On Friday, I thought of my mom — and her car — when Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine joked that quarterback Josh McCown (not to be confused with his brother, Luke McCown, who also played for the Browns, or Bears bust Cade McNown) reminded him of a vehicle that’s been kept in the garage for years save for trips to church and maybe the grocery store.
It was a reference to McCown, 36, attempting to display his athletic ability in practice. Apparently he can still move a little.
“When he took off running,” Pettine told Northeast Ohio Media Group, “we were joking with him that he’s an older car but low mileage.”
McCown is the latest “bridge” in the Browns’ 16-year quest for a franchise quarterback.
“He’s surprised me,” Pettine said. “He has kept himself in great shape over his career. It’s a credit to him. He’s a good athlete and he showed it today.”
Pettine is not the only one impressed with McCown in the early days of training camp. New receiver Dwayne Bowe, perhaps out in the sun too long, thinks McCown can be a top-five NFL quarterback.
No use trading the whole team, Jocketty figured
In the end, the Cincinnati Reds settled for doing what they had to do and nothing more than that as the baseball trading deadline came and went Friday.
Whether that works to their advantage somewhere down the line is only for time to tell, but Jay Bruce and Aroldis Chapman, the two prominent names still being bandied about as the afternoon grew long, remained with the club.
There were deals on the table for both players, general manager Walt Jocketty confirmed before the Reds continued their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park.
But the sense of urgency simply wasn’t there. Chapman is under team control through next season, Bruce much longer.
“There was interest interest, but we weren’t necessarily looking to move them,” Jocketty told reporters..
So the Reds ended up trading pitchers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, who they would have lost for nothing at the end of the year, for four minor-leaague pitchers and an outfield prospect.
Deals can still be made, but now waivers first must be obtained. Post-deadline trades are generally smaller, which means such players as Marlon Byrd and Skip Schumaker still could be on the move depending on other clubs’ needs.
Abuse by coaches takes a different form these days
Football coaches have been abusing players since the days of Knute Rockne. I had a CYO coach who thought he was Vince Lombardi. On more than one occasion he grabbed a running back by the facemask and slammed him to the ground. The running back was his son.
Can’t do that today, I would imagine, without being shamed on social media or taken into custody.
Lance Schneider is no longer coaching at Northmont High School because he abused players in a different way, grouping them into categories such as “cancerous tumor” and “slapdick” in an email to fellow coaches.
Crazy how careers end sometimes.
Click here for reporter Kelli Wynn's story and here for Schneider's apology.
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