Browns' McCoy eager to face Saints

[MojoMan]

Colt McCoy looked good in his debut against the Steelers. Next up, the reigning Super Bowl champs, who easily shellacked the Texans in preseason. Colt sounds like he is up for the game. If he does as well in this game as he did in the last one, then no one should be surprised if he doesn't just keep the job.

Browns' McCoy eager to face Saints

Steelers one week. Super Bowl champs the next. As NFL baptisms go, it can't possibly get any rougher for a rookie quarterback. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Browns QB Colt McCoy said Wednesday. "What a challenge, what an opportunity, a chance to go out on the field and get better and get this team back on track." Tough Texas kid or naive newbie? We'll see.

McCoy, so impressive in his debut last week in Pittsburgh, will make his second straight start Sunday at New Orleans when the Browns visit the Superdome, one of the league's loudest venues where even the most seasoned quarterback can be rattled by the deafening din. Unless quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace make miraculous recoveries from high ankle sprains in the next few days, McCoy will start against the Saints. No need to light a prayer candle.

Because despite fears he would be decapitated by one of the blitzing Steelers linebackers — James Harrison saved his big hits for Browns wide receivers — or rushed into throwing a handful of interceptions, McCoy acquitted himself well in a 28-10 loss last week. He showed poise, toughness and enough promise to make the Browns believe the third-round pick, whose size may have scared off a few teams during the draft, can be their future quarterback. Emphasis on can be.

In one of the league's nastiest, most intimidating environments, McCoy finished 23 of 33 for 281 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. But his stats were only part of the story. The night before his first Browns-Steelers game, McCoy stood in front of his teammates, and in his country-fried accent, declared he was ready to stare down the black-and-gold beast. "I told them the hay was in the barn," McCoy said. "Just meant we worked really hard all week and we were prepared and we had a good game plan." Did he have to explain the expression? "For some of the city folk, I had to," McCoy said.

On Tuesday, Browns president Mike Holmgren summoned McCoy to his office to offer his critique on the 23-year-old's first pro outing. The guru of quarterback gurus who coached Joe Montana, Steve Young and Brett Favre, Holmgren complimented McCoy and offered some advice. "I told him I was very impressed," Holmgren said. "I said he had a very good first game in a tough place against a very good team. Then I said, 'Now what do we do? You're going against another really good team in a tough place, I expect you to do better. "This is not a one-game deal here. If you expect to do this for a long time, you have to do it again.'"

....

[sakebomb]

Originally Posted by MojoMan

Steelers one week. Super Bowl champs the next. As NFL baptisms go, it can't possibly get any rougher for a rookie quarterback.

Saints? I would think playing the Ravens and then the Jets would be "rougher".

[drs23]

Good on Colt. I hope he flourishes in Cleveland. I'd like to see him do really well.

[gary]

Two tough games in a row for McCoy I hope he keeps up the good play being he is a rookie.

[thunderkyss]

Cleveland 20, New Orleans 3......

I think Colt's holding his own.



Right now.

[ziggy29]

It was bad enough that KEYE gave the Austin market a bunch of Titans games. Now we're going to get a bunch of Browns games too...

[RazorOye]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I think Colt's holding his own.

he hasn't had to do much, in truth

They are getting it done defensively (3 INTs, 1 was a pick 6, sacks, pressure, changing formations), and two LOOOOOONG special teams plays (lateral pass on the first punt, and a fake punt that puts them inside the 10)

I think the Saints have no luck left after last year. Apparently all the voodoo had an expiration date...

this has been one sorry season so far

[gary]

Colt has not played jaw dropping thus far but he hasn't had to and I think he has done alright for now.

[Goatcheese]

All his does is win!

[ziggy29]

Originally Posted by RazorOye

I think the Saints have no luck left after last year. Apparently all the voodoo had an expiration date...

Yeah, the expiration date was the day Drew Brees appeared on the cover of Madden...

[sakebomb]

Originally Posted by Goatcheese

All his does is win!

LOL. He's the white version of VY.

[RazorOye]

Originally Posted by ziggy29

Yeah, the expiration date was the day Drew Brees appeared on the cover of Madden...

haha.... maybe so

it's been a loooooong year

such a bizarre game

a lateral on a punt return for a long return

a fake punt that goes for 70 yards (rushing yards by the punter, that is)

a gunner gets pushed out of bounds and takes out a chain official who gets taken to the hospital (serious bleeding out of eyes and/or head) - pretty serious, apparently

an INT ret'd for a TD after it hits the DL in the hands, bounces of the back of a Saints OL and then off the DL's foot and back into his hands - everyone thinks the play is dead - but the DL lumbers for a TD

same DL returns a Brees INT for a TD

it was just.... bizarre. Such a strange game

Credit to the Browns - Fujita had a great game against us. Their D confused Brees ALL day. Their special teams executed trick plays perfectly.

Payton got outcoached by Mangini all game long.

It's gonna be a long season.

I know that we've had injuries - significant ones. Our top 3 CBs (Greer, Porter, and Gay)

Our top FS, our top 3 RBs.

But really, the weak points this year have been the OLine and Brees's play.

The defense has played more the respectably considering the injuries. But if our top strengths on O (OLine, QB, Running game) aren't hitting on all cylinders, it doesn't matter how many people in our secondary are missing.

This season has been painful and I think it's only going to get worse. This was supposed to be the "easy" stretch and we went 1-2

YIKES