Quarterback Josh McCown announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday. The journeyman signal-caller played 16 seasons in the league for seven different teams. He started 13 games for the New York Jets just two seasons ago.
Yet McCown made two very brief appearances at wide receiver among the 99 games he played in. The most notable of them was a 2006 game for the Detroit Lions against the New England Patriots. McCown lined up at slot receiver, was targeted twice by quarterback Jon Kitna, and snared two catches for 15 yards.
Yes, this really happened. Here’s video proof:
The time @JoshMcCown12 played a mean slot receiver against the Patriots.(Dec. 3, 2006) @Lions
As the video shows, McCown actually caught three passes in Detroit’s 28-21 loss to the Patriots. But what would’ve been his longest reception of the game was nullified when McCown was flagged for pushing off on safety Artrell Hawkins and the catch was wiped out by an offensive pass interference call.
McCown looked relatively comfortable at receiver and it’s a testament to his athleticism that he was able to catch the ball and make a couple of plays. Credit is probably also due to offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system for creating space for McCown to get open on his three targets.
Josh McCown’s athleticism convinced Detroit Lions coaches to play him at receiver.
‘Get Your Gloves’
Why was McCown even lining up at receiver? Moving on from Steve Mariucci’s disappointing three seasons, Lions general manager Matt Millen brought in two new quarterbacks for new head coach Rod Marinelli. Out were Joey Harrington and Jeff Garcia, in came Kitna and McCown.
But Martz felt Kitna ran his system better and McCown never took any snaps at quarterback. Lions coaches decided to give a try to their backup QB, who was eager to make a contribution and get off the bench. McCown got his shot when Martz benched receiver Corey Bradford for running the wrong route.
“Offensive coordinator Mike Martz told McCown: ‘Get your gloves.’ He benched the receiver, and Josh McCown played out of the slot in the entire second half,” NFL Network’s Kimberly Jones explained in a 2017 feature on McCown playing the Patriots as a Jets quarterback. “He told me he had a blast. He had a couple catches. He said a third was nullified by a pass interference call that he still disputes.”
McCown caught only one other NFL pass, in 2004 for the Arizona Cardinals against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That catch went for -5 yards.
For his career versus the Patriots, McCown had an 0-4 record and completed 70-of-121 passes for 790 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions. Those are hardly standout numbers. But he does have those two receptions and it makes for a great story upon his retirement.
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When Josh McCown Played Slot Receiver against the Patriots