by Who didn’t love Colt McCoy? For many, the 2010 draft pick out of Texas was the hopeful second coming of Bernie Kosar was the Browns took him in the third round. Sadly, it never quote panned out but with McCoy recently announcing his retirement, I thought it would be fun to go back and look at some of the better times we had with Colt while he was in Cleveland.
Enjoy!
The 2010 season was an anomaly in many ways however, as it featured the debut of the beloved Texas Quarterback legend Colt McCoy who many Browns fans thought would be the next Bernie Kosar. The season started off with someone completely different however as Cleveland signed former Carolina Panthers Super Bowl appearing quarterback Jake Delhomme.
On March 13, 2010, Delhomme signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Browns and easily won the starting quarterback job over Seneca Wallace after competing with him during training camp. However, he suffered a high ankle sprain during the second quarter of the Browns’ first game of the season, a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Delhomme wouldn’t return to Week 5 at home against Atlanta.
Prior to the injury, the Browns and their fans had high hopes for Delhomme from everything he overcame and achieved in Carolina. After spending 6 years in NFL Europe, he finally got his chance to play in the NFL in 2003 with the Panthers. The Panthers had been struggling, and were just one season removed from a dismal 1–15 season, during which they set a then-NFL record for consecutive losses in a single season. Although Rodney Peete was the Panthers’ starter, Delhomme was looked at to be the future of the franchise.
At halftime of the 2003 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Panthers were down 14–0. Delhomme took over for Peete and threw three touchdowns, the last coming in a fourth-down situation with just 16 seconds left in the game, to lead the Panthers to a comeback victory. Panther head coach John Fox wanted to keep with the hot hand thus he started the following week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and proceeded to start every game during the 2003 season.
The move to Delhomme was the perfect answer as Including the playoffs, Delhomme led the Panthers on eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in the 2003 season, the most game-winning drives any QB has ever had in a single season. The “Jake Magic” was felt in the playoffs as well as he led them to a Super Bowl appearance after a double-overtime victory against the St. Louis Rams and then defeating the first seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game, the Panthers made it through to Super Bowl XXXVIII to face the New England Patriots.
He lit it up in the Super Bowl with a masterful 16-of-33 for 323 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 113.6 passer rating performance. He also set a record for longest offensive play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history with an 85-yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad. If it wasn’t for a last-minute field goal by Adam Vinatieri, the Panthers would have won and Delhomme would have been the MVP.
His next 6 seasons in Carolina were up and down, but with no return trips to the big game. He would finish his time in Carolina with 19,258 yards passing and 120 touchdowns. He also led the Panthers to the NFC’s best record in 2008 with a 12-4 mark. The Browns were getting someone they could trust behind center and finally ending the ongoing Brady Quinn versus Derek Anderson drama at the same time by cutting both.
Delhomme’s return from injury Week Five against Atlanta as he was noticeably not 100% while playing and ultimately re-injured his ankle in a dismal 20-10 loss to the Falcons. Enter, the next great hope of Cleveland football, Colt McCoy.
The run of Colt McCoy in Cleveland was very short, but my goodness, was it fun, for a brief fleeting moment, it seemed as though he would be the next big thing in Cleveland sports. In 2006, after spending his redshirted freshman season behind Vince Young as The University of Texas won the National Championship, Colt would finally get his chance to lead the Longhorns. After winning out a close competition with Jevan Snead, McCoy became the 2006 starting quarterback for the University of Texas. The season opener saw McCoy lead the Longhorns to a 56–7 victory over North Texas, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing a yard for another, while throwing no interceptions.
He was 12–19 in passing, and ran for 27 yards to help set up a touchdown. In only his second pass as a college quarterback McCoy threw a 60-yard touchdown pass. He was the first Texas freshman quarterback to start and win a season-opening game since Bobby Layne in 1944. Following wins over Rice, Iowa State, and Sam Houston State, McCoy got his first win over a ranked team, as well as his first come-from-behind victory, when he led the Longhorns over rival Oklahoma 28–10 in the Red River Shootout. McCoy threw for two touchdowns in the game.
The two touchdowns by McCoy gave him 12 touchdown passes for the season, tied for third with Longhorn passer James Brown in the list of most touchdowns by a Texas freshman. He was just getting started, On October 14, 2006, McCoy threw a Texas record six touchdown passes in the win against Baylor. In the 2006 Oklahoma State game McCoy threw for his 27th passing touchdown of the season, giving him sole possession of the single-season Texas record and putting him two touchdowns shy of the NCAA single season record for freshman quarterbacks (29).
He just kept pouring it on during his sophomore year in 2007 with Texas as in the road opener was the first game ever played in the new home stadium of the UCF Knights. McCoy’s 47 passing attempts tied a Texas single-game record. His 32 completions set a new school record, besting the 30 completed by Vince Young during the 2006 Rose Bowl and by Major Applewhite during two 1999 games.
It was the just the beginning of a great season for Colt McCoy as by the time they reached bowl season he had 21 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards. In the 2007 Holiday Bowl, against Arizona State, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 52–34 victory and won the offensive-player MVP award.
As the 2008 season began and the nations attention was on Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, it was McCoy who just kept pouring it on. He didn’t need the constant national attention and just continued to shine as on January 5, 2009, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 24–21 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. McCoy completed 41-of-59 passes for 414 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was named the Offensive Player of the Game for his performance.
This was the perfect conclusion to a huge season that saw McCoy named the 2008 AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Heading into the bowl game he had already had 3,594 passing yards for the season with 2 touchdowns.
Heading into 2010, with the National spotlight continuing to shine solely on guys like Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, McCoy just kept balling out. He led the Texas Longhorns to a perfect 12–0 regular season record, as well as a 13–12 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the Big 12 Championship. He became the most victorious quarterback in NCAA history with 45 career wins. Under the direction of McCoy, the Longhorn offense scored 550 points in 2009.
McCoy led the Longhorns to the 2009 National Championship game where the Longhorns took on the heavily favored Alabama Crimson Tide. Sadly, he left the 2010 BCS National Championship Game during Texas’ first offensive drive early in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. McCoy was replaced by true freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Alabama would go on to win the game 37–21. Despite the sad ending, is UT career was a giant success as he finished with a career record of 45-8 including 112 touchdowns passes and 13,253 yards.
McCoy was a folk hero in Texas and was now coming to a quarterback starved town who desperately wanted him to work out so they could love him. McCoy was drafted in the third round as the 85th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft. Pointing out that Cleveland already had three quarterbacks, Browns president Mike Holmgren said McCoy would likely not play his first season with the team in order to develop him as an NFL quarterback. However, that plan was nuked by Week Six when starting quarterback Jake Delhomme and back-up Seneca Wallace were both sidelined and McCoy made his first career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers
It wasn’t the ideal first start, but it wasn’t bad either as McCoy completed 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the Browns’ loss. He also scrambled four times for 22 yards. It was what he did the next two weeks that had fans buzzing when the following week against the New Orleans Saints he led the Browns to contributed to a shocking victory over the defending Super Bowl champions 30–17 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
If that wasn’t enough to get everyone excited, the following week, thanks to the big day from Hillis mentioned earlier, on November 7, McCoy made his third consecutive start and led the Browns to another upset victory, this time against the New England Patriots 34–14.
The Browns were suddenly 3-5 and back in contention as McCoy had Cleveland feeling really good! The following week he led the Browns on a last second, two minute drive to tie the game against the AFC powerhouse New York Jets and force overtime. The Browns would ultimately lose the game 26-20, but McCoy continued to show he could handle the big moments.
McCoy finished his rookie season starting 8 games, with a 2–6 record, and with six touchdown-s against nine interceptions but none of that mattered because all fans wanted to talk about and remember was those back-to-back stunning wins over New England and New Orleans led by McCoy.
In 2011 McCoy became the full time starter for the Browns. In the home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, McCoy completed 19 of 40 attempts for 213 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 27–17 loss. The next two weeks, the Browns defeated the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins with McCoy throwing combined 41 of 71 attempts, 421 yards, and three touchdowns with one interception in back-to-back come from behind wins in the over Indy and Miami. The win over the Dolphins coming with a last second touchdown drive!
Injuries and bad decisions by personnel running the team derailed his time in Cleveland, but those brief moments will forever live in Browns fans hearts! Everyone just wanted to love and be like Colt McCoy!
Don’t believe me? Colt was so popular with teammates and fans in college, that country musician Aaron Watson wrote and performed the following song about Colt at his wedding in July of 2010 to Rachel Glandorf. The song entitled, “When I Grow Up I Want to Be Just Like Colt McCoy.”
It goes a little like this,
“lyrics”
Some say he’s a ninja, rumor has it he’s Superman,
Hes got the heart of a lion, still hes as gentle as old Peter Pan,
All you Hatfields better beware, I heard he’s stronger than a Kodiak bear,
He’s your real deal, he’s no decoy, he’s still his mama’s little pride and joy.
Hey, when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy,
He’s the true gun-slinging inspiration to every small town country boy,
Having cool friends like Jordan Shipley,
(Well ain’t no singers singin’ songs about me)
Well when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy.
Everybody and their dog is doggin’ on the little quarterback from Jim Ned,
Too short too slow and way too skinny, its what the headlines read.
So he hit the weights, protein shakes, and lord behold, he started to grow,
Now he’s gettin’ sick and tired of people getting fired up, for rubbing elbows with Tim Tebow.
Hey, when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy,
He’s the true gun-slinging inspiration to every small town country boy,
Having cool friends like Jordan Shipley,
(Well ain’t no singers singin’ songs about me)
Well when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy.
There’s a new sheriff in town,
Shaking hands and kissing babies,
Throwing lazer beam touchdowns.
Hey, when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy,
He’s the straight shootin’ gun inspiration to every small town country boy,
I’d have cool friends like Jordan Shipley,
(Well ain’t no singers singin’ songs about me)
Well when I grow up I wanna be just like Colt McCoy.
