Josh McCown – It’s Time For the Game of Your Career

Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune

Matt Cavanaugh, the Bears quarterbacks coach has been impressed with McCown.  You hope for a player who can make plays, is smart enough to avoid making costly turnovers and can lift the guys around you.

“You want a guy who is smart, will make good decisions, understands what the game is all about and still has the tools to make plays,” Cavanaugh said.  “He has that.  There isn’t a lot of wear and tear on the body.  He’s physically strong.  He still has good leg movement.  He has been very efficient throwing for us.”

Granted, the Washington Redskins may seem like a walk in the park compared to the Green Bay Packers, Josh McCown gives the Bears a better chance to win the game then let’s say, Cade McNown.  McCown is expected to start the next four games against the Packers, Lions, Ravens, and Rams where if he could win two or three of those games for the Bears, they’re season will still be relevant in playoff talks.

“He’s absolutely ready,” quarterback Jordan Palmer said.  “He’s a vet.  People throw the term around ‘this guys’ a pro’ quite a bit but he’s a pro in every sense of the word.  He’s a guy who is prepared.”

Being prepared will be important against a hot Green Bay Packers team that will look to pick apart Chicago’s struggling defense.  Josh McCown will go against an injured Packer’s defense, but one that can still make big plays.  His main goal will be keeping the Bears competitively close with the high-scoring Packer’s offense.  McCown will do this by remaining confident and leaning on the guys around him, who all trust him.

“Everybody in the locker room loves him.  The whole line wants to block for him.  The receivers want to make plays for him.  The running backs want to get out on check-downs and protect for him.  He’s just as confident as any starter is going to be.  I think the Washington game is just a testament to that, and he’s only going to get better as he gets more reps,” Palmer said.

So McCown will go into Lambeau Field, with an underdog team that has had injuries to key players.  If you’re still on Google looking at Ivan Drago you’ll notice his Wikipedia page states, “Ivan is quiet and non boastful; driven by his desire to be the best at all costs.”  Here is to hoping McCown throws plenty of punches.  Nobody expects him to go 100-1, and not even 4-0, but 2-2 or 3-1 will be good enough for us.  And let’s be honest, Josh McCown deserves it.

“First of all, you feel bummed, because that’s a friend and a teammate and you don’t ever want to see anybody go down,” McCown said when asked what went through his head when Cutler got hurt.  “In that situation, when you’re close to somebody and they get hurt your heart kind of sinks, but at the same time you have to process that emotion and get ready to play.  So I was bummed, said a prayer, grabbed my helmet, got some throws and got ready to play.”

Who doesn’t want to root for a guy with that mentality?