QB Colt McCoy
December 9, 2020
Q: Coach (Judge) was telling us before practice, he sounded pretty optimistic that Daniel (Jones) could play this week, but obviously, it’s not definite. Does that change anything for you this week?
A: No, not really. We have another tough opponent with the Cardinals coming into town. On Monday and Tuesday, we started on our preparation the exact same way, and had our practice today. Nothing changes a whole lot.
Q: Do you find out that morning or right before practice how many reps you’re going to get, if you’re going to be with the ones, or how does that work?
A: It wasn’t communicated that well really, to be honest. And it was snowing. First time practicing in the snow in a while. But it was a good practice. Again, I’m treating this just like I would any other week, and preparing and just getting ready to go. These guys are really good. They’re playing for a lot just like we are, so we have to be ready to go.
Q: Quarterbacks can have a long tenure in this league, but running backs don’t always. I’m curious what you think of Alfred Morris, who was one of the best running backs in the league when you were with him in Washington, and people kind of forgot about him. Then there he was scoring two touchdowns the other day, catching his first ever receiving touchdown from you.
A: Yeah, how about that? I had no idea that was the case. He kind of double-caught it, too, I don’t know if he told you that. Alfred is a true pro. I had the pleasure of playing with him in Washington for a couple of years, and he looks just the exact same to me right now as he did in Washington. I think that just shows you what kind of guy he is. He’s a hard-worker, great guy in the locker room, very consistent in his approach to the game, loves to play and has been a huge asset for our football team.
Q: I’m wondering if you have any Kliff Kingsbury stories? I know he played before you. I don’t know if he coached against you, if he was at (Texas) Tech when you were at Texas. But I’m wondering if you have any stories as two guys who played quarterback in that state?
A: Obviously, every quarterback that grew up in Texas knows Kliff Kingsbury. He was the first guy to really be throwing for thousands of yards every season and lots of touchdowns. They spread it out there at Tech. I grew up a couple of hours outside of Lubbock, so I knew all the Texas Tech quarterbacks, and Kliff was one of the very first to do it. He’s a really bright offensive mind, he’s a good friend, and they’ve done really nice things out there in Arizona.
Q: You’ve been around for a long time. I’m just kind of curious, particularly with prior to you starting and maybe you dealing with the scout team, on Patrick Graham. What do you see out of him in terms of as a coordinator and what he’s done with this defense of yours this year?
A: I love Coach Graham. I didn’t really know him before I got here. First off the top of my head, I would say he’s just passionate. He works so hard to put his guys in a position to be successful and to make plays. He’s a great coach, guys listen to him, respect him. One thing about Coach Graham is you’re going to get his best, whether you’re at a walkthrough during training camp or in a game in Seattle. He’s a true pro and I know the guys love playing for him.
Q: Just as a follow up on that side of the ball, Leonard Williams is coming off obviously a big game this past week. I’m just curious what your impression of him is as a pass rusher? He’s been criticized over the years for not accumulating enough sacks. But he seems to have turned that around this year a little bit.
A: Yeah, he’s having an outstanding season. I’ve played against Leonard in the past. He’s always a guy that we circle. You say, ‘don’t let this guy wreck the game,’ because he has the ability to do that. I’m happy to be on his team. He’s playing at a really high level. He’s setting the tone up front for those guys, and it’s impressive to watch.
Q: After the game, we talked about the offensive line and the defense. When you got home and you had a couple of hours to relax, how much did you sit back and say, ‘that was fun. That’s what football should feel like’?
A: Yeah, that was fun. It had been a long road to get back out on the field. You never know when you’re going to get an opportunity to go play. I would like to tell you that I went home and enjoyed it and was happy. Unfortunately, I was just thinking about some of the plays that I wish I could have back. But I think that’s always how it’s been. That’s how it’s always been for me. But to go there and get a win is huge for our football team. As Coach Judge said, that was a great team win. The offensive line played tremendous, the running backs ran the ball well, the defense kept us in it early in the game, and we made enough plays in the end.
Q: Kind of a big picture question. You look at what’s happening in Philadelphia with Carson Wentz, does that just illustrate how small the window is for quarterbacks in the NFL to get things done and to win championships?
A: Listen, I have nothing but respect for Carson. I’ve played a lot of games with him and I’ve seen a lot of incredible plays by him. I can’t speak on what’s going on there, but I know Carson is a great quarterback. Everybody in this league knows he can play at a high level.
Q: I was just wondering, you were talking before about the quarterback situation. Other than reps, how much really changes inside the meeting room? Is it like one guy is leading it or is it a collaborative effort? How does that work exactly?
A: Well, we’re still six feet apart, we’re still wearing masks. Nothing changes meeting wise. I think what we do a good job of is trying our best to stay on the same routine, watching tape and studying and asking questions. Last week really didn’t change much. This week is not going to change much. We go into this thing doing it together. So far, it’s been a routine week.
Q: So it’s not like one guy, whoever the starter is going to be or whoever they think the starter is going to be, leads the discussion or the meeting or the film breakdowns?
A: No. Our coaches are in there. Jerry (Schuplinski) is in
there, Jason’s (Garrett) in there. We talk through the game plan together. We’ll, as quarterbacks, watch tape together on our own and kind of go through the game plan and see what looks are out there, what we need to do, maybe some checks we need to make. We’ll collectively spend a lot of time together each week for sure.
Q: You just said just before when you were asked about the first team reps and everything, you said ‘it wasn’t really communicated that well, to be honest with you.’ What did you mean by that?
A: I think it’s all based on how DJ feels, right? I think he’s feeling better. We’ll see how it goes throughout the week. But today, today is unusual. It’s a Wednesday, it’s not full speed, we’re not in pads. We’re getting a lot of mental reps and walkthroughs. I thought today was business as usual and it was good.
Q: There’s a lot of talk about any quarterback, Daniel now, if he can’t protect himself, he can’t play. You’re back there a lot, you need to protect yourself. What does that exactly mean from a quarterback’s point of view? Have you ever played with a bad hamstring or a hamstring that might be impairing you? What do you have to do to protect yourself?
A: We play a violent sport, so the amount of times you can go into a football game feeling 100 percent is not very often. I think that’s up to DJ and up to the doctors. That would be a good question to ask him. But I feel like if he can move around, if he feels like he can go do it, he knows what it takes, then he’ll go do it. We’ll see how it goes this week.
Q: When you play, it’s the same thing with you, obviously. You played a bunch of games. If you don’t feel you can escape, you can’t play. Or do you say, ‘no, I just have to play regardless’?
A: Exactly. Some injuries are worse than others. We’ve all played through a lot of things. DJ’s dealing with a hamstring, obviously. I think if he feels like he can go, he’ll go. He’s a competitor, he’s a captain. He wants to be out there so bad. This is killing him. I think he’ll just see how he feels.
