I’m still of the belief that what quarterback Josh McCown did for the Cleveland Browns in Saturday night’s dress rehearsal game is reason for some optimism. Not overwhelming confidence. Not relief in the idea the Browns may finally have stability at a position which needs it badly. Just optimism, nothing more, nothing less.
At the end of the day, it was exactly what Cleveland needed. Of course, this isn’t to say this past weekend’s rout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was 100% positive.
McCown and the offense did run into a lot of stalled drives after taking a 17-0 lead. However, these things happen in football all the time. More concerning, though, were the bone-crushing hits McCown took throughout the night.
There were more than a few times where McCown was absolutely mauled by the Tampa defense, something he seemed to take a little pride in after the game. That said, as proud as he was to show his former team he could take every shot it threw at him, he needs to pump the breaks on this routine.
Quite frankly, the Browns simply cannot afford McCown taking as many devastating hits as he endured Saturday night.
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