Sports
Noah Lyles would accept Tyreek Hill's challenge in 'legit' race
![Noah Lyles would accept Tyreek Hill's challenge in 'legit' race Noah Lyles would accept Tyreek Hill's challenge in 'legit' race](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/22104511/GettyImages-2165913507-scaled.jpg)
The brouhaha between Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill took another step this week.
Lyles, fresh off sprinting to a gold medal in the 100 meters in the Olympics in Paris, said he’d accept Hill’s challenge to a race. But it would have to be the signature race often associated with being the fastest man on the planet — the 100 meters.
“If somebody wants to sponsor the event and we’re racing for millions of dollars and it’s on a track and we’re running 100 meters, then sure, we can race,” Lyles said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday.
“But it has to be legit. I’m not here to do gimmicks. You’re racing against a guy who has worked his whole life to get the title of ‘the world’s fastest man,’ and you’ve worked to be a great football player. You can’t just jump the line because you’re a great football player.”
The public back and forth between Hill and Lyles started when the Dolphins wideout criticized the Olympian following comments in 2023 surrounding how American sports leagues shouldn’t deem their annual winners as “world champions.”
GO DEEPER
The Pulse: Why is everyone mad at Noah Lyles?
“Noah Lyles can’t say nothing after what just happened to him,” Hill told Kay Adams in a previous interview on her podcast following Lyles’ bronze medal finish in the 200 meters, which he tested positive for Covid following the race. “Pretend like he’s sick, I feel like that’s horseradish. So for him to do that and say that we’re not world champions of our sport, come on, bruh. Just speak on what you know about, and that’s track.”
Then Hill offered the challenge after being asked what would happen if the two squared off in a 50-yard dash.
“I would beat Noah Lyles,” Hill said. “I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles.”
Enter Lyles’ comments from Wednesday.
The Olympic sprinter said he’d beat Hill in a shorter race, but Lyles made it clear it would have to be in the 100 meters or nothing.
“Again, I’m not here to do gimmicks,” Lyles said to NBC News. “You want to challenge me, ‘the world’s fastest man,’ if you want to challenge that, you have to challenge that in his event.”
In a previous interview on the “Nightcap” podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Lyles pointed to another NFL wide receiver know for his speed attempting to make a run at a spot in the Olympics — the Seahawks’ DK Metcalf. Lyles lauded Metcalf for attempting to prove his speed by racing in the 100 meters in an actual event.
“Any time someone fast comes up, he would try to race them. If he really wanted to race people, he would’ve showed up like DK Metcalf,” Lyles said. “The man (Hill) dodges smoke. I don’t got time for that. He’s challenging me. We’re racing in the 100, we can race. If he’s truly serious about it. If he’s truly serious about it, and I’m not talking about you’re just talking on the internet … you’ll see me on the track.”
In May 2021, Metcalf ran the 100-meter dash in 10.36 seconds at the USATF Golden Games and Distance Open in Walnut, Calif. It resulted in a ninth-place finish in his heat with his time being the third slowest of the 17 entrants.
To qualify for the Olympic Trials, Metcalf would’ve needed a time of 10.05 seconds with a legal tailwind of no more than two meters per second.
Required reading
(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)
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Sports
Steph Curry endorses Kamala Harris at DNC, months after suggesting he will run for president some day
![Steph Curry endorses Kamala Harris at DNC, months after suggesting he will run for president some day Steph Curry endorses Kamala Harris at DNC, months after suggesting he will run for president some day](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/3815de00-Steph-Curry.jpg)
NBA superstar Steph Curry may have just taken a big step in an attempt to launch a potential career within the Democratic Party.
Curry endorsed Kamala Harris for president at the Democratic National Convention Thursday in a pre-recorded message.
Curry’s endorsement of Harris is his latest political statement after taking a neutral stance on abortion, once claiming the moon landing was a hoax and later following Barack Obama’s orders to walk back those comments.
LIVE UPDATES: 2024 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
“I believe Kamala as president will bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward,” Curry said.
Steph Curry delivers a video message during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago Aug. 22, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Curry, wearing his Paris Olympics gold medal in the video, referenced his meetings with Harris when the vice president met with the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team before it competed in Paris and when the Golden State Warriors visited the White House after winning the 2022 NBA Finals.
Curry’s endorsement comes three days after Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a surprise speech at the convention Monday. That night, the coach referenced Curry’s signature “night night” celebration, joking the Democrats would use that celebration to mock Trump in the event of a Harris victory in November.
Curry previously endorsed Joe Biden for president in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
![Curry and Kamala](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Steph-Curry-Kamala.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Vice President Kamala Harris listens to the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry speak during a celebration for the Golden State Warriors 2022 NBA championship in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 17, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)
Thursday’s endorsement comes just five months after Curry suggested he may want to pursue a career in politics and even run for president one day.
In an interview with CBS Mornings March 12, Curry didn’t rule out possibly running for president when asked about his interest in politics.
“I have an interest in leveraging every part of my influence for good,” Curry said. “So, if that’s the way to do it, then maybe.”
WARRIORS’ STEVE KERR MAKES BOLD PREDICTION AT DNC, WANTS TO TELL DONALD TRUMP ‘NIGHT, NIGHT’ LIKE STEPH CURRY
In September 2022, Curry opened up about his political beliefs in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“I have certain beliefs that not everybody vibes with,” Curry said. “As long as there’s equality, in the sense of you having all your protections and your rights as a citizen, that should be the very low bar for everybody to adhere to.”
Curry, who received a Christian education at Charlotte Christian High School in North Carolina, added that he didn’t consider himself pro-choice or pro-life, nor did he feel an urge to speak out against the Roe v. Wade reversal in June 2022.
![Stephen Curry drives past Austin Reaves](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/07/1200/675/GettyImages-austin-reaves-copy.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors drives past Austin Reaves (15) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center May 10, 2023, in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Curry has golfed with Barack Obama and claims the former president even scolded him once after he promoted a conspiracy theory. After making comments in which he suggested the 1969 moon landing was a hoax on the Vince Carter-hosted “Winging It” podcast in December 2018, Curry says he received a stern email from Obama telling him to publicly walk back the comments.
“That night, I got an email … a pretty stern, direct one from President Obama,” Curry told Rolling Stone, adding Obama said, “‘You’ve got to do something about this.’”
Two days after making the comments, Curry later told ESPN his comments were a joke and then accepted an invitation to partner with NASA.
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Sports
High school football: Friday's Week 0 scores, weekend schedule
![High school football: Friday's Week 0 scores, weekend schedule High school football: Friday's Week 0 scores, weekend schedule](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/acb24fb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x525+0+0/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fde%2Fe5%2F3184c1374efe8d09081eb7eecc4d%2Ffootball2.jpg)
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
CITY SECTION
Nonleague
Granada Hills 22, Franklin 7
Huntington Park 34, Sylmar 14
SOUTHERN SECTION
Nonleague
Orange Vista 20, Apple Valley 17
Ayala 28, Colony 14
Big Bear 40, Riverside Prep 0
San Gorgonio 31, Canyon Springs 24
Castaic 45, Adelanto 7
Cathedral City 42, Indian Springs 20
Cerritos 38, Buena Park 0
Chino Hills 20, Glendora 3
Costa Mesa 35, Magnolia 0
Heritage 8, Elsinore 3
Glenn 12, Bassett 8
Leuzinger 62, Kaiser 0
Barstow 20, Hesperia 12
Placentia Valencia 34, Katella 7
Damien 42, La Serna 21
Godinez 10, Loara 3
Maranatha 34, Lakeside 26
Mater Dei 42, Corona Centennial 25
Nogales 42, Miller 19
Perris 34, Bloomington 6
Fontana 20, San Bernardino 0
Los Amigos 46, Garden Grove Santiago 7
St. Bonaventure 38, St. Francis 7
Temple City 41, Whittier 22
Bishop Amat 49, West Covina 6
Central 38, Jurupa Hills 6
St. Genevieve 55, Ganesha 6
Intersectional
Buchanan 38, St. Pius X-St. Matthias 0
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
CITY SECTION
Nonleague
Angelou at Marshall, 3 p.m.
Dorsey at Banning, 7:30 p.m.
Dymally at Palisades, 7:30 p.m.
El Camino Real at Kennedy, 7 p.m.
Fulton at Canoga Park, 7 p.m.
Garfield at Narbonne , 7 p.m.
Grant at Wilson, 7 p.m.
Hawkins at North Hollywood, 7 p.m.
Jordan at King/Drew, 7:30 p.m.
Locke at Manual Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Marquez at Legacy, 7:30 p.m.
Maywood CES at South East, 7 p.m.
Monroe at Chatsworth, 7 p.m.
Panorama at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
Poly at Santee, 7:30 p.m.
Reseda at Jefferson, 6 p.m.
Rivera at Contreras , 7 p.m.
Roosevelt at Venice, 7 p.m.
Roybal at Verdugo Hills, 7 p.m.
South Gate at Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Taft at Eagle Rock, 7 p.m.
Van Nuys at Mendez, 7 p.m.
View Park at Belmont, 5 p.m.
Washington at Hollywood, 7:30 p.m.
Westchester at Arleta, 3:30 p.m.
SOUTHERN SECTION
Manzanita League
Nuview Bridge at Desert Chapel, 7 p.m.
Nonleague
Agoura at Oak Park, 7 p.m.
Alhambra at South El Monte, 7 p.m.
Alta Loma at Palos Verdes Peninsula, 4:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Brentwood, 7 p.m.
Aquinas at Oak Hills, 7 p.m.
Arlington at Western Christian, 7 p.m.
Arroyo Valley at Pacific, 7 p.m.
Artesia at Long Beach Cabrillo, 7 p.m.
Azusa at Duarte, 7 p.m.
Beaumont at San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Beckman at Santa Ana Valley, 7 p.m.
Bellflower at Garden Grove, 7 p.m.
Bishop Diego vs. Salesian at Santa Barbara CC, 7 p.m.
Bolsa Grande vs. Savanna at Glover Stadium (Anaheim), 6:30 p.m.
Bosco Tech at Glendale, 7 p.m.
Burbank vs. San Dimas at Burbank Burroughs, 7 p.m.
Calabasas at Oxnard, 7 p.m.
Camarillo at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.
Canyon County Canyon at Charter Oak, 7 p.m.
Claremont at Diamond Ranch, 7 p.m.
Compton Early College at Compton Centennial, 6 p.m.
Corona del Mar at Rancho Verde, 7 p.m.
Covina at California, 1 p.m.
Dana Hills at Anaheim Canyon, 7 p.m.
Desert Mirage at St. Jeanne de Lestonnac, 7 p.m.
Diamond Bar vs. El Dorado at Placentia Valencia, 7 p.m.
Don Lugo at El Rancho, 7 p.m.
Eastside at Rowland, 7 p.m.
El Modena at Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m.
El Segundo at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m.
El Toro at Tustin, 7 p.m.
Etiwanda at Grand Terrace, 7 p.m.
Firebaugh at Verbum Dei, 7 p.m.
Fountain Valley at Ocean View, 7 p.m.
Gabrielino at Century, 7 p.m.
Garey at Walnut, 7 p.m.
Golden Valley vs. Westlake at Canyon Country Canyon, 7 p.m.
Grace Brethren at Santa Rosa Academy, 7 p.m.
Great Oak at Vista Murrieta, 7 p.m.
Hart vs. Quartz Hill at College of Canyons, 7 p.m.
Hemet at Tahquitz, 7 p.m.
Riverside Hillcrest at Corona, 7 p.m.
Hueneme at California Military Institute, 7 p.m.
Inglewood vs. Villa Park at Coleman Stadium (Inglewood), 7 p.m.
Jordan at North Torrance, 7 p.m.
Jurupa Valley at Colton, 7 p.m.
Kennedy vs. Garden Grove Pacifica at Bolsa Grande, 7 p.m.
Keppel at Mountain View, 7 p.m.
King at Roosevelt, 7 p.m.
La Canada at La Salle, 7 p.m.
La Habra at Upland, 7 p.m.
La Mirada vs. Cypress at Western, 7 p.m.
La Sierra at Carter, 7 p.m.
Laguna Beach at St. Margaret’s, 7 p.m.
Laguna Hills at Aliso Niguel, 7 p.m.
Lakeside at Maranatha, 7 p.m.
Lancaster at Sultana, 7 p.m.
Leuzinger at Kaiser, 7 p.m.
Winchester Liberty at Temecula Valley, 7 p.m.
Loyola at L.A. Cathedral, 7 p.m.
Orange Lutheran at Gardena Serra, 7 p.m.
Marina at Westminster, 7 p.m.
Long Beach Millikan at Newbury Park, 7 p.m.
Pasadena Muir at Bonita, 7 p.m.
Murrieta Mesa at Tesoro, 7 p.m.
Murrieta Valle at Rancho Cucamonga, 7 p.m.
Norco at Cajon, 7 p.m.
Riverside North at Ramona, 7 p.m.
Northwood vs. Irvine at Portola, 7 p.m.
Norwalk at Montebello, 7 p.m.
Riverside Notre Dame vs. Banning at San Bernardino Valley College, 7 p.m.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Downey, 7 p.m.
Oaks Christian at Chaminade, 7 p.m.
Orange at Huntington Beach, 7 p.m.
Oxnard Pacifica vs. West Ranch at Valencia, 7 p.m.
Palm Springs at Segerstrom, 7 p.m.
Palmdale at Monrovia, 7 p.m.
Paloma Valley at Temescal Canyon, 7 p.m.
Paramount vs. Santa Ana at Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.
Pasadena at Cantwell-Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.
Pasadena Poly at Hoove, 7 p.m.
Pomona at El Monte, 7 p.m.
Portola at Long Beach Wilson, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Citrus Hill, 7 p.m.
Redlands East Valley at Vista del Lago, 7 p.m.
Rialto vs. Patriot at Rubidoux, 7 p.m.
Rio Mesa at Moorpark, 7 p.m.
Royal at Fillmore, 7 p.m.
Rubidoux at Desert Hot Springs, 7 p.m.
San Clemente at Chaparral, 7 p.m.
San Gabriel vs. Whittier Christian at Whittier College, 7 p.m.
San Jacinto Valley Academy at Temecula Prep, 7 p.m.
San Marcos at Knight, 7 p.m.
San Marino at Heritage Christian, 7 p.m.
Santa Fe at Pioneer, 7 p.m.
Santa Monica at Chino, 7 p.m.
Saugus at Buena, 7 p.m.
Serrano at Eisenhower, 7 p.m.
Shadow Hills at Indio, 7 p.m.
Sierra Canyon at JSerra, 7 p.m.
Silverado at Norte Vista, 7 p.m.
Sonora vs. Brea Olinda at La Habra, 7 p.m.
South Hills at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m.
South Pasadena at Schurr, 7 p.m.
St. Genevieve at Ganesha, 7 p.m.
St. Paul at Newport Harbor, 7 p.m.
Summit at Ontario Christian, 7 p.m.
Sunny Hills vs. Troy at Buena Park, 7 p.m.
Trinity Classical Academy at Vasquez, 7 p.m.
Valencia at Simi Valley, 7 p.m.
Valley Christian at Gahr, 7 p.m.
Valley View at West Valley, 7 p.m.
Victor Valley at Montclair, 7 p.m.
Western at Los Alamitos, 7 p.m.
Hacienda Heights Wilson at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Woodbridge vs. Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Irvine University, 7 p.m.
Workman at Nordhoff, 7 p.m.
Xavier Prep at Coachella Valley, 7 p.m.
Yorba Linda vs. Mayfair at Bellflower, 7 p.m.
Yucaipa at Corona Santiago, 7 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Bell Gardens at Bell, 7 p.m.
Bernstein at Santa Paula, 7 p.m.
Boron at Bishop Montgomery, 7 p.m.
California City at Viewpoint, 7 p.m.
Calipatria at Desert Christian, 7 p.m.
Capistrano Valley at Honolulu Moanalua, 7 p.m.
Carlsbad at Lakewood, 7 p.m.
El Centro Central at Jurupa Hills, 7 p.m.
El Cajon Christian at Linfield Christian, 7 p.m.
Clovis West vs. Huntington Beach Edison at Clovis Buchanan, 7 p.m.
Crean Lutheran at Denver Mullen, 7 p.m.
Desert at Bishop Alemany , 7 p.m.
Dos Pueblos at Santa Ynez, 7 p.m.
Salt Lake City East vs. Servite at Orange Coast College, 7 p.m.
Foothill at San Diego Madison, 7 p.m.
Gardena at Crespi, 7 p.m.
Anza Hamilton at Mountain Empire, 7 p.m.
L.A. Hamilton vs. St. Monica at Santa Monica College, 7 p.m.
Harvard-Westlake at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Hawthorne at Carson, 7 p.m.
Highland at Bakersfield Liberty, 7 p.m.
Honolulu Kamehameha at Warren, 7 p.m.
La Puente at Sotomayor, 7 p.m.
Henderson (Nev.) Lake Mead Academy vs. Granite Hills at Apple Valley, 7 p.m.
Littlerock at Rosamond, 7 p.m.
Las Vegas Mater Academy East at Rancho Christian, 7 p.m.
Mount Miguel vs. St. Anthony at Clark Field (Long Beach), 7 p.m.
Palm Desert at Brawley, 7 p.m.
Paraclete at Bakersfield Garces, 7:30 p.m.
Long Beach Poly at Folsom, 7 p.m.
Rancho Dominguez at Compton, 7 p.m.
Rancho Mirage at Honolulu Farrington, 7 p.m.
Saddleback at Tri-City Christian, 7 p.m.
San Juan Hills at Oceanside, 7 p.m.
San Pedro vs. Torrance at Zamperini Stadium (Torrance), 7 p.m.
Tehachapi at Ridgecrest Burroughs, 7:30 p.m.
Village Christian at San Fernando, 7 p.m.
West Adams at Morningside, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOUTHERN SECTION
Nonleague
Capistrano Valley Christian vs. Arroyo at Aliso Niguel, 7 p.m.
Santa Margarita at Mission Viejo, 7 p.m.
Webb at Channel Islands, 5 p.m.
Yucca Valley at Arrowhead Christian, 6 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna vs. St. John Bosco at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.), 8 p.m.
Palos Verdes at Honolulu Iolani, 3 p.m.
Rio Hondo Prep vs. San Diego Parker at Kare Park (Irwindale), 7 p.m.
Sports
How NFL journeyman Josh McCown is a key facet of the Vikings' QB development plan
![How NFL journeyman Josh McCown is a key facet of the Vikings' QB development plan How NFL journeyman Josh McCown is a key facet of the Vikings' QB development plan](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/21173836/AP24225036210635-scaled-e1724279908111.jpg)
EAGAN, Minn. — Here is Josh McCown, the upbeat, backward-hat-wearing, gum-chewing Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach. Another preseason practice is complete, and the 45-year-old former NFL quarterback and journeyman is sitting outside the TCO Performance Center, baking in the heat and playing some trivia.
Can you name all 14 of your former offensive coordinators?
He laughs.
“Sounds like you could potentially be missing some,” he says.
Did I count ’em wrong?
“Well, we’ll go down the list,” he says. “Let’s just see.”
“Rich Olson. Jerry Sullivan. Alex Wood. Keith Rowen. Mike Martz. Greg Knapp. Jeff … was it Davidson? Yep, Davidson. After Jeff, let’s see, that was … Mike Martz again. That’s a repeat. Mike Tice.”
That’s one I didn’t have.
“He was in Chicago, yeah. Marc Trestman and Aaron Kromer. That’s 10. Jeff Tedford and (quarterbacks coach) Marcus Arroyo is 11. John DeFilippo is 12 in Cleveland. Then Hue Jackson and Pep Hamilton. Then John Morton. Then Jeremy Bates. Then Mike Groh in Philly. And then, technically, Tim Kelly in Houston. I didn’t play any snaps, but I was technically on the roster.”
So, like, 18 maybe?
“I guess, yeah,” McCown says.
That was impressive.
“Yeah. And then in college, going backward, was Jim Ferguson at Sam Houston, Larry Kueck at SMU, a guy named Greg Briner at SMU. High school was Wayne Coleman and Matt Turner. So …”
You’re just showing off. But how about this: If I asked you to translate offensive verbiage from one to the other, could you do it? Like, if I said “Mike Martz” and you rattle off a play.
“He was a digits legend. Like, Trips Right Scat Right 094 F-Seam Trail. That’s the play that (current Vikings quarterback) Sam Darnold hit in the opener of the preseason this year. It’s not the same call, but that’s our play in that verbiage.”
This is incredible.
Incredible recall, certainly, but also informative upon review. From the time the Vikings set their sights on drafting a quarterback this spring, they have acted intentionally in almost every regard. This includes McCown’s hiring, which surfaced randomly at the NFL Scouting Combine. Head coach Kevin O’Connell made the move for multiple reasons, one of which was a relationship between the two men that goes back more than a decade. Another factor, though, was exactly what McCown is doing here.
Using his memory. Translating information. Not taking himself too seriously or applying too much pressure. This is McCown the quarterbacks coach in a nutshell. Plucking away at what he’s provided for Darnold, J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings organization overall, it becomes more and more clear that the package is a carefully chosen amalgamation of attributes from the names he’s just mentioned.
It’s been a full-circle moment for Josh McCown and Sam Darnold as they reunite in Minnesota.
📺: https://t.co/iCm3Bs93L9 pic.twitter.com/q0WSvsqvwY
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 12, 2024
Back to Trips Right Scat Right 094 F-Seam Trail.
This is Martz’s verbiage of the impressive throw Darnold made to wide receiver Jalen Nailor in the Vikings’ first preseason game, against the Las Vegas Raiders. Darnold released the ball before Nailor peeled off his route toward the middle of the field. McCown is still raving about it.
“The way Sam cut that ball loose, man,” McCown says, “it was just perfect.”
Like, the anticipation?
“One hundred percent,” McCown says, “and he’s learned that over time. We played together his rookie year. I probably talked about it then. I learned that from being coached by Martz and watching Jon Kitna and Kurt Warner do it. Cut the dang ball loose.”
Martz, for the uninitiated, was the St. Louis Rams’ head coach during the “Greatest Show on Turf” era. McCown first encountered him in 2006 when he was signed by the Detroit Lions at age 27. He’d been in the league for several seasons already and had started 20 games for the Arizona Cardinals after being a third-round pick in 2002. Yet when he showed up in Detroit, Martz described him as a “wild horse rider.”
Martz tells a story about a particular throw in McCown’s first practice with the Lions. Martz asked the quarterbacks to throw a deep in-cut over the middle of the field. McCown, noticing the safety floated down toward the in-cut, threw over the top on a deep post pattern instead. It went for a touchdown.
“I said, ‘What the f— was that?’” Martz recalls. “He looked at me and said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘What the f— was that? You kinda just do what you want to do?’ He didn’t understand.”
You could say Martz was simply being a hardass, but McCown acknowledges this was the first time he’d played in an intentional NFL passing game. He could not just catch the snap, take his drop and scan the field, looking for the open man. Martz’s offense dictated that he look in specific spots for different reasons — and throw the ball at the proper time.
Josh McCown spent time with 12 NFL franchises — and one UFL team — over 19 pro seasons. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Kitna, with whom McCown competed that season for the Lions’ starting job, assisted with the minutiae. The plays in Martz’s playbook were just a guide. On the field, other factors, like the speed of his receiver and the tendencies of the opposing defense, forced him to adapt. Think of learning an offensive system like an actor learning his lines: The script says one thing, but the actor’s flair is often what brings the production to life. Knowing what words to change or adaptations to make is a skill only developed through experience.
“It’s easy to just give a guy a play and say, ‘Find the open guy,’” McCown says. “And then you come in Monday morning as the coach and hold the clicker and go, ‘You probably should’ve thrown it to that dude.’ Well, yeah, right. Thank you.
“It’s harder work for the coach to go: ‘This is who we think is going to be open. This is where you’re going to start your eyes. And then react to that play, off of that, being as detailed as you can.’”
The challenge, of course, is balancing the details: the need to be purposeful with every aspect of your drop and eyes and decision-making, and the need to keep your mind quiet when you’re in the pocket and the crowd is yelling, the pass rushers are barreling in on you and the defense is swarming across the field.
If Martz, Kitna and Warner explained the need for specificity, Trestman focused on eliminating the gray area. Trestman simplified the amount and extent of McCown’s post-snap decision-making. More than at any other point in his career, McCown, who was 34 with the Chicago Bears in 2013, felt he knew where he was supposed to go with the football. And as long as he operated correctly, Trestman gave him affirmation on the back end — kind of like a catcher who shrugs when the pitcher throws the perfect pitch in the suggested spot and the hitter crushes it anyway. Right process, unfortunate result.
In O’Connell, McCown found someone who could relate to his experiences with other coaches. They met in 2015 in Cleveland. O’Connell was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach, and together they talked about their favorite concepts, verbiage and teaching philosophies. They worked with Johnny Manziel through that brutal 3-13 season. But McCown appreciated O’Connell’s approach and humility. The first-time NFL coach, six years younger than McCown, would seek advice from him.
They maintained contact after that season as O’Connell began to create a system of his own and McCown played for another five years before becoming the Carolina Panthers’ quarterbacks coach last year. McCown played in 102 NFL games and posted a 98:82 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but his experience with Bryce Young cemented something he says frequently about playing quarterback: This is freaking hard, man.
“In any span of three to five years, there’s maybe five to seven transcendent players at the position,” McCown says. “The rest of them need people around them.”
People, he says, referring mostly to talent on the field.
But the quarterbacks coach is important, too.
![](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/21180224/GettyImages-1625343131-scaled.jpg)
Josh McCown was the Carolina Panthers’ quarterbacks coach last season, working with No. 1 pick Bryce Young. (Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
O’Connell describes his teaching philosophy with quarterbacks by saying, “We want to tie the quarterback’s feet and eyes together.” In a general sense, this is the throughline between being detailed and not clouding the quarterback’s mind.
After naming all of his former offensive coordinators, McCown explains.
“When you watch a quarterback drop and you watch his helmet and it turns to the left, he’s looking left,” McCown says. “If you pause it, you’ll hopefully see the quarterback’s lower half and his feet start to move in that direction to then throw the ball. You’d be shocked, but so many guys — especially younger ones — they’re not connected. Their feet and eyes are all jacked up.”
So, you’re trying to get them synchronized?
“Exactly,” McCown says.
How do you teach that?
“Reps,” he replies, describing one of the drills the Vikings quarterbacks do daily. They receive the snap, glance over at a receiver on the right sideline, line up their body and throw. Then they catch another snap, shift their eyes to the left, line up their feet and throw again. Some days, they move from the right sideline to the left, as if they’re mimicking four progressions.
“You build that out until you get 22 people out there,” McCown says.
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Vikings hoping they have team in place to successfully draft, develop rookie quarterback
Do you mean, like, adding the pass rush, which probably makes it harder to be as calm and disciplined with the feet and eyes?
“Now you’re getting it,” he says, “which takes us all the way back to Martz and to knowing exactly what you’re doing. If you aren’t confident on your end, then your own offense presses on your brain before you even start. Then it’s, ‘Uhhh, what do I? … Oh, no …’ If you know what you’re doing, if you can get guys to play in a system for years, it’s like: ‘Boom. There’s a ball. Boom. There’s another. Boom, boom, boom.’ You’re playing fast, processing. Stress hits, and they know the answer to the test.”
Experience is not required to learn all of this, but it does give him a distinctly empathetic viewpoint as a coach.
McCown encourages. He pats his quarterbacks on the helmet after good throws and offers criticism with a fist bump after bad ones. If he spots something wrong, he doesn’t allow much time to pass before mentioning what he saw. But he does not holler, scream or yell because it’s not authentic to him.
The position is hard enough, he says.
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