McCown remains in pilot's chair for Jets George Willis
J OSH McCown was at it again Saturday afternoon at Florham Park, being everything you want in a quarterback. Each rep he took was rehearsed as if it was the fourth quarter of a game in December. He encouraged, he instructed and was generally the best kind of teammate anyone could possibly be.
Sam Darnold was nowhere around to witness any of this — the little things it takes to be a quarterback and lead a team. Darnold missed his second straight day of training camp while negotiating his rookie contract. The Jets will put on full pads on Sunday. It’s another setback if Darnold misses that, too.
The Jets are still McCown’s team, and thanks to this unexpected holdout, that’s not going to change anytime in the near future. Nor should it.
McCown, the 39-year-old journeyman, won over the Jets with his work ethic, leadership and everyman personality last year when he started 13 games before breaking his hand. And he’s doing it again this year when he’s expected to be more of an assistant coach than player.
When Darnold finally signs his contract and reports to training camp, McCown is expected to assume a role as mentor to the 21-year-old rookie and help groom him to take his job. But that may not be in McCown’s best interests or the Jets.
At this rate, McCown will open the season as the Jets’ starting quarterback, which is why any notion of him babysitting Darnold should be scrapped. Darnold was selected with the third-overall pick and is the future, but at this point McCown needs to worry more about himself and getting ready for the Lions in Week 1. It appears head coach Todd Bowles thinks the same way.
“I’m just worrying about the guys that are here,” the coach said on Saturday. “The guys that are here are going to play and get ready for the season. When [Darnold] comes in, he comes in.”
Much has been made about how McCown is going to be a veteran voice of experience that helps develop Darnold. It’s doesn’t always work out that way. Joe Montana had no love for Steve Young; Drew Bledsoe wasn’t concerned about Tom Brady’s career; and Brett Favre didn’t roll out any red carpets for Aaron Rodgers.
McCown is going to say the right things because that’s the kind of man he is. He has stayed in contact with Darnold this summer because it’s important “to check on him,” McCown said. But after serving as a backup for most of his 15-year career, he got a chance to start last season and played pretty well despite having little preparation time during the preseason.
You’ll recall the Jets seemed intent on giving Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty every chance to win the starting job last year. McCown was practically kicked to the curb. When Hackenberg and Petty failed to prove they were ready, McCown became the default starter and played well enough to manage the Jets to a 3-2 start.
Despite missing the final three games with his hand injury, McCown still managed to set career highs in passing yardage (2,926) and touchdown passes (18). He deserves to be a little selfish this year. He shouldn’t worry about being a player/coach and instead focus on being the best quarterback he can be.
There seems to be this notion that when Darnold signs his contract everyone else in the quarterback room is there to serve him. It shouldn’t be that way. When he gets here, it’s up to Darnold to learn from McCown’s example: how to study, how to rest, how to watch film, how to encourage teammates and work with coaches. But nothing should be handed to Darnold. It has to be earned by showing up and practicing and proving he’s worth the fuss. So far he hasn’t done that. That’s why the Jets are still McCown’s team.