Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy was solid in Week 11’s 23-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
But for as much as he did on the offensive side of the ball, he also lent his voice to the defensive side of the ball, specifically linebacker Chandler Jones ahead of the action.
“He’s a guy that’s mature, he’s been around. … He’s a leader,” Jones told reporters after the game. “I’ll tell a small story that I had about Colt this weekend. He saw me working on some moves and he was like, ‘Hey Chandler, I’m kind of hesitating on telling you this, but I see you thinking. Stop thinking. Just go. You’re one of the best players in this league.’
“He said to me, ‘Just go. Just be yourself.’ … For someone to step out and have those words of encouragement to someone you know but you really don’t know them, it means a lot and it goes to show what type of person he is. … He could have chose not to say those things but I took it and I definitely retained it and it showed today.”
He’s not lying there, with Jones leading the way for the defense in Week 11 with two sacks, three QB hits and two tackles for losses.
The performance moves Jones to eight sacks on the year and three over the last three contests.
“I love football, I love the game, I’m always studying the game,” McCoy told reporters. “Chandler is, he’s usually the best player on the field, right?” McCoy said. “He’s one of those guys that works at his craft constantly. On the field, in the locker room, he’s practicing moves, he’s pulling — he’s doing all these things that he does to make him Chandler Jones.
“What I told him this week — I’m surprised he talked about it — But it was just, I just appreciate how hard he works. He’s one of our best players, he works hard at it, it means a lot to him. I just told him that he’s a closer. Go get your sacks. Work on this stuff all week but go get the quarterback. Turn your brain off and go.”
McCoy by no means was taking any credit for Jones’ play on Sunday, but did added that being able to have those types of discussions just speaks to the good mix of players Arizona has in the locker room.
“I’m thankful to be on this team and have conversations like that,” McCoy said. “Everybody wants to win.”