| You can't question McCoy's undying loyalty. (US PRESSWIRE) |
Since a surprising rookie season in 2010, quarterback Colt McCoy has had a rough go of it. He spent last season getting knocked silly on a weekly basis and then the Browns drafted 28-year-old Brandon Weeden in April to serve as the latest in a long line of franchise quarterbacks.
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McCoy comes off as exceedingly polite, even when he's visibly frustrated. It explains the gentle protestations at his current predicament. In July, he admitted that "I would just like a little consistency. I love the town. I love the fans. I think they truly deserve a winning football team. That's what I want to do. I want to be there for the ride of turning that thing around. We'll see what happens."
After an impressive preseason showing against the Packers last week, the speculation continued that McCoy could be traded (it wasn't the first time). His response was decidedly upbeat.
"If it comes to that, if they decide to do something, [I'll deal with it] at that point," he said according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "But no one has said anything to me yet, and there's no place I'd rather be than here. I'm invested in this city and this team, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Of course, McCoy's demotion could be the best thing to happen to his career. The scuttlebutt is that the Packers might be in the market for a backup behind Aaron Rodgers. Matt Flynn left Green Bay for Seattle and Graham Harrell has been underwhelming in that role so far. For now, though, McCoy is a member of the Browns and he's fine with that.
"You hear all of the rumors," he said. "I keep a real tight mind-set that my job is quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. And I'm going to go out here and compete and give my best to this city and this organization, because this is where I was drafted, and I don't want to be anywhere else."
Talk about unconditional loyalty. Still, barring injuries or the unforeseen, McCoy's only job in Cleveland will be to serve as Weeden's understudy.
During an appearance Monday on NFL Network's NFL AM, Weeden spoke about the organization and his place in it.
"You know, I don't feel any pressure," he said via NFL.com. "I mean, obviously every Browns fan is starving to win games and I hear about it pretty much on a daily basis. But, I tell them, just like I tell the people in Cleveland, if I put any more added pressure on myself than what's already there, it's going to make playing on Sundays very difficult.
"It's already hard enough to play this position in this league, and so I don't really try to put any added pressure that doesn't need to be there on myself because, like I said, that's the last thing I need. I understand the history, I understand how many quarterbacks have played here since '99 and the whole deal. But I think that if you look at the guys around me, we've got some really good pieces in place and I think, being a quarterback, that makes you a better player."
We'll see. But whether Weeden feels a sense of urgency shouldn't obscure the stark realty: new owner Jimmy Haslam sounds like he'll have very little trouble cleaning house and starting over if the Browns struggle through another disappointing season. And that housecleaning could include Weeden.
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