Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We look at quarterback Colt McCoy entering 2023 as training camp approaches.
The Arizona Cardinals open training camp at the end of this month, so we will do a roster review, highlighting each player currently on the roster, going over last season, their salary and cap number, questions they face and what their expected roster status will be.
Next up is quarterback Colt McCoy.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
He is ranked 30th out of 32 teams by Touchdown Wire.
Kyler Murray is the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback but he is unlikely to start the season as he is coming off ACL surgery. He is expected to miss several games to start the year.
Colt McCoy is the likely starter for Arizona in Week 1 and, per Touchdown Wire’s rankings of the 32 expected Week 1 starters, he is nearly dead last.
He is ranked 30th by Doug Farrar.
One of the more reliable veterans over the last decade, Colt McCoy will need to strap in for the first half of the season with Kyler Murray out with a serious injury. McCoy may be reliable and can win games, but cannot elevate teams on his own.
That last statement sums up McCoy nicely. He can win games but won’t elevate the team.
Would he be better placed above unproven players like Green Bay’s Jordan Love, rookie Anthony Richardson and Tampa’s Baker Mayfield? Perhaps, but the reality is that whether he is ranked 27th or 32nd, he isn’t much of a starting quarterback. He is perfect to get through a game or to fill in for a game or two, but you won’t be successful as a team if you have to rely on him over a long course of the season.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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How do the NFC West backup quarterbacks stack up against one another?
The NFC West starting quarterback situation is set, although three teams have some question marks regarding injuries (Kyler Murray and his knee, Brock Purdy and his elbow and Matthew Stafford and his elbow).
But what about the backup quarterback situation?
How do they stack up against one another in the division?
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Essentially, if you’re born with the name General Booty could you really be anything else besides the quarterback at a football powerhouse?
(OK, maybe don’t answer that, actually…)
Football has legends just like any sport but does any other sport have player’s names that match their skills quite like football does?
For instance, Jack Youngblood was born to be a football player. Being born with that name pretty much guaranteed he was going to be destined for greatness at Florida and with the NFL’s Rams or he was going to be a professional boxer. There wasn’t another option.
What about quarterbacks specifically though? Which have had the most quarterback-y sounding names in the history of college football?
I ask because Oklahoma just landed a commitment from JUCO transfer General Booty and although I can think of a few other job titles a name like that could hold, being quarterback at a college football powerhouse sounds somewhat fitting.
It got me thinking of the best college quarterbacks based solely on their names and nothing they actually accomplished on the field.
Here’s my top ten:
Arizona’s WR corps is underwhelming, and the QB situation is even bleaker.
A year ago, all the arrows were pointed up for the Arizona Cardinals. They’d made the playoffs in 2021, handed head coach Kliff Kingsbury a lucrative contract extension, and swung a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire wide receiver Marquise Brown with the idea of pairing him with WR DeAndre Hopkins to bring quarterback Kyler Murray to the next level. Yeah, about all that…
As we sit here in late June, Hopkins is a free agent after having been released, Murray is rehabbing from a torn ACL, Kingsbury is an assistant coach at USC, and the Cardinals are the betting favorites in most spots to have the NFL’s worst record. Things change fast.
Fantasy owners looking to get a read on Arizona’s receivers should probably start with the quarterback situation, specifically when Murray will return and who’ll fill in for him. The second question is far easier to answer as the expectation is QB Colt McCoy will be the Week 1 starter. Beyond that, it gets dicey in a hurry. Murray tore his ACL on Dec. 12, and while there’s been some chatter that he could return before midseason it’s impossible to know.
What makes it even more difficult to project is we can’t know how the new regime views 2023. If the team is terrible, as many believe is possible, would they consider holding out Murray entirely for a shot at USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024? If so, might they try one of the younger quarterbacks, such as rookie QB Clayton Tune, instead of McCoy once the season goes sideways? There are a lot of moving parts, but let’s see what the Cardinals at working with on the outside.
Colt McCoy was worried he wouldn’t be able to follow up Vince Young’s great career.
While Texas fans can debate until they are blue in the face which quarterback will go down as the best in program history, both Colt McCoy and Vince Young are the epitome of Texas football. Continue reading “Colt McCoy reveals the pressures of taking over after Vince Young”
McCoy, who didn’t really consider retirement after last season, told his kids they could have a dog after he retires.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy didn’t really consider retiring after the 2022 season. He has a year left on his contract and will make more this season than any of his previous years.
More importantly, he wants to continue to play and knew he would have the opportunity to do it, especially with Kyler Murray’s injury.
McCoy will likely be the team’s starter in Week 1.
“I think I told you guys last year, opportunities to play in this league don’t grow on tress,” he told reporters after practice on Monday. “I understand the situation that we are in and I still want to play. And I still feel confident that I can play.”
He never seriously considered retirement, but he did give his kids a reason to look forward to when he does retire.
“Here’s the deal — I told my kids when I retire, we can get a dog,” he said. “We’re not getting a dog right now.”
Essentially, he doesn’t want to have to worry about working and cleaning up after a dog when his kids fail to do so.
But his kids see everyone with dogs and want one. McCoy’s siblings, Kyler Murray and many people have dogs.
McCoy said his two older daughters leave pictures of dogs they have drawn in his room or on his sink to remind him.
His son brings it up.
“From the moment I said that, my son every day is like, ‘are you going to retire? Are you going to play?'” McCoy recounted. “I go, ‘what do you want me to do?’ He goes, ‘well I want you to play.’ ‘So we’ll wait for a dog.’
“‘Ahh…I kind of want a dog.’ He goes back and forth. It’s a funny joke at home.”
Too bad for the kids. McCoy will turn 37 later this year. They are going to have to wait at least until next year for a dog.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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McCoy revealed that the injury limiting him this offseason has been his elbow. He has been ramped back up to throw in team drills.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy has been working through a minor offseason injury. Early in the offseason, we learned that would be limited in the offseason program, but the injury wasn’t disclosed.
He ended the season with a neck injury and concussion symptoms.
McCoy revealed Monday that he has been dealing with something else.
“I had some elbow stuff,” he told reporters. “Just kind of been taking care of it all offseason.”
He has made improvements.
“They’ve ramped me back up to be able into being able to some team drills and throws.”
Things are going fine.
“It’s been god,” he said. “Just been focusing on that and I feel pretty good.”
The Cardinals have three days of voluntary OTAs left and then a week of mandatory minicamp. He will then have more than a month to prepare for training camp.
McCoy is currently slated to be the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1, assuming Kyler Murray will not be ready to start the season as he continues to recover from his torn ACL.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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McLaurin loves what Bieniemy has brought to the Commanders.
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Terry McLaurin learned this week he is the longest tenured Washington offensive player.
Julie Donaldson informed McLaurin when the two sat down for a chat this week.
McLaurin expressed he has focused on maintaining the standard set by coaches, has been learning to become more comfortable as a leader and have the courage to say what needs to be said.
TERRY MCLAURIN.
WHAT. A. CATCH. 😵
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/yfI9Ajy8RS— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 12, 2021
Eric Bieniemy, the new offensive coordinator, has brought in his new offense, and McLaurin is busy learning it as quickly as he can. “It’s been fun, challenging at times. But it has forced us to come in with a different level of focus each and every day because you’re learning something new.”
McLaurin spoke of the team having a new offensive coaching staff and two new quarterbacks being a challenge in itself. “It’s your job, so you gotta figure it out.”
“He (Bieniemy) definitely coaches hard… I wanted to put my best foot forward and make a good impression, knowing that he can trust me as a leader, as a player; I am going to do my job.”
“I think his intensity is something we all feel so far.”
When Donaldson spoke that this season means for McLaurin another new quarterback, McLaurin paused, simply nodded in the affirmative, and calmly said, “Yeah.” Donaldson responded, “That says enough right there.”
Donaldson then inquired if McLaurin knew how many quarterbacks from whom he had caught passes since coming to Washington. McLaurin replied, “It’s got to be double digits now, right?” Yes, it’s ten, affirmed Donaldson.
The ten quarterbacks to whom Donaldson was referring are: Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Colt McCoy, Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell.
Sometimes we have our own idea of what leadership will be for us. We imagine how others will need to adjust to us. However, McLaurin has had to learn the hard way that for him, it is himself adjusting to change and leading teammates to follow his example.
PFF even has Jordan Love and Sam Howell ahead of McCoy.
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t expecting quarterback Kyler Murray to be ready to start the season, as he recovers and rehabs his surgically repaired right knee. As such, Colt McCoy is expected to begin the season as the team’s starting quarterback.
So when PFF ranked the starting quarterbacks in the NFL, it was McCoy thy used for the Cardinals.
In unsurprising fashion, he ranks quiet low. Only three quarterbacks are below him and two have yet to play a snap in the NFL.
He comes in at No. 29.
With Kyler Murray not likely to be ready until late in the season, if at all, McCoy will helm the Cardinals’ offense for most of the season. It would be easy to assume that’s the worst quarterback situation in the league, but the chances are that one of the better backups in the game performs better than some of the young starters. McCoy has handled more than 100 dropbacks in each of the past two seasons, completing 71% of his passes at 6.6 yards per attempt over that time.
Who is below McCoy? The Texans’ rookie C.J. Stroud, the Falcons’ Desmond Ridder and the Colts’ rookie Anthony Richardson.
Jordan Love of the Packers and Sam Howell of the Commanders are among the players above McCoy who perhaps are questionable. Love has not proven anything. Howell played one game as a rookie.
Should they be above McCoy? That is questionable.
Baker Mayfield can be above McCoy. But McCoy probably deserves to be more like 26 or 27 than 29.
Sure, it’s quibbling over a couple of spots and it is clear that the Cardinals, having McCoy as a starter, are not in a good situation.
But behind Howell and Love? C’mon!
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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