By: Tyler Ward
If Browns rookie QB Colt McCoy plays like he did on Saturday, he will not be in the NFL for very long. A forgettable night, the Browns still somehow won the game against the Packers, 27-24. But, no thanks to Colt McCoy.
Browns fans got their first look at the former Texas quarterback with 8:38 left in the second quarter. On the third play of the drive, McCoy completed the first pass of his NFL career - a 5-yard short pass to Peyton Hillis. The Browns were forced to punt on McCoy's first possession. The next drive, McCoy completed four of his five passes and the Browns quickly drove downfield in hope for a touchdown. But, it was ended prematurely after McCoy threw his first interception on the sixth pass attempt of the drive - Brandon Underwood picked it off in the endzone. Cleveland was also forced to punt on McCoy's third drive.
His final possession of the night was quick and painless....well, I guess it can be considered painful, too. On the lone play of the drive, McCoy was attempting a short pass to tight end Evan Moore, but was picked off by five-year veteran safety, Derrick Martin. McCoy left after the play, injuring his throwing hand in the process. On the play of his second interception, the Packers rushed McCoy, forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly. When he got in his motion and threw it, his hand hit one of the offensive lineman's helmets. He left the game shortly thereafter and did not return.
McCoy finished the night 5-for-10 for 25 yards and two interceptions. His quarterback rating was a lowly 16.2. Definitely not a good opening night for the former Heisman hopeful.
Although he was a great collegiate quarterback, it may be hard for McCoy to translate his game to the NFL. He, however, has the most wins in NCAA history for a quarterback (45), but needs to bulk up to help him be athletic and be somewhat injury-free. McCoy really had no injury problems at Texas, except for the most important game in his epic four-year career. With 11:26 left in the first quarter, McCoy attempted a quarterback draw and was hit heavily on his right shoulder by defensive end Marcel Dareus. The injury didn't look too serious, but it forced McCoy out of the game and he would not return to his final collegiate game.
According to the quarterback, his arm just simply "went dead" when Dareus hit him on the play. He proceeded to walk over to the sideline, wincing in pain. Texas was forced to use a timeout and McCoy was taken back to the locker room to be examined.
McCoy was replaced by freshman quarterback, Garrett Gilbert. He took some hard licks and provided horrible quarterback play when he first entered, but he was able to chill out and play like a solid quarterback. Alabama had a nearly insurmountable lead, but due to luck and momentum, Gilbert led Texas within three points of the lead (24-21) with 6:15 left in the game. But, Alabama was able to pull away at the very end and won 37-21. It may have been a different game if McCoy had played the entire game..We can always play the "What If?" game, but we can never reverse time and attempt it again. If McCoy had stayed injury-free, it may not have been a 16-point game. Texas could have won the game. Alabama could have been blown out by 40 points by Texas. But, we will never know - we can just naturally assume that it would have been a great game, irregardless. It was still a great game in my opinion (and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm a Bama fan).
