Philadelphia Eagles: Josh McCown went out swinging

If the Philadelphia Eagles’ 17-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks is, in fact, the final game of Josh McCown’s professional career, it’s safe to say he went out swinging.

When the 2019 offseason kicked into gear last spring, Josh McCown prepared himself for a new challenge harder than any he’d faced in a long, long time: A year without football.

That’s right, after 16-years in the NFL split over eight different professional teams, it looked like the ex-Cardinals/Lions/Raiders/Panthers/Bears/Buccaneers/Browns/Jets quarterback’s career was over – not bad for a former third-round pick out of SMU.

And yet, after a summer of injuries without Nick Foles on the roster, the Philadelphia Eagles came calling for the ESPN Analyst/North Calorina high school quarterbacks coach, and as gamers so often do, that call was just too hard to turn down.

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Fast forward to August and McCown became $2 million richer on a one-year deal with the Eagles, to serve as a backup/mentor to Carson Wentz in his fourth professional season.

But as these things so often go, after a season of injuries slowed the Eagles’ roll at pretty much every position across the board, McCown’s number was called yet again midway through the first quarter of a win-or-go-home Wild Card bout on his home turf.

Needless to say, if this was, in fact, McCown’s final professional football game, an outcome that he appeared to confirm in his postgame remarks, he went out swinging.

Facing off against a rebuilding Legion of Boom headlined by certified hitman Jadeveon Clowney, McCown ran around like a 25-year-old – picking up 23 yards on the ground to go with 174 passing yards.

And to my eyes at least, McCown looked like a kid in a candy store.

Despite being sacked six times, the most the Seahawks amassed in a single game on the season, McCown looked eager to take on the violence, as if each hit, bump, and bruise would serve as a lasting reminder of his first postseason appearance.

Did it ultimately secure the Eagles a win? Of course not? But if the tepid response I noticed when the clock struck zero on the Birds’ season is of any indication, it would appear the final three-quarters of action served as a prolonged coda to a playoff run that probably never should have been.

Still, while a win felt almost unimaginable once the Seahawks took a 17-9 lead, I’d be lying if I said McCown, Greg Ward, Boston Scott, and Miles Sanders didn’t at least make it fun for the fans in attendance (and watching from home).

So Josh McCown, if you are reading this, thank you for putting it all on the line and delivering a memorable performance in your final professional game. For a backup quarterback – a career one at that – I couldn’t imagine a better send off to a near two-decade-long career, except maybe a Super Bowl win.