EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Colt McCoy will start Sunday night as a quarterback for the New York Giants in place of injured Daniel Jones, sources told ESPN.
Jones was listed as questionable for the prime-time matchup with the Cleveland Browns due to hamstring and ankle injuries. The combination limited his mobility and range of motion even more than the week before when he was dealing with the hamstring problem.
Jones was limited in practice this week. McCoy then dealt with an increased workload, including Friday when he took the first photo with the starters in violation. That is generally a good indication of who will start in that week’s game.
McCoy led the Giants to an upset victory over the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago when he started in place of Jones. Now he gets the chance to do it again on a national stage against his former team and with Freddie Kitchens (the former Browns coach) calling plays in place of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
“I appreciated my time with the Browns. I wish we could have won more games,” said McCoy, who was selected in the third round by Cleveland of Texas in the 2010 NFL draw. “There are some great people in there. that organization. The fans and the people in Cleveland are great. My wife and I really enjoyed our time there. We just didn’t win enough. That’s all I’ll say about Cleveland. I think right now is our focus and the focus of our team that we still have things to play for they are a good football team they have won many games we have our hands full with their boys in the front we know what we need to do game. We have to prepare and concentrate and be ready to go out and perform. “
McCoy went 13 of 22 for 105 yards with a touchdown and interception against the Seahawks.
This wasn’t a normal week for the Giants, aside from their quarterback insecurity. They didn’t exercise on Thursday after Garrett tested positive for COVID-19. They also put James Bradberry on the reserve / COVID-19 list after he was considered risky close contact with a chiropractor who tested positive. Bradberry will miss Sunday night’s game. Outside linebackers coach Bret Bielema took a new job as the head coach of the University of Illinois, and offensive assistant Stephen Brown tested positive for the virus on Saturday.
Giants head coach Joe Judge said before Friday’s practice that Jones would get “his share” of the first-team snaps. The team thought it was a challenge to go into the day whether Jones would be ready to start this week, especially after the ankle had swollen earlier in the week.
It was Saturday in the direction of McCoy. The decision was made after the team went through a walk-through.
Judge needed Jones to prove that he was not only capable of protecting himself, but that his overall mobility was there. It wasn’t in last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals when he threw for 127 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and a lost fumble. He couldn’t escape the pressure or run out of pocket and suffered an ankle injury on a hit early in the second half. For the first time in his young career, Jones didn’t make a hasty attempt and was fired six times.
Jones said his mobility was limited against the Cardinals and the ankle was “painful” earlier this week. He was listed as a limited participant in the training on Wednesday and Friday.
Jones insisted he felt “good” on Wednesday, despite looking bad during the open portion of practices. But Judge has noted that it is imperative that he work almost exclusively with his eyes and not ears when it comes to determining Jones’ health.
The quarterback had been adamant about wanting to play for the past few weeks and is preparing again this week as if he’s about to start.