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By Paul SchwartzAt the start of the week — in some ways
similar, in other ways very different for
Colt McCoy — inside linebacker Blake
Martinez approached the Giants’ backup
quarterback with an admission.
“The first thing I told him was, ‘I’m
happy I don’t have to go against you on Fri-
day,’ ’’ Martinez said Wednesday.
Part of the Giants’ practice regimen late
in the week is a “Fast Friday’’ period,
where McCoy, running the scout team,
goes against the starting defense.
“He does kind of the whole two-minute
drill and that type of stuff, and he tries to
do certain plays, no-look passes, all these
type of things,’’ Marti-
nez said.
By all accounts,
McCoy gives Martinez
and the first-team de-
fense all the looks and
challenges they need to
best prepare them for
the game ahead.
What comes next is not a drill. Not for
McCoy. Daniel Jones did not practice on
Wednesday, instead working with trainers
as he deals with a strained right hamstring
incurred in last week’s 19-17 victory over
the Bengals. Jones escaped a devastating
soft tissue injury but he is highly unlikely
to be able to play Sunday in Seattle, where
the first-place (yup, that’s right) Giants
face the first-place Seahawks.
“I’m excited for him to get that opportu-
nity,’’ Martinez said.
The Giants (4-7) are on a three-game
winning streak and now step up in compe-
tition after facing three straight teams with
losing records. McCoy can be seen as a lia-
bility.
“No, you can never look at yourself that
way,’’ McCoy said. “I think that’s why scout
team is valuable. You’re not necessarily
getting your team’s offensive reps but
you’re getting reps. But you’re right, run-
ning our offense, executing our offense
and what we do is all mental for me, at
least up to this point it has been.
“There’s nothing like live reps. You’re
right.’’
McCoy’s aggressive, hang-in-there style
is often not conducive to durability. He
missed the final three games in 2011 with
the Browns after being diagnosed with a
concussion. He missed the final two games
in 2014 with Washington because of a neck
injury. On Dec. 3, 2018, McCoy completed
all four of his passes in a “Monday Night
Football’’ loss in Philadelphia before his
season ended when he suffered a fractured
right fibula, his leg whipping around and
slamming into safety Malcolm Jenkins.
McCoy, a 10-year NFL veteran, did not
appear in another game for 10 months. In
his most recent start, Oct. 6, 2019, he com-
pleted 18 of 27 passes for 122 yards and one
interception in a 33-7 loss to the Patriots.
No one can be sure how McCoy will re-
spond in his first start in 14 months and his
fourth start in the past three years. He took
the first-team reps on offense Wednesday,
with a few sprinkled in for practice-squad
quarterback Clayton Thorson.
“I have a lot of confidence in Colt,’’ head
coach Joe Judge said.
“Look, I’ve been able to
coach against this guy
and now he’s with us,
you get to see how com-
petitive this guy is. He’s
got a lot of instincts, a
lot of savvy, he draws on
his experience. He’s a
tough dude. He’s mentally tough, he’s
physically tough, he’s a guy that’s very
well-respected on this team, in the locker
room and on the field. The guys really like
Colt, they rally around him, just like they
do Daniel.
“I always talk about you want a quarter-
back who’s gonna step in that huddle and
have 10 sets of eyes looking at him, know-
ing this guy is going to give them the an-
swer. I think Colt’s that guy, and Daniel’s
that guy.’’
Jones after a turnover-prone first half of
the season settled into a groove, with no
turnovers in his last 10-plus quarters.
McCoy is not as big, does not possess as
strong an arm, is not the running threat
Jones is and, until the third quarter Sunday,
had not taken a snap in this offense in a
real game.
“Just be myself,’’ McCoy said of his ap-
proach. “Daniel’s played at a really high
level the last three weeks, I think that’s
why it’s so frustrating for him, because you
can see the growth that he’s made.
“Just being prepared. That’s the name of
the game. That’s why the Giants brought
me here. That’s the expectation, if your
number’s called, if you’re a quarterback,
receiver, on the other side of the ball on
defense, when you got to step up, you got
to step up. I just got to be mentally pre-
pared for whatever happens.’’
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