Nov. 11, 2010 at 05:57 p.m. Updated: Nov. 11, 2010 at 08:32 p.m.


BEREA, Ohio -- Saturday, Oct. 16. It's the night before the Cleveland Browns are going to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the ballroom of the hotel housing the Browns, a baby-faced rookie who will be their starting quarterback the next day stands to address all of his teammates.

The older players are understandably skeptical. So are the coaches. After all, there is that face, which makes him look much more like a 12-year-old than the 24-year-old his birth certificate professes he is. And there's the fact the only reason he's playing is because the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, are injured. And there's the fact he struggled so badly in training-camp practices that it led to talk of his possibly being cut. And there's the fact the opponent has one of the best and most aggressive defenses in the NFL.

Colt McCoy seems to be the only one who hasn't gotten the memo that he's facing enormous odds for success.

"You can count on me," he says emphatically. "I'm going to play well."

A few chuckles could be heard, although they weren't being made at the kid's expense. They were more an appreciation of his unbridled display of moxie.


Tom E. Puskar / Associated Presss
McCoy, who has beaten the Saints and Patriots in consecutive games, faces the defensive-minded Jets this week.

Colt McCoy's first three NFL starts
Wk Com Att Yds TD-INT Rate Result
6 23 33 281 1-2 80.5 Steelers 28, Browns 10
7 9 16 74 0-0 68.2 Browns 30, Saints 17
9 14 19 174 0-0 101.6 Browns 34, Patriots 14
"There are guys that say stuff like that and they're trying to convince you and convince themselves they're playing well, but he believed it," coach Eric Mangini said. "It wasn't arrogance. It wasn't bravado. It was, 'Hey, count on me, count on me.' "

The Browns proceeded to lose, 28-10, but McCoy had a solid game. The former Texas standout completed 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown. He also had two interceptions, both on tipped passes.

McCoy went on to lead the Browns to stunning back-to-back victories at New Orleans and at home against New England. He has shown steady improvement, and turned many doubters -- especially the ones who cited his relative lack of height (6-foot-1) and arm strength as the reason that, despite being the winngest quarterback in college history, he slipped to the third round of the draft -- into believers.

"He's made incredible strides," fourth-year offensive tackle Joe Thomas said.

McCoy can take another giant step forward if he guides the 3-5 Browns to a third successive win, against the New York Jets, Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. That will make four consecutive opponents with six victories, and the one, in McCoy's estimation, with "the toughest defense we'll play so far."

Yet no one around the Browns is doubting McCoy's ability to pull off another shocker. Not anymore.

"(Some players) are happy to be here, while other guys expect to be here and expect to be good," Delhomme said. "That's his expectation."

What has changed since his long, lousy summer?

McCoy will tell you he's "definitely" the same player, but that his circumstances have improved. "Just being able to play again, getting reps, interacting with guys in the locker room, and earning respect," he said. McCoy clearly finds greater comfort in being a starter than a third-stringer who saw almost no practice time during the summer and was surrounded by other bottom-dwellers on the depth chart when he did.

"Colt's whole college experience was, he was the man," Mangini said. "He took all the reps, he got all the coaching, he did all those things. Then he comes to a place where he's not the man. He's the No. 3, he's getting very limited reps, and that's a hard transition in addition to learning a new playbook, new coaches, being under center. Then, when he transitions back to being the man out in front, he was so much more comfortable with that. That's kind of where he belonged, in a sense. And right away, he just assumed that role."

No one is talking about McCoy's lack of size or arm strength now.


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"That's the beauty about this business," eighth-year offensive guard Eric Steinbach said. "It doesn't matter about the size or speed or strength. All that stuff's for combines and on paper. But when you line up on Sunday, every guy's a different makeup and build. If you can play football, you can play football."

It took a while to get used to the more in-your-face coaching style than he saw at Texas, but McCoy has connected well with Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. He has done an exceptional job of tapping into and accentuating McCoy's many assets, the biggest of which are his accuracy and ability to run.

Daboll calls McCoy "a preparation freak," to the point where between offseason workouts and training camp he routinely called the coach late at night, while he was in bed, to review the playbook.

McCoy also has benefitted greatly from the mentoring of Delhomme, the 35-year-old veteran who had already prepared to take on those duties before McCoy's arrival. The day Delhomme signed as a free agent after being released by Carolina, Browns president Mike Holmgren informed him that the team would draft a quarterback and wanted Delhomme to help guide him.

McCoy and Delhomme live near each other. Each morning, at about 6:05 a.m., McCoy picks up Delhomme in his white, 2005 Chevy pickup truck and drives him to the Browns' practice facility. McCoy also is Delhomme's ride home each night.

During those 25-minute drives, they talk. Most of their conversations, of course, are about football and especially about the intricacies of the quarterback position and the Browns' playbook. Delhomme sees his primary mission as keeping McCoy loose.

"Because when you're loose but you know what you're doing, you play," he said.

McCoy is much looser now than he was in the summer. The unfamiliar playbook, which looked nothing like what he had seen while operating the Longhorns' spread attack, had tied his brain into knots. He wasn't sure of what he was doing, and the results were predictable.

"You can tell in a quarterback's drops if they're playing or if they're thinking," Delhomme said. "Well, he was just thinking so much."

But that was OK in the preseason, because McCoy wasn't expected to do much beyond watch and learn. The Browns were planning for this to be a "red-shirt" season for him.

"He did not have a great camp, he really didn't," Browns general manager Tom Heckert said. "He didn't play great in the preseason, but he wasn't playing with the guys he's going to play with on Sunday. He was under a lot of pressure and he made some bad decisions under that pressure."

McCoy's approach to his first start, in the Browns' preseason finale against Chicago, gave a strong indication of just how far away he was from being anything other than a spectator as an NFL rookie. He was so nervous that, the night before the game, while reviewing the game plan with Daboll, McCoy, according to the offensive coordinator, "just froze." Daboll stopped the meeting, told McCoy to close his playbook, and asked him to tell him a funny story. McCoy obliged and the meeting was over.

"That's the last time I saw him have any nerves," Daboll said.

Until, that is, he fumbled the center exchange on his first play from scrimmage. The Bears recovered and scored a touchdown. However, McCoy went on to go 13-for-13 for 131 yards, correctly made all of his reads, and executed flawlessly.

"You kind of started to see, 'OK, he's playing, he's not thinking,'" Delhomme said. "It can get very overwhelming, but you could just tell he had something."

Further proof came in the week leading up to the Pittsburgh game. With injuries to Delhomme and Wallace, the Browns were running out of quarterbacking options. However, by then, McCoy was showing that he had strong grasp of the offense, both in meetings and on the practice field.

In the second quarter, the Browns called a naked bootleg, anticipating that safety Troy Polamalu would blitz. McCoy stepped away from center, as if he were going to change the play. He never did, but his movement caused Polamalu, who was edging closer to the line, to recoil and take a couple of steps back. McCoy then went right back under center, took the snap, and had a positive play.


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"To me, that's innate," Delhomme said. "You can't coach that. That's playing the game. Something as small as that, to me, you're seeing it. You know what's going on."

Delhomme learned something else about McCoy after the game: He is his harshest critic and a true perfectionist. Although McCoy drew plenty of praise from teammates and others for his play against the Steelers, he wasn't having any of it. He was upset that the Browns had lost. He was even more upset about the two interceptions, because both throws were slightly off the mark.

McCoy and Delhomme rode on separate team buses back to Cleveland. Ninety minutes into the ride, Delhomme received a text from McCoy that said the following: "You've got to be so precise in this game. There's no margin of error."

Two days before the New Orleans game, while driving home from practice, McCoy mentioned to Delhomme about a failed red-zone play in practice. He punched his steering wheel and said, "I had it. We didn't hit it. It was a bad ball."

At times, McCoy will display his frustration over a mistake in practice -- such as on his only incompletion in 20-plus pass attempts during Wednesday's workout -- and Daboll will pull him aside and say, "Don't show it to your veterans. Keep your cool."

"He's a great leader," Thomas said. "He's not a deer-in-the-headlights guy at all. He's a guy who commanded respect in the huddle even before he did anything, before he had any wins on this team. But now he's a guy who has gotten that respect on the field for what he's done in his first three games."

McCoy was at his most confident before facing the Patriots. That was largely because Mangini, the Pats' former defensive coordinator, and Daboll, a former offensive assistant in New England, had a thorough understanding of the opponent's 3-4 defense and were able to give McCoy plenty of helpful information.

One key bit of intelligence that the Browns incorporated into their preparation was, when defending inside their 20-yard line, the Patriots like to use double coverage. During the game, with the Browns at the New England 16, McCoy stepped up in the pocket and noticed that the double coverage created a clear running lane. He followed it all the way to the end zone.

"I've seen many guys who are pretty good in practice," Delhomme said. "But it's a different baby in the game. You can do it or you can't do it. Well, the kid can do it."

The question is, how far can the kid go?

Said Delhomme, "This is still early, very early, but I think the sky's the limit."

The balance of the season will tell the Browns plenty, but they have to be highly impressed with how McCoy has handled himself against three of the best defensive coaches in the game: Pittsburgh's Dick LeBeau, New Orleans' Gregg Williams, and New England's Bill Belichick.

Now, he goes against the Jets' Rex Ryan.

How McCoy fares the rest of the way is likely to decide what the Browns will do in next year's draft, which is expected to be heavy with quality quarterbacks. The Browns were the only NFL team that happened to have two scouts at the game between Stanford's Andrew Luck and Washington's Jake Locker.

But that is no reflection about how they feel about McCoy now.

"Right now, it looks like we have something," Heckert said. "If he can continue to do this, obviously it helps us a lot."

Follow Vic Carucci on Twitter @viccarucci.

Colt McCoy Rapidly Winning Over Success-Starved Cleveland

By Pat McManamon
Senior Writer

BEREA, Ohio -- The hoopla about Colt McCoy has hit fever pitch in Cleveland, where the kid from Texas is being lauded as the future and the next Brian Sipe, who in 1980, was the last Cleveland Browns player to win the MVP.

The comparisons are obvious. McCoy and Sipe are short, were not drafted high (if the third round is "not high") and neither feature Elway-like arm strength. Both have intangibles like smarts and poise and the ability to make the right throw at the right time. Sipe, though, was MVP after being with the Browns for seven years. McCoy has started three games.

So before folks in win-starved and beat-up Cleveland go too overboard, two things might be worth mentioning: McCoy threw for 85 yards in a win over New Orleans; and he threw five passes in the second half of a win over New England.

Those numbers indicate how much the Browns have relied on McCoy to win, which is to say not a great deal. But they also indicate the truth of the old bromide: Stats are for losers. Because with McCoy taking the snaps, the Browns beat two of the better teams in the league, and more importantly, did not beat themselves. Cleveland has suddenly (and shockingly) brought itself from the brink of the abyss at 1-5, to as close to relevant as they have been at any time in the past five seasons.

There are many reasons for the resurgence, but one big one is the steady and solid play of McCoy, who has been solid at a position where the Browns have been searching for years.

"He's doing what's asked of him," said fullback Lawrence Vickers, "and we've won as a team."

"He's doing the job they want him to do. Nobody's asking him to be a leader, nobody's asking him to do anything. ... Do your job. You have a supporting cast."
-- Browns FB Lawrence Vickers Despite that, coach Eric Mangini continues to insist he has not decided if McCoy or Seneca Wallace will start Sunday against the Jets. Wallace returned to practice for the first time since spraining his ankle Oct. 10 and participated in 25 percent of the work. Mangini, who believes it gives his team an edge to hide the starter's identity as long as possible, would not commit -- prompting Jets coach Rex Ryan to poke fun at the situation.

"I don't know if he (McCoy) is going to be the starting quarterback," Ryan said, the jokingly added: "I think there's a good chance that Frank Ryan will be back this week, and of course, Frank Ryan is the guy who led them to their last championship in 1964. He's probably better known for having a PhD in Math."

Ryan did get serious when he talked about how McCoy has been poised and prepared and succeeded against New England, New Orleans and Pittsburgh. His numbers: 67.6 percent of his throws for 529 yards, one TD, two interceptions and two wins.

"Now you throw the Jets in the mix," Ryan said. "Those are four of the toughest teams in the league."

If McCoy can complete the trifecta with a win Sunday, it would be time to take a serious step back. Already eyebrows are being raised about the guy who wasn't supposed to start a game this season. By beating the Patriots, McCoy joined Ben Roethlisberger and Mark Sanchez as the only rookies to beat Bill Belichick. By winning twice, he is within two games of the Browns' record for wins by a rookie quarterback.

Against New England, McCoy quarterbacked the offense to season highs in points, first downs, total yards and time of possession. Running back Peyton Hillis got a lot of carries, but McCoy finished without a turnover and with a rushing TD.

He's doing it by doing what has been asked. Since McCoy took over, the Browns have scaled back their game-plans a bit, but they have not gone bare bones the way some teams do with rookies. McCoy came out throwing against both Pittsburgh (an 8-yard completion to Brian Robiskie) and New England (21 yards to Mohammed Massaquoi).

"He's doing the job that they want him to do," Vickers said. "Nobody's asking him to be a leader, nobody's asking him to do anything. Everybody is saying, do your job, and that's what he's doing. It's the exact same thing that they are preaching to everybody every day. Do your job. You have a supporting cast. Everybody do their job and together we can do good things. So he's doing what they're asking of him and in that fashion he's making plays."

Which means when McCoy is asked to throw only five times in a half, he's making the most of those five throws. He completed all five in the third and fourth quarters against the Patriots, two on the run when he escaped a rush. And when a pass was not there, he took off and ran and scored on a 16-yard touchdown. Against New Orleans, he was asked to catch a pass on a halfback option, and he made the catch for a first down.

In some ways, that he's been successful should not be surprising. McCoy started for four years and 53 games at Texas and won more games (45) than any quarterback in NCAA history. He played in a visible program, in front of packed stadiums. That he can handle the next step seems logical.

"He also came behind one hell of a guy in Vince Young, and he still made his own name and became a great player," Vickers said. "That's no fluke."

When McCoy speaks to the media, he speaks with the respect of a rookie and the aura of a veteran. Asked if he'll start, he goes back to the "preparing as if I'm the starter" well. Asked if he wants to start, he says "if I play, I'm going to go out there and do the best I can to help this team win." Asked if anything has been surprisingly tougher in the pros, he acknowledged that he knew it would be tough, but then soliloquized about how good it was for the team to win the past two games.

Browns do-everything athlete Joshua Cribbs said the most impressive thing about McCoy has been his ability to deal with adversity, to accept being the four-year star at Texas to the third quarterback in Cleveland and then step right in when needed.

"Put in a situation like that, not even taking reps with the first-team offense and coming right in and stepping in ... he's doing a great job," Cribbs said.

Things do not get easier Sunday. As good as the Saints and Patriots are, they do not present the challenges that the Jets defense presents. New York has two outstanding cover corners in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. It has aggressive blitz packages with nasty linebackers, and ranks third in the league in scoring defense (16.2) and fourth in rushing defense (87.4).

"The Jets will be the toughest defense we play so far," McCoy said.

What does he do with a guy like Revis, who when healthy can single-handedly shut down the game's best receivers, let alone the Browns pedestrian duo?

"I don't know," McCoy said. "I've never played a guy like that"

That is the kind of awareness coaches appreciate, especially a close-to-the-vest coach like Eric Mangini. McCoy has shown the same awareness on the field, to the point of breaking down New England's coverage on his 16-yard TD scamper and explaining why he knew he could run on the play. He also lamented a corner route to tight end Ben Watson that was almost a touchdown, saying he wanted to watch it on film. What he probably saw was a near-perfect pass just past the reach of Watson that could have been caught by Watson or nobody.

McCoy's strengths have been his poise, his awareness and his ability to carry himself beyond his inexperience. He has years of being the starter in college, but just three starts in the NFL. Tough times will arrive, perhaps this weekend. But the fact that McCoy has handled his first three starts as well as he has has at long last kindled hope in Cleveland, where the only consistent thing about the Browns over the years has been that inconsistency at quarterback.

"He doesn't claim to be anything that he isn't," Cribbs said. "He assumes all mistakes, even when it's our mistake. That's one key in leadership. ... He takes full pride in his job and he wants to win."

I understand that this is a kinda feel good story and maybe we shouldn't read more into it then that..

But you know what,, I feel good

So much to like,, but the funniest thing,, he drives to work in a 2005 Chevy Pick up truck....

Talk about grounded,, gheesh...

can anyone imagine Braylon Edwards driving a pick up truck?