Everything going right for Bears’ McCown
It’s obvious Josh McCown has achieved a level of comfort since he stepped in as the leader of the Bears’ offense following Jay Cutler’s groin and ankle injuries.
How do we know this?
His teammates have started taking good-natured shots at him — at his Southern drawl, his exuberance and even his devotion to Christianity.
Tight end Martellus Bennett says McCown sounds like a cross between Ben Stiller and Jesus.
“I’m trying to process Ben Stiller and Jesus,” an amused McCown said when informed. “I just want to be there to listen to them two talk because I think that would be cool. (But) I just try to call the plays as clear as I can and communicate what’s been communicated to me through the headset.”
A little may get lost in translation, as right guard Kyle Long pointed out. “The cadence is a little different, and there’s a little Southern twang to it,” Long said.
When McCown barks out, “White 80,” Long hears something different.
“Whaaaat 80, Whaaaat 80. That’s what it sounds like,” the rookie said.
Center Roberto Garza says everyone in the huddle can hear McCown, but sometimes they’re afraid players in the defensive huddle can hear him because he gets so fired up he starts shouting.
“He gets very excited in the game, and (we) start getting mad at him because we don’t want the defense to know the snap count,” Garza. “But he’s a lot of fun in the huddle.”
Garza said he’s never seen the 34-year-old not upbeat.
“If he wasn’t (upbeat), it wouldn’t be Josh,” Garza said. “He brings a lot of energy.”
At the start of the game-winning, overtime march against the Ravens last week, McCown told the offense that the drive would not only win the game but could become something they could all remember. Depending on how the rest of the season goes, he could wind up being prophetic.
But for now, McCown’s only worried about two things: the Rams on Sunday, and not repeating the mistakes from last week. Though he hasn’t been intercepted while throwing 101 passes, McCown scoffs at the notion that he’s been flawless.
“Not flawless by any stretch,” he said. “In that last game, we didn’t get (7) points in the red zone that first trip down there. Those things really eat at me. You’ve got to get your team in the end zone. You can’t go down there and take 3 all the time.
“There’s a ton of things I can work on and improve.”
McCown has never had a season that compares statistically to this one.
His current passer rating is 100.0, and he’s 2-0 as a starter.
His best passer rating in the previous 10 seasons is 74.9 (in 2005), and his career mark is 71.2 with a 13-21 won-lost record.
He credits his talented supporting cast along with his own improved preparation and attention to detail, which have come with experience and maturity.
“There are several things with the way I approach it and the way I prepare,” McCown said. “There are a lot of detailed things I do that I didn’t think I needed to do (in the past). You know, ‘Oh, I got it. I don’t need to do this and do that.’
“Some of it’s extra time on film and some of it has to do with the way I study the plays.”
What some young quarterbacks might consider tedious McCown considers rewarding. He seems to agree that it’s what you learn after you think you know it all that makes the difference.
“That’s the best part of the journey,” he said.
“When you can look back from the season and say, ‘I focused on the details that day. That day when I didn’t want to, I stayed after it. That day, (even) when I felt satisfied, I stayed after it.’ That’s the key. The wins and losses hopefully will take care of themselves, but that’s the real journey. Can you look back and say you did that?”
That’s a philosophy anyone can understand, even with the accent.
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