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Giants Now: 5 things to know about Colt McCoy

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5 things to know about Colt McCoy

Starting quarterback Daniel Jones injured his hamstring during last week's win over the Cincinnati Bengals, putting his status for this weekend's game in jeopardy.

If Jones is unable to go, veteran Colt McCoy will start under center for the Giants. Filling in for the injured Jones last week, McCoy completed six of 10 passes for 31 yards against the Bengals, adding five carries for seven yards.

If he does start, it will be his first since Week 5 of the 2019 season when he was a member of Washington and completed 18 of 27 passes for 122 yards and an interception against the New England Patriots.

Here are five things to know about the veteran quarterback.

1. This will be McCoy's 11th season in the NFL. He spent the last six years primarily as a backup in Washington, where he appeared in 12 games and made seven starts. He was originally a third-round selection in 2010 by Cleveland, where he made 21 of his 28 career starts over three seasons. In between, he spent the 2013 season with the San Francisco 49ers.

2. Overall, McCoy has completed 566 of 933 pass attempts (60.7 percent) for 6,111 yards with 29 touchdowns to 27 interceptions in 41 games. He also has 135 rushing attempts for 504 yards and two scores. McCoy is the only quarterback from the 2010 NFL Draft class who is currently active.

3. McCoy joins Daniel Jones and Clayton Thorson (practice squad) in the quarterbacks room, which is led by Jerry Schuplinski. Schuplinski entered the NFL with the Patriots in 2013. He was a coaching assistant for three seasons before beginning a three-year stint as the team's assistant quarterbacks coach. New England won three Super Bowls in Schuplinski's six seasons with the team. In 2019, Schuplinski moved to Miami and helped the Dolphins finish 12th in the NFL with 237.8 passing yards a game.

View photos of the career of veteran quarterback Colt McCoy.

4. McCoy starred at Texas from 2006-09, earning 45 victories in 53 career starts to finish as the winningest quarterback in NCAA history at the time. He completed 1,157 of 1,645 passes for 13,253 yards with 112 touchdowns and 45 interceptions, while adding 447 rushes for 1,571 yards and 20 touchdowns.

At the time, he was the only quarterback in college annals to win at least 10 or more games in each of his four seasons. He finished his collegiate career owning 47 school records. His 13,253 passing yards ranked sixth in college football history and his 112 passing touchdowns ranked seventh all-time.

As a senior in 2009, McCoy received the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. In 2008, he completed a school-record 332 completions on 433 attempts, setting an NCAA season-record with his completion percentage of 76.67 and threw for a career-high 3,859 yards and 34 touchdowns.

5. McCoy attended Jim Ned H.S. in Tuscola, Texas, where his father Brad served as head coach of the football team. He was a two-time Associated Press 2A Offensive MVP and first-team all-state pick. He finished his prep career as the all-time leading passer in Texas 2A history and sixth overall across all size classifications in Texas history.

McCoy was also a four-year starter in basketball and was an all-state selection as a junior. He was a three-time regional qualifier in track, including the mile relay and 110M hurdles. His wife Rachel was a middle-distance track and field athlete for Baylor University. His grandfather Burl McCoy is a member of the Abilene Christian University Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits both as an athlete and as the former women's basketball coach. His brother Case played quarterback at Texas as well. Colt McCoy was born in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Daniel Jones: "Doing everything I can to get out there"

When an injury creates uncertainty about a player's availability for his team's next game, he is often asked during the practice week if he could play that day.

Daniel Jones, undergoing treatment for the right hamstring injury he suffered three days ago in Cincinnati, was asked on a post-practice Zoom if he could have played if the Giants were playing the Seattle Seahawks today instead of Sunday.

"I'm not sure," Jones said. "I think, luckily, there's not a game today and to think of a hypothetical here, I'm sure we all use the week to prepare our bodies to play on Sundays. That's part of the schedule and the way it works for all of us, so I'm not sure. My goal is to continue to improve throughout the week.

"I certainly want to play and I want to be out there and doing everything I can to get out there. Where that puts me or how I recover depends on what I do day to day and that's what my focus is, on what I'm doing and focusing on healing up."

Jones was the only player on the Giants' roster who did not practice today but he was in meetings and is as immersed as ever in the game plan.

"(I am) preparing the way I always do to play and making sure that while I'm not in practice today," Jones said. "Still getting those reps and making sure I understand what exactly we're doing and prepare myself to play. That's certainly my approach this week as it would be any."

If he doesn't improve enough to face the Seahawks, backup Colt McCoy will make his first start of the season. McCoy was asked what he needs to do to replace Jones, who started each of the first 11 games.

"I just need to go out there execute and be myself," said McCoy, an 11-year veteran. "Daniel has played at a really high level the last three weeks (in Giants victories). I think that's why it's so frustrating for him. You could see the growth that he's made. He's playing at a really high level."

What Pete Carroll is saying about the Giants ahead of Week 13 matchup

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll spoke with Giants beat reporters on Wednesday ahead of the Week 13 showdown between the two franchises.

Here is what the head coach had to say.

Q: What do the Giants miss if Daniel Jones can't play and how will it change the defensive game plan?

A: He's been a dynamic player running and throwing. He's got a lot of running yards, a lot of big plays, explosive plays. He has an arm that can throw everything. He's got all of the throws in him. He's a very dynamic player who makes things happen. I'm sure he's a tough guy to miss.

Q: And how will you game plan for Colt McCoy?

A: (laughs) I wouldn't really tell you, you know? But we're going to expect Colt being an experienced player and having been through it all that they can run whatever they want to run now. They're not going to restrict their stuff I wouldn't think. Colt over the years has thrown every throw you can throw, and he has run the football well enough and all of that, so we're not expecting them to change a whole lot. We're expecting them to have a real experienced guy at the helm and running the show.

Q: How has it been working with Jamal Adams? What does he add to the team?

A: He's been awesome. He's been nothing but high energy. Very humble, very outgoing on the field and around our players. Really high-spirited at all times. He's a dream. He's the kind of guy you want to add to your team. He brings juice, toughness, playmaking, and he's really humble around other players and that he loves to celebrate their good plays and the things they do. He's been very giving that way. He's been great.

Q: As a former DB coach, do you relate a little more personally to that position?

A: Absolutely. That's always been the case. I've always felt connected to DBs more so and communicate with them on a different level, I think, than other players, just because of my background and history and stuff.

Q: You coached with losing record that won a playoff game. Does your perspective on that change if you have to play a NFC East champion that will probably have a worse record than you?

A: The guidelines are the guidelines; I don't think it should be judged by how many games you won. If you win your division, you win your division. That's the way it was then, that's the way it is now, and I don't think there's any problem with it. Whoever comes out of that division, the division champ, whoever plays them better look out. There's a lot going on that side of it in what you want to prove and how you want to go about it. I know we had a real rousing game at that time in that opportunity and our guys played great football. That's what you've got to do to win the game and go to the next one. I don't think there's anything that should be stated just after this year. That's the way the schedule broke and that's how it worked out, and whoever wins is the champion of that division.

Q: Pete, do you feel better about your defense after getting [Safety] Jamal [Adams] and [Defensive End Carlos] Dunlap into the mix? By the way, how is his foot and will he be okay this week?

A: We're getting better, there's no doubt we're getting better. We took a turn halfway through the Rams game and you could see in the second half of the Rams game we played really solid, then came out the next week against the Cardinals and then last week again. I'm really proud that you can see the connection happening as our guys have gotten a chance to get together. Jamal hurt his shoulder in the Rams game and played a couple weeks with it in bad shape. He's getting better too physically, he played with it. Carlos, I can't tell you much yet, we won't know for the next couple of days, but he's just got a sore foot and we don't think he's going to miss because of that. I can't tell you all of that until I see him. But those guys playing together and [CB] Shaquill [Griffin] getting back out there helps us tremendously, and just the continuity that is starting to come can make a difference for us down the stretch here.

Q: Nobody has to tell you it's been a very strange year – the Ravens and Steelers are playing shortly, which says how strange it is. You're the only team I believe that does not have a positive COVID test. Is that correct?

A: Yeah, we're fighting for it every day.

Q: I'm sure you don't have any magic formula or special air in Seattle, but is there something you've done or try to relay to your players that has succeeded in keeping that out of your building?

A: What I can tell you is that the results of the process are showing, that our guys have done a fantastic job of buying in. The leadership in the club with [QB] Russell [Wilson] and [LB] Bobby Wagner and [OLB] K.J. Wright, [LT] Duane Brown, the guys that have carried the message for us. It has to be happening on that end of it. We have a very, very strict program here in every way. We try to max it out in every aspect of it, but that only goes as far as when the guys leave the building and then they're on their own. We've felt all along like we needed to create a bubble – even though it extended into where they personally live and all and their activities and the people they're around and all of that. I think our guys, they've obviously done a great job of buying in. And this isn't by just luck, these guys have worked their tails off to get this done. They've sacrificed. What I think has carried them through this is the right attitude about being tough about it and being demanding on yourself and helping one another overcome and just human nature is wanting to go the easy way. It's been hard and that's what we learned. I'm proud of it, but it's day to day. We're trying to keep it going.

Q: You got fined early in the season for not wearing the mask correctly. Was that kind of a wakeup call do you think to yourself that, look we've got to follow these protocols, dot the i's, cross the t's and that stuff?

A: Not necessarily in that regard, but it was a good reminder that I just got sloppy in that instance and I can't afford to be, I can't afford to represent that in an effort to try to do this thing better than anybody's ever done this before. So, I needed to get my own butt kicked and I didn't mind that one bit. It's part of all the stuff that we've been dealing with to make sure that the emphasis is right.

Q: I don't have to tell you over the offseason that DeAndre Baker and [Seahawks Cornerback] Quinton Dunbar were obviously involved in that situation. The Giants cut ties with DeAndre Baker, you stuck with Quinton – I know he's on IR now. Can you just kind of go through the decision process there and why you did that?

A: Yeah, we felt like he deserved to be heard and deserved to have his opportunity and all of that, and it seems like it's turned out well. We've respected all the steps along the way and asked him to do the same, and he's done a fantastic job of holding up his own. If you want to look at it like a second chance or something, the guy deserves a second shot. Anyway, he did a good job and I'm glad that he's been able to make it through this far and he's holding up his end of it.

Q: [Seahawks Quarterback] Russell [Wilson] continues to do things that kind of amaze you. Are you still amazed by him and him being able to get seemingly better as time goes on even from a very high level?

A: Yeah, he's an amazing individual. I think he's a world-class competitor in every way that he approaches his work and his life and the way he plays on game day and the consistency that he's maintained for so long. His continued curiosity about getting better has been what's driven him. He's having his best season ever and he's leading us in every way. It's been just a joy, it's been a blast to be battling with him, competing with him. He's completing over 70 percent of his passes this late in the year, which is a marker, it's the best he's ever been. He had a couple games where he's had to bounce back from them, and he did and he's come back and played really good just like he always does. He continues to lead us in a really good, championship way. I hope that he can just keep taking it to this week and have a good game and keep showing what he's all about.

Q: You used that word 'curiosity' about getting better, I've never really heard that. What does that mean to you?

A: I think now that you've heard, just take a look at the great competitors that we watch across the landscape in sports and how they always are itching to figure out what somebody else is doing, what they're doing well, why are they having success and why does that guy act and respond the way he does, and there's a curiosity that is driven by this desire to be the best in the world. None of those athletes that we would call the all-timers, the great ones get along without that. They all have this burning desire to figure it out and how I can guarantee my success and make sure that I'm taking the proper steps, and Russell is every bit about that. He's curious, he just cares, it's just important to him and it can come from not just people in the sporting world. He'll see illustrations or examples of people in other walks and why do they care so much, why do they act the way they do? He just wants to try and understand it because he wants to own it, so that's why I say it that way.

View rare photos of the all-time history between the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.

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