McCown seems back on course

Growing pains aren't usually an affliction that plague 35-year-old quarterbacks like Josh McCown, who's spent 12 years in the NFL.

But the former Bear, who was magnificent in relief of Jay Cutler last season, experienced some adjustment difficulties this season as he stepped into a new role as the offensive leader of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

During Lovie Smith's final two seasons as the Bears' head coach, McCown played a small role, mostly as the No. 3 quarterback, although he started two games in 2011.

When Smith got the Bucs' gig on Jan. 2, he brought McCown to Tampa as his starter, even though Mike Glennon had shown some potential as a rookie in 2013, starting 13 games and compiling an impressive 83.9 passer rating.

McCown, as one of the architects of the Bucs' rebuild, wanted to provide a finished product from Day One, but it didn't happen. The Bucs lost each of their first three games, including a 56-14 trouncing by the Atlanta Falcons, in which McCown suffered ligament damage to his right thumb that kept him out for seven weeks. He went to the sidelines with a 65.8 passer rating, having thrown 4 interceptions and 2 TD passes.

"I pressed a little bit," McCown admitted. "(I felt like) I had to make everything perfect in light of the circumstances, with the coordinator (Jeff Tedford has been mostly absent as he battles heart problems) and all of that. It led to the mistakes that I shouldn't make and didn't make last year, so it was frustrating for me."

McCown appears to have figured it out since returning, throwing for 589 yards and 4 touchdowns in two games. His 137.5 passer rating in last week's 27-7 victory over Washington was the second highest of his career, trailing only the 141.9 he posted last season in the Bears' 45-28 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

"I felt like two weeks ago, when I came back against Atlanta, I played that game how I wanted to play it," McCown said. "It felt how I felt last year. I just felt more at ease, more at peace; just really settled in.

"A lot of that is the growing confidence I have for (quarterbacks coach) Marcus (Arroyo) as a play-caller. I feel like I'm at a better place now than I was at the start of the season."

Smith was disappointed to lose his hand-picked offensive leader. But, as he almost always does, Smith took the "glass is half full" approach.

"For Josh, it was a great opportunity," Smith said. "And he was accepted as the leader. He wanted to have things go a certain way right away - and they didn't.

"But it's funny how things turn out. You don't ever want injuries, but the injury did happen, and I feel like he got better while he was out - just looking at the game from a different perspective."

As he did last season with the Bears, McCown contributed in any way possible and helped the team even when he wasn't playing.

"When he got hurt, we said, 'Hey Josh, we need you to play a different role for us here for a while,' " Smith said. "He embraced that."

That selfless, team-first attitude is what endeared McCown to his Bears teammates, especially quarterback Jay Cutler. In McCown, who's with his sixth NFL team, Cutler had an experienced, veteran sounding board whose opinion he valued.

"He's played the position at a lot of different places," Cutler said. "We were (both) coming into a new system (under Trestman), and he'd been through a lot of different systems like I had. We helped each other learn. (In) his journey, he's been through ups and downs, knew what the position was about and knew what it took to play the position, so he could relate really well."

By all accounts, McCown was good for Cutler in a lot of ways: As a confidant, a study partner, another set of eyes on game day and, during the week, a tireless, behind-the-scenes information conduit to the entire offense.

"Josh is probably good for a lot of people," Cutler said at Thursday's news conference. "You could probably pair him with most of the people in this room, and he'd find a way to help make you better. He's just one of those kinds of people. I know he's doing good things for that quarterback room in Tampa just like he did for us.

"I definitely wish him well, except for this week. We'll go at it head-to-head and see what happens."

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