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Josh McCown makes list of worst NFL free agent signings: Cleveland Browns & NFL links

By Dan Labbe, Northeast Ohio Media Group
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on March 13, 2015 at 10:42 AM, updated March 13, 2015 at 10:43 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns signing of Josh McCown raised many an eyebrow across the league and in the team's fanbase. Not in a good way, either.

McCown, cut by Tampa Bay, was snagged by the Browns in February before free agency opened. The team was able to negotiate and sign him since he had been cut. Buffalo was also in the running for his services.

McCown threw for 2,206 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 11 games with Tampa Bay. McCown's best run as a starting quarterback came in 2013 in Chicago when he appeared in eight games, throwing for 1,829 yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception.

Bill Barnwell of Grantland is unimpressed:

"It's stunning to think that a team could make this very same mistake in consecutive seasons. For years, McCown was a lower-echelon backup making something close to the veteran's minimum. He caught on with Marc Trestman's Bears and delivered one of the finest small-sample flukes you'll ever see, with an unsustainably low interception rate driving a 224-pass sample that made him look like Peyton Manning."
The Buccaneers, of course, gave McCown a $10-million deal following that performance with the Bears. Considering he's now a member of the Browns after only one of those years, it didn't exactly work out.

All that said, though, the free agent market at quarterback is thin. The options were uninspiring. Surely that made McCown worth something, right?

More from Barnwell:

"Instead of recognizing that the wrong guy off the scrap heap could play well in a small sample and therefore looking for the right guy off the scrap heap, the Bucs and now the Browns are paying McCown like he's a meaningful asset. Cleveland beat Buffalo in a bidding war for McCown, who actually got a whopping $6.25 million in guaranteed money.
"Why on earth would you give McCown that much guaranteed money? What are you paying for? Veteran competence? McCown has been about the 50th-best quarterback in football for the vast majority of his career."
It's not a great list to be on, really. Head over to Grantland and read the rest on McCown and check out the full list.

More Browns links

Browns not using large salary-cap space like Jags, Raiders, Titans (ESPN.com)

Browns Haunted by Their Reputation as Jordan Cameron Spurns Former Team (Bleacher Report)

link

Please no, not another McCown thread. I had almost forgotten he was our starting QB.

Good! Love it!!! Browns finally lose in the March and April Media FA and Draft grade games.

Browns Fans I hope we get use to March and April being uneventful, and our December and January weekends booked! Really, we should hate football this time of year.

I think McCown can match Hoyer's production if our running game and defense are both consistently good next year. Unless we've found lightening in a bottle with McCown, I still expect a 6-10 season. My hope is that the young players continue to progress and get better. I have faith that Farmer can land us another handful of good players in the draft though.

I fully expect us to draft a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round.

J/C

Was there really anymore of a viable available option for a decent price? Hoyer's scouting report is out, Foles isn't an upgrade, Bradford has incredibly suspect knees, the price is way too steep for a question mark like Glennon, Mallet isn't going anywhere, etc.

QB would be a glaring weakness even if we drafted Mariotta (another college system QB who needs to start from square one) and Winston (a major question mark on character concerns....).

Y'all must've had your heads buried in the ground if you didn't see the impending reality.

I would have taken Foles, Glennon, Bradford or Mallet over McCown.

At least all four of those guys are still relatively young and have some level of upside. Given the right opportunity and circumstances they could all grow into long term options.

Foles and Bradford would have been MAJOR upgrades in my opinion.

There's a reason why all of them were drafted in the lower parts of the draft, were available, or found their ways to different teams. The sole reason they all shared: "Unproven players who have a past history of below-average to average at best play." That fits the same bill as McCown.

Just lower your expectations for this season.

Mac,

Hoyer looked horrible once defenses figured out our running attack, blitzed Hoyer at any possible moment, and dared him to throw to another WR than his first option. His play greatly diminished as teams witnessed more of his game tape. He would've been just as bad at the beginning of this coming season as he was at the end of last season.

Quality NFL starters overcome adversity. Pettine, after giving Hoyer plenty of time to prove him wrong, found Hoyer cannot overcome adversity.

Vince Young is available.

You might want to save this to remind me that I said it.. because in November I'll be pretty ticked off.. but if 2-14 gets us Cardale Jones or Conner or whoever the consensus #1 QB is next year in the draft, I will gleefully accept a 2-14 season.

I mean...

the reason we keep going through coaches, we can't find a QB.
the reason we have trouble attracting FAs, especially offensive FAs, we can't find a QB.
the reason we just flat can't win consistently, we can't find a QB...

If it takes McCown and 2-14 to end that... then I'm all in for the ride. I would much rather go 2-14 next year than 6-10 which would get us the 7th pick and we'd be in no-mans-land again.... arguing over whether the 2nd or 3rd best QB in the draft is really a "franchise QB" or whether we should give up 5 high picks to move up.... ...

Why did the coaching staff and front office agree to let him walk if he's the better option?

I liked Brian Hoyer, and appreciate the fact that he helped us play some damn good football last year, but the fact of the matter is that when the competition got tougher and the games meant more he just kind of crumbled.

He had a stretch of what, 4 or 5 games without a TD? (2nd quarter against Houston to 4th quarter against Carolina). He threw 8 INT's in 4 games. Lead 1 TD drive in 29 drives at one point. Produced absolutely zero offense in a one point loss to the Colts in an absolutely huge playoff standings game. On top of all this, the guy struggled all year long with his accuracy and arm strength.

I have zero doubt that he's a smart QB, and a hard worker, but he lacks the arm talent and the "killer" mentality to ever be more than ordinary.

I'm not sticking up for McCown, I still dislike that he's our QB, but I don't really think Hoyer was the answer either. He got us to 7-4 and then started playing like a....

....backup.

Just my opinion from a guy who was ROOTING for Hoyer to beat out Manziel last year in training camp.

Mac,

Hoyer was no better. Sure, the stats say one thing; the reality shows that once there was game tape on Hoyer he floundered. Please stop ignoring the obvious.

Who knows? Was it game tape? Or was it an injury to a lineman, mixed with a decreasing running game?

Who cares - Hoyer is gone.

Is that your favorite affirmation video, or what?

lol...you walked right into that memphis

Man, the Bucs cut a QB that we just gave a lot of guaranteed money to.

Wait......what?

The Tampa Bay Bucs cast off the guy we .......what was that term Memphis used?????

Oh yeah....................."overpaid" for.

(poor correlation)

Actually, I think Skrine is a much better and more productive player than McCown is.

Thus, the correlation is not only NOT poor, but it rather illuminating in regards to how full of crap you are.

Know of anyone in particular?? I don't have time to follow college FB much, except to watch Ohio State when I can (Nat'l Champs!!!!).

Mariota and Winston(??) will be gone. Of course, most 1st rounds don't pan out anyway.

Trick is knowing whom to draft ...

I believe losing Alex Mack certainly hurt, that was obvious, but is his injury to blame for ALL of Hoyer's bad play? I doubt it.

I liked Hoyer (still do), but I think we'll be able to get the same production out of McCown if our running game works and our defense is stout.

I have no doubt we're going to draft another QB somewhere, and that McCown will be the mentor for him and Manziel, I think that has to be the plan. (Or I hope so anyway).

I really like Bryce Petty from Baylor.

I know a lot of people argue he's a system QB from the Big 12, but I watched him play against Michigan State and the biggest things I noticed were his size and mobility (6'3 225), he had a VERY QUICK release (unlike Weeden), he wasn't always throwing to his first read (meaning he can make reads to a degree), and he had a fairly strong deep arm. He's the guy I like.

I know others prefer Brett Hundley, Garrett Grayson or maybe even Shane Carder. It's hard to tell who the front office might like, but I would be shocked if we don't spend a 2nd or 3rd round pick on a QB.

Who prefers Brett Hundley to anyone, I'll fight them.

I have no idea how my post was inserted into the middle of the convo...I apologize, ahh smart phones.

But I wouldn't mind Petty in the middle of the draft, if he falls there of course.

I think Petty can be a good QB. As good a chance and anybody else from this class. It's not like there is a clear standout.

Thanks for the info. I get most of my NFL info from reading these discussions. :-)

If we're following the Seattle model..

We need a 3rd round rookie to beat out our FA QB..

And then everything will be fine..

Petty... Petty...

My Texas Hometown boy... watched him in highschool and wouldn't have bet a nickel he would go to a major college, let alone be a 3rd rounder in the NFL...boy was I off... now question is .. is his coachuing and system so good in college it makes him seem better than he is ( see RGIII) or is he the real deal.. frankly I havent a clue.

I kind am leaning to the system side.. and I hate saying that about a local kid.

Dude, don't even tease us like that! Haha. That is material belonging in a fairy tale book here in Cleveland!

LOL man you have to admit, that would be a sweet situation to find ourselves in LOL

In all seriousness, if you took a guy like Petty in the 3rd.. I think he could possibly beat out McCown (I like Petty)

Our offense isn't going to be too complicated, Run based, "removing the gray areas" was a nice quote from Defilippo, and if you grab him a TE or WR in the 1st or 2nd to grow with, they could be fine..

You then put Manziel on the PUP list and pretend he doesn't exist in 2015..

It's sad, but I think a lot of the rookies can beat out McCown on pure skills.