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COLUMN By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Stephen McGee was cast in the role of Michael Vick the last time the Cowboys prepared for Philadelphia. The quarterback has been assigned a much more difficult part in this week's rematch.
Himself.
Injuries to Tony Romo and Jon Kitna have allowed McGee to climb the depth chart. He will not spend this week on the scout team imitating the opposing quarterback. For the first time since the Cowboys selected him in the 2009 draft, he will get extended time with the first team.
The odds are he will start Sunday afternoon when the Cowboys end their season against the Eagles.
"It's going to be a fun week for me, just because I get to go out there and compete and do what I love to do most," McGee said. "It's not daunting. I'm not like, 'oh gosh, here we go.' I'm excited about this.
"If I do get a chance to play, I'm going to go out there and give it my best and compete my tail off."
The quarterback who has taken only three practice snaps with the Cowboys starters in nearly two full seasons, the man who threw to tight end Jason Witten for the first time in the second half of the team's loss to Arizona – think about that for a moment – has been given an opportunity to show that he belongs on this roster moving forward.
There are plenty of deficiencies the Cowboys must address this off-season. If McGee follows up his performance against the Cardinals with another strong effort, he could convince the club to concentrate its draft picks elsewhere.
The fourth-round pick from Texas A&M has done all he can to prepare for this shot. He throws the ball much quicker than he did as a rookie. He recognizes defenses and has shown a good control of the huddle.
Kitna will study pictures on the sidelines with McGee during games. It was McGee who suggested the counter to Washington's pressure that allowed Kitna to complete passes to Witten and Miles Austin on the team's game-winning drive in the Cowboys' final home game.
"I've never seen a guy improve as much as he has from one year to the next at quarterback," Kitna said. "I literally think he should pay rent here. He works his tail off about his job."
That's an exaggeration, but only a slight one. McGee rents a house two stop signs from the team's practice facility.
"I did that with the sole intention that I could hang out here as much as I possibly can and be a rat around this place," McGee said. "Listen and watch and learn and ask as many questions as I can when at all possible."
The Cowboys were down by 11 points and Kitna was out with a strained oblique when McGee was handed the keys to the offense on Christmas night. He wasn't nervous about the different looks Arizona's defense threw at him. His biggest concern was the snap from center.
All of the snaps McGee takes in practice come from rookie Phil Costa. His delivery point is about four inches different from starter Andre Gurode.
There were no snap issues. There were few issues at all. McGee completed 11 of 17 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. He didn't throw an interception or lose a fumble.
Interim coach Jason Garrett complimented the young quarterback for making plays with his arm and his feet. He was pleased to see how McGee handled the emotional part of his first regular-season game.
"What we liked about him was his demeanor," Garrett said. "He didn't really blink.
"He was, 'OK coach, I got it. I got the calls. I can handle this stuff.' He showed us that, and as the game wore on, he got more comfortable."
Can he do it again? He'll likely get the chance Sunday.
McGee needs to make the most of it. Opportunities are few and far between for backup quarterbacks.
"Every chance you do get is a huge opportunity," he said. "You send that video out to the whole league. Everybody sees it, everybody takes notice. It's basically a résumé for the NFL.
"It's definitely an opportunity that if I do get, I want to make the most of and show people what I can do."
At least he gets to be himself.
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Stephen McGee was cast in the role of Michael Vick the last time the Cowboys prepared for Philadelphia. The quarterback has been assigned a much more difficult part in this week's rematch.
Himself.
Injuries to Tony Romo and Jon Kitna have allowed McGee to climb the depth chart. He will not spend this week on the scout team imitating the opposing quarterback. For the first time since the Cowboys selected him in the 2009 draft, he will get extended time with the first team.
The odds are he will start Sunday afternoon when the Cowboys end their season against the Eagles.
"It's going to be a fun week for me, just because I get to go out there and compete and do what I love to do most," McGee said. "It's not daunting. I'm not like, 'oh gosh, here we go.' I'm excited about this.
"If I do get a chance to play, I'm going to go out there and give it my best and compete my tail off."
The quarterback who has taken only three practice snaps with the Cowboys starters in nearly two full seasons, the man who threw to tight end Jason Witten for the first time in the second half of the team's loss to Arizona – think about that for a moment – has been given an opportunity to show that he belongs on this roster moving forward.
There are plenty of deficiencies the Cowboys must address this off-season. If McGee follows up his performance against the Cardinals with another strong effort, he could convince the club to concentrate its draft picks elsewhere.
The fourth-round pick from Texas A&M has done all he can to prepare for this shot. He throws the ball much quicker than he did as a rookie. He recognizes defenses and has shown a good control of the huddle.
Kitna will study pictures on the sidelines with McGee during games. It was McGee who suggested the counter to Washington's pressure that allowed Kitna to complete passes to Witten and Miles Austin on the team's game-winning drive in the Cowboys' final home game.
"I've never seen a guy improve as much as he has from one year to the next at quarterback," Kitna said. "I literally think he should pay rent here. He works his tail off about his job."
That's an exaggeration, but only a slight one. McGee rents a house two stop signs from the team's practice facility.
"I did that with the sole intention that I could hang out here as much as I possibly can and be a rat around this place," McGee said. "Listen and watch and learn and ask as many questions as I can when at all possible."
The Cowboys were down by 11 points and Kitna was out with a strained oblique when McGee was handed the keys to the offense on Christmas night. He wasn't nervous about the different looks Arizona's defense threw at him. His biggest concern was the snap from center.
All of the snaps McGee takes in practice come from rookie Phil Costa. His delivery point is about four inches different from starter Andre Gurode.
There were no snap issues. There were few issues at all. McGee completed 11 of 17 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. He didn't throw an interception or lose a fumble.
Interim coach Jason Garrett complimented the young quarterback for making plays with his arm and his feet. He was pleased to see how McGee handled the emotional part of his first regular-season game.
"What we liked about him was his demeanor," Garrett said. "He didn't really blink.
"He was, 'OK coach, I got it. I got the calls. I can handle this stuff.' He showed us that, and as the game wore on, he got more comfortable."
Can he do it again? He'll likely get the chance Sunday.
McGee needs to make the most of it. Opportunities are few and far between for backup quarterbacks.
"Every chance you do get is a huge opportunity," he said. "You send that video out to the whole league. Everybody sees it, everybody takes notice. It's basically a résumé for the NFL.
"It's definitely an opportunity that if I do get, I want to make the most of and show people what I can do."
At least he gets to be himself.