Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy walked to his locker Friday afternoon, snarled at the walking boot sitting in front of it and kicked the boot out of the way. Then he talked to reporters for the first time since getting the high ankle sprain diagnosis a few days after the Jacksonville game. "I'm glad I hadn't talked to you...
Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy walked to his locker Friday afternoon, snarled at the walking boot sitting in front of it and kicked the boot out of the way.
Then he talked to reporters for the first time since getting the high ankle sprain diagnosis a few days after the Jacksonville game.
"I'm glad I hadn't talked to you guys until now because I've just been in the tank," he said. "I never missed a practice, never missed a game. I kind of pride myself on that a little bit. It's part of it. My dad was a coach. You just don't miss unless something's broke."
McCoy, who sat out the Carolina game and is doubtful for Sunday's game in Miami, is determined to get back on the field sometime during the final four games of the season. Jake Delhomme has officially been named the starter for Sunday.
"As a competitor and a quarterback, that's all you want," he said. "You want to play. You want to be involved. I'm doing everything I can to get back out there as fast as I can. It's killing me more than it ever has.
"Even though we lost two games, we really felt, as a team, we were really getting close. We beat Carolina, which was great, and we have a big [game] this week. Hopefully, we'll get a good report at the first of next week and go from there."
McCoy said the ankle is coming along and he will have it re-evaluated Monday.
"The recovery, the rehab, everything has been going really good," he said. "We'll wait and see how it feels after the weekend."
McCoy, who was the starter in victories over the Saints and Patriots, has channeled his frustration into dissecting defenses and absorbing game plans. He was on the sidelines during the Panthers game last weekend, play sheet in hand.
"You can't let it affect you so much that you're not involved with your team or your coaches, so I've really plugged into that," he said. "I watch as much film as I always do, and I'm interacting with my teammates. I'm still involved as much as you can be while you're doing rehab."
But he wasn't about to get drawn into a quarterback controversy when asked if he will be re-installed as the starter when healthy.
"I'm not even going to go there," he said. "My focus is to get my foot right. What happens then, I don't know. It's just a bummer. I just have to go out there and make sure it feels OK."
McCoy said he's still encouraged that it's his left ankle and not his right plant-foot, the one Delhomme and Seneca Wallace sprained.
"I think it's a positive because a lot of the things we do as quarterbacks are on your right foot," he said. "The doctor said from the very beginning that you can't put a time frame on something like this because every person is different. Even with a high ankle, there's still things that are different from mine than were from Jake's or Seneca's."
McCoy did whatever he could to help Delhomme during the Panthers game -- even if he felt a little funny doing it.
"[Delhomme has] played for 15 years, so sometimes it's hard to say, 'Did you see that?', but I help him out if I can," said McCoy. "Jake can play on any team in the NFL. The guy's a veteran, he's a pro, he knows what he's doing. I'm just glad to have somebody like him around here. He's been huge for me."
Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll chuckled at the notion of the rookie helping the 12-year veteran, but says it's legit. </p>
"[McCoy] can see the game, yes," said Daboll. "In the games that he's played so far, he's been great. Coming off on the sideline with the pictures, he'll say 'I saw him here, I saw him coming.' It's because he studies his tail off."
McCoy defended Delhomme for the beating he has taken for his two interceptions in Sunday's 24-23 victory over Carolina.
"He missed a lot of time," said McCoy. "But Jake is fine. I can guarantee you that kind of stuff doesn't affect him. He's played for so long. I think we have a real good game plan this week going into Miami, and I think we've got a good grasp on what they do and some areas to attack, and I look for Jake to play great this weekend."
McCoy also appreciated the endorsement last week from Delhomme, who called him the Browns' quarterback of the future.
"Obviously I'm humbled," he said. "That's great. I appreciate it. But I know I've got a lot of ways to improve.
"Knowing where I want to be, I've got a lot of work to do. I just can't wait to get my foot healthy and get back out there and start working on those things."