Colt McCoy is no less intriguing (in the right system) despite a bad day at the lakefront Sunday.
Colt McCoy has a chance to become a good quarterback in the NFL for a good long time.
His three-interception avalanche on a wintry December day against Baltimore doesn't change that. In fact, Sunday only further served to frame McCoy's promise within the inevitable discussion about head coach Eric Mangini's future.
How could Mike Holmgren think this head coach and this manage-the-game-and-keep-it-close offensive philosophy is the best available custodian for McCoy's development, let alone offer fertile ground for McCoy's West Coast skills to blossom?
Nobody is saying Holmgren should make his decision based solely on putting the best support group around McCoy. Just that McCoy has shown enough, despite Sunday, to suggest his growth can happen fast under the right tutelage.
One reason to believe that -- in addition to his general accuracy and Sunday's improved work on third-down against a good NFL defense -- is how he handled flopping in front of the home fans (at least the ones who showed up).
"I gotta learn from this," McCoy said. "I gotta grow up. I gotta take care of the football."
A few months ago, Holmgren cautioned that McCoy shouldn't be "anointed." That goes for any rookie quarterback in the NFL.
There's another rule of thumb for Browns' quarterbacks: Don't build a statue to them until you first see the cold and winds of December turn them into an ice sculpture.
Yet, McCoy's hat-trick of turnovers Sunday seemed less related to wind and cold than to Baltimore's defense and safety Ed Reed.
"He read my eyes all day and made plays," McCoy lamented.
I don't know if McCoy's arm translates to January playoff wins by the lakefront. I do believe his head does.
Confidence isn't a particular shortcoming of his. Left to his own devices, or to those of a less buttoned-down head coach, the endzone (if not the sky) is the limit.
McCoy threw 30 times Sunday, completing 15 for 149 yards. His passer rating was 27.0. Wid receiver Mohamed Massaquoi threw the only Browns' touchdown pass.
"I made some poor throws," McCoy said. "I have to do a lot of things better.
McCoy called Sunday's field goal just before halftime "momentum," even though the Browns still trailed, even though Baltimore would receive the second half kickoff.
With possession at midfield and two minutes remaining, the Browns purposely tried to bleed the clock dry to ensure Baltimore would not have time to score again before halftime. They would happily settle for three if it meant giving Baltimore no chance to answer.
Guess what? Three is exactly what they got. Phil Dawson kicked the field goal on third down because McCoy didn't have a safe amount of time remaining to try throwing one more time. The Browns left two timeouts on the table.
"We didn't want to give them the ball back," said McCoy.
He may, in fact, actually believe that. Joe Thomas, for instance, called the strategy "good football."
At any rate, you wouldn't expect him to second-guess his head coach -- not after causing a stir a week earlier when he suggested that maybe getting pushed around by the Bengals was evidence the Browns didn't quite bring the necessary energy to the job.
McCoy has shown a lot more maturity than one ever thought possible back in the preseason when he looked lost beyond hope. It's unfair to suggest this coaching staff doesn't deserve any credit for bringing him along. Now, does McCoy sprout or get stifled by a philosophy that turns QBs into game managers?
Mike Holmgren has a big decision to make if he hasn't already made it.
Of his head coach and his quarterback, I think he's found his quarterback.