Josh shows amazing grace in veteran role
In case you hadn’t heard, the Jets desperately need to find a franchise quarterback. In the meantime, there’s a (relatively) old guy willing to bridge the problem with an attitude that warms the cockles of your heart. Josh McCown is on a path to sainthood. He’s almost too good to be true: Hardworking, selfless and uber-optimistic.
By the sounds of his 16-minute conference call Wednesday, you, too, would believe that the talent-starved Jets are des- tined for wonderful things in 2017.
“He’s a great dude,” right guard Brian Winters said at the start of Phase 2 of the Jets’ voluntary offseason program.
In the world of professional football, McCown is practically as old as Yoda. (In the real world, he’ll turn 38 on July 4).
He’s played in games for seven teams in 14 seasons, dabbled in the UFL and coached high school football in North Carolina.
Now, he’ll be pivotal during a transition year for a franchise hoping to build from the ground up. McCown echoed Todd Bowles’ earlier position that he’ll be in “full competition” with Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg for the Week 1 starting job.
“If that’s the case and I’m the guy, then I’ll play the position as well as I can until that changes,” McCown said. “Obviously as a competitor, you don’t expect that to change or want that to change. Because I plan to go out there and play well.”
Recent history and the overarching team plan strongly suggest that McCown won’t be the starter by season’s end. He’s 2-20 as a starter in the past three seasons (albeit with two horrific teams in Tampa Bay and Cleveland). McCown, who has 29 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and a 79.3 passer rating during that three-year span, has also battled injuries.
“I don’t like those numbers, either,” McCown said. “I believe in myself and believe that this will be different (with the Jets in 2017), because I will have learned from those things. I’m excited about playing in this offense.”
New quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, who worked with McCown in Chicago, was instrumental in bringing in the veteran signal caller. So was cash ($6 million) and an opportunity to play. The Jets will provide McCown with his last best chance to start.
His true value to the organization lies in his willingness to mentor Petty and Hackenberg.
“I look forward to every day coming in here and working with Hack and Bryce and trying to give away the things that I’ve learned in my career and hopefully make their journeys better as they go throughout their career,” Saint McCown said. “That’s the goal. That’s something I believe as a person — not just inside of football. In every walk of life, if you can give something away that you know that can make somebody else’s journey better, I think you can have a deeper sense of peace. For me, that’s what I want to do when I come into this building.
“So, I don’t see that being an issue,” he added. “I want them to know everything they can to help them be at their best. If they’re at their best and I’m having to play at even a higher level because they’re pushing (me), ultimately that’s good for everybody.”
McCown will likely win the quarterback competition this summer before handing over the reins to one of the younger signal callers (the powers that be hope Hackenberg) this season. In the meantime, the veteran is making his voice heard during what he called a “very encouraging” first couple of weeks with his new team.
“He’s just vocal,” Winters said. “Wasn’t quiet. Wasn’t sitting in the back. He was trying to lead us from the beginning, doing things with the offense and trying to get us in the right position early on.”
It would have been hard for the Jets to find a better bridge. Now they just have to figure out where it leads.