Giants Confident in Quarterback Colt McCoy
Every backup quarterback in the NFL has to be at least prepared to assume the role of starter.
This week more than ever, that will hold true for Colt McCoy, the Giants' backup quarterback who could be called upon to start Sunday against the Seahawks if starter Daniel Jones's hamstring injury sidelines him.
McCoy, an 11-year NFL veteran, last started a game in Week 5 of 2019 for the Washington Football Team in a 33-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
Overall, McCoy is 7-21 as a starter and has a 78.2 passer rating. But with the Giants looking to stretch their three-game winning streak into four, Giants head coach Joe Judge is planning accordingly in the event McCoy has to take the bulk of the practice reps for Jones.
"The expectations are always the same, to be able to go in there and execute whatever we ask you to," Judge said. "Listen, not everyone is going to have every snap throughout the week with practice. That’s just the reality of the NFL. Colt has to take advantage of every rep that he does get, and he gets a significant amount working against our defense."
When McCoy stepped in for Jones last week, his role was mostly that of a game manager. He completed six out of 10 pass attempts for 31 yards and was instrumental in engineering two scoring drives that ended in Graham Gano field goals.
"Listen, it was a tough thing coming off cold off the sideline," Judge said. "But he came in, did some really nice things for us, made some tough throws in tough situations, made some good runs for us."
While the Giants would prefer that Jones not be injured, they also don't feel there will be much of a drop off without him in the lineup.
"I think the only thing you lose is Daniel is the one that was taking all of the first-team reps," said receiver Sterling Shepard. "He’s familiar with the guys, but that’s something that Colt paid attention to.
"He prepared like he was the number one every week. He’s going to step in, he’s going to do his thing, and that’s what world we’re living in right now. I feel like he’ll execute, step up and make plays."
Judge said the offensive strategy, on the whole, doesn't have to change but added that there might be a few wrinkles added that are tailored to what McCoy does well.
"If Colt is taking the snaps, maybe there will be a few different things that (offensive coordinator) Jason (Garrett) determines are good to run with Colt. But it doesn’t matter exactly what it is (because) it’s based on the opponent and what our players do well."
Both Shepard and Judge, who were made available to the media Monday, are confident that McCoy will be just fine if he has to go in there.
"Look, he’s a vet, he has a lot of experience," Judge said. "He goes out there with a good amount of savvy, can really manage a game. But we’ll set the game up however we need to, whoever it ends up being, in terms of working to their strong points."
Get the latest New York Giants news by joining our community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our SI Giants Country page. Mobile users click the notification bell.
