Washington Redskins: Colt McCoy will be just fine at quarterback

The Washington Redskins lost quarterback Alex Smith for the season on Sunday. Fortunately for the Redskins, Colt McCoy can handle the job.

For the first time all season, a lead was exchanged in a game the Washington Redskins competed in. However, that wasn’t the story of the day as Washington quarterback Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury that ended his season with his team still in first place. That means the Redskins will turn to longtime backup Colt McCoy for the rest of the season.

And that may not be a bad thing.

That’s not to knock Smith. Sure, his numbers weren’t great and he seemed to be struggling to acclimate to a new offense. However, there is a tangible quality about Smith where his teams just win. It’s hard to explain.

With McCoy, head coach Jay Gruden should be able to further open up his playbook. McCoy has been with the Redskins since 2014, even starting some games during his first season with Washington as he battled with Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III.

Gruden has always had a strong belief in McCoy and many in the organization believe he actually favored him over Cousins at one time. When McCoy did get his chance back in 2014 a neck injury sidelined him before he could ever stake his claim to the job.

When asked about McCoy, Gruden was effusive in his praise of the veteran, per John Keim of ESPN.com.

"I have confidence in Colt, always have. I’m a big, firm believer in Colt McCoy’s ability to play. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for him. I know he would like it in different circumstances, but things happen for a reason. He’ll take advantage of it."

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That’s not just coach-speak from Gruden. He believes in McCoy. The former Texas Longhorn doesn’t have a howitzer of an arm, but that’s not imperative to win in this league. Smith doesn’t have that type of arm strength either. McCoy is accurate and has trust with his receivers from years of going against the first-team defense in practice.

Anytime you lose your starting quarterback it’s a tough blow. In this case, though, Washington should be fine. McCoy can open up this offense and will certainly take more chances downfield. He showed that during Sunday’s loss to Houston. Smith takes better care of the football and McCoy also takes more sacks. He’s been prone to hold onto the ball a bit long waiting for things to open up downfield.

The good news is McCoy doesn’t have to carry this team. Smith wasn’t carrying this team. What McCoy needs is the running game to get going again with Adrian Peterson and the defense to continue to keep the Redskins in games.

The mere fact we’re debating whether or not McCoy can keep the Redskins at the same level is as much an indictment on Smith’s season as it is McCoy’s ability. Washington fans should appreciate Smith and what he brought to the table. And his play had gotten better in the last few weeks.

Now, it’s McCoy’s show and he is ready for the opportunity. The season is not over and expect this team to rally around McCoy.