ASHBURN, Va. -- Our weekly series on getting to know different players on the Redskins continues with quarterback Colt McCoy, who is well-known because of his time at the University of Texas and now with four seasons in the NFL.
Position: Quarterback
Age: 27
Years in NFL: Entering his fifth season
College: Texas
Best season: In 2011, McCoy started 13 games for Cleveland, throwing 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and posting a 74.6 passer rating.
Person you most admire: Probably my grandfather [Burl McCoy] because he’s a hard worker. He was a tremendous athlete; he was a tremendous coach. Just a great person and a great Christian -- someone I’ve looked up to my whole life. He coached basketball and track at Abilene Christian University.
Biggest obstacle you’ve overcome: I’ve had my share of ups and downs, probably the biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome was the injury in the National Championship Game. That stuck with me for two to three years, really fighting that and fighting the ups and downs of my early career. That would be the toughest thing.
Favorite football moment:I've had a lot. Sometimes my greatest moments are the things you have to go through to overcome. I had a lot of those early on when I was playing. Hopefully my best football is ahead of me.
One habit you wish you didn’t have: I wish I could get rid of some of the rituals I do like the day before a game and pre-game. I’m not real particular about them, but there are some things, like I wear the same shirt every game. It’s hard to change. Hard to change. Some people think it’s funny, but I wear a Longhorn T-shirt underneath my pads. People give me a hard time about it, but I can’t change. I’ve been doing it since high school.
One habit you’re glad you have: I pride myself on being the same guy every day no matter what the circumstances are around me, whether it’s great or whether it’s tough. I’ve been in messed up situations and great situations. That’s one of the things I learned from my grandfather growing up was the great leaders are the guys who are the same every day. People know what to expect from you.
One thing people would be surprised to learn about you: I am in a new place so I could say anything… But I’ve lived in a glass box for a while so I don’t know. I am an outdoorsman. I love in my free time to be outside, whether that’s fishing or hiking. I like to hunt when I’m back home. Probably the thing people don’t know about me the most is that deep down I’m an introvert.
Most underrated part of being a pro athlete: The perception of being a professional athlete outside this building is that it’s all glory, all fame. But that’s a tough question. What I like to ask my teammates sometimes is, do you love the process or do you love the results? The results are what everyone sees, but the process is where you win games. You don’t have to love the process, but you have to do it. I’ve seen guys approach that completely different. People don’t understand the process that leads up to games.