McCown Not A Week 1 Starter Yet
March 26th, 2014
Bucs GM Jason Licht threw cold water on the notion Josh McCown is locked in as Bucs starting QB
It caught the football world by storm two weeks ago when the Bucs signed free agent quarterback Josh McCown and Bucs coach Lovie Smith pronounced McCown as his starter.
Better tap those brakes, however. Last night, appearing on “Late Hits” with co-hosts Alex Marvez and Bill Polian, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Bucs general manager Jason Licht big time downplayed Lovie’s declaration.
When Marvez asked Licht why anoint McCown the starter rather than have a training campa competition between him and Mike Glennon, Licht said that is exactly what will happen.
“There will be competition!” Licht said. “Somebody has to take the first rep. And it is going to be Josh McCown. There will be competition, but the keys haven’t been completely handed over to him. Lovie did name him the starting quarterback but there is always competition.”
In short, though Lovie knighted McCown, that doesn’t mean McCown is the starting quarterback come Week 1.
Interesting that Licht did not invoke Glennon’s name. Now there very well may be competition, but that competition could be coming from a yet-to-be-named quarterback the Bucs will draft in May.
Should Joe go ahead and order his No. 2 jersey?
March 26th, 2014 at 6:39 am
Number 2 would win that competition by the end of the first practice session.
March 26th, 2014 at 6:48 am
I’m glad Licht cleared that up. Maybe the Mob will settle down a bit.
Joe…. if the Bucs draft Manziel, you should change the jersey number on your logo from 28 to 2. Imagine how people would flip out….
March 26th, 2014 at 6:53 am
Thee is no way Mcown loses a competition versus Glennon. Mcown will start until the rookie they draft is ready to play.
March 26th, 2014 at 6:56 am
Joe’s fishing for material for his Glennon Mob bashing hour tomorrow.
March 26th, 2014 at 6:56 am
Johnny Football should be the week one starter. Also Johnny Football will be on BSPN tomorrow night at 7PM with best Buccaneer coach ever Jon Gruden.
March 26th, 2014 at 7:10 am
LOL!!!
March 26th, 2014 at 7:18 am
This makes more sense. I’m sure they had to tell Mccown he would be the starter in order to get him to sign. If they draft a QB high and it is obvious the rookie is winning the competition then Mccown sits. Same thing as in Seattle. Now we just need a decent QB in the draft…
March 26th, 2014 at 7:46 am
Did Licht say anything about how the Bucs will still have the 4th best QB in the NFC South whether it be McCown, Manziel, or any other drafted QB?
March 26th, 2014 at 7:50 am
I am a Manziel fan as well Joe however I am concerned about his height causing a him to roll out to the right more times than not. I haven’t seen you address this issue yet, or is it a non issue in your eyes? I’m sure you remember how our defence always forced Vick to roll out to his non preferred side and it really messed with his game. Can you give us some thoughts on this?
March 26th, 2014 at 7:52 am
Not a concern. There are successful quarterbacks who are Manziel’s size or smaller. One such quarterback plays in the NFC South.
March 26th, 2014 at 7:54 am
Pretty sure he’s aware of it, hence why he has not denied drafting a quarterback.
March 26th, 2014 at 7:55 am
Height is no issue. Check Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. I’m warming up to the idea of Manziel coming to Tampa
March 26th, 2014 at 7:56 am
Sammy @ 7
March 26th, 2014 at 8:04 am
Sorry Joe, something tells me they go Carr, even if in 1st round, before JF. Wager?
March 26th, 2014 at 8:07 am
Joe might cry, but no player impressed Joe more than Derek Carr at the combine. A total stand-up dude. Class.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:09 am
Which contrary to MGM bashers is all the Glennon Mob is asking for a fair shot at QB competition this year. We MGM’ers believe Mike is the better QB so let’s see how it all plays out before anointing anyone or writing anyone off
March 26th, 2014 at 8:10 am
I thought it was funny how some people were getting all bent out of shape when Lovie said that McCown was the starter. Like licht said… You have to have someone take the first snap at practice. There has to be at least a tentative depth chart at every position before the first practice. Can the depth chart be manipulated from there? Of course! That’s one of the main reasons for all of these OTA’s and training camp. People fight for their spot on the depth chart and the depth chart is adjusted. Happens on every team, every year.
If Glennon comes into camp and looks better than McCown, he will start. Lovie is gonna start the best guy. Period. As of now, L&L reviewed last years tape and decided that RIGHT NOW, McCown has the edge. Simple.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:12 am
“Rex Grossman is my quarterback” – Lovie Smith
Licht has to say this because from a leverage standpoint it helps if the perception is the Bucs could draft a QB. But they aren’t and everyone pretty much knows it. Lovie has chose McCown. It is done.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:13 am
I still think the Bucs will draft a QB just not at #7. Based on other more pressing needs I’m guessing it’ll be day 2 when they pick a guy
March 26th, 2014 at 8:17 am
Did anyone really believe that there wouldn’t be a competition? A rookie will not start this year with veterans on the team. I look foward to a great competition for the starting job, and do not be surprised if Glennon wins, McCown has not spent his career as a back up for no reason.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:21 am
Taking a Sammy Watkins first and a Derek Carr second makes the most sense to me and I hope that is the way it plays out.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:24 am
I don’t mind if the Bucs take a QB at #7 or later. The QB situation will work itself out through competition. The Eagles are going to offer All-Pro Evan Mathis for trade. Too bad we don’t have more picks to consider this trade. Mathis is good and we need another OG that can start.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:25 am
I think the “perception” is reality – the Bucs will draft a QB, we just don’t know what round yet. Its funny, but before the Bucs spent $10M on McCown, the “perception” in most mocks was that we would NOT draft a QB. And now that we have a 35 year old signal caller, many mocks have us drafting a QB. Whats changed? We still have MG8 and have now fortified the position with a vet. Funny how that changed peoples “perception”
March 26th, 2014 at 8:35 am
It’s not height that worries me. Manziel doesn’t have the intangibles. He struggles reading defenses. He doesn’t scan the field well. His style of play will get him rocked in the nfl.
Can he be a good qb? Yes. But he’s a massive project who I wouldn’t touch til the 3rd round.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:37 am
Lovie stated this the next week in his interviews – nothing new.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:46 am
I seem to remember that our former QB never had a training camp competition. There was concern it could damage his psyche. It did.
I always thought that Drew Brees would not mind training camp competition. Although Brees would probably dismantle the opponent, leaving him in pieces too small to pick up.
If McCown, or Freeman, or Glennon isn’t up to competing ALL THE TIME, they shouldn’t sniff the field.
Funny, that. Where did Freeman sign?
March 26th, 2014 at 9:00 am
And from what I read and hear, he has had best pro day too. I got dibs on leader of the “Carr Mob” if drafted.
March 26th, 2014 at 9:40 am
You know what, I like the true competition… unlike last year where no 5 had a competition with MG which was set up for 5 to loose so that MG can start
The great Schiano competition
March 26th, 2014 at 10:25 am
If Lovie had only used the words “McCown will start at the top of the depth chart” instead of saying “starter” there would be a lot less questions posed to L&L on this issue.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:43 am
See… Exactly what I was saying. The declaration of McCown as “the starter” isn’t all that meaningful… While all the b1tching and moaning was going on here a few weeks ago, I said it didn’t necessarily mean much. The problem is that so many people here, and especially Joe, take too much literally or draw bogus conclusions based on isolated public statements. Orca thinks it makes sense to sit back and not get flustered by single events or statements. Hold off on drawing too many conclusions, especially if those conclusions really only cause grief/angst. The game is still played on the field, so let’s wait and see how things evolve.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:49 am
With all this Manziel talk going around about how he’s not good enough, I’m curious to hear what these so called “draft experts” had to say about quarterbacks like Russel Wilson, and Drew Bree’s who are vertically challenged yet still very successful? Does anyone know where I can find this info??
March 26th, 2014 at 10:57 am
Lovie’s basic, initial comment was that someone has to be penciled in at #1 on the depth chart, and that would be McCown for now. He never ‘anointed’ McCown as the starter… the media ran away with that one.
March 26th, 2014 at 12:59 pm
^^ Joe ran with that one in particular… which was predictable.
March 26th, 2014 at 1:48 pm
Offseason competition in professional football? Months and months of practice and preseason to determine who will start in week one? The veteran QB being named the “starter”? No way!
March 26th, 2014 at 2:58 pm
“Joe…. if the Bucs draft Manziel, you should change the jersey number on your logo from 28 to 2.”
i wouldn’t be shocked if there was already a pic on the internet of an eyepatch-wearing, cutlass swinging, beer sloshing manziel. surrounded by college girls, of course.
@TradingPlaces, i don’t think Manziel’s height is the problem, it’s the likelihood of him getting smeared like a fly on the windshield multiple times a game when he tries his sandlot stuff in the NFL
March 29th, 2014 at 4:08 pm
I would love to see Derrick Carr as a Buc but I don’t think they’ll pick him at 7. And I think he’ll be gone before we pick at 2.