RICHMOND, Va. -- Colt McCoy doesn't believe the adage that the backup quarterback is always a team's most popular player.
"I think Kirk is pretty popular right now, but it's where I am," the Washington Redskins' second-stringer said, talking of the team's franchise player, second-year starter Kirk Cousins.
McCoy, though, has plenty of fans. Every day after practice, he heads for the sidelines at the team's training camp and spends up to a half hour signing autographs, posing for pictures and interacting with the public.
"I've been doing a hundred a day at least," he said. "I try to mostly hit as many kids as possible. It's really neat to see lots of young Redskins fans out here, just young football fans in general, boys and girls. "They may not know who I am, but I'm going to give them an autograph and wish them luck."
Entering his seventh NFL season and third in Washington, McCoy has never had a more stable situation in a Redskins uniform. The departure of 2012 top draft choice Robert Griffin III after last season has not only minimized the drama of training camp, but it solidified McCoy's status as the backup.
Being No. 2 isn't exactly McCoy's career goal, but his acceptance of his role is appreciated.
"He's got a great mentality about balance, knowing Kirk played really well last year and he's the starter, but `I want to play. So the only way I'm going to get to play is if I show them when I do have reps that I know what I'm doing with them," quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh said. "He takes a lot of pride in that.
"The other thing he does is he adds to Kirk's game. He's communicative, he's supportive -- all the things that you want in somebody who's not getting a chance to be on the field. But what are you bringing to the room? What are you bringing to the table in the quarterback meetings? He does a great job with that."
McCoy had made 25 starts in his career, with 21 of them coming during his first two seasons in Cleveland. Last year, with Cousins emerging, he played in just one game, completing 7 of 11 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.
The Redskins, however, won the NFC East with a 9-7 record before losing in the playoffs against Green Bay.
This year, McCoy said, the team anticipates building on that success.
"I think there's a sense of excitement in the locker room because we realize if we do things the right way, if we stay healthy and we take full responsibility for our jobs and what we're supposed to do, we can accomplish a whole lot," he said. "Last year, I think, just set the stage."
And if Cousins stays healthy, McCoy knows his part in that success will be limited to watching from the sideline, sharing any insight he has from his vantage point. And being ready if he's suddenly called on to play.
"There's not a whole lot of glory in what I do," he said, "but if I'm needed to be counted on, I'll be ready."
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