Playing quarterback for the Cleveland Browns hasn't been very rewarding for any of the 16 signal-callers who've attempted the job since the franchise's return to the NFL in 1999.
For the current quarterback, Colt McCoy, the Browns' inability to get going early this season -- they've been outscored 34-3 in the first quarter -- has led to turmoil, but he's not making excuses.
"That's just pretty poor," McCoy told the Akron Beacon Journal on Wednesday. "We've got to do a better job. ... We know we can do it. We've just got to collectively not mess up. Don't mess up on the little things. Don't screw basic plays up. When we can do that across the board, then I think as a team, as an offense, we'll move the ball and have an opportunity to win."
McCoy appears to possess something past quarterbacks -- straw men like Spergon Wynn, Charlie Frye and Brady Quinn -- lacked: the support of his teammates.
Tight end Evan Moore sees McCoy working harder with his back against the wall.
"Colt's a worker," Moore told the newspaper. "He's not the kind of guy that's gonna go into the dumps and go sit at home. When he gets frustrated, he comes here more. He comes to watch film more. He goes upstairs to meet with coach (Shurmur) more because he's gonna find a way to correct it."
The numbers aren't robust in Cleveland, partly the result of McCoy and his wide receivers adjusting to the newly installed West Coast scheme. There is patience inside the building, but nothing's for long in this league, and McCoy and the Browns are pressed to turn study and practice into points and wins.
