McCown actually gets some playing time for Bears

In his Bears debut, Josh McCown looked a lot like Cade McNown.

A lot like Caleb Hanie.

Unsure.

Rushed.

Ineffective.

McCown can be excused, however.

Before the Bears’ 38-14 loss to Seattle on Sunday at Soldier Field, the ninth-year pro hadn’t played in an NFL game since 2009, when he got into all of one game for Carolina.

He was coaching high school football until getting a call by the Bears a month ago, after Jay Cutler injured his thumb.

McCown got his jersey No. 15 called on Sunday after Hanie’s second pick-6 of the second half — a 42-yard interception return for touchdown by Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

On his first snap from scrimmage, with the Bears trailing by the eventual final score, McCown was forced to scramble to his left. He sprinted for a 5-yard gain, only to see the run negated by left tackle J’Marcus Webb’s holding penalty.

Then, after McCown completed a short pass to Kahlil Bell, he tried to hit Roy Williams only to be intercepted by cornerback Richard Sherman.

Welcome to life as a Bears quarterback, Josh.

It was the Seahawks’ fourth interception of the day.

“It was fun to be back out there, but under the circumstances it was bittersweet,” McCown said. “You always want a chance to play and a chance to be out there, but when you’re coming in there and the game’s out of question, it’s not as fun.”

Considering Hanie’s ineffectiveness (10 of 23 passing, 111 yards, 3 interceptions) and the fact that the Bears haven’t won in his four starts since Cutler’s injury, McCown (1 of 2 passing, 12 yards, 1 interception) might be a candidate to start Christmas night at Green Bay.

“I don’t have any comment on that because I don’t know what (the coaching staff’s) mindset is or what direction they want to go,” McCown said.

“I just want to be available. If they do call my number, I just want to be ready to go.”

Despite being a Bear only since the week after Cutler got hurt, McCown is confident that, if asked, he can step in and start Sunday night.

“I’d be ready to go,” McCown said. “Any time they turn the lights on and you have a chance to go play, you’ve got to be excited about that. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great job to have.”

McCown, who has been employed by seven NFL teams and has started 31 games in his career, called Hanie a “resilient kid” and has empathy for his fellow QB.

“He’s a competitor, and Caleb wants to play well,” McCown said. “We root for him. We want him to play well. He had some tough breaks today, and that’s unfortunate.

“As a quarterback and a guy who’s gone through some of those things before, your heart breaks for him because he’s trying to make the most of his opportunity.

“Caleb’s done a lot of good things, and as young guy he’ll learn from this stuff.”