Josh McCown Injury: Updates on Buccaneers QB's Thumb and Return

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 26

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com confirms Josh McCown is available to play today if needed:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 24

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times has an update on Josh McCown's status for Sunday: 

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 22

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported on Josh McCown's recovery:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 20

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times weighed in on Josh McCown's return to practice:

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The bye week was good for quarterback Josh McCown, who returned to practice Monday and had his first extensive throwing session since suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb in Week 3 at Atlanta.

McCown, 35, still had a wrap on his thumb but didn't appear to have any trouble making short and intermediate throws during individual drills during the portion of practice that was open to the media. 

[...]

It would be hard to imagine the Bucs going back to McCown this week against Minnesota, especially if he still is not 100 percent healthy. In any case, the earliest Bucs coach Lovie Smith will even tip his hand would be Wednesday.

"

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 12

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com confirms Josh McCown is inactive for Week 6:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

CSN's Clifton Brown has the latest on McCown:

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 5

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com confirmed that Josh McCown is inactive for Week 5:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 3

Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune has news on McCown's status for Sunday:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct.1

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times has an update on McCown's injury status:

Coach Lovie Smith commented on McCown's status via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times:

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 28

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com confirms Josh McCown's status for Week 4:

Updates from Friday, Sept. 26

Jenna Laine of News Talk Florida passed along Josh McCown's status for Week 4:

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 25

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times has the latest on Josh McCown's status:

WFLA's Jason Jennings reports that Mike Glennon will be the starter:

Stroud reports on McCown's thumb and the potential for surgery:

Updates from Wednesday, Sept. 24

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times has an update on McCown's status:

Stroud also passed along comments from Lovie Smith about his quarterback situation going into Week 4:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 23

Greg Auman, Matt Baker and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times provide an update on Josh McCown's injury:

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Bucs starting QB Josh McCown is expected to miss Sunday's game at Pittsburgh and could be out longer if surgery is required to repair a ligament in his right thumb.

McCown was examined by a hand specialist Monday and will be re-evaluated in a week or two to determine if surgery is needed. While McCown, 35, could play if surgery is avoided, it could still be several weeks before he returns to the playing field. 

"

Updates from Monday, Sept. 22

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported on Josh McCown's injured thumb:

Updates from Friday, Sept. 19

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports provides an update on Josh McCown's injury:

Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune had a preliminary diagnosis on McCown:

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport has the latest on McCown:

Original Text

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown saw a disastrous evening turn even worse when he injured his thumb in Thursday's NFC South matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Bucs' official Twitter account reported the specifics on McCown's status as he exited the game:

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times later provided an update on McCown in the third quarter: 

McCown was 5-of-12 passing for 58 yards with an interception before leaving, and the Falcons had already run up a 35-0 lead at the Georgia Dome. The injury occurred when McCown sailed a pass out of bounds and struck his hand on a helmet while following through.

Former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith, in his first year at the helm in Tampa Bay, influenced the Bucs to bring in McCown as the starting quarterback, as the two were together before in the Windy City. That move appears to be backfiring so far.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller offered his take regarding McCown's impressive stint with the Bears last season in which the veteran QB threw for 13 touchdowns against just one pick:

Before Thursday's game, McCown at least expressed a sense of urgency to get back on track, according to ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas:

"

It's awfully frustrating. I'm not going to shy away from that. I'm very disappointed. I'm disappointed in myself and just this start. It's not what anybody wants.

"

The 35-year-old McCown has been afforded an excellent opportunity to be a clear-cut starter after spending years as a backup. To date, he is not quite capitalizing on it, and he has lost to counterparts such as Carolina's Derek Anderson and St. Louis' Austin Davis at home already.

The Bucs have supported McCown as the starter, but now Mike Glennon, who threw for 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a rookie in 2013, will fill in. If Glennon plays well, Tampa Bay might have trouble selling its fans on McCown under center for the remainder of the current season.

Staring down a likely 0-3 start, the Bucs need to find some traction on offense—whether it's McCown or Glennon taking the reins.