If Cowboys QB Stephen McGee gets the start this Sunday vs. the Eagles – and it sounds like he has a pretty good chance of doing just that – he could continue convincing the Dallas brass that he can be the primary backup to Tony Romo, meaning the team wouldn’t have to spend a 2011 Draft pick on another signal-caller.
The fact McGee performed impressively in last Thursday’s loss at Arizona – despite the defeat, McGee completed 11 of 17 passes for 111 yards and a TD and put his team in position to make the come-from-behind victory after Jon Kitna left the game because of injury – is quite a feat for the former third-string QB.
As the Dallas Morning News points out, McGee had never thrown to Jason Witten before last week – not even in practice – and after taking snaps from rookie Phil Costa in practice, he received the ball from starting C Andre Gurode in Thursday’s game, a difference in delivery point by about four inches.What surprised me most about McGee was how poised he played vs. the Cardinals. You don’t often see a third-string guy taking his first-ever snaps in the NFL who plays that … well … un-nervously.
"What we liked about him was his demeanor," coach Jason 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."
One reason for that is because McGee rents a house only two stop signs away from the Cowboys practice facility. That was a conscious decision so he could spend as much time at work as possible.
"Every chance you do get is a huge opportunity," McGee said. "You send that video out to the whole league. Everybody sees it, everybody takes notice. It's basically a résumé for the NFL.”
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