Angry Pope
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Opportunity Knocks for McCown
July 6, 2007
By Ravi Savitala
Opportunity defines QB Josh McCown.’s career. He views every opportunity as an occasion to learn, to develop as a quarterback. McCown is a competitor. He wants to win and will help his team by doing what is necessary to accomplish that goal.
McCown started all four years in college, concluding his career at Sam Houston State (Div. I-AA) by leading them to the first playoff win in school history. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, starting 22 games over 4 years. As a free agent in 2005, he signed a contract with the Detroit Lions. He appeared in only two games for the Lions – as a wide receiver – but he doesn’t consider his time there a waste. “Surprisingly, though I didn’t play quarterback in a game, I learned a great deal as a player, especially timing and accuracy. More than anything, I learned how to play quarterback and the mental toughness necessary to lead a team,” McCown said.
Toughness has never been a problem for McCown. He grew up the with two Div. I-A quarterbacks – older brother Randy started at Texas A&M and younger brother Luke started at Louisiana Tech. They spent summers working at their father’s pallet mill breaking down pallets in the scorching East Texas sun. The community of Jacksonville, Texas played such a prominent role in their upbringing, the McCown brothers created a quarterback camp to help local youth become better football players. “We started it four years ago because we wanted to give back to Jacksonville, to East Texas in general,” he expressed. “Football means so much to people in East Texas. When you’re that far away, sometimes you don’t get the exposure other kids get in the Dallas or Houston area. It’s a great way to expose kids to professional athletes. This is our way of saying thanks and giving others a chance to succeed.” The camp has been so popular it expanded to include wide receivers this year.
McCown has tried to make the best of every situation at every stop as a quarterback. A positive attitude goes a long way to helping you to achieve your goal. It gives you a better angle to view your circumstances, such that you derive good things from all experiences. He brings this positive attitude to Oakland. Head Coach Lane Kiffin has stated every position is wide open, thus fostering a level of competition in McCown he enjoys.
“As a competitor, you just want to get on the field. My goals are high,” he stated. “I want to help solidify the quarterback position, whoever is playing. I want to be the starter and play well. If I play well and I’m not the starter, it means whoever is playing in front of me is playing well, which means the quarterback of our team is playing well. This puts us in great position to win football games. Regardless of what happens with me, I want the team to win.”
When McCown steps on the field, his favorite moment is walking into the huddle. He knows there are 10 teammates looking to him for leadership. The feeling he gets from watching his team celebrate a successful drive is what drives him. He has the opportunity to prove he can be that leader, the opportunity to be the starting quarterback of The Oakland Raiders.
July 6, 2007
By Ravi Savitala
Opportunity defines QB Josh McCown.’s career. He views every opportunity as an occasion to learn, to develop as a quarterback. McCown is a competitor. He wants to win and will help his team by doing what is necessary to accomplish that goal.
McCown started all four years in college, concluding his career at Sam Houston State (Div. I-AA) by leading them to the first playoff win in school history. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, starting 22 games over 4 years. As a free agent in 2005, he signed a contract with the Detroit Lions. He appeared in only two games for the Lions – as a wide receiver – but he doesn’t consider his time there a waste. “Surprisingly, though I didn’t play quarterback in a game, I learned a great deal as a player, especially timing and accuracy. More than anything, I learned how to play quarterback and the mental toughness necessary to lead a team,” McCown said.
Toughness has never been a problem for McCown. He grew up the with two Div. I-A quarterbacks – older brother Randy started at Texas A&M and younger brother Luke started at Louisiana Tech. They spent summers working at their father’s pallet mill breaking down pallets in the scorching East Texas sun. The community of Jacksonville, Texas played such a prominent role in their upbringing, the McCown brothers created a quarterback camp to help local youth become better football players. “We started it four years ago because we wanted to give back to Jacksonville, to East Texas in general,” he expressed. “Football means so much to people in East Texas. When you’re that far away, sometimes you don’t get the exposure other kids get in the Dallas or Houston area. It’s a great way to expose kids to professional athletes. This is our way of saying thanks and giving others a chance to succeed.” The camp has been so popular it expanded to include wide receivers this year.
McCown has tried to make the best of every situation at every stop as a quarterback. A positive attitude goes a long way to helping you to achieve your goal. It gives you a better angle to view your circumstances, such that you derive good things from all experiences. He brings this positive attitude to Oakland. Head Coach Lane Kiffin has stated every position is wide open, thus fostering a level of competition in McCown he enjoys.
“As a competitor, you just want to get on the field. My goals are high,” he stated. “I want to help solidify the quarterback position, whoever is playing. I want to be the starter and play well. If I play well and I’m not the starter, it means whoever is playing in front of me is playing well, which means the quarterback of our team is playing well. This puts us in great position to win football games. Regardless of what happens with me, I want the team to win.”
When McCown steps on the field, his favorite moment is walking into the huddle. He knows there are 10 teammates looking to him for leadership. The feeling he gets from watching his team celebrate a successful drive is what drives him. He has the opportunity to prove he can be that leader, the opportunity to be the starting quarterback of The Oakland Raiders.
