BEREA, Ohio -- Browns rookie Colt McCoy may have already been told by Eric Mangini that he's starting Sunday against the New York Jets.
He's keeping his coach's secret safe anyway.
Brotherly love
Jets coach Rex Ryan donned a long blond wig, black Browns baseball cap and stuffed a pillow under his shirt to imitate his twin brother's ample stomach Wednesday, adding fuel to their rivalry. **More ...**
For the second straight day, Mangini would not name McCoy his starter but reiterated that he is pleased with the progress he's seen from the third-round pick, who is 2-1 in his first three NFL starts with wins over stars Drew Brees and Tom Brady.
Pressed on whether he's starting, McCoy wouldn't budge.
"It's not up to me," McCoy said. "I want to do my best on Sundays to help this team win. I've given everything I have the last couple weeks and we've been fortunate enough to win a couple games. This locker room needs to win more. This team needs to win more. I'm just going to go about it like I always do. What's best for this team is the decision he's going to make."
Veteran quarterback Seneca Wallace practiced for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain Oct. 10 against Atlanta. Mangini said Wallace, who has made four starts, would only be able to participate in about 25 percent of the workout.
Jake Delhomme remains sidelined with a sprained ankle that has limited him to just two games. Mangini said there has been no discussion about placing Delhomme, who signed as a free agent with Cleveland hoping to resurrect his career, on injured reserve.
The original plan was for McCoy to sit this season and learn under Delhomme and Wallace. The injuries changed that, and McCoy has gotten better each week. Still, Mangini isn't ready to make him the permanent starter and said having three proven quarterbacks is certainly better than one.
"The important thing is to just continue to gather information and get all of our guys healthy and see where they are," Mangini said. "I don't really know where they are going to be at this point so I don't think that there's a need to rush into any decision.
"I feel really comfortable with all three of those guys whether it's Jake, whether it's Seneca, whether it's Colt, they've all done positive things."
In the Pittsburgh Steelers, Saints and Patriots, McCoy has already faced a murderer's row of defenses. It won't get any easier this week against the Jets.
"They got All-Stars," McCoy said. "You almost know all their names before you even turn the film on. You know they can play. You know they're tough. They've been playing well all year long and we've really got to be sharp and understand our game plan. We also understand that it's going to be a huge challenge for us."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
