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Cardinals believe in McCown
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Green confident of young QB's abilities
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 28, 2004 12:00 AM
The Cardinals have 10 minicamp practices scheduled before the NFL draft next month, giving new coach Dennis Green plenty of time to see exactly what he has in quarterback Josh McCown.
But Green doesn't need the time. He's not using the two minicamps as proving grounds for the inexperienced McCown.
"No, I'm sold on Josh," he said. "I'm not curious at all."
It's been almost a mantra for Green since he named McCown the starter in early February. No one seems to believe him, not with the Cardinals having the third overall pick in the draft and either Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger, the top two quarterbacks, likely available to them.
But Green is steadfast in his belief that McCown can lead the Cardinals to the playoffs, something they've achieved just once since moving to Arizona in 1988.
Green does have a track record. In 10 years in Minnesota, the Vikings went to the playoffs eight times. More remarkably, they did it with seven different starting quarterbacks.
If McCown, a third-round pick in 2002, succeeds, he'll be a shining example of Green's philosophy that it doesn't matter where a player is drafted, it's how he plays once he arrives.
"I think as the players see Josh rise up, they have to do the exact same thing," Green said. "He's not a franchise player. He's not a bonus baby No. 1 pick. He's a guy that was a backup last year who is getting his opportunity under a new coaching staff, and all the other players can get that same opportunity.
"And so I think they need to look at him as an example of what can be right about their own particular careers."
It's a leap of faith. McCown was shaky in spot appearances last year, until he started the final three games. In those, he displayed a strong arm, great running ability and a toughness that his teammates rallied around.
"There's a lot we're going to see," tight end Freddie Jones said. "He has the type of talent that there is always going to be more for him to do."
Through most of last season, even Cardinals officials were skeptical about McCown's future. Rod Graves, the team's vice president of football operations, voiced concerns about McCown's skittish performances.
But McCown turned heads in the final three games, and Green was impressed by what he saw on video.
McCown credits his improvement to a natural maturation and an increased understanding of NFL defenses, a process that was accelerated by his three starts last year.
"Everything is so much more clear now," he said. "If I could put him (Green) in my head and he could know how much I understand, how much I know right now and how far I've come, he would be that much more confident."
McCown is in the process of learning Green's offense, which is a hybrid of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense and other schemes. It's the same offense used by Baltimore and Indianapolis, and McCown gets excited when he thinks of the possibilities.
"It will be fun, hopefully," he said. "I think that's what made his (Green's) quarterbacks successful, the freedom that he gave them. That's what I'm excited about."
advertisement
Green confident of young QB's abilities
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 28, 2004 12:00 AM
The Cardinals have 10 minicamp practices scheduled before the NFL draft next month, giving new coach Dennis Green plenty of time to see exactly what he has in quarterback Josh McCown.
But Green doesn't need the time. He's not using the two minicamps as proving grounds for the inexperienced McCown.
"No, I'm sold on Josh," he said. "I'm not curious at all."
It's been almost a mantra for Green since he named McCown the starter in early February. No one seems to believe him, not with the Cardinals having the third overall pick in the draft and either Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger, the top two quarterbacks, likely available to them.
But Green is steadfast in his belief that McCown can lead the Cardinals to the playoffs, something they've achieved just once since moving to Arizona in 1988.
Green does have a track record. In 10 years in Minnesota, the Vikings went to the playoffs eight times. More remarkably, they did it with seven different starting quarterbacks.
If McCown, a third-round pick in 2002, succeeds, he'll be a shining example of Green's philosophy that it doesn't matter where a player is drafted, it's how he plays once he arrives.
"I think as the players see Josh rise up, they have to do the exact same thing," Green said. "He's not a franchise player. He's not a bonus baby No. 1 pick. He's a guy that was a backup last year who is getting his opportunity under a new coaching staff, and all the other players can get that same opportunity.
"And so I think they need to look at him as an example of what can be right about their own particular careers."
It's a leap of faith. McCown was shaky in spot appearances last year, until he started the final three games. In those, he displayed a strong arm, great running ability and a toughness that his teammates rallied around.
"There's a lot we're going to see," tight end Freddie Jones said. "He has the type of talent that there is always going to be more for him to do."
Through most of last season, even Cardinals officials were skeptical about McCown's future. Rod Graves, the team's vice president of football operations, voiced concerns about McCown's skittish performances.
But McCown turned heads in the final three games, and Green was impressed by what he saw on video.
McCown credits his improvement to a natural maturation and an increased understanding of NFL defenses, a process that was accelerated by his three starts last year.
"Everything is so much more clear now," he said. "If I could put him (Green) in my head and he could know how much I understand, how much I know right now and how far I've come, he would be that much more confident."
McCown is in the process of learning Green's offense, which is a hybrid of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense and other schemes. It's the same offense used by Baltimore and Indianapolis, and McCown gets excited when he thinks of the possibilities.
"It will be fun, hopefully," he said. "I think that's what made his (Green's) quarterbacks successful, the freedom that he gave them. That's what I'm excited about."
