Cleveland Browns: Josh McCown to start if healthy
By Thomas Moore
Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) attempts a pass under pressure from St. Louis Rams defensive end William Hayes (95) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown took a beating on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, taking four sacks and numerous other hits before leaving the game with an injured shoulder.
But if McCown shows he is OK, he will take the field as the starter when the Browns host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“If our starting quarterback is physically able to play, will we play him? Yes,” head coach Mike Pettine said during his Monday news conference. “We are listing him as day-to-day. We will know a little bit more on Wednesday, but I am not going to get into his specific MRI results. We’ll see how he progresses later in the week.”
Despite some members of the media being determined to diagnose McCown with a concussion, Pettine said that may not be the case.
“I think that’s hard to say (if McCown should have been taken out of the game),” Pettine said. “I know our trainers and doctors are watching the game very intently. I know the officials are trained to look for it, and I know there’s somebody in the booth that’s doing it. I don’t know if you can say that it failed. I think if he had showed up today [and had symptoms] or if he had a concussion, I think you could say that it failed. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that.”
McCown also shot down the idea that he suffered his second concussion of the season.
“It was a good hard hit. He got underneath me, and I didn’t feel like at the time it was something as far as my head or it was a hard helmet shot. It was more my body than anything,” the veteran quarterback said. “(I’m) getting better, getting better. Sore but getting better, but I think disappointment probably outweighs all of that. Just disappointed in how we played.”
If it turns out that McCown can’t shake off the beating he took against the Rams in time to face the Cardinals, the Browns will most likely turn to Johnny Manziel who, in addition to preparing for this week’s game may also be called to face the NFL over the recent domestic violence incident with his girlfriend.
“We will be informed of it,” Pettine said of any investigation from the NFL. “I am sure that they are certainly mindful of what our schedule is. I am confident that we will be able to work around it. They understand the schedule that we are in.
“I am sure that whatever result, if there is some type of immediate result to it, than they would let us know as soon as possible.”
Even if McCown is able to play against Arizona, the time may soon be coming where Pettine decides it is time to make a switch.
While McCown’s numbers against the Rams look nice on the surface – he finished the game 26-of-32 for 270 yards and a quarterback rating of 101.8 – he also failed to get the Browns into the end zone and the offense was just three-of-11 on third down.
If the offense continues to struggle to find the end zone, and the losses start piling up, Manziel may find his way back on the field sometime soon.