Daniel Jones is firmly cemented as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants, and by the look of it, the role to serve as Jones’ primary backup is close to being set in stone as well.
Veteran signal-caller Colt McCoy followed up a stellar Blue-White Scrimmage last week with yet another impressive outing during Thursday’s exhibition.
McCoy, the NCAA’s all-time single-season leader in pass completion percentage, flexed his pinpoint accuracy on numerous occasions, as the Texas Longhorn legend put a stamp on his strong training camp showing. A showing which earned high marks from Giants.com’s Dan Salomone, who pegged McCoy as one of the scrimmage’s top standouts.
“McCoy hit wide receiver Derrick Dillon for a touchdown on one of his first passes, and the veteran backup was off to another big day,” Salomone said. “McCoy later threw a perfect deep pass to a diving WR Corey Coleman, leading him perfectly and putting it where only his receiver could get it. Those two had it cooking on one series midway through the practice. McCoy capped it by finding wide receiver C.J. Board for a touchdown.”
Corey Coleman with the hustle 💨
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McCoy is Key to Daniel Jones’ Success
McCoy was an under the radar addition for Big Blue this offseason. One that was pushed even further from the forefront once the team claimed Cooper Rush off waivers, reuniting him with now-Giants offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett.
Rush has also performed quite admirably in recent scrimmages, namely when operating out of the two-minute drill, further demonstrating his grip on Garrett’s playbook. However, it’s McCoy’s veteran presence that has separated him from the rest of the pack.
“Colt does a nice job of managing the game,” head coach Joe Judge said after last week’s scrimmage. “He has a lot of savvy out there to really find the open receiver, he has a lot of poise in the pocket to sit back there when the pass rush is coming. He has that clock in his head from being so experienced in his career that he knows when to get the ball out. He’s been productive for us along the way and we’re happy with his progress.”
Now McCoy is hoping he can rub some of his veteran “savvy” off on Daniel Jones, a player he grew quite fond of a season ago.
“Being in the same division, you watch everybody’s tape because you’re playing the same opponents all year long,” McCoy said back in April. “I think for being a rookie, Daniel played great. I enjoyed watching him from afar. Daniel is super talented. I think there’s a big jump to be made, but his future is so bright.”
McCoy also touched on numerous pre-training camp conversations he had with Jones, stating, “I think most importantly, it’s just ‘Man, I know you had Eli (Manning) in there and you understand the value of a great quarterback room. I don’t want that to change. I’ve got your back. I’m fully supportive of you. I want to just come in, help you grow, help you learn and help us as a team figure out how we can go out and win each week.’ I think it’s going to be real exciting.”
There’s no denying that Jones learned a thing or two in his lone season as teammates with Manning. However, having a future Hall of Famer holding the clipboard for you likely isn’t the most comfortable scenario for a young quarterback. In McCoy, the Giants get a proven veteran who knows his place on the roster and will not only allow Jones to spread his wings as a legitimate starting quarterback, but likely help get him there.
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Giants Backup QB Continues to Turn Heads With Dominant Scrimmage