by A.J. Coltrane
Colt McCoy (a.k.a. “The ManCrush”) had his NFL regular-season debut against Pittsburgh this past Sunday. Despite playing against one of the toughest defenses in the league, and losing both starting wide receivers to injury, he produced a respectable line: 23 completions on 33 attempts, 281 yards, 1 TD, 2 Int — good for a 80.5 Quarterback Rating.
Here’s some of the reviews:
I’ve seen a lot of quarterback debuts up close as a former Cleveland Browns beat writer, and Colt McCoy’s first NFL start was the best of the group. McCoy became Cleveland’s 16th starting quarterback since 1999 and threw for 281 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1). McCoy took a pounding and made rookie mistakes. But he also showed toughness, leadership and good accuracy. What does this all mean? McCoy deserves at least one more start this week against the New Orleans Saints until Seneca Wallace (ankle) or Jake Delhomme (ankle) are 100 percent healthy. Then the Browns (1-5) can evaluate two of McCoy’s games against the starts of Wallace and Delhomme during the bye week and figure their direction at quarterback.
Ben Roethlisberger‘s return was the story of the week for this game, but the more interesting development was Browns rookie Colt McCoy showing he’s a real NFL quarterback. The final numbers (23-of-33, 281 yards, 1TD, 2 INTs) may not necessarily prove that, but McCoy had a surprising amount of poise with the Steelers’ pass rush coming down on him all afternoon. The Browns never wanted to use McCoy this early. If he can survive in Pittsburgh, he’s good enough to start for this 1-5 team.
- Colt McCoy
The Cleveland Plain Dealer – Bud Shaw (not blockquoted in the interest of avoiding formatting issues next to the cool photo):
“I just told ’em the hay is in the barn,” McCoy said. “For some of the city folks I had to [explain].”
As his head coach and a number of teammates said Sunday, the game didn’t look too big for McCoy. After his run-for-cover training camp, that was a welcome sight.
Give Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll credit. They didn’t send the kid into the ring and tell him to clinch and cover up. They let him come out swinging. Where the Browns offense is concerned, this is a relative term, of course.
McCoy threw on first down early (or at least tried). He completed a dozen passes for 10 yards or longer. Six covered 20 yards or more. A chunk of his 281 yards happened late, but there was less garbage time than the final score indicates. He did more than dink and dunk.
“He took control of the huddle,” guard Eric Steinbach said. “That’s what a quarterback has to do. I don’t care if he’s a first-year guy or a 12-year vet.”
The Colt McCoy Experience — I like the sound of that.
———
Finally, two funny, if somewhat mean-spirited, Sprint ads:
“Injury” — “It means I’m dropping you from my fantasy team, that’s for sure.”
FlatbreadGarden 
I didn’t realize Colt and Mayor Goldie Wilson shared the same middle name
LikeLike
Sorry Coltrane for your loss. Maybe he can be Weeden’s backup
LikeLike
Maybe he can go somewhere with actual receivers and running backs. Then we’ll see if he can play.
LikeLike