The Dave Pasch Podcast - Colt McCoy

forty nine Ers and Seahawks. Great dialogue with Cold talking a number of subjects, including what it was like to be back out on the field, how that continues to drive him and rejuvenate his love of the game, getting to play three games all of a sudden, you just feel like, man, I really enjoyed that. You know, it's

been a while. His relationship with Kyler Murray and his role as mentor to Kyler and to others in the locker room, what it's like being the elder statesman, and what a veteran of our military told him that gave him and all of us listening at the time chills. Colt talks about his family, being a father of four. Mac Brown is head coach at the University of Texas, and whether coaching is something that Colt would like to

do down the road. We are presented by BETMGM, the official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos. Sign up for BETMGM today using code cards one thousand and get your first bet risk free up to one thousand dollars. New customer offer paid in free bets. Visit betmgm dot com for terms and conditions. Twenty one and over Arizona only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem call one eight hundred. Next step Now our

conversation with Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy. Colt, First of all, the Cardinals wouldn't be nine and two without you, And I know that you're not gonna sit here and take credit on that. I'm not asking you too. I text a Cliff after the game and said, hey man, I'm happy for you, and he said, I'm happy for Colt.

What's the last three weeks Ben like for you? Two wins, one loss, you get injured in the loss, But to come out of this two and one with roadwins at San Francisco and at Seattle and Division games, I assume over all year. Please, but what what's this been like the last three exist journey for you? Yeah, it's been It's been fun. It's been several years since I was able to play three games in a row in the league. UM. So you know, you always say like while I'm I'm prepared,

I'm I stay on my routine. I do the same thing every week, you know, And for the most part, that's right. You know, you just now you're getting reps in practice, now you're getting ready to playing games. Um. It was a little uncertain at times because you didn't know if Kylie was going to come back if he wasn't. So I just tried to stay focused on my job and executing what we've been able to do all season. And I looked at it as, look, this is this

is why Arizona brought me here. This is my role, this is my responsibility to be able to come in here and play when called upon, and right now that now's the time. So I did my best to approach it that way and play with confidence. We got a big win on the road in San Francisco, U we sort of laid an egg against Carolina. I certainly didn't play my best a lot of reasons, you know, I just as a whole, we didn't play well, you know. So going into the Seattle game, I did think Kyler

was going to play. I didn't know for sure, but now that that's over, I'm grateful that, you know, Kyler gets two more weeks to get healthy, that we pulled off a win in Seattle, that I was able to go play and perform and help our team, you know, rebound from the loss against Carolina and put ourselves in position to be where we want to be as we move forward to the second half of the season, and letting us enjoy Thanksgiving in the bye week and a

lot of positive things there. But good teams, you know, don't let one turn into two, and they just they rebound from those and they respond. And this is a good football team and I'm grateful to be a part

of it. So we had Kurt Warner on this podcast, and I've worked four years with Brian Greacy, in four years with Greg McElroy in college football, and those three guys have all been in a similar situation to you, where they've been a backup at some point and had to be ready to step in and be a starter. And we always hear the cliche, well, you have to

prepare as if you're going to start. What's that like when you're going through the week and you're not the last three weeks, but on a normal week where you're not expected to play, how do you mentally stay sharp? And what does that look like? Take us kind of inside the mind and kind of the daily activity of the guy that's the number two. Yeah, well it's it's

very mental. I think throughout my years, I've put a routine together of you know, how much tape I watch, how much I break down the opponent, how much I study our game plan and how we want to operate this week. Because our Cliff does a great job with scheming and our plan and going against our opponent. There's new stuff every week. And then the physical part of staying in shape right, like working out, getting your wind right,

knowing that you're not going to get any reps. And then a lot of what I do is and I listened to Kyler, I listened to Cliff, I listen to Cam, our quarterback coach. I listened to you know, we go to practice and then we come in the meeting room and we talk about plays and like, well, if if this happens here, we want to throw the ball here.

And I'm just writing it down and I'm watching how Kyler runs these plays and how he operates and talking to him about it, and sometimes he's asking me what I see, how I see it, what timings of motions, landmarks of routes like little things like that, And I'm communicating with the receivers and the tight ends and the

old line. And it's a lot, right, It's it's a lot to force yourself to do every week knowing that, sure, you know, there's a chance I'm probably not gonna play this right, right, but this may be for nothing, but I have to do it and I have to set the example for Kyler too, right exactly. But the reason that I do it is because one, I love the game and I love the process. But two is because when that does happen, you want your teammates and guys. You've never been out there with them, so they don't

really know, but they've seen you every day. They see your process, they see how you are at practice, they're how engaged you are, like you know when they come and ask you a question. You are an extension of collegs. I'm gonna tell exactly what Kyler wants tryer. This is this is how he sees it, right, and so I just that's what I try to do right, and by no means am I perfect at that. I'm constantly learning

and evolving. But that's sort of my approach every week, so that when you know, if it's the fourth quarter and something happens and you got to go in and play like nobody, nobody blinks. They may be uncertain if you're going to be able to get it done or not. But I'm going to come in and just do it on coach to do, and I'll be prepared. I've heard stories going back to camp, actually going back to when you were signed, about your relationship with Kyler in terms

of him looking up to you growing up. I mean if you were growing up in Texas when you were in high school, and then when you were in Austin, every young kid would know who Colt McCoy was. And I remember Michael Bidwell even saying of all the moves we made, that's the best move bringing in McCoy, not just because that in a pinch you could go in and win games, but because you can mentor Kyler. How has that relationship grown you and Kyler and how have

you seen him change since you got here? Yeah, it's been really good. I didn't really know I had met Kyler before, I hadn't spent a lot of time with him before I got here. He is also as a Texas high school football player. Everybody knows Kyler. I mean, I don't think he lost a game in high school in Texas, right, So everybody you know, two sport athlete,

Heisman Trophy, I mean, everybody knows Kyler Murray. I'm fortunate throughout my career to have been a starter in the league for several years, to have been a backup, to have guys who backed me up that really impressed me and helped me, and some who didn't. And so I know, like how important a quarterback room is. I've been in some good ones and some you know, someone's that needed some help. But the first things. First, like, I wouldn't have signed and kept playing if I didn't think I

could play. I still want to play. I still think I can play. I love the role in the situation that I'm in. But secondly, it's important to have a good, trusting quarterback room. Cam does a great job with us. I came in and started learning. The first thing I did was just watch our games, watch Kyler how he played, like he does some things that's like, dude, I can't do that. Like nobody I told somebody like Cliff called

a quarterback draw. You know, they hadn't played a bunch of man, but in the second half they were switching things up. In that last drive to go score, they showed me different looks almost every play, right, and so he called in a quarterback draw and I was like, huh. And so it worked, right, James made a nice block, I got through the line of scrimmage, and I was like, the only difference between me running I got the first down.

Kyler probably would have scored right there. So I mean, there's things that Kyler can do that I just can't. But I know how Cliff sees this offense and how he wants it to work, and I rust in that, and I think the guys trusting that too, and we were able to do that. But going back to Kyler, like our relationship has been great. Kyler is so unique in how he sees the game like it's it's very impressive.

He's very smart and he plays with feel. Throughout my years and watching other quarterbacks and talking to guys in the offseason, and some of the guys I've played with are just very routine in structure, and they know the game so well. They're great at situational football. They study it. They and Kyler is at the top of the list on a lot of those things, Like he sees it right, he plays the feel, he knows the coverages and structures, and he knows how Cliffs wants to the offense to

be running. So a lot of the things that have happened this year is me like me, I'm learning too. Like there's some things he does it's like impressive to me, and I want to I want to incorporate some of that if I can. And I think there's some things that I brought to the table, some of the things that I have seen or or I like or if he plays here and there that Kyler's implemented right. And so it's been real health I know how bad Kyler

wants to be out there. For him to miss three weeks, he hasn't really missed a game in his career, Like, I know how bad it's been hurting him. And I want him to be back. Everybody wants him to be back. I'm thankful that we were able to win a couple of road games in our division. You know, we have the best record in the league right now. We have sort of our goals in front of us, and hopefully Kyler comes back healthy and we can just continue to play good football. And I think we're in a position

to do that. This is a question that maybe Kyler can answer better. But I am curious from your standpoint as a father of four and Kyler a young guy coming into the NFL. You know, how have you mentored him in that role as somebody who's you know, significantly older. I won't say how much older, but it's significantly older. And you're in a different place in your life personally than he is. Yeah, yeah, totally different. My next step is to have him come over and babysit, so my

wife and I go out to dinner or something that's coming. Yeah, we are in two totally different places, but it's very health The funny conversations go on, and he never changed the diaper in his life. He doesn't know what I'm talking about. You know, he still goes home and plays video games and is still young, right, but his maturity and his wisdom in the game is very high, and we have lots of great conversations. You know, He's captain on the football team. I think there's ways that we've

been able to talk through things. How do you see this? What do you think I should do here? How should

I handle this? All those things that again, I just think it's been very healthy and productive, and after playing in the league for so long, I'm happy about that because I said this earlier, but I understand the importance of having a good QB room right and the starter knowing that like, hey, this guy's gonna see it, he's gonna help me, he's gonna be supportive, he's gonna be an extension of kind of like what I see and how I talk to communicate to the coaches, to the receivers,

and that it's just been It's been productive and thankful to be in the position that we're in, and we just gotta day the course. In the Cleveland game, no Cliff Kingsbury and Cam Turner, So I'm guessing you were more vocal than you normally are. Did you almost serve as quarterback coach in that game? And is coaching something that eventually you want to do, because I could definitely see you doing it. I was probably more nervous than that game than anybody to be honest, because Spencer did

a great job, you know, calling the plays. And the good thing about that week is Cliff had the plan in. He was here all the way through Friday, so all the all the teaching, the walkthroughs, how he wanted to operate, all that was all in right now. It's just we just got to call the plays. And Spencer did a great job. But we would come out and I would have the call sheet Spencer and how we would walk through, like what do you like here? What are you seeing?

We burned through our red zone plays like in the first quarter because we got turnovers down there, like all of a sudden, we're like down to like our last screen. But it was it was fun, and yeah, I was definitely what if you want to call it coaching Kyler. I was suggesting some things to Kyler. You know, there was a couple of times in that game where you know who you're playing against, right, you're playing against Clowning, You're playing against Miles Garrett, guys who collapse the edge.

They don't want you to move laterally side to side. And early in that game, Kyler had a couple of players where he escaped kind of out and it's hard to get around those guys. I mean, they're elite. And when when lanes were up and you know, we got into the second half here or no, we scored on a third and nineteen and he moved up in the pocket threw a strike to Christian for a touchdown. It's like, dang, that worked. It's weird for me to come in and say, Kyle,

you gotta step up. We can't. We're not going laterally right, like there's nothing out there. Move and if it's not, there's run, you know. And third and nineteen from a throw a touchdown like that was that was great? Right and he you know, so that's not something I wouldn't

normally say because our communication is like that. But you know, it's kind of magnified a little bit more when your quarterback coach is not there, head coach is not there, the assistant receivers coaches calling the plays, and you're kind of suggesting some things here and there. It's like and when you suggest to play, you're just like, I hope this is where I'm essentially calling this play. I hope it works, you know, and kind of holding your breath.

But it was great, Like at once that game was over. I was more tired than ever because you just mentally and like you also had to be ready to play right in those moments. So it was fun. You've been around good coaches. I love Mac Brown. Got to know Mac a little bit when he was at ESPN, and now we were there for the Clemson game two years ago. I think it was when they almost beat Clemson and Mac is like the best, and I you know, how much of an impact is he had on you? And

again let me because he didn't answer. Is coaching something that you think you want to do when you're done? Maybe? You know. My grandfather was a women's basketball coach and track coach for forty one years in college. My mom actually was his point guard at one time for like four years UM at Ablyn Christian. My dad played football at Ablen Christian and he was also a coach. He was my high school coach. I know coaching is sort of in my family, um, and so I definitely am

not shutting the door to that. I think that could be part of my future for sure. I do love the game. I love studying it. You know, there's so many good coaches here to Cliff Jeff Rogers so so smart, situationally situational football. You know, I learned a lot from him, ask questions, Cam Turners, seen a lot like the there's some there's some coaches here that just really good to bounce ideas off of. Talk to like I see it, I see it the way they see it. And then

playing from Coach Brown in college. I was there for five years. We won a lot of games and fortunate to be on good teams there. Coach Brown sort of coached me just like my dad. You know, when my dad dropped me off, he was like, he's all yours, he's ready, you know, so talk to him like I would talk to him. So he never held back on me, for sure. But it was great. I learned a lot and and grew up a lot and thankful to have played with him and the staff that was there was

pretty consistent the whole time I was there. Coach Greg Davis, so I love all those guys, um, and I know that coaching. You know, you you have a chance to call plays and win games and all that, but you also have a chance to be around football and be around guys and um just the week to week. In the process, I mentioned how much I love that. So you could do this for a long time. You could keep I mean being in a situation you're in with the Cardinals, you could do this for five more guys

playing into their forties. Now. Yeah, I think that's why I'm not like thinking about coaching that much because I so, you know, getting to play three games all of a sudden, you just feel like, man, I like, I really enjoyed that. You know, it's been a while and you played well and you won. Yeah, and we won. There's nothing better than like losing sucks at any level, but in the NFL, it's just it's just magnified, right, and winning is why

we do it. It's fun. It's you know, there's a like plane rides home from division road games after a win or just there's nothing. You can't explain it. There's just nothing like it. And so all those things are great and uh, but we'll see. I'm not going to shut the door to it. I think you know, you mentioned I have four kids, Like football does require a lot of time, and you know, part of my routine is I try to do everything I can hear. I get here early so I can go home and read

books to my kids and bathtime and bedtime. You know, that's important to me. So just balancing all that is. You know, I'm having the time of my life right now, and that's sort of I'm kind of type A. I just kind of focus on that and keep my son's shades on and not look about what's gonna happen in a couple of years. But it could happen. Why'd you pick the Cardinals? How did that come about? I heard

a story that Sean mcvagh recommended you to Cliff. Somebody I guess had told you that story, and you didn't even know that that if Sean really wanted me, he could have got me. Sean is Sean is awesome. Sean's one of my best friends. I was with him in Washington for four years. Kevin O'Connell same way. I really really love those guys are super bright football, you know. I think that that means a lot to me, that, you know, Sean would make a call for me or whatever.

I didn't really know. You know, two years ago, I was contemplating retiring. I missed a whole season because I had a broken leg and had like three surgeries and I just didn't feel right, you know, and then I sort of got healthy through COVID and worked really really hard to just try to feel right and give myself a chance to say if I want to play or not play anymore. And ended up going to New York for a year and and uh played a couple of games there, felt pretty good on my leg, like sort

of kind of got revived a little bit. And and you know, in the offseason, had an opportunity to come here. I mean, free agency last year it was tough for anybody unless you were in an you know, an elite, elite guy. And so I just I had several opportunities, and I actually wanted to come here. I mean, you don't want to ever just show your cards. But my wife had a baby on March thirtieth and came had called me like probably a week before, said hey, we want you to come in on the thirtieth. You know,

I'm out of town. We've got all these COVID protocols, but we really want to host you. We want we want to bring you in. I was like, all right, you know, let's play it by ear my wife. You know she's pregnant. We you know, the dude dates like it was the due date was like April fifth or something like that. I was like, so, if you know something happens, I would keep you posted. But I think

that'd be great. And there was a couple other teams calling me at the time, wanted me to come before that because they knew that I was going to come out here on the thirtieth. And so all of a sudden, the thirtieth rolls around and my wife's like, I think I'm having a baby. Like I'm like, okay, well let's go. So she has the baby early in the morning, like two am of the thirtieth. My fight leaves it like seven, so I don't bring it up, and she has the baby.

We're all excited, everything's here, and she's like, what are you doing. You gotta go on a plane. I was like no, it's like I can't do that. She was like, no, I know you want to go to Arizona. Why don't you just why don't just go, like give me some time. I'm gonna stay here because you couldn't have visitors. This is her fourth kid. So she's like, just let me have my space. I'll just I can just rest, I'll

give the baby to the nurses. You can go and then come back like I know, this is, this is we all have been praying about this, and you know, and so I did. I left, I went, I got to the airport, I didn't sleep. I slept on the plane and got out here. They hosted me. It was great. I ended up signing flying back and just flew back and took the same uber back to the hospital and

stayed there for another day and then went home. And that's kind of you know, So I felt like it was the right thing, the right moves kind of meant to be. And I'm very fortunate to be here. And I have a lot of this season and this team and the things that I've learned as a player, the things I've learned as a person being around Cliff and Cam and our offense. Like I'm just I'm in a good place. My occupation obviously is different than years, but

like this is my twentieth year with the Cardinals. I got this job when I was twenty nine. I was in such a different stage of life twenty years ago than I am now. I got the ESPN in two thousand and three. I've been there eighteen years. And when I got hired, like you know, I was kind of like the up and comer, and they'd put me with some of the older veterans, and then after time I started working with a lot of the younger guys. I mentioned Greg McElroy. He was twenty eight when they put

him with me, about six or seven years ago. And so my role has changed over Tom. I love it. I love all the people I get to work with, and I still get to work with people that are more established. And I worked NBA with hughby Brown is eighty eight. It's incredible what he's create at his age. My question is, how do you brace because you were again, great legend in Texas in high school, at University of Texas, you go to the National Championship Game, and then in

the NFL high draft pick third round starter. Now your role has changed. How do you embrace kind of being a leader in the different stage of your career. I know you talked about that a little bit. I'm just wanting you can go a little bit deeper on that one. Yeah. I think when you're in college and you're starting, things are going great, and you come to the NFL and you start for a couple of different teams and you kind of it's kind of it's easy to be a leader.

It's easy to be who you are and you're kind of the voice and guys listen to you. I think I've had a big transition of understanding the term leadership just by being the guy who's not on the field, right, the guy who's kind of behind the scenes. And I

saw a seed as like the glue. Right, you're talking to receiver, as you're talking to lineman, coaches Kyler, and you're you do it all from the standpoint of you understand what it's supposed to look like, how Cliff wants it, how Kyler sees it, and so I enjoy that, like I enjoy doing all that. It helps me learn the game. It helps me understand the game, It helps me relationships

with guys on the team. But it's it's different than when you're on the field and you are calling the plays and you're making the plays, and you're leading the team against two different roles but in the same leadership category.

And I went back to UT for a practice probably five years after I had graduated, and our practice fields that UT are named after this guy, Frank Denias, who's recently passed away, mentor of mine, very successful in life, but at seventeen, he's storing the beaches of Normandy right kind of when it enlisted, he was too young, but served our country all. He's just a very very he was probably late eighties maybe ninety. We were sitting there talking and he asked me, he said, how do you

how would you define leadership? And I'm sitting there thinking, like, I didn't do anything when I was seventeen, right like, and so I gave a few cliche answers, you know, encouraging, motivating, you know, doing the right thing all the time. And he was like, yeah, that's that's good, you know. He said, A leader is a man who can manage his own fears.

And that's always stuck with me. So whether I'm on the field playing, whether I'm off the field talking and having conversations and working out and getting myself a fady to play, like, I understand that having myself available and ready for any situation that comes up, like managing myself, I think allows me to operate in the role that I have, whether I'm on the field or off the field. Well, listen, it's it's clear the impact you've had on the organization.

On the field off the field, mentoring others, leading, and I'm glad you're here. I know Cardinal fans are as well. Man. It's been great to see what you've done the last few weeks on the field and best of luck the rest of the way. Hey, thanks glad. This was fun

and enjoyed it. From the delivery room to the conference room at the Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center, Colt McCoy signs a contract and he told us he went to bed that night at eight o'clock Arizona time because he was exhausted, had quite the twenty four hours being there for his wife giving birth to their fourth child, and then flying here to sign a contract to play

for the Arizona Cardinals. Great stuff. You can hear the humility, the professionalism, the maturity of Colt McCoy and again why he said such a big impact on this franchise as a leader but also as a player, winning two games and being a big reason the Cardinals were able to get through that time without Kyler Murray, without DeAndre Hopkins and have the best record in the National Football League

at nine and two. We are presented by bet MGM, the official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos. You can follow along with us on Twitter at pash pod. Thanks again to Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy. I'm Dave Pash. We'll talk to you next week on the Dave Pash Podcast