Bucs LB: Josh McCown is similar to Drew Brees

Josh McCown [12] is playing 'on another level' compared to Mike Glennon. (USATSI)

New Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith has said since March that Josh McCown is the team's starting quarterback and it doesn't look like anything happened during OTAs and minicamp that might chance Smith's mind.

According to Tampa Bay linebacker Jonathan Casillas, McCown is playing on another level compared to last year's starter Mike Glennon. Casillas, a former Saint, also said McCown reminds him of his old quarterback in New Orleans.

"McCown is just, he's on a another level right now, I believe," Casillas said on The Dave Rothenberg Show. "Don't take anything from Glennon; he's just only in his second year, but McCown looks like he's played a couple of years in this game. It's a strong comparison, but he reminds me of Drew [Brees], not just the way he throws the ball, but his approach to the game."

Apparently, McCown has been impressing everyone in the Tampa Bay locker room.

"The first one in, last one out, he's always around," Casillas said. "He's very communicable, very personable. And you can tell he's a born leader. You know, he's not even trying to do much now, but people are following him, just his approach to the game. Glennon is learning a lot from him. So, if Glennon can beat him out this year, that would be great. Because at the end of the day, if Glennon can beat McCown out, then we're going to get a good quarterback."

McCown also got some praise this week from former teammate Larry Fitzgerald, who echoed what Casillas had to say.

"I love Josh, he's a football junkie," Fitzgerald said on Thursday, via the Tampa Tribune. "You have to force the guy to come off the field in practice and the man's a great leader, the kind of guy you want in your locker room."

It sounds like a lot people like McCown. Buccaneers fans will really like him if he can help lead Tampa Bay to its first playoff appearance since 2007.

NFL Hot News

Is 50 catches, 800 yards a realistic expectation for Giants rookie WR Odell Beckham?



Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger posted an article Thursday in which he tries to come up with a realistic statistical expectation for Giants first-round wideout Odell Beckham in his rookie season. He quotes head coach Tom Coughlin, who says all rookies need to contribute right away -- "There's no waiting around in this game today."Raanan presents some of the best and worst seasons by a rookie wide receiver in the past decade as well as what a statistically average rookie season looks like during that time -- 41 catches, 565 yards, four touchdowns.Then, Raanan throws out this possible stat line for Beckham in his final graph."But 50-something catches for 800-plus yards and four or five touchdowns? The Giants would likely sign for that right now from their rookie wide receiver," Raanan wrote.



As I Giants fan, so would I. So would everyone else. Since 2004, only 18 rookie WRs have surpassed 800 yards. Fifteen have come up with 800 yards and at least 50 receptions. Granted, we have had multiple rookies reach those marks in the past few seasons -- Keenan Allen and DeAndre Hopkins last year; T.Y. Hilton, Josh Gordon, and Justin Blackmon in 2012; A.J. Green and Julio Jones in 2011. But it's a fairly rare occurrence. Only two rookies have topped 1,000 yards since 2004, one of whom was Michael Clayton. Remember him? Fifty catches and 800 yards should be seen as the extreme high end of what to expect from Beckham. He'll face competition for targets from a couple other young receivers trying to make a name for themselves in the league: Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan. Beckham is a great dynasty pick but a WR5 in re-draft leagues.