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Not much of a difference.
Jets re-signed a QB who played at the same level as Kirk Cousins last year.
Josh McCown had a 94.5 QB rating and Cousins had a 93.9.
McCown threw 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions in 13 starts, and Cousins had 27 and 13 in 16 starts.
Very similar seasons.
You can choose to agree with me or not, but in my humble opinion we are talking about quarterbacks who are the same level.
Of course you can make the argument that the tiebreaker is age. McCown is a decade older. Clearly that isn’t ideal.
But you know what, the Jets have missed the playoffs seven years in a row, they have gone 5-11 back-to-back seasons, and they need to be a playoff contender this season! McCown can lead them to that if they handle this off-season with aplomb.
As we speak right now, McCown is still at the top of his game. While he is 39, his total number of NFL starts amount to six seasons, so there is not as much wear-and-tear as other quarterbacks his age. Also, he keeps himself in tremendous shape. In weightlifting parlance – he has a “six pack.”
He’s basically the same age at Drew Brees and Tom Brady, two players still at the top of their games. I’m not comparing him to these two future Hall-of-Famers. But I’ve said this many times – if quarterbacks in their mid-late 30’s are healthy, and still have their legs and arm, they can do their best work. The position is so mentally challenging, and these guys are at the top of the growth curve – there is little they haven’t seen from complex NFL defenses.
A lot of people are concerned that the Jets are going down the same road they did with Ryan Fitzpatrick – career year, give him good money, and then he flops.
I don’t think it’s the same. I think McCown has much better arm talent than Fitzpatrick. He can make throws Fitzpatrick can’t.
Let me get into a few other things regarding McCown coming back to the Jets.
First off, they need him in the building. He’s the best leader in the building, bar none. One Jets Drive in Florham Park, New Jersey needs him in the building.
And Jets offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates wanted McCown back. The two are in lock-step. Bates isn’t for everybody. He’s a different kind of cat. He was out of the sport for four years. He had a temper issue the first time with the Jets. McCown knows how to work with him. People made a big deal about the Cousins connection to Bates through the Shanahan tree. That is true, but the Shanahans know Bates had temper issues in the past, and I’m sure that was relayed to Cousins. It’s possible that Cousins was a little concerned with working with Bates. It might not have been the positive many people represented it to be.
McCown doesn’t have those concerns about Bates. The Bates-McCown working relationship is outstanding, and he can deal with Jeremy’s temperament. Nothing will surprise or frazzle the even-keeled McCown.
The Teddy Bridgewater signing makes a ton of sense. It’s not for a lot of money, and it’s just one year. They can kick the tires on Teddy all year, and if they like what they see, perhaps he’s the Jets’ next QB. He is only 25. Not a bad idea to take a flyer on him. Also, the Jets made a terrible decision last season going with two raw, development quarterbacks in the #2 and #3 spots, so once the starter got hurt, they were in a heap of trouble. You need a better backup plan than that, and Bridgewater, with all his starting experience in Minnesota, gives them a bonafide #2.
Also, Bridgewater is a great locker room guy with tremendous character. With McCown and Bridgewater, the Jets have two of the best people in the league in their quarterback room.
I will get into the other Jets signings in the days ahead. Here is what I wrote about the new Jets cornerback in the last issue of Jets Confidential Magazine.
Trumaine Johnson, Rams, 6-2. 213, 28
A jumbo CB with great ball skills; over six years in the league has 67 PD’s and 18 picks. In 2015, he had 7 picks and 17 PD’s, and actually missed two games. With his length and physicality, he’s great match-up against big receivers. He’s also a physical tackler. Had two legal issues – disorderly conduct (2011) and reckless driving (2013) which need to be looked into before doling out big money.
March 13, 2018
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