Todd Bowles remembers the Josh McCown era fondly
The Jets’ fears were confirmed Monday, when quarterback Josh McCown was ruled out for the season with a broken left hand.
Jets coach Todd Bowles said McCown will need surgery to fix the hand he injured in Sunday’s 23-0 loss to the Broncos. Bryce Petty will start against the Saints on Sunday.
“He’s been leading us all year offensively. For him to go down this late in the season, it’s a next-man-up mentality. The next guy has to step up. But you feel sorry for Josh. He’s having a very good year.”
The 38-year-old McCown had a career year in his first season with the Jets, performing better than anyone expected. He threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for another five and became a locker-room leader for the Jets.
“He meant a lot,” Bowles said. “His leadership meant a lot from the time he walked in the door, just always doing the right thing and saying the right things and helping everyone on the team, not just offensively, but defensively as well. Not to mention the fact that he made some plays out there on the field that’s helped us out.”
Bowles said he is comfortable with Christian Hackenberg as the backup quarterback. The Jets are exploring signing a third quarterback to have an emergency arm if they suffer another injury, Bowles said.