PHILADELPHIA - New Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Josh McCown was coaching high school football back in Charlotte, North Carolina, during his brief retirement from the NFL. Though he's now back in the league, he's found a way to keep the coaching gig going -- at least on Friday nights.
The Eagles' practice schedule combined with the close proximity to Charlotte allows McCown to hop on a plane and head home Friday and make it back to Philadelphia for Saturday meetings. That means he can be on the sideline for Myers Park High School games on Friday nights, as was the case this past week, one day after throwing a pair of touchdowns in an exhibition game against the Baltimore Ravens. He received a standing ovation when he walked into the Myers Park locker room.
"I just wanted them to be focused on the game," McCown told NJ Advance Media, who first reported the story. "That's the main thing. But I understand, I guess, the situation. To have someone that's an active player in the NFL, working with, coaching you, that's unique.
"I try to appreciate that, but it was short-lived and I got the guys to focus on business as usual."
The main motivator to return home is to be back with his family, and the fact that he can be on the sideline with the Mustangs, and coach his son, who is a backup quarterback on the team, makes the setup even sweeter for the 40-year-old McCown.