Randy McCown hurt for his brother, Luke, as he watched the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback throw four interceptions against the New York Jets on Sunday.
But as a former quarterback himself, Randy was able to add a unique perspective to what happened to Luke.
“If you’re going to play quarterback for any length of time, you’ve had that game,” Randy said Monday at the Tyler/Smith County Texas A&M Club Golf Tournament at Hollytree Country Club. "I had that game against Penn State in ’99 my senior year. My last game as an Aggie I went out throwing four interceptions, so I know what it’s like.”
Randy’s forgettable outing came in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio while facing a fierce Penn State defense led by defensive end Courtney Brown and linebacker LaVar Arrington, the top two picks in the 2000 NFL draft. That team also had linebacker Brandon Short, who was drafted in the fourth round.
“Between those three guys, it made for a fun day,” McCown said, sarcastically.
While watching his brother get benched early in the fourth quarter, what hurt Randy the most was knowing the time and effort Luke put into coming back from injury to get another shot at starting in the NFL.
“(He) was totally prepared,” Randy said. “It’s no different than a pitcher, some days you just can’t throw a strike. Then when you put it against a great defense, then it really looks bad.”
Randy talked to his brother Monday morning and said no decision had been made on who would start the Jaguars’ next game. Blaine Gabbert, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, made his NFL debut once Luke was pulled -- one week after McCown had guided the Jaguars to a season-opening win over the Tennessee Titans with no interceptions.
“They made Luke the starter for a reason and they’re not out of the playoffs,” Randy said. “Even if they go with Gabbert, chances are he’s going to have more than one bad game the rest of this year. You can’t make a knee-jerk reaction. Now if he has two bad games in a row, then it’s a different story. I’m partial, but it’s highly unlikely that Luke will have two bad games like that in a row.”
Randy McCown was joined at Hollytree by other former A&M standouts Terrence Murphy (football), Rich Coady (football), Mike Bellar (football), Brodie Greene (baseball) and Rob Trimble (baseball).
Greene, a 2006 Bullard graduate, just completed his first full season in the minor leagues as a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization.
He played in 126 games with the Bakersfield Blaze of the Class A Advanced California League, hitting .287 with 14 home runs and 79 RBIs. As part of the September call-ups, Greene played the final five games with the Double-A Carolina Mudcats of the Southern League.
It was a quick cross-country trip.
“One day you show up to the field in California and get told you’re going to Double A. I came out of the game about the fifth inning and packed my bags,” Greene said. “The shuttle left from Bakersfield at 3 in the morning and drove to (Los Angeles), got on a flight (L.A. to Houston and then Houston to Raleigh-Durham) and I pinch-hit in about the seventh inning that night. It was a long day.”
Greene’s goal is to begin next spring training at Double A. He will report to the Arizona Fall League next week. He would prefer to play second base after moving there from shortstop during the season, but Greene may get put at third base, he said.
Both McCown and Greene like the impending move of Texas A&M to the Southeastern Conference.
“I think it’s going to be good for recruiting,” Greene said. “A lot of kids want to be in that conference because it’s such a powerhouse. A&M’s on the uprise. They’ve won (recent championships) in baseball, and football is on the turnaround. With the new (baseball) stadium being built -- the $24 million renovation -- I think it’s going to bring in a lot of recruits because they will be up there with the LSUs and the Arkansas’.”
McCown likes the fact A&M was proactive during a time when college football appears to be moving toward the “super conferences.” He said the SEC should be considered the top super conference.
As for the annual Aggie-Longhorn football game, that run may end for the short term.
“For years and years, whether it was Thanksgiving or the Friday after, you were going to watch the A&M-Texas game,” McCown said. “In the short term it may fizzle out just because of the emotions involved and hurt feelings … but I think when it’s all said and done they’ll bring it back because it’s such a good thing for the state.”