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Cowboys' McGee ready to show off athletic skills
Cowboys' third starting quarterback expects to make plays with his legs.
By Tom Orsborn
torsborn@express-news.net
Published: 12:00 a.m., Friday, December 31, 2010
Michael Vick won't play for Philadelphia on Sunday, but that doesn't mean there won't be a quarterback in action at Lincoln Financial Field who can make plays with his legs.
The Dallas Cowboys' Stephen McGee, who is expected to make his first NFL start, is confident he can do some damage in the regular-season finale if forced out of the pocket.
“Even though coach (Jason) Garrett called me a knuckleballer for a quarterback in the NFL, I'd be one of the faster guys at the position probably,” said McGee, who was primarily an option quarterback at Texas A&M. “I'm not going to make people miss in open space a whole lot. But straight ahead, I can get a couple of yards.”
With a strained abdominal muscle forcing Jon Kitna to miss his second-straight practice, Garrett on Thursday all but confirmed McGee will start. The Philadelphia Inquirer, meanwhile, cited team sources in reporting Houston alum Kevin Kolb will start in place of Vick (bruised quad).
“He's done a nice job in practice so far this week, so hopefully he can carry that to the ball game,” Garrett said of McGee.
Three weeks ago while running the scout team offense, McGee helped the defense prepare for the Eagles by mimicking Vick. To illustrate McGee's challenge, Garrett used a baseball analogy, comparing McGee to Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Vick to Hall of Fame power pitcher Nolan Ryan.
“The guy up there in Philadelphia is awful quick and awful fast. Stephen is trying his best,” Garrett joked.
But the truth is, McGee is quite an athlete himself. He blazed the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the 2009 NFL scouting combine, second among quarterbacks to only West Virginia's Pat White. He also tied for third with a 33-inch vertical leap and was fourth with a broad jump of 9 feet, 4 inches.
“He's a capable guy who can move around the pocket, he can throw the football and it isn't like you can say, ‘Hey, we can't do this with Stephen,'” Garrett said. “He proved some of that the other night.”
McGee showed off his wheels in his NFL debut Christmas night, running for 19 yards on four attempts in the second half of a 27-26 loss to Arizona.
McGee's longest run covered 11 yards and came during an eight-play, 80-yard march he ended with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin that gave Dallas a late lead.
“Kitna,” McGee said, “was always reminding me, ‘Hey, man, don't forget about your legs, especially with a team like Arizona, which is playing a lot of man coverage. Their spaces are vacated a little bit, and you can step up and take off and get a first down.'
“It's always big if a quarterback can get a first down with his legs. No matter who you are, those types of plays are frustrating to a defense.”
In an efficient, turnover-free performance, McGee completed 11 of 17 for 111 yards. He was sacked once and finished with a 102.8 passer rating.
Because all three quarterbacks can make plays with their arms and legs, Garrett said he hasn't had to make many changes to the offense in going from Tony Romo (six starts before breaking his collarbone Oct. 25) to Kitna (nine starts) to McGee.
“It's not like we become a wishbone team with this guy and a four-wide team with this guy,” Garrett said. “They all are capable of running our system. And within that system, you look for things they are most comfortable doing and you let them do that.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...-off-athletic-skills-929550.php#ixzz19h2MSVsy
Cowboys' third starting quarterback expects to make plays with his legs.
By Tom Orsborn
torsborn@express-news.net
Published: 12:00 a.m., Friday, December 31, 2010
Michael Vick won't play for Philadelphia on Sunday, but that doesn't mean there won't be a quarterback in action at Lincoln Financial Field who can make plays with his legs.
The Dallas Cowboys' Stephen McGee, who is expected to make his first NFL start, is confident he can do some damage in the regular-season finale if forced out of the pocket.
“Even though coach (Jason) Garrett called me a knuckleballer for a quarterback in the NFL, I'd be one of the faster guys at the position probably,” said McGee, who was primarily an option quarterback at Texas A&M. “I'm not going to make people miss in open space a whole lot. But straight ahead, I can get a couple of yards.”
With a strained abdominal muscle forcing Jon Kitna to miss his second-straight practice, Garrett on Thursday all but confirmed McGee will start. The Philadelphia Inquirer, meanwhile, cited team sources in reporting Houston alum Kevin Kolb will start in place of Vick (bruised quad).
“He's done a nice job in practice so far this week, so hopefully he can carry that to the ball game,” Garrett said of McGee.
Three weeks ago while running the scout team offense, McGee helped the defense prepare for the Eagles by mimicking Vick. To illustrate McGee's challenge, Garrett used a baseball analogy, comparing McGee to Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Vick to Hall of Fame power pitcher Nolan Ryan.
“The guy up there in Philadelphia is awful quick and awful fast. Stephen is trying his best,” Garrett joked.
But the truth is, McGee is quite an athlete himself. He blazed the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the 2009 NFL scouting combine, second among quarterbacks to only West Virginia's Pat White. He also tied for third with a 33-inch vertical leap and was fourth with a broad jump of 9 feet, 4 inches.
“He's a capable guy who can move around the pocket, he can throw the football and it isn't like you can say, ‘Hey, we can't do this with Stephen,'” Garrett said. “He proved some of that the other night.”
McGee showed off his wheels in his NFL debut Christmas night, running for 19 yards on four attempts in the second half of a 27-26 loss to Arizona.
McGee's longest run covered 11 yards and came during an eight-play, 80-yard march he ended with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin that gave Dallas a late lead.
“Kitna,” McGee said, “was always reminding me, ‘Hey, man, don't forget about your legs, especially with a team like Arizona, which is playing a lot of man coverage. Their spaces are vacated a little bit, and you can step up and take off and get a first down.'
“It's always big if a quarterback can get a first down with his legs. No matter who you are, those types of plays are frustrating to a defense.”
In an efficient, turnover-free performance, McGee completed 11 of 17 for 111 yards. He was sacked once and finished with a 102.8 passer rating.
Because all three quarterbacks can make plays with their arms and legs, Garrett said he hasn't had to make many changes to the offense in going from Tony Romo (six starts before breaking his collarbone Oct. 25) to Kitna (nine starts) to McGee.
“It's not like we become a wishbone team with this guy and a four-wide team with this guy,” Garrett said. “They all are capable of running our system. And within that system, you look for things they are most comfortable doing and you let them do that.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...-off-athletic-skills-929550.php#ixzz19h2MSVsy
