Joe from JoeBucsfan.com said it best: Last year during the QB crisis, if anyone had said “we should seriously start considering our options on getting Josh McCown if he’s available next year” they would have been committed for Baker Act.
Or they were just plain Baked themselves! But yet McCown had an opportunity last year with the injury to Bears starter Cutler and Josh made the most out of it. By now you know all the numbers, you know McCown threw for some decent TDs and few INTs. But it was the first time he had those kind of numbers in his life. 13 TDs is good for half-year production, but McCown did it in less, only tossing 1 pick.
He says a light came on last year, which had not come on before. So far, according to all who have watched, McCown has continued that type of play in Bucs mini camp action. Even though its underwear football, for QB play, it counts when you’re accurate, and word is, Josh has been just that.
McCown has started only 38 games in his whole career, that’s just over 2 seasons, yet he’s been around since the year the Bucs won the Super Bowl. In other words, he’s fresh; he has the body of someone in his late 20s when you consider game wear on him. Bottom line though, on 4th of July we will have a 35-year-old QB in charge of the Bucs, with no other option except Mike Glennon.
Between the two, they have put up 32 Touchdowns and only 10 Interceptions. But there is more to QB play than just numbers. Glennon tossed 19 TDs and only 9 INTs, and the defense did a great job getting turnovers last year, yet the Bucs still won only 4 games. Glennon is completely out of the picture; unlike last year when he got most of the preseason work as the coaching staff anticipated some trouble with Freeman, McCown is getting 100% of the snaps with the starting team.
Glennon’s weakness is his mobility, or lack thereof. He takes a sack way too easy, but that can be worked on, and word from camp is, even Glennon is thriving in rookie NFL offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford’s offense too; obviously enough to be anointed QB of the future by Lovie Smith and staff.
McCown went to Chicago presumably to finish out his career and help whenever and wherever he could. He had no idea that Jake Cutler would be knocked out for a handful of games, and Bears fans had no clue what Cutler would do with that opportunity.
It was week 7 and a close loss to the Redskins came right before the bye. After it, Josh threw 4 TDs and 0 INTs and went 2-1 with a key win over the Packers. His best game came in his last with a 141.9 ranking against the Cowboys where McCown riddled the cowboys secondary for 348 yards and 4 TDs without a pick.
There were some in the Chicago circles who did not want Cutler back after healing from his injury. That says a lot about the journeyman QB who has made his rounds in the NFL.
- Arizona 2002-2005
- Detroit 2006
- Oakland 2007
- Carolina 2008-2009
- Chicago ’12-13
- Tampa Bay ’14 on
Bucs fans are hoping McCown’s career is following in the same circumstances as QB Rich Gannon of the Oakland Raiders. Also a veteran journeyman, Gannon never really excelled anywhere, not in Minnesota, not in Kansas City. But when he got to Oakland under the tutelage of Jon Gruden, an OC with a knack for working with QBs.
McCown’s OC last year in Mark Tresman also holds that honor, and this year, Tedford also is known for being QB friendly, albeit on a college level. So the questions of if Tedford can make the successful transition from college to pros holds more than just his own destiny in his hands. Rich Gannon had his career go into high gear at the twilight of it, and McCown is hoping the same holds for him. Otherwise the QB of the future may have HIS light come on.
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