Colt McCoy - 4 games in the books

[BernietheKid]

When it comes to Cleveland Browns story lines, CBS' Rich Gannon is focusing on Colt McCoy

Published: Saturday, November 20, 2010, 8:00 PM Updated: Sunday, November 21, 2010, 7:28 AM

Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer


John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
CBS analyst Rich Gannon is an early believer in Colt McCoy. "He has control at the line of scrimmage, changing protections, getting out of bad plays -- they're all signs that the guy can do it," said Gannon, who will work Sunday's broadcast of the Browns game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After watching Colt McCoy start four games and studying his college film, former Super Bowl quarterback and CBS analyst Rich Gannon is convinced the Browns won't need to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2011 draft.

"Oh yeah, I think it's ridiculous to even think that," said Gannon, who will call his fourth Browns game Sunday against the 5-4 Jaguars. "It's early and you hate to start labeling players, but I've been very impressed. He could be the future of the organization."

Gannon, who played 17 NFL seasons, cited one play last week against the Jets that made him believe McCoy can be "the guy." It was the 18-yard slant to tight end Evan Moore with less than a minute left in regulation, which set up the game-tying touchdown to Mohamed Massaquoi.

"Colt was in the shotgun and the Jets show blitz," said Gannon. "They're [at the Jets 21] and you can tell clearly that he changes the protection. He kept Ben Watson in and he wound up throwing that slant to Evan Moore, who's one-on-one with Darrelle Revis, to the only spot he can, a perfect throw."

He said the play demonstrated that McCoy has an uncanny grasp of the game for a rookie with four starts under his belt.

"Clearly, that was orchestrated by the quarterback," said Gannon. "To me, that's a 'wow' play. You say 'that's a young guy totally in control of the situation.' It just shows you he's a lot further along than a lot of players at this stage."

Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll had the same reaction when he watched McCoy execute the play.

"It's something [McCoy] liked to run at Texas," said Daboll. "We had a play called and they gave us a look that they would've gotten us with pressure. With the clock running down, he just calmly changed the protection, changed the route and threw it pinpoint on [Moore] with Revis Island on him."

Gannon said he's been most impressed with McCoy's performance against some of the premier defenses in the NFL, including three in the top 10.


John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
"He's been great with the play clock and in pressure situations," Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll says of McCoy. "He wants to be really, really good. But he's going against a tough defense again this week on the road in a challenging environment. We expect him to play well, we do."

"He stepped into an accident waiting to happen, and he's performed really well," said Gannon. "It's obscene the defenses he's had to face. You think about going on the road against [Pittsburgh defensive coordinator] Dick LeBeau, then you go down to New Orleans against Greg Williams, how about Bill Belichick the third week and Rex Ryan the fourth week? That would bring most rookies quarterback to their knees."
He said he keeps waiting for bad things to happen, but they don't.

"You're waiting for him to miss a blitz and get hit in the back of the head, to throw into double coverage, to get a sack-fumble, and it doesn't happen," said Gannon. "You say 'well, is it just great coaching?' I think there's a lot more to it."

Gannon said he asked Daboll before the New England game if he had to scale back the game plan.

"He said 'nope. We've got a full slate of plays in, about 155 plays in that wristband,'" said Gannon. "And I'm thinking, 'My goodness that's an awful lot. Very impressive.'"

Gannon said he's talked to plenty of experts about McCoy, including Mike Holmgren -- "who's cautiously optimistic" -- and ESPN's Jon Gruden, who recommended Holmgren draft McCoy.

"When I talked to Jon about all of the quarterbacks he worked with before the draft, Colt was the one who really caught his eye," said Gannon. "He really felt like this was a kid that had a chance to be a really good player."

Gannon said McCoy might be best suited to a West Coast offense, "but he has all the tools and skills to succeed in any offense, including this one. He has a very good arm, can make all the throws and I've been very impressed with his ability to throw the ball on the move, to slide and reset his feet."

He said his demeanor and leadership skills are equally as impressive.

"You see it on the sidelines and in the huddle," said Gannon. "He has control at the line of scrimmage, changing protections, getting out of bad plays -- they're all signs that the guy can do it."

Gannon watched the Browns practice the Friday before the Patriots game and noticed
how McCoy took charge.

"Between periods, he's over there and he's in the middle of the offensive linemen and he's telling them, 'here's what we're going to do: you're there and I'll make you the hard count here.' He's really taking control of the thing and you just don't really see that a lot with a young player."

Daboll cautioned that it's only been four games and that McCoy is nowhere near where
he wants to be.

"He really is a perfectionist," said Daboll. "He's been great with the play clock and in pressure situations. He wants to be really, really good. But he's going against a tough defense again this week on the road in a challenging environment. We expect him to play well, we do."

Added Gannon, "you hope he can continue to play well and stay healthy and that they can continue to develop him. That's what this team really needs."

When it comes to Cleveland Browns story lines, CBS' Rich Gannon is focusing on Colt McCoy | cleveland.com

[BernietheKid]

Greetham: Good News Out of Bad
QB Jake Delhomme		By Fred Greetham OBR Browns Reporter Posted Nov 20, 2010 | More Some of the Browns misfortunes in 2010 may help the team in the long run. Fred Greetham explains...
BEREA, Ohio—Maybe the injuries to Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace were a blessing in disguise. Hear me out. If neither Delhomme or Wallace would have suffered high ankle sprains, Colt McCoy would more than likely not have played in 2010. The Browns record might not have been much different, whoever the quarterback was, but the Browns wouldn’t have known what they had in McCoy. Other than a less than stellar preseason, the Browns wouldn’t have known if they needed to draft a quarterback in 2011 or acquire one through free agency or trade. Regardless of how much longer McCoy is the starter, he will have had at least four or five NFL games under his belt for the front office to evaluate. McCoy has now played for the past month and has compiled a quarterback rating of 85.2. He led the Browns to wins over the Saints and the Patriots in two of his first three starts. He took the Browns into overtime with the Jets with an impressive drive in the waning moments. Eric Mangini said that drive against the Jets was another step in the growth process for McCoy. “It was the first chance he had to do that bringing the team back in a two-minute situation and that was one of those areas you want to evaluate and see how he does in that,” Mangini said. “He’s had consistent growth against another challenging defense. He had a lot of difficult decisions he had to make.” Evan Moore said McCoy was impressive against the Jets. “That takes a lot of confidence in just his fourth game,” Moore said. “I don’t think it shook him at all. He’s very calm and he looks like he’s been there before. It spreads throughout the huddle.” McCoy said the drive gave the offense a lot of confidence. “That was huge for our offense because we weren’t consistent in the second half,” he said. “The last drive was good. We had some momentum, but we just have to learn to capitalize and win the game.” McCoy said the coaching staff has prepared him very well. “I think you have to give credit to Coach (Brian) Daboll and Coach (Carl) Smith and those guys have really done a great job preparing me,” McCoy said. “I feel prepared going into the games. The offensive line has protected me and the receivers have made plays. I’m very comfortable back there.” McCoy has displayed a lot of leadership already in his young career. “The position almost demands leadership,” Mangini said. “It’s hard to function in that position if you’re not naturally that way. You can play the position, but to play the position and really excel at it, you need to have the ability and you also need to have the inherent leadership to take that group and be able to get them to do the things that you need them to do and too get (the players) to play together and to respect you as the quarterback. “Colt’s had a lot of experience with that and he’s got a very good presence,” Mangini said. “In addition to that, he’s done well, so I think all those things help him.” McCoy says he’s used to being a leader. “I’ve been able to play the position for as long as I have and I hope to play the position for a long time,” he said. “I played high school and college and my dad was my coach in high school. I’ve I been around long enough to know that the quarterback is the leader on the team and the guy the teammates are looking to field. “You have to be even keeled,” he said. “You can’t be too high or too low. You have to be consistent and be calm and cool and just continue to lead.” Mangini said he has been very consistent. “He has been consistent,” he said. “I would say that mentally, there is a lot of pressure of who he has faced thus far and being such a young guy, you wouldn’t know anything has changed in terms of his consistency.” Some have questioned whether McCoy is tough enough to take hits. “You have to be tough to play that spot because you’re going to get hit and there are a lot of angles that you can get hit from,” Mangini said. McCoy says the hits he’s taken thus far in the NFL aren’t much different than what he’s taken in the past. “Hits are hits,” he said. “You know they’re going to happen. I give credit to the offensive line as they have given me great protection.” The players have been impressed with what McCoy has accomplished. “He’s been doing a great job,” Moore said. “Colt’s extremely accurate. That’s one of his assets along with his intelligence. He’s been doing that in practice and he’s continued it in games.” Based on what McCoy has shown so far, the Browns very well might have found their franchise quarterback. If that’s the case, a couple of injuries might’ve been worth it. Scout.com: Greetham: Good News Out of Bad

[Enigmatic Evil]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing those articles Bernie. I was saying before last weeks game that we need to know that Colt can make plays with his arm, rather than just saving a play with a smart scramble or making a smart throw here and there. He showed us that he can manage a game, which is essential for any starter IMO. In the game versus the Jets he showed us that he can lead our meager offense up the field against one of the NFL's elite defenses to bring a game into overtime and not only that he almost won us the game if not for a costly fumble. He's got a quality QB rating and I think he's shown more in his starts than we saw from Seneca in his starts honestly. Colt IS the future of this team, unless he has a bizzare Charlie Frye kind of turnaround, I think Colt's shown us more than Frye or even Brady Quinn ever did in the FOUR starts he's had.

Call me a believer, call me crazy, but I don't see QB as a priority anymore.