Josh McCown out for rest of season with broken collarbone
Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) is attended to by the Cleveland Browns training staff after being injured during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
A quarterback controversy returns to Cleveland after a season-ending injury to Josh McCown.
After one of the most heartbreaking losses in franchise history, more bad news came from the Cleveland Browns today.
Josh McCown will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a broken collarbone during Monday night’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
McCown was already dealing with injuries heading into the game, but the benching of Johnny Manziel meant McCown was back in the starting role. That return did not even last an entire game.
Looking at the team’s 2-9 record may seem to be a poor reflection upon McCown, but he actually brought a sense of stability to the offense that has rarely been seen since 1999. It was the same type of feeling brought by Brian Hoyer before his late-season collapse and eventual benching.
Stats aside, watching McCown play this season was a relief after so many years of paltry play at the quarterback position.
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So now there is another quarterback “controversy” (depending who you ask) for the rest of the season. But fans of Manziel may have to keep complaining, because it looks like Austin Davis will get the starting spot over Manziel.
After McCown left Monday’s game due to injury, Davis came in and kept the Browns’ chance of winning alive. He went 7/10 for 77 yards and a touchdown to tie the game at 27-27 with less than two minutes to play.
His only misstep was wasting a great deal of time in the last 30 seconds of the game, but that was later blamed on communication issues between him and the sideline. Either way, he played well enough to earn the starting nod over Manziel, who still needs to make up for his actions.
Mike Pettine has not yet made a decision on who will start, but I would be surprised to see Manziel take the field this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With this season being lost so early, it would be better to put Davis on the field as he would give the team a better chance to salvage anything from this season. He went 3-5 as a starter last season for the St. Louis Rams, and has enough experience to make this team somewhat competitive until the season comes to a merciful end.
He is also under contract with the Browns for next season, and with Manziel uncertain future in Cleveland, Davis may actually be an option for the starting job next season. Or at least that’s what it looks like before the draft, when a quarterback will certainly be selected. Hopefully.