NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh McCown Will be X-Factor for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11

Fresh Videos

By @davidrumseynfl

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Josh McCown

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

The quarterback is the most important player on a football team. Everybody knows it, so it’s easy to say. When you think of x-factors, you usually try to pick a player that could have a huge impact on the game, but also is somebody nobody thinks about. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Washington Redskins this Sunday, though, no player will be more important to the Bucs than Josh McCown. Lately, Mike Evans has been great and everyone is waiting for Charles Sims to break through. The Bucs have talent like Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David on the defense, but we know the defense is going to get beat, no matter who they play. If the Bucs want to win on Sunday, McCown has to carry the team to victory.

It’s clear McCown wants to win badly. I mean, he cried after losing his first start since Week 3. He put up 300 yards, some of it could be considered during garbage time, but he still produced a decent stat line. His two interceptions didn’t come until the Bucs were pretty much out of any chance of winning the game anyways. What I’m saying is McCown didn’t perform so horribly that we had no hope at all with him at quarterback. That’s pretty much how he played in his first three starts, though.

If the Bucs are going to win, they need McCown to be great. There can be no egregious mistakes that end drivers, set the other team up with good field position, or even give them points. Those are the things we saw him do earlier this season. With two tall and speedy receivers in Vincent Jackson and Evans, McCown can afford to take some chances, but he has to be smart about them. More than anything, McCown can’t try to save every single broken play. The Bucs will surely put him in some bad positions, but he has to know when he can make a play, and when he needs to just go down and protect the football. Too often in his first three starts McCown would try to be the hero and end up looking like a fool. That can’t happen Sunday.

McCown showed some mobility against the Atlanta Falcons that Mike Glennon just doesn’t have. Rushing for 39 yards wasn’t even the most impressive part. While that helped McCown pick up some key first downs, it was his ability to move around and keep the play alive that was more impressive. If he can do enough to offset the disadvantages of his bad offensive line, Evans or Jackson should be able to get open.

Another important thing McCown must do is finish long drives with touchdowns, not field goals. The Bucs chose to receive against the Falcons and took over eight minutes off the clock with the opening drive, but never even made it into the redzone. Of course Bobby Rainey lost five yards on first down at the 25, then a holding penalty backed the Bucs up ten more yards and McCown couldn’t convert a third and long. Even though things like that aren’t his fault, he needs to be on his A-game when the Bucs get into scoring position. McCown needs to take full advantage of every opportunity the Bucs get because there surely won’t be that many.

Between bad play calling and the terrible O-line, being the quarterback of the Bucs is no easy job. Against the Redskins this weekend, McCown must be able to manage the mistakes the rest of his team will inevitably make, while not committing any of his own. I believe he has the ability to lead the Bucs to a win, that’s why he is the x-factor for them this week. Will he be able to do it? I have no idea. So many things have gone wrong for the Bucs this year, who knows what could derail them next.

David Rumsey is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter, and Add him on Facebook or Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on