McCown will be back with Bears if it’s meant to be

MINNEAPOLIS — What now for quarterback Josh McCown, who helped the Bears snap a five-game losing streak with a serviceable performance in Sunday’s 17-13 victory over the Vikings?

McCown was coaching high school football when the Bears called on him in late November after Jay Cutler’s season-ending thumb injury.

“I don’t know,” McCown said. “My plan will be to hump back with those kids and go to work. Those boys know that we’re going to work this spring and get after it and get them ready to go.

“We’ll see what happens. If God wants me to be on the team, I’ll be on the team. If not, then I’ll be happy to be back coaching and helping those young men.”

McCown clearly outplayed Caleb Hanie, who was a disappointment as Cutler’s backup, going 0-4 with 9 interceptions and 3 TD passes while being sacked 19 times.

McCown was 1-1 as a starter with 2 TDs and 3 interceptions in his starts and a fourth pick when he relieved Hanie against Seattle. Hanie finished with a 41.8 passer rating, while McCown was at 68.3.

“I definitely think he can hold his head up,” coach Lovie Smith said of McCown. “He came here and helped our football team. He gave us a spark, energy, and he did not hurt his chances at all by what he has done during his brief time with us.”

Getting better:Charles Tillman#146;s 22-yard interception return for a TD was his second of the season and the fifth of his career, giving him sole possession of the franchise record he had shared with Mike Brown and Bennie McRae.#147;Coach (Rod) Marinelli always challenges us every year,#148; Tillman said. #147;He always says, #145;Everyone have a career day.#146;#147;He#146;s always been that little bird in your ear, always seems to be saying, #145;You can do better, you can give more, do more, play harder, play faster.#146; So I owe a lot of that to Coach Marinelli for just pushing me to the next level and setting the bar higher.#147;One day when I#146;m old and retired, I#146;ll look back at my stats and say, #145;(Darn), yeah, it#146;s freakin#146; good,#146;#148; Tillman said of the record. #147;But at the moment I#146;m just trying to play, get better and keep going.#148;The nine-year veteran was voted to his first Pro Bowl last week.Evening the score:The Bears came into Sunday on a five-game losing streak, due in part to an imbalance in the turnover-take-away ratio. They had forced just 5 turnovers during the slump while giving the ball away 14 times.That problem surfaced early Sunday when Earl Bennett lost a fumble near midfield that led to a Vikings field goal.Two possessions later Kahlil Bell fumbled for the third time in two games. Minnesota recovered at the Bears#146; 18, setting up a 5-yard TD run by Percy Harvin for a 10-0 lead with 3:42 left in the first quarter.Later Josh McCown threw his only interception.#147;There were too many turnovers on the offensive side,#148; coach Lovie Smith said. #147;But again we came through when we needed to.#148;Interceptions by D.J. Moore, (his team-best fourth), Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings helped the Bears get a wash in the turnover-take-away battle.