Colt McCoy
University of Texas football trainer Kenny Boyd confirmed what anybody with an above room temperature IQ already knew: Colt McCoy couldn’ t have gone back into the 2010 BCS National Championship game even if he wanted to.
“Colt sustained a nerve injury involving his right shoulder that prevented him from returning to the game. The injury caused numbness and weakness in his arm that prevented him from throwing with the strength or accuracy he needed,” Boyd said. “He wanted to go back into the game but with the weakness he was having in the shoulder, we couldn’t clear him to do that.
“The weakness in his shoulder also put him at risk of greater injury. From the time of the injury, we were continually treating and re-evaluating him, but he wasn’t able to regain the strength he needed to get back on the field.”
Nobody who has watched Colt become the winningest quarterback in college football history needed this clarification. Colt has all of the heart in the world.
But seeing him go down and separate his shoulder at the beginning of the championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide does raise the issue of whether Colt will be able to take the kinds of hits on a daily basis necessary to make it as an NFL starter.
On paper, he seems a little small at 6-2 and 210 pounds. But barring a neck injury in his sophomore year, he was certainly displayed plenty of toughness at UT.
In so many ways, Colt McCoy’s career stands as a stark contrast to UT Longhorn legend Vince Young. When VY went pro, everybody knew he had the body to do be successful, but people questioned (unfairly in some ways, fairly in others) whether or not he had the head to make it at the next level. Nobody is asking that about Colt. It seems like Colt has a solid head on his shoulders, a dependable support group looking out for his best interests and just about all of the physical tools he needs to be a starter in the NFL.
Except for sheer size.
For every Drew Brees (6-0), you can find a Peyton Manning (6-5), Matt Shaub (6-4), Phillip Rivers (6-5), and Vince Young (6-5) seeing over the top of the monsters comprising the always growing defensive lines in the NFL.
Of course, Aaron Rodgers, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner all top out at 6-2. And they aren’t half bad. But they each carry more weight than Colt.
Colt can expect to take hits like the one that took him out of the game against Alabama daily in practice in the NFL.
SportsChat is of the mind that he has the mobility to make up for his lack of height. But it looks like if he doesn’t bulk up by at least 15 pounds, he just might not have the sheer mass to take NFL hits. Ask Steve Slaton about adding on weight to make it in the NFL. It doesn’t always guarantee success. It can only hurt mobility. Nobody gains 20 pounds so they can be more spry.
What did y’all think of the hit that took Colt out? Did it mark him as vulnerable in the NFL? Or was it sufficiently vicious not to make you wonder? Do you think Colt has what it takes to be starter in the NFL? If so, how good do you think he will be?
