Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Cleveland Browns: Backup QB Colt McCoy Rolls With Punches And Awaits Opportunity

As we move to the final quarter of the season, Cleveland Browns back up quarterback Colt McCoy can only watch from the sidelines. Rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden was deemed the starter in training camp and McCoy never had a chance.

Few know that McCoy is the winningest quarterback in NCAA history. From pee wee to high school to college, McCoy has always been known as “the man”. His good ole’ country boy demeanor and love for the game of football makes him a very likable guy. Unfortunately, pee wee, high school, and college is not the same as the National Football League.

After he was drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, McCoy instantly became a fan favorite. McCoy doesn’t cause problems and is a great teammate. Despite his size, McCoy shows moxie and has the ability to escape the pocket for positive yards. So what’s the problem?

In today’s NFL, a starting quarterback has to be able to throw the ball down field and hit precise routes, all while putting some zip on the ball. Championship caliber teams do not dink and dunk. The Browns and 31 other teams simply believe McCoy does not meet that criteria. This is why Cleveland drafted the 29 year old rookie Brandon Weeden with their second first round pick. Weeden, the failed minor league baseball player, resurrected himself at Oklahoma State University.

Soon after this past NFL Draft when the Browns selected Trent Richardson, McCoy tweeted “Congratulations Trent Richardson! Glad to have you in Cleveland.” It was a sign that McCoy would actually have some help in the backfield. Little did he know, the Weeden selection was soon to follow. Everyone including McCoy knew right then and there, the Browns had a new starting quarterback.

In week one, Weeden looked like a boy lost in the woods and accumulated a 5.1 QB rating while throwing four interceptions. The entire time, McCoy watched, listened, and tried to help from the sidelines.

The one thing Cleveland fans have to ask themselves is; if Weeden goes down to an injury or plays terrible, can no. 12 lead the youngest team in the NFL to be competitive and win football games? That scenario may have come after Weeden suffered a concussion in last week’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maybe a change of pace at quarterback is what the Browns need. Maybe it is not. No matter what though, at what point do we say, it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, let’s just win and finish football games?

Ryan Ruiz – Cleveland Browns Writer

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