Cleveland Browns: Can Colt McCoy Become the Next Aaron Rodgers?

[BernietheKid]

Cleveland Browns: Can Colt McCoy Become the Next Aaron Rodgers?



By Robert Cobb
Tuesday, February 8, 2011

As Super Bowl XLV is now officially in the record books with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25, all the talk has been about the sensational performance of Green Bay Packers quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.

The young passer simply sizzled during the NFL post-season so far, throwing for 1,092 yards, nine touchdowns, and only two interceptions in leading the Packers to an impressive Super Bowl XLV victory.


While Rodgers has had a real breakout post-season, the inevitable question is, who is the next Aaron Rodgers in 2011?

Is the next Rodgers already in school on some random roster waiting to be discovered? Maybe he's already playing in the NFL?

While that remains to be seen, you have to know what you're looking for. Preferably a West Coast offense quarterback who is mobile, accurate, slight of build, and who plays in a pro-offense. This athlete must establish a knack for making intelligent and accurate throws along with the ability to make plays with his legs.

While he must not have Drew Bledsoe-like arm strength, he must at least show the football knowledge of Steve Young. Which brings me to Cleveland Browns quarterback, Colt McCoy.

With the recent hiring of Pat Shurmur they, much like Rodger's Packers, will be running the West Coast offense.

And while McCoy and Rodgers are in different points of their careers, both are relatively young and still in their 20's as Rodgers is 27 and McCoy is 24.

Depending on what Cleveland does in the off-season, Colt McCoy has the opportunity to do what former back-ups in Houston Texans quarterback, Matt Schaub, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Matt Cassel and even fellow West Coast quarterback and former Mike Holmgren protege, Matt Hasselbeck in Seattle did and that is watch and learn for the sidelines.

Schaub backed up Michael Vick in Atlanta, Cassel backed up Tom Brady in New England, and Hasselback backed up Brett Favre in Green Bay.

And when all three of these QB's had the opportunity placed in front of them, they ran with it, which is what McCoy needs to do.

McCoy, like Rodgers, sat on the bench backing up a veteran quarterback. While Rodgers had the luxury of learning from Brett Favre, McCoy was forced into action after starting quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace both suffered high ankle sprains.

Both quarterbacks are around the same height and build, as Rodgers is 6'2 and 225 pounds, while McCoy is 6'1 and 216.

They also both possess the ability to continue plays with their feet, as Rodgers was the second leading rusher on the Packers with 356 yards rushing. He also led the Packers in rushing touchdowns with four.

Colt McCoy was the second leading rusher on the Browns with 136 yards rushing. McCoy was also second in rushing touchdowns with one, behind running back Peyton Hillis' eleven.

Rodgers has the advantage of having better talent such as running back, Ryan Grant and tight end Jermichael Finley and a far superior wide receiver corps in Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver and James Jones than McCoy. He also has had better coaching to learn from in Mike McCarthy.

McCoy has already shown the intangibles and capacity needed to be a extremely talented West Coast-style quarterback, and if Cleveland can surround him with proper coaching, some competent play-calling, and some top-level talent, then McCoy and Rodgers will have more in common than just their jersey number.

Cleveland Browns: Can Colt McCoy Become the Next Aaron Rodgers? | National Football Authority

[Tobalaz]

That's setting the bar pretty damn high.
Right now I'd take another Kosar, we've had nothing but Phipps since.

[Sez.EJ]

F'GET Aaron Rogers....I just want him to be Colt McCoy.

[Enigmatic Evil]

Exactly, I second Sez.

Comparing Colt to Brees, Rogers sure that's great to set a bar but I want to see Colt become his own QB. I want us to be able to brag about Colt McCoy being the starting QB of the Cleveland Browns and having some pride about the starting QB of this team for once.

Colt's got potential, but beyond that is just uncertainty.

[PlaygroundLegend]

Answer: No

Aaron Rogers arm is a laser guided chainsaw shooting rocket launcher rail gun

Colt Mccoy will neer be able to make some of the throws Arod can

but Colt Mccoy CAN be the next Drew Brees

[Enigmatic Evil]

Please PGL... please refrain from ever calling Aaron Rodgers "Arod" again. Thanks

I want Colt to carve his own legend! Preferably while wearing a Brown and Orange uniform.

[golfer704u]

I'm the biggest of Colt McCoy fans. but good lord. Rodgers and Bress comparisons already? Give the kid a break. As Sez said, let him be Colt McCoy.

[Jax Dawg]

Maybe some day Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers will want to be like Colt McCoy!

Some say he's a ninja, rumor has it he's Superman,
Hes got the heart of a lion, still hes as gentle as old Peter Pan,
All you Hatfields better beware, I heard he's stronger than a Kodiak bear,
He's your real deal, he's no decoy, he's still his mama's little pride and joy.

Hey, when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy,
He's the true gun-slinging inspiration to every small town country boy,
Having cool friends like Jordan Shipley,
(Well ain't no singers singin' songs about me)
Well when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy.

Everybody and their dog is doggin' on the little quarterback from Jim Ned,
Too short too slow and way too skinny, its what the headlines read.
So he hit the weights, protein shakes, and lord behold, he started to grow,
Now he's gettin' sick and tired of people getting fired up, for rubbing elbows with Tim Tebow.

Hey, when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy,
He's the true gun-slinging inspiration to every small town country boy,
Having cool friends like Jordan Shipley,
(Well ain't no singers singin' songs about me)
Well when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy.

There's a new sheriff in town,
Shaking hands and kissing babies,
Throwing lazer beam touchdowns.

Hey, when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy,
He's the straight shootin' gun inspiration to every small town country boy,
I'd have cool friends like Jordan Shipley,
(Well ain't no singers singin' songs about me)
Well when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy.

(Also posted on Dawg Scooper: THE Cleveland Browns Blog)

[Enigmatic Evil]

I think we're all rooting for Colt but there's one common denominator here. It's not going to be pretty for The Messiah if we can't bring him some weapons for that Offence for him to throw to. Yes, Hillis is a nice target out of the back field and Watson was a huge upgrade over what we've had in the past but we need to bring in some new bodies, maybe as many as three, just to fight for spots on the team and to push guys like MoMass and Robo who have been sitting pretty.

I think Colt's future is bright, but for a plant to grow you've got to give it the nutrients it needs to thrive.

[Brown Warrior]

Rodgers skill set is, at least for now, pretty farging unique: Quickest release in the league and maybe ever, a big-time, top five arm, a 36 on the Wonderlic, great wheels, amazing vision, anticipation, and accuracy... aside from being "only" 6'2", he's basically perfect.

McCoy is never going to have Rodgers' arm, period. Few do. But McCoy does have the wheels, the mind, the work ethic, and the accuracy to be a very good quarterback in the WCO. He has to maximize the arm like Brees did so he can make all the throws with enough zip. I think he'll do whatever it takes.

I keep coming back to the quarterback Jeff Garcia was for a few years in SF. Two years in a row he had over 30 TDs and in the ballpark of 4,000 yards. He was a Pro Bowler, one of the best in the game... it just didn't last for long. They're similar in size, mobility, and arm strength. Both are smart, fierce competitors and leaders.

There were questions about Garcia's arm and the limitations is put on the offense, with much of the bitching coming from T.O. As long as Garcia put up numbers and wins, nobody cared. But when he couldn't get the Niners over the hump, he was moved.

[Tobalaz]

No one take this the wrong way, I am by no means saying I want to see Colt bomb.

What I am saying is, if Colt bombs, I want it to be huge so we can be in the running for Luck.
I'd rather see Colt work out and be a very good starter for us for a very long time, but I don't want "just good enough" where we pass on a sure fire franchise qb.

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

Rodgers skill set is, at least for now, pretty farging unique: Quickest release in the league and maybe ever, a big-time, top five arm, a 36 on the Wonderlic, great wheels, amazing vision, anticipation, and accuracy... aside from being "only" 6'2", he's basically perfect.

McCoy is never going to have Rodgers' arm, period. Few do. But McCoy does have the wheels, the mind, the work ethic, and the accuracy to be a very good quarterback in the WCO. He has to maximize the arm like Brees did so he can make all the throws with enough zip. I think he'll do whatever it takes.

I keep coming back to the quarterback Jeff Garcia was for a few years in SF. Two years in a row he had over 30 TDs and in the ballpark of 4,000 yards. He was a Pro Bowler, one of the best in the game... it just didn't last for long. They're similar in size, mobility, and arm strength. Both are smart, fierce competitors and leaders.

There were questions about Garcia's arm and the limitations is put on the offense, with much of the bitching coming from T.O. As long as Garcia put up numbers and wins, nobody cared. But when he couldn't get the Niners over the hump, he was moved.

According to Aaron Rodgers, himself, his arm is 10 times stronger than it was. He said the 3 years he never played a lick got him alot stronger. If his arm was what it is now coming out, the guy wouldn't have dropped all the way to #24 overall. They were just discussing the 49ers going with Alex Smith #1 overall at the time on Nashville sports radio. Anyway, they asked former TN OC Mike Heimerdinger (also Jay Cutler's position coach with the Denver Broncos before returning to TN again) if he thought SF made an epic mistake going with Alex Smith. His reply was a very comfortable "At the time, not at all. There was no contest in arm strength and most of the NFL scouts would tell you Alex was a consensus #1." He added, there were alot of people that didn't like Aaron's release when he first came out and he said you can see somebody did a TON of work helping him to improve that. That comes from Air McNair's former QB Coach in TN and later Jay Cutler's in Denver. He also got Vince Young in the Pro Bowl in 2009 with passer ratings hovering around 100.

I see ALOT of similarities between Drew Brees with Aaron Rodgers. One was drafted at #24 while the other was drafted at #32. Meaning? There were question marks that needed to be answered. BOTH guys busted tail if one reads up on them. Shep was the only one on the planet I read heavily endorsing Rodgers. The beating USC with a much lesser roster talent-wise was a foreshadow of capability if he went to the right place.

McCoy, dropped all the way to round 3 like Joe Montana once did. One thing I enjoy about both guys is they have/had the poise to be accurate during a chase or pocket breakdown. It's actually their comfort zone, which makes them unique as Hell and they don't fit into any prototypical crib sheets so the questions lingered to round 3. The ONLY time McCoy looked helpless was when we played Jax and he was injured so 3 step drops became 2 step hops and the men collapsing the small pocket understood that plus they got arms up. That was my BIGGEST issue with the coaching staff was not knowing when to replace an injured/ineffective QB on game day. THAT, by far, bothered me more than playcalling or anything else. Never said they didn't make mistakes - I just knew there was some that were easier to fix than others like the common sense that wasn't looking very common.

Back to McCoy. You gotta admit, it's pretty cool that he already exceeded Holmgen's 2010 expectations especially by being out on that field and winning against Brady and Brees led teams. We had it working when we got to 5-7. Do you know what else gave your buddy Flugel goose bumps? When we were behind the Jets and we needed a TD to get that sucker tied. McCoy zipped a slant to MoMass on the wet sand Revis Island. Not many young QBs would have the grapefruits under the acorn to do somethign like that. They get this kid some WRs and they're gonna be playing that country song over the loud speakers.

That video was a riot Jax Dawg! Howdy Doody got Hottie Boombalottie!