Joe chatted with Luke McCown

Luke McCown: This is home. It gives us the opportunity to be right in front of our fans everyday. It allows us to get familiar with our surroundings and the new guys to get familiar with the building. So far, I love it.

Joe: How has it been for you coming into this camp? Much different from previous years. You come in battling for that starting job.

McCown: It’s been great. It’s a competition. It’s open. They’re going to play the guy that moves the ball down the field and moves the offense. And that’s what it’s about. Coming out and putting your best foot forward. Competing, making the players around you better…Years past, I just had that mentallity, I didn’t have that opportunity. But I was able to take into each training camp the mentality that hey, I’ve got to to compete no matter what, whether I’m told I am or not. And so that has helped me prepare for this opportunity.

Joe: How are your relationships with Byron Leftwich and Josh Freeman?

McCown: Two great guys. Great competitiors. When it comes down to it, there’s going to be somebody named the starter. And at that point we all have be ready to do whatever we have to do to help our team win. And that’s what it’s about. Right now we’re challenging each other, pushing each other to be better and be better for our team. Because it’s about winning.

Joe: You’ve got a loaded backfield this year. Talk about that.

McCown: There’s not a stable like this in the NFL. Golly! Absolutely. And when you’ve got the kind of defense we’ve got and the guys that can fly around and make plays. Man, hopefully, it’s going to be pretty easy on us as quarterbacks. … …Turn around and hand it to E.G, and D. Ward and Caddy and Peanut (Clifton Smith). I mean all of these guys have 1,000-yard seasons in them. They do. They’re going to have them. So it’s a great opportunity to establish our running game with four just beasts of running backs.

Joe: Tell me about the offensive line coming back and Jeremy Zuttah specifically, who is stepping into the starting left guard role.

McCown: What’s great about these guys is they’ve been together for a while now. And Jeremy [Zuttah] is the youngest of the group, and he’s the newest of the group. But an extremely smart guy. Fits right in. Is a tough nasty competitor and that’s what you want out of a guard especially. So they’ve been together for two-three years. They’re really starting to gel now, and I’m looking forward to playing behind them.