SB Nation Cleveland - Colt McCoy Injury: Browns QB Ruled Out For Finale Against Steelers

Colt McCoy Injury: Browns QB Has Season Ended, Ruled Out Of Week 17 Matchup Against Steelers

2011-12-30T18:08:40Z

The season is officially over for quarterback Colt McCoy, as of Friday, he's not been cleared to practice with the rest of the Cleveland Browns, and head coach Pat Shurmur has deemed him out for the Week 17 finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCoy has said repeatedly that he wanted to return for Sunday's game against the AFC North rivals, but following a concussion, the team's medical staff has to be strict, and McCoy is most definitely a no-go.

Seneca Wallace will get the start at quarterback, as has been the case the last two games. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Wallace threw for 226 yards and a touchdown, while throwing for significantly less (147 yards) against the Baltimore Ravens, with an interception on top of his touchdown. Still, the offense has been moving well under Wallace, and the Browns found themselves firmly in both games, losing to Arizona in overtime.

There was doubt that McCoy would get the start even if he was active on Sunday.

McCoy suffered a concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 8, and after a lot of scrutiny following McCoy's return to that game, the team hasn't cleared him for a single practice since then. The helmet-to-helmet hit that got Steelers linebacker James Harrison suspended for one game effectively made McCoy miss three weeks of action, ending his season.

For more on the Cleveland Browns, go to Dawgs by Nature. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

Colt McCoy Injury Update: Browns QB Not Mad At Team

2011-12-30T01:20:48Z

Colt McCoy missed practice on Thursday and his status for the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team he suffered the injury against, is up in the air.

McCoy spoke to the media for the first time since the injury occurred, responding to concerns over how the team trainers handled it initially:

"Our medical staff does an outstanding job and that should never be in question," said McCoy, speaking for the first time since he was diagnosed with the concussion. [...]

"I just don't want to go there guys," McCoy said. "I really don't want to recreate anything. I don't even want to think about it. I can tell you that I'm feeling a lot better, especially of late. I really feel like I'm coming out of this, and I hope to at least be able to be out there this weekend and help my team."

Of course, McCoy isn't going to throw his team or its trainers under the bus, but it sounds like he has no hard feelings and respects that they're doing everything they can to keep potential risks at bay.

For more on the Browns, visit Dawgs by Nature. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Colt McCoy Injury: Browns QB Misses Thursday Practice

2011-12-29T16:32:27Z

The possibility of Colt McCoy playing on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers has lessened significantly. The Browns quarterback was absent from practice on Thursday morning, lowering his chances that he will play on Sunday in the season finale at home:

McCoy was not cleared for practice Wednesday. Coach Pat Shurmur said the closer it gets to game time, the more he is leaning toward starting Wallace again if McCoy's status doesn't change. McCoy told him he wants to play Sunday.

SB nation's Dawgs By Nature also commented on McCoy's status late Tuesday night:

In terms of evaluating him though, there's probably not much of a reward from rushing him back to action given the team's record.

The Browns have very little to play for other than pride on Sunday, but backup Seneca Wallace has been effective int he last two games for Cleveland. The Browns' offense has been more effective under Wallace, scoring 17 and 14 points after weeks of 3 and 10.

For more on the Browns, visit Dawgs by Nature. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Colt McCoy Injury: Seneca Wallace Expected To Start

2011-12-29T14:01:10Z

As of Thursday morning Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy has not yet been cleared to play on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCOy has yet to pass the requisite concussion tests, and that means that Seneca Wallace will likely start the season finale for the Browns:

"He's trying to get back as quickly as he can," said coach Pat Shurmur. "And he's expressed that. He wants to get out there and get competing. He's expressed that, sure."

A start by Wallace would be a third straight, and though Cleveland is out of the playoff hunt they can still damage their bitter rivals' postseason chances. Pittsburgh needs a win and a Baltimore loss to clinch the AFC North and a first round bye int he AFC playoffs. They could clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC if New England also loses. A Cleveland victory would likely send the Steelers on the road for three straight weeks in the playoffs.

Colt McCoy Injury: Browns QB Not Cleared To Play Yet, Misses Practice Wednesday

2011-12-28T20:20:23Z

There was some hope that the Cleveland Browns would get quarterback Colt McCoy back and cleared for physical activity on Wednesday, but now that hope has been stamped out. McCoy was not cleared for anything other than normal workouts - which means no practicing with the team or individual work with trainers that include football activity. Wednesday marks the first practice of the week, and when a player suffers as big a concussion as McCoy appeared to, it's not a good sign going forward.

With only one game left to go, and not being cleared on Wednesday, it's unlikely that McCoy will be available for the Browns on Sunday. In his place, Seneca Wallace will likely make his third-straight start since McCoy suffered the injury from a helmet-to-helmet hit by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison on Thursday Night Football and has not played since that game.

There's doubt that McCoy would even be the starter if cleared to play on Sunday, as Wallace has been playing well in his absence, despite an 0-2 mark this season.

Colt McCoy Injury: Browns QB Works Out, Attends Team Meetings; May Not Start Even If Healthy

2011-12-26T20:51:26Z

The Cleveland Browns are hoping that quarterback Colt McCoy could return to action for the final week of the season. On Monday, head coach Pat Shurmur said that McCoy worked out at team facilities and attended team meetings, same as everyone else, according to Mary Kay Cabot. That's definite progress for McCoy, who hasn't been doing anything team-related since suffering a concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers just a couple weeks ago.

McCoy hasn't practiced yet - nobody does until Wednesday when the whole team meets for a full practice. There's no word on whether or not McCoy would be cleared to practice by Wednesday, but even if he is, there's no guarantee that he'll be taking the starter's reps. And that's not because he might not be 100% healthy, either. Seneca Wallace has played well in relief for McCoy, and might have earned the final start of the season over McCoy based on them.

If McCoy were to play, he'd be once again faced with linebacker James Harrison, who was the player to injure McCoy on a helmet-to-helmet hit, which he was suspended one game for.

Colt McCoy Injury: Browns QB Ruled Out Against Ravens

2011-12-23T18:59:14Z

Though there was actually little hope that he'd be able to play regardless, Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy has officially been ruled out by the team for Saturday's game against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. McCoy didn't practice at all this week after suffering a concussion following a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison on Thursday Night Football.

It's likely that, even if McCoy had been medically cleared to play, the team would have been careful with him after being so thoroughly chastised for letting McCoy go back into Thursday's game following the hit. Following the game, many were upset about the fact, including McCoy's father, who said the second-year quarterback told him that he didn't remember anything following the hit. Not to mention the fact that McCoy's replacement played well in his absence.

That is to say, Seneca Wallace may have earned more starting time when he nearly led the Browns to a victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Arizona would end up winning in overtime, but it was a close game regardless and Wallace gave the offense a spark it didn't have with McCoy at the helm.

Colt McCoy Injury: James Harrison Believes Browns Should Be Punished

2011-12-22T14:20:57Z

James Harrison is one of the most controversial figures in the NFL. His multiple suspensions for illegal hits have drawn the ire of many fans, but in response to his latest suspension that injured Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, Harrison believes the Browns should be punished as well. The Browns have struggled in their handling of McCoy's injury, specifically since he returned to the game in which he was injured. Harrison feels that should be reasoning for the league to punish the Browns:

Harrison said he understands that the hit was illegal but wondered why the Browns let McCoy return to the game so quickly despite the severity of the collision. The 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year says if he was suspended, the Browns should also face penalties from the league.

Harrison served a one game suspension this past Monday night for the hit that injured McCoy. McCoy has not played since the hit and is questionable for Saturday.