Josh to play out string
Longevity means something in the NFL, especially at quarterback. It’s why Giants fans lost their minds when Eli Manning’s ironman streak of consecutive starts ended at 210, thanks to Ben McAdoo. And it’s why Josh McCown, at age 38, appreciates his current situation.
Todd Bowles on Wednesday confirmed a notion he’d been hinting at for the last several weeks: Barring injury, McCown will start the final four games of this 2017 for the Jets, who remain on the fringes of the AFC playoff picture after a home victory over the Chiefs last weekend.
For McCown, this is a chance to start 16 games for the first time in his 15-year NFL career. (At minimum, he’ll tie a career high in starts when he takes the field Sunday in Denver, with 13.) For Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, this likely means waiting at least another offseason for an opportunity to start — in New York or elsewhere.
“Certainly it’s something that I would like to accomplish, there’s no doubt about it,” said McCown, who won AFC Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 331 passing yards and three touchdowns (two rushing) against Kansas City. “It’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality, but I have a ton of respect for the guys that have played and started for a long time in consecutive games, whether it’s (Brett) Favre, or Tom (Brady) or Peyton and Eli (Manning), all those guys. It’s impressive what those guys have been able to do and so for me just to go out, especially at this point in my career, and get 16 games is something to be proud of.”
The odds were stacked against McCown to begin this season, both because of his age and the state of the organization. Two young quarterbacks waited behind McCown on the depth chart, and it seemed only a matter of time before one of them took over under center. General manager Mike Maccagnan cut a slew of veteran players in the offseason, setting up a prime tanking scenario. Pundits across the country believed the Jets would