Countdown to Kickoff… Josh McCown Days Until Kickoff
Aug 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Josh McCown (12) during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Soldier Field. Chicago won 33-28. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
We decided to do a countdown to the Chicago Bears season opener on September 8th versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Thanks to one of our Twitter followers, we decided to combine the countdown with a roster preview of sorts.
We’re 12 days away from the start of the Chicago Bears season. Let’s get to know #12 on your Chicago Bears, quarterback Josh McCown.
The Bears brought the journeyman McCown in late in the 2011 season when Jay Cutler went down with a thumb injury that ended his season. His paths had crossed with then OC Mike Martz and the Bears needed someone to be able to step in and quickly get up to speed. McCown was coaching high school football when his phone rang with Jerry Angelo on the other end.
Caleb Hanie was the primary backup to Cutler following an inspired performance in the 2010 NFC Championship game, but the bloom quickly came off that rose. Hanie’s performance in his limited opportunities stunk to holy hell in a part of the schedule when all the Bears needed to do was tread water against a few weak opponents to coast into a playoff spot.
McCown stepped in for Hanie in a home loss to the Seahawks and then got an opportunity to start the final two games of the season. He lost to Green Bay on a Christmas day game but bounced back to win the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.
Whether the coaching staff saw something they liked late in 2011 or his fast friendship with Jay Cutler got him a return ticket, McCown was brought back to hold the clipboard again late in 2012. Still stinging from the Caleb Hanie Project, Jerry Angelo nabbed Jason Campbell to act as Jay Cutler’s primary backup, with undrafted rookie Matt Blanchard on the practice squad. An injury to Cutler brought McCown back as the #3 yet again.
Marc Trestman is the quarterback whisperer and he sees enough in McCown to have him as the #2 behind Cutler. McCown has shown flashes, but I’m not especially comfortable with McCown as the #2. Let’s face it, if Cutty goes down, the Bears are in a heap of trouble. McCown can get you out of a game and maybe play for a week, but I don’t hold out high hopes. If he were that good, he wouldn’t have been on the street the last couple of seasons.
It will be really interesting to see how it plays out with free agents Jordan Palmer and Trent Edwards playing the last preseason game. If either of these two show anything, they could secure a roster spot and nudge Matt Blanchard out of a spot and could even push McCown as Cutler’s backup.
We’re 12 days away. Are you ready???
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