Reading the title to this article many would probably say that it is obvious Josh McCown is playing the wrong position. He is a quarterback but somehow wound up playing wide receiver. Let me elaborate on that thought though and show you how dumb this really is.
When I first heard that backup QB Josh McCown was practicing at WR, I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me?" Actually, I've uttered that many times when hearing Lions news, but that's another story for another day. Upon finding out that McCown would see playing time during games at WR was just mind-baffling. I went along with it at first and have kept my mouth shut about it for the most part, however, it has gotten so ridiculous that silence is overcome.
Where in the world have you ever seen a backup quarterback switch mid-season to play wide receiver while maintaining his second string QB duties? It's laughable at best and shows the utter stupidity of this team and organization. My question is, what are Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz thinking?
My feeling is that Rod Marinelli has a wee bit more control over this than Mike Martz, but that doesn't excuse him if that's the case. To play a QB at WR shows the absolute lack of talent or lack of coaching with this team. For drafting a wide receiver in the first round of three straight drafts, this team certainly has depth problems if a backup QB can get playing time. That further proves that Matt Millen has no business running a team.
Something that Matt Millen can't be blamed for is the coaching decisions right now, at least I would hope not. For Rod Marinelli to put a player on the field as a wide receiver when he could very well be starting at quarterback is ludicrous. I've seen enough of Jon Kitna for 2006 and think that McCown deserves a shot. What's the worst that could happen? Detroit loses a few more game? Big deal, that'll probably happen if Kitna stays the starter anyways.
I guess what I'm trying to say from all this is that Josh McCown should be on the field, but lining up under center to take snaps as the quarterback. There's nothing to lose anymore except a number one draft pick, so why not try something different? Heck, if you're 2-10, obviously there's a problem, and I truly believe that it is coming from quarterback Jon Kitna. He plays great for three quarters and disappears by the fourth. If you go back to the 10 losses Detroit has, most of them are due to a collapse in the last quarter of play. One of the players that has contributed most to those collapses is Jon Kitna. Whether it be turnovers, rushed passes, or stupid decisions, we've seen it all from Kitna.
Face it, things aren't going to get better if Jon Kitna's the quarterback, and it really is time to see if Josh McCown would be any better.