BEREA: It didn’t take long for the Browns to dust off 37-year-old quarterback Josh McCown, and he’s grateful for a chance to show he can still clean up well.
With Robert Griffin III out for at least eight games and perhaps the rest of the season with a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder suffered this past weekend in the regular-season opener, McCown will return to the starting role he held last season. He’ll be back in the saddle Sunday when the Browns (0-1) face the Baltimore Ravens (1-0) in the home opener.
“I’m excited about playing — absolutely,” McCown said Monday. “At my tender age, these opportunities, you don’t take lightly.”
In the aftermath of Griffin absorbing a big hit in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 29-10 loss to the host Philadelphia Eagles, the Browns were probably relieved they didn’t trade McCown a month ago when the Dallas Cowboys came calling for him.
Rookie third-round draft pick Cody Kessler will back up McCown, but his struggles in the preseason proved he could still use time to develop before being thrown into the fire.
“You have to have quarterbacks on your football team that can play,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “That’s why we kept Josh here, because he knows how to play, and he’s been in this league and understands our offense and what we’re trying to accomplish.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened to Robert, but it is comforting to know that we have a guy that’s played in NFL games and knows how to manage games and play the game and play within our system.”
Jackson said “bits and pieces” of his offense will change with McCown replacing Griffin but added, “I don’t think we’ve got to just totally change our offense from what it’s been.”
Although McCown has barely taken any first-team snaps since Griffin signed with the Browns in March, right guard John Greco said he thinks the transition back to McCown will be seamless because of the 14-year NFL veteran’s vast knowledge.
McCown played much better last season than his record of 1-7 suggests. He threw 12 touchdown passes with four interceptions and posted a passer rating of 93.3. He also played through broken ribs before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone Nov. 30 against the Ravens.
“With Josh coming in, we get a lot of experience and leadership,” Greco said. “So we’re not concerned with a drop-off in play at all.”
McCown faced the Ravens twice last season and went 1-1.
On Oct. 11, he completed 36-of-51 passes (70.6 percent) for 457 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 111.3 in a 33-30 overtime win in Baltimore.
He set a single-game franchise record for passing yards in the regular season.
On Nov. 30, he went 21-of-38 passing (55.3 percent) for 212 yards and a touchdown with a rating of 80.2 before being injured in the fourth quarter of a 33-27 loss in Cleveland.
Now he’s preparing to face the Ravens again in the aftermath of Griffin’s injury.
“It’s not just a teammate. It’s a friend that’s getting injured,” McCown said.
“You’re bummed and heartbroken for that guy, because you know the dreams and aspirations he talks about in that quarterback room and the things he wants to accomplish and the goals he has for the season. So it’s heartbreaking but, at the same time, you have to shift mindsets and go, ‘This is a job I have to do for my team.’ It’s a little bit of a juggling act.”
Griffin’s injury means the streak of no Browns quarterback playing all 16 regular-season games since Tim Couch in 2001 in alive and well. The team has started 25 quarterbacks since 1999.
“It’s been pretty bad luck,” McCown said. “It hasn’t gone well. For whatever reason, it’s just not gotten right.
“I want to be the guy that helps stabilize that a little bit and helps bring some good play to that position, because it’s been so tenuous at that position for so long here.”
The cycle would continue if McCown, who has a long injury history, can’t stay healthy.
Jackson said the Browns haven’t talked about acquiring another quarterback because they’re comfortable, for now, moving forward with McCown and Kessler, plus rookie fifth-round pick Kevin Hogan on the practice squad.
So Kessler is one play away from being summoned.
“You’ve got to keep preparing as the starter,” Kessler said.
“You can never predict what’s going to happen. But I’ve always told myself whenever that time does come, whether it’s this year, early, late, next year, whenever it may be, I just want to be prepared.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.