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Browns OC DeFilippo: McCown 'much better' now than 2007

Published Jun. 22, 2015 12:02 p.m. ET

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If Josh McCown continues on his current pace, Johnny Manziel's chances of becoming the Browns starting quarterback will continue to dwindle.

McCown looked sharp during last week's minicamp by most accounts. His offensive coordinator thinks McCown is better now at 35 than he was eight years ago.

"I've been very, very impressed with Josh,'' new coordinator John DeFilippo said last week, per Cleveland.com. "Josh and I talk about it all the time. He's a better quarterback now than he was in 2007. I think he’s much better. I haven’t seen anything from an arm strength standpoint, from an athletic standpoint to tell me that his game has declined at all. He is much better in situational football, a much smarter quarterback than he was in 2007."

DeFilippo served as McCown's QB coach in 2007, the same year the Raiders used their No. 1 overall pick on JaMarcus Russell. McCown started nine games that season and went 2-7 for the lowly Raiders. 

After several more years as a journeyman, McCown parlayed a strong 2013 finish with Chicago into a two-year, $10-miilion payday to start in Tampa Bay, which released McCown after its dreadful 2014 campaign.

All of the experience has made McCown a more well-rounded quarterback, according to DeFilippo. 

"He’s played a lot of football," DeFilippo said. "Obviously, the intangibles with Josh are as good as any quarterback in the league in terms of his leadership, in terms of being a good person. All of those things that you’re looking for in a starting quarterback, Josh McCown has."

h/t: Cleveland.com 

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