That’s especially true when said backup is preparing to make his second start of the year against a ferocious 49ers defense. Sitting intently in an otherwise empty film room, McCoy walked Wednesday’s Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals viewers through his thoughts on a last-minute film study and what it means to play in showcases like Monday Night Football in Mexico City.
“I like to get in like a day before a game and just buzz through a couple,” McCoy said. “If a situation comes up in a game, I can recognize something that I’ve seen.”
It doesn’t sound like anything extraordinary, yet the commitment to readiness is why McCoy continues to be in demand year in and year out. Long before franchise QB Kyler Murray was sidelined with a hamstring injury, a veteran like McCoy undoubtedly prepared as a starter would down to the second. Now thrust into that role for the time being, McCoy’s approach allows him to continue his process with nary a chance of being overwhelmed.
After Monday, it’s clear the process glimpsed in the show’s third episode worked — at least in regard to McCoy’s individual performance.
The ailing Cardinals were vastly outmatched by a 49ers squad that is hitting its stride, and fell, 38-10, but the journeyman backup completed 70% of his passes for the second week in a row. He was rarely fooled by what he saw in coverage, and his one interception came on a tipped pass.
