Josh McCown may never have become a top tier quarterback in the NFL, but one doesn’t last in the league for almost two decades without being halfway decent. He could go down as one of the best backups in league history. The Chicago Bears can attest to that. His play in 2013 was a sight to behold. The 41-year old is well-traveled and has seen his share of great players at the position.

So he would be an interesting brain to pick in regards to the Bears’ looming QB competition. That is exactly what Waddle & Silvy did when they had him on their radio program. McCown is of the opinion that the bizarre nature of this offseason will drastically impact the battle. Without minicamps, OTAs, and the threat of no preseason? He sees the coaching staff leaning in the direction of familiarity.

“I think given this situation it’s hard because I don’t know if had an opportunity to compete and earn the job. I guess it’d be kind of hard to not go with what you know in Mitch because you’ve played with Mitch before. So it seems that unless they have a chance to go out and compete in the preseason that it’d be hard not to play Mitch…

…I think maybe had it born out over a normal offseason, maybe Nick pushes himself to the front just from experience and just kind of just the veteran leadership. Given how it is now? I don’t know maybe Mitch ends up starting the season.”

Josh McCown thinks Trubisky is close to blossoming

The choice isn’t just about that though. McCown went on to point out that he personally is a fan of Trubisky. While the 25-year old has struggled at times, the fact he continues to gain familiarity with the system is a major benefit. As the language becomes second nature, the QB will finally start to learn something else. The actual game of football.

“I’ll say this. I like Mitch Trubisky. I think the guy can play. I think he’s got a chance…It’s just sometimes with guys, with different players and I say this for myself, as a young player I was not nearly as accurate as I was (later on). And you guys witnessed it first hand once I got with Tres (Marc Trestman) and was playing in a system that kind of fit.

Because I had changed systems every year of my career, I was learning systems and I wasn’t really getting to learn the game as much as I was trying to learn what ‘trips right’ was. So when I got with Tres and the way he explained the game for me, it was beneficial and it hit my brain to help me become a better player and drove my accuracy to be better…

…I think Mitch is close to that happening for him.”

McCown isn’t lying. Through the first 10 seasons of his career, his completion percentage stood at 58%. Below average. After his lone season with Trestman in 2013, he’s since improved that number to 61.8%. While not to the standards of top QBs, that is a significant improvement that backs up his point. Once a QB finally gets comfortable in a system, his confidence in executing it rises. The accuracy will soon follow. That is where he believes Trubisky is nearing.