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Season in Review Part 1: QB (Part 2) Colt McCoy

Colt McCoy wasn’t supposed to see the field in 2010. His job was to sit behind Delhomme and Wallace while learning the playbook and getting a feel for the NFL. He was third on the depth chart. Well, in true Cleveland fashion, McCoy was forced into the starting role due to injuries.

Let’s take a look at the game by game statistics for Colt:

@PIT: 23-33, 69.7%, 281 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 80.5 rating, 8.52 Y/A, 5 sacks

@NOR: 9-16, 56.3%, 74 yards, 68.2 rating, 4.63 Y/A, 1 sack

NE: 14-19, 73.7%, 174 yards, 101.6 rating, 9.16 Y/A, 0 sacks

NYJ: 18-31, 58.1%, 205 yards, 1 TD, 88.8 rating, 6.61 Y/A, 3 sacks

@JAX: 17-28, 60.7%, 241 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 85.6 rating, 8.61 Y/A, 6 sacks

(Missed weeks 11, 12, 13)

@CIN: 19-25, 76%, 243 yards, 2 TD, 132.6 rating, 9.72 Y/A, 4 sacks

BAL: 15-29, 51.7%, 149 yards, 3 INT, 27 rating, 5.14 Y/A, 0 sacks

PIT: 20-41, 48.8%, 209 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 41.6 rating, 5.1 Y/A, 4 sacks

Season total: 135-222, 60.8%, 1576 yards, 6 TD, 9 INT, 74.5, 7.1 Y/A, 23 sacks, 1 fumble (1 recovery), 136 rushing yards on 28 attempts (4.86 average), 1 rushing TD

McCoy ranked 26th in DVOA at 3.7%.

For a third round rookie, you have to be at least pleased by what you saw. Let’s break down these statistics.

PIT: Honestly, did anyone expect these numbers for his debut? They weren’t jaw dropping by any means, but other good QBs in the league had done worse against Pittsburgh. Even after getting sacked and knocked around, Colt didn’t waver. He continued to try to move the ball down the field instead of settling for 2 yard passes all the time. Ultimately the Pitt defense prevailed, but I was definitely encouraged.

NO: When you compare the two games, you’d think that Colt had a really rough day. But this win was a result of trick plays and defense. Colt was more of a "game manager" in this game, but he did what he had to do.

NE: This was a pretty awesome game from Colt. He had a rushing touchdown in this game after brilliantly avoiding a sack. I’d say a 9.16 Y/A is great for a top team like the Patriots.

NYJ: I’d say that this was one of the more disappointing games of this season. We all wanted to see that "moment" from Colt, and we got it. He marched us down the field to score and tie the game in the waning seconds, which included a brilliant throw to Evan Moore with Revis covering him. Colt put us in a position to win this game, but Stuckey fumbled and we all know what happened next…

Jacksonville: Rough game for Colt. He wasn’t getting the ball out quickly enough. He was getting knocked around and sacked constantly. He threw a lot of questionable passes. The running game couldn’t get going in this game either. This was the first truly "rookie" game for Colt.

Cincinnati: I think this was probably Colt’s best game of the season. He almost had 10 yards per attempt, didn’t make bad throws, and had two touchdown passes. (Although you could probably argue that one to Robiskie had some luck to it.)

Baltimore and Pitt: These two games were poor and disappointing outings from Colt. If you throw two INTs to Ed Reed, you don’t have a very good chance to win the game. After doing pretty well against Pittsburgh the first time, I expected more out of him. The first INT to Polamalu wasn’t really his fault, but the next two were. His accuracy in both of these games disappeared.

However, if we look at the big picture, you have to be excited about Colt’s potential as our franchise QB. He’s going to be a great fit for the WCO. His accuracy in the intermediate range is outstanding. Generally, he makes smart decisions. He can avoid sacks and has great mobility. Another good thing about Colt was how much more involved Robiskie was. (I may end up doing a piece on Robiskie, so I’m not going to include the stats now.) He also has great chemistry with Watson, Hillis, and Stuckey.

The big question, as we all know, is his arm strength. If Colt can improve that deep ball, I think we’re set at QB for many years to come. He’s a smart guy. Give him an entire offseason as the starter, get some offensive weapons, and the production will come.

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