Stephen McGee talks Cowboys & Cotton Bowl with TexAgs.com

Gabe Bock: How excited are you to get a chance to come out here and support the Aggies during Cotton Bowl practice?
Stephen McGee: “I’ve been looking forward to this day for a while, to watch practice and see the guys, see Coach Sherman. And of course, there’s Friday. I’ve been talking a lot of smack for a long time now, so I’m looking forward to the game.”

GB: Have you and Martellus Bennett been holding up the fort for the Maroon and White inside the Cowboys locker room?
McGee: “Yeah, and it’s been a fun year, too, because we’ve beaten a lot of teams in the locker room this year. So there’s a lot of guys wearing maroon that didn’t want to [because they lost bets].”

GB: Nobody supports the burnt orange like Roy Williams and I’m sure he’s been mute throughout most of this season.
McGee: “He’s been very mute. In fact, our bet this year was that [Roy] was going to have to give the ‘Gig ‘Em’ instead of the ‘Longhorn’ when he scored a touchdown, but he didn’t score another touchdown so unfortunately I didn’t get to see that. But it was a lot of fun talking smack to those guys. You know how it is – everybody in the NFL takes pride in their school so it’s been fun this year.”

GB: Obviously you spend most of your hours at Valley Ranch, but how much fun has it been to watch what Sherman’s got going here with the Aggies?
McGee: “It’s so much fun. Of course, you guys know how much respect I’ve had for Coach Sherman since the first day he got there. He just made me a believer and he’s a great football coach who’s done a tremendous job getting these guys going. They’re young guys, but a good group of young guys who are playing well, so I’m excited for the future.”

GB: What’s your perspective on the quarterback situation? You knew that these two guys – Jerrod Johnson and Ryan Tannehill – were both good quarterbacks and I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that Ryan picked it up with Jerrod not quite being healthy this season.
McGee: “I feel for Jerrod because of how excited he was about the year and how great of a quarterback he’s been. He handled the situation first-class, like you knew he would. And for Ryan, I always knew how good he was going to be and, of course, he was always like my little brother in college, so I’m extremely proud of him, too. He’s done a tremendous job. He came in without very much playing time and just took it running. He’s done a tremendous job and both of them are tremendous players. Any college team would be lucky to have either one of those guys.”

GB: Do you see Ryan as a guy who can play on Sundays? He can do so many things and he’s such a great athlete. He stepped right in and he looks like a future pro quarterback.
McGee: “There’s no doubt ... both him and Jerrod [are pro quarterbacks]. They’ll have their shot in their own way. They’re different types of players but they’re both going to be looked at [in the NFL]. Ryan keeps playing like he is right now and the sky is the limit. He’s got all the ability and all the tools.”

GB: Take us through your last few weeks with the Cowboys. Obviously the last couple of weeks, you get in at Glendale then you carry it over to your first career start. It wasn’t pretty at all times but you were able to pull out that win [in Philadelphia]. What we’ve always known about Stephen McGee is that he’s a winner and you able to get it done.
McGee: “It’s a tough league and a tough league to be a backup quarterback. Everybody always says they want that job but the truth is, you don’t get any practice time. I got three practices in two years with the [first-team] offense. So going into a hostile environment like Philadelphia, with bad weather and their great pressure on nearly every play, it was an ugly win. But at the end of the day, an NFL win is an NFL win and they’re hard to get, so we’re fortunate to get the win. It’s a league of opportunity – you don’t know when your opportunity is going to come but you have to be ready. And it’s tough to be ready when you’re not getting any time. But fortunately, we were able to give our team a chance to win.”

GB: How would you describe the journey of being on a pro football team ... but not just any team, “America’s Team” ... as a Texas kid and playing in an unbelievable stadium?
McGee: “It’s a dream come true for me, growing up watching the Cowboys my whole career. And as a child, and being on the outside of the training camp fences, I can remember them practicing at St. Edward’s University in Austin. I wanted to be a Cowboy with a star on my helmet, and then finally that dream came true. The NFL on a whole ... it’s tough. It’s a tough business. The NFL [stands for] ‘Not For Long.’ So you have to earn your job every day and when those opportunities do come around, you have to make the most of them. It’s a lot of fun and we’re all lucky. We say that all the time – we’re lucky to be in the business that we are.”

GB: As a backup quarterback trying to make it in the NFL, you could be anywhere at any point in time in your career. But in Dallas, you have made a home for yourself. You’re getting married, right?
McGee: “Yeah. She was really gracious to me during the course of the year and during the season, by not putting a lot of pressure on me. But Monday morning after that last game, those texts started coming in. ‘Hey, let’s get some invites out.’ But I’d love to be in Dallas for a long time. I love it and I love being a Cowboy. The Jones Family has been great to me with the opportunity they’ve given me, so I’m trying to get better every day throughout this offseason, even though it may be a little bit different, and be ready to go next training camp.”