Josh McCown has been a nomad the past six years, searching for a home in three NFL towns but never finding that perfect place to settle down, never finding that starting quarterback job that would end his travels.
That is why his union with the Dolphins seems like a good fit.
The Dolphins also have been on a long and difficult search. They have gone through a dozen quarterbacks since Dan Marino retired, and, because they have yet to find consistency at the sport's most important position, they lost games and have lost their way.
So the quarterback in search of a starting job -- and the franchise in search of a starting quarterback -- are both hoping, praying, that finding each other ends this dual search.
''I'm excited about the fact it's an open competition, and so, in my mind, no, I don't think there's going to be anything that will stop me from becoming the starter here,'' McCown said Wednesday after spending another day working in Miami's offseason program.
He is working alongside John Beck. Soon, rookie Chad Henne also will be on the job. The three will engage in what promises to be the team's most scrutinized competition. But from McCown's perspective, this also will be the team's healthiest competition.
''I hope for the sake of our team and the quarterback position that in John Beck's mind he believes nothing is going to stop him, and in Chad Henne's mind there's nothing that's going to stop him from being the starter,'' McCown said. ``When you have guys competing as hard as we're going to compete, you're going to get the best out of us, and you'll get the best quarterback possible for this team.''
McCown is no stranger to quarterback competitions. He was the rookie in Arizona when veteran Jeff Blake was fading. But after disposing of one veteran he was, in turn, replaced by another veteran when the Cardinals turned to Kurt Warner.
McCown was brought to Detroit with Jon Kitna for an arms' race of aspiring starters. But having finished second in that two-man race, McCown requested a trade.
That trade landed McCown in Oakland, where he beat out Daunte Culpepper for the starting job. But on a team that also drafted JaMarcus Russell and gave the rookie $61 million in guaranteed money, there were
61 million reasons McCown wasn't going to start.
The three stops offered three different situations. But all three ended with McCown leaving town.
So why should Dolphins fans believe the next two years -- the length of McCown's contract -- will finish any differently?
`THE RIGHT PEOPLE'
''I think and feel I'm finally with the right people that will help me be successful,'' McCown said. ``Meeting with coach [Tony] Sparano during free agency was what hammered it home for me, because I felt like I walked around this building and it wasn't a 1-15 team.
``I mean, coach [Bill] Parcells, coach Sparano, [general manager] Jeff Ireland and a bunch of the coaches. These guys are all winners. I think more than anything that's why I expect things to be different for me here.''
McCown's 35 career touchdowns and 40 interceptions suggest he's only an adequate backup. But there have been players, Rich Gannon and Trent Green among them, who blossomed late in their careers after being only adequate backups.
McCown believes he can do the same.
''I wouldn't be here if I didn't,'' he said. ``I could have been very comfortable in Oakland knowing this is your spot [as a backup], and you'll make pretty good money there, and you'll stay there. But I'm a competitor, and I'm chasing that opportunity to live the dream and . . . solidify myself as a starter in the NFL. I definitely think I can do that.''
McCown's experience in 44 NFL games will give him an initial advantage over Beck and Henne. But experience buys only so much esteem from a coaching staff. Longevity has to be purchased with results.
So McCown is adjusting his release and tweaking his footwork to improve his accuracy -- and, by extension, his 57.9 percent career completion percentage.
He wants to maximize every chance he has.
FINE TUNING
''That's what Peyton Manning does, that's what [Tom] Brady and [Donovan] McNabb do. That's what the good quarterbacks do,'' McCown said.
``When you aspire to play at that level, that's how you have to walk away from a game, thinking, `I hit the throws I had an opportunity to make. I had a fair chance to deliver, and I didn't miss.'
``My approach this offseason is to fine tune my mechanics where I'm not going to miss when the opportunity presents itself. I'm going to be more accurate than I've been before.''
And if he finds the mark often enough, McCown no longer will have to worry about finding a home.
