The Browns are prepared to start rookie Colt McCoy in Pittsburgh with their two veteran QBs hobbled.
Colt McCoy has gotten increased work with the first team in the weeks since Jake Delhomme was originally injured Sept. 12 against Tampa Bay. "Everybody has to start their first game," said head coach Eric Mangini on Monday. "I'm sure [McCoy's] champing at the bit to get his first chance."BEREA, Ohio -- With Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace "really hurting" from their high ankle sprains, a league source says the team is prepared to start rookie Colt McCoy in Pittsburgh.
The Browns are also bringing back quarterback Brett Ratliff, who was on the Patriots' practice squad, his agent Joe Palumbo said. Ratliff was on his way to Ohio Monday night to sign his contract, which guarantees him a minimum of three game checks. Ratliff was waived by the Browns in the final cuts Sept. 4 and caught on briefly with the Jaguars before landing in New England.
He's expected to be the No. 2 behind McCoy in Pittsburgh if one of the top two can't go. McCoy, the Browns' third-round pick out of Texas, is the winningest quarterback in NCAA history with a 45 wins in 53 starts.
"Sometimes opportunity knocks and if you get that opportunity, you've got to be ready to seize it," Browns coach Eric Mangini said Monday. "[McCoy's] played a lot of games -- not at this level -- but in college and he's been in the system for quite some time. I'd expect him to seize it and to capitalize on it and to play really well."
Mangini declined to specify the injuries to Delhomme and Wallace, but sources said Delhomme re-injured his right ankle during the 20-10 loss to the Falcons, suffering both a high and low sprain, and that Wallace suffered a high right ankle sprain.
Delhomme could be out a while pending results of an MRI, and the Browns were working hard Monday to try to get Wallace back on the field as soon as possible. Still, most high ankle sprains require at least several weeks off.
Guard Shawn Lauvao, who suffered his high ankle sprain the week before the opener, has already missed five games, and Delhomme was expected to sit out at least four.
Mangini did acknowledge that Delhomme, who missed three games after being injured in the opener in Tampa, was "really sore" -- and the source said even more so than Sunday. Before the game, Delhomme had the ankle injected with painkillers. Replacing Wallace at the end of the first half, Delhomme may have re-injured it on a 10-yard sack late in the third quarter.
Brett Ratliff has not thrown a pass in a regular-season NFL game, but he returns to the Browns this week with more than a year of familiarity with the Brian Daboll offense.Mangini said the Browns have no regrets about putting Delhomme in. "There's always that chance [of injury]," he said.
Wallace suffered his sprain on a sack just before the end of the first half. He hopped off the field and into the locker room. After the game, he didn't put weight on it, and looked far worse than Delhomme did after the Tampa game.
Wallace's injury came after completing 11 of 15 attempts for 139 yards, one TD and a 124 rating against the Falcons. Overall, he's earned a 88.5 mark.
"Seneca did a nice job of spreading the ball around," said Mangini. "That was important. He was able to get the receivers, tight ends and backs involved and that forced the defense to defend the width and length of the field."
If McCoy starts, he'll be the first Browns rookie quarterback to start against the Steelers since Charlie Frye in a 41-0 loss on Christmas Eve, 2005. Frye completed 20 of 39 attempts for 183 yards and was sacked eight times.
"It's only the Steelers, right?" said Mangini, maintaining a sense of humor. "Coming off a bye week? They don't blitz much."
Mangini noted that the Cardinals started an undrafted rookie, Max Hall, at quarterback on Sunday against the Super Bowl champion Saints -- and Arizona won, 30-20.
"They set the tone," said Mangini.
Fortunately for McCoy, he has received some work with the first-team offense during the three weeks Delhomme has been idle. "He got quite a few reps during that time," said Mangini.
McCoy, who was supposed to be "red-shirted" this season, didn't get much quality time in preseason, but did start the preseason finale against the Bears and fared well. He went 13-for-13 for 131 yards and a 108.7 rating. Ratliff, who's never taken a snap in a real NFL game, earned a 40.6 rating in preseason, McCoy was at 65.3.
Ratliff was originally part of the trade with the Jets in 2009 that enabled New York to pick quarterback Mark Sanchez.
"Everybody has to start their first game," said Mangini. "That's what all these guys are looking for, that moment to show what they can do. I'm sure [McCoy's] champing at the bit to get his first chance.
"If you didn't have that guy, then you drafted the wrong guy. If he's sitting at home at night curled up in a blanket hoping he doesn't get the start, you've got the wrong guy. You look for that competitiveness, you want the young guys to always be pushing the guy in front of them, saying, 'come on, move out of the way, give me my chance to do it.'"
McCoy probably won't have a healthy Peyton Hillis to rely on. Hillis aggravated his thigh vs. the Falcons and his status is uncertain.
"If we can just get everybody healthy around [McCoy], that'll show a lot of support," said linebacker David Bowens. "I have total confidence if that's the choice. I think the guy will come in and do a great job. He's been in the system for a while now, he understands what we're trying to get done."