Why Josh McCown Won’t Lead Bears into Playoffs Any Better Than Caleb Hanie
Published by Ryan Phillips on December 21, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
I don’t think anyone will be surprised by this development, but the Chicago Bears have benched quarterback Caleb Hanie in favor of Josh McCown. While Hanie has been awful since taking over for the injured Jay Cutler, I sincerely doubt the 32-year-old McCown will fair any better for Chicago.
McCown is now with his eighth NFL team during his nine-year career. His career numbers are anything but impressive, as he has completed 611-of-1,060 passes (57.6 percent) for 6,596 yards, with 35 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. His career quarterback rating is an abysmal 70.9.
In addition to that, McCown hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since 2007 when he was with the Oakland Raiders.
The Bears have lost four straight games since Cutler went out, and Hanie has really been anything but good in them. In those games, the Colorado State product has completed 51-of-102 passes (50 percent) for 613 yards, with three touchdowns and nine interceptions. His quarterback rating of 41.8 would easily be the worst in the NFL this season if he had enough attempts to qualify.
Sure, McCown represents a change, and that could be a good thing for Chicago. But he was signed on November 23, which means he has had almost no time in the team’s offense, and the Bears will probably have to simplify the playbook for him.
Sunday, McCown will start for the first time since 2007, and that start will come against a Green Bay Packers team still smarting from its first loss of the season. You can expect McCown to be pressured non-stop as the Packers try to take out their frustrations on the Bears. It could get ugly for the Sam Houston State product on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
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