A day after throwing four touchdown passes and running for another in a Monday Night Football rout of the Dallas Cowboys, Josh McCown continued to douse any spark of a quarterback controversy with the Chicago Bears.
McCown leads the league with an 85.7 Total QBR compared to Cutler's 63.2. McCown has thrown 13 touchdowns and just one interception while Jay Cutler has thrown 13 TDs and eight picks.
"I understand that Jay's the starter, and he does too, and our team does and we're building this thing around him," McCown said Tuesday on "The Carmen & Jurko Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "More importantly, for everybody, it's not just Josh and Jay, let's just be for the Bears and for the Bears playing good football and winning football and that's the thing that matters the most no matter who's in at quarterback. That's all I care about.
"As soon as Jay is ready and healthy and back out there ... he's been so good for me the last few weeks and how much he's helped me. I want to go back and return that favor to him and continue to help him. It's all about our team and everybody has that 'C' on their helmet and that's all that matters. It's not about if this guy plays or that guy plays, it's about our team winning. And that's all we care about. When Jay gets back in there, I have full faith that he'll do a heck of a job and that he'll lead our team like he has already."
Cutler has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain, and he's also missed time with a groin tear. He returned to practice last week, but there is no definitive timetable for his return.
"There's no change in the plan," Bears coach Marc Trestman said after Monday's game. "We'll see where Jay is this week. He'll have to be released by the doctors. When Jay is ready to play, he'll be playing. When [Cutler] is good to go and can have a full week of practice, he'll be our quarterback."
The Bears kept their postseason hopes alive Monday and travel to Cleveland for Sunday's game against the Browns.
McCown said he doesn't know if he'll start.
"I don't know what the call is," McCown said. "That's all the coaches' decision and obviously see where Jay's health is at and everything like that.
"Like I've said over and over again, I'm the backup quarterback and I play until the starter is healthy. That's my job and that's the way I serve our team and I believe Jay is our starter. He's a special talent and he was playing great football before he got hurt, and so I expect him to pick up where he left off whenever he's healthy and he's back in there."