QB Colt McCoy
December 18, 2020
Q: How much are you looking forward to playing against the team that drafted you and maybe making this a little bit of a revenge game here?
A: I haven’t really thought about that. We’ll see how it goes with DJ (Daniel Jones). I think for us, this is a really tough opponent. They have the capability to score a lot of points. We know how good their defense is, especially upfront. They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. We have our hands full with them. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to practice yesterday, but we had a good practice today. Hopefully we can get a little more work in tomorrow before the game.
Q: How much more work did you get this week than maybe last week when Daniel had the one injury instead of the two?
A: Like I mentioned earlier, we hadn’t been out on the field that much. Wednesday was a walkthrough, we were off on Thursday because of all the situations that went on here, and then back on the field today. We’ll see how DJ is feeling. I don’t know. We’ve just been at home and studying and watching a lot of tape. One thing I know is that these guys are really good. They rush the passer. I can’t hold onto the ball. We’ll see where we are tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get another workout in tomorrow and go from there.
Q: How did DJ look to you?
A: He looked good. He looked good to me.
Q: When you played against Seattle, was the game plan not to throw as much? Because it seemed like you didn’t push it downfield. Or was that what they were giving you?
A: The game plan kind of evolved in the Seattle game. I didn’t really know where it was going to go. Then it ended up being a lot of big personnel, so that’s just kind of how the game evolved. Obviously, we like to take shots, we like to push the ball down the field. But I think in that game, it just didn’t present itself. We were doing a lot of things on the ball and with big people. That’s what was kind of working.
Q: As a quarterback, is that the easiest way to play? When you’re getting yardage with the run, just stick with it?
A: I’m a believer in whatever is working, let that work. I believe in our receivers, I believe in our running backs, I believe in our guys up front. Our call sheet is pretty heavy. One of the heavier ones that I’ve been around. There are a lot of options there. In the Seattle game, it worked out there in the second half where we were in big people most of the time, and that’s what we stuck with.
Q: Obviously, a couple weeks ago in Seattle, after the game you talked about how appreciative you were for the journey and for getting to that point, getting the opportunity to start. I’m curious if you do get that opportunity Sunday night, will it feel any differently for you? Are you more comfortable because you’ve just done this a couple weeks ago and it’s not as long of a time off? I know you’re going to approach it the same way, but just physically being out there on the field knowing you were just there two weeks ago?
A: Yeah, I think maybe that might be a little more familiar to me after having played two weeks ago. I just think that our group, especially on offense, has to be really focused, really sharp on our details and on our efficiency and the things we’re doing and kind of what’s working in the game because it’s been a crazy week around here. Getting back on the field today was nice, get the blood flowing a little bit. Get the communication, get the calls, let everybody kind of get used to what they do on defense. We’ll see where it goes. This defense can create a lot of problems with their pass rush. They’re good at stopping the run, so we have to be prepared and ready. Today was the first day with the quarterbacks working with Freddie and hearing his voice and the play call, so we’re working through a lot.
Q: What were your memories of playing with the Browns early in your career? What sticks out about that time? Knowing how starved that fan base is for a winner and how hard it is to play quarterback there, what do you think of what Baker (Mayfield) has done and where the Browns are right now after 25 years?
A: I think Baker has done an outstanding job. He’s playing at a really high level. I was appreciative of my time with the Browns. I wish we could have won more games. There are some great people within that organization. The fans and the people in Cleveland are awesome. My wife and I really enjoyed our time there. We just didn’t win enough. That’s about all I’ll say about Cleveland. I think right now our focus and our team’s focus is we still have stuff to play for. They’re a good football team. They’ve won a lot of games. We have our hands full with their guys up front. We know what we need to do to win this game. We have to prepare and focus and be ready to go out there and execute.
Q: When do you expect to hear whether or not you’re going to be playing? When do you want to hear that? What’s your relationship like with Freddie?
A: Obviously, to know sooner than later, that would be great. But it’s all about how DJ feels. I thought he looked good today, but we’ll see where it goes. As far as Freddie, Freddie’s been great. He’s in the tight ends room, but he’s been active, he’s been involved. Jason’s (Garrett) the play caller. We know Jason’s voice. Jason sits in our meeting. That has obviously been really good. Freddie is going to step in and do a good job. I think for us as quarterbacks, we just have to get on the same page with him. He’s going to call the game. We’ll be fine. We’ll work out the kinks tomorrow. We did a good job today. We’ll be ready to go.
Q: For someone from Texas, I would imagine hearing the drawl is a lot more familiar than Jason’s northeastern voice?
A: Yeah, Freddie has a nice little drawl. Yeah, he does.
