McCown takes pounding, shows ‘heart’ in Buccaneers loss to Atlanta > He sacrificed his body from the opening kickoff to the final whistle and gave it everything he had. And when it ended with another defeat in a season full of them, Josh McCown’s teammates took turns saluting their 35-year-old quarterback for the effort. “McCown’s an older guy,’’ said Bucs right tackle Demar Dotson, who suffered a neck stinger late in the game. “His time is short, but he plays with a passion and a chip on his shoulder. Every time he comes into that huddle, he tried to get us fired up. He’s a great competitor, a guy you want back there because he’s willing to lay it on the line every play. He’s got the heart of a champion and I love him.’’ In his first start since tearing ligaments in his right thumb at Atlanta on Sept. 18, McCown completed 27 of 43 passes for 301 yards while dodging a relentless pass rush. He also managed to lead the Bucs with 39 rushing yards, often lurching for the first-down stick even as the Falcons were closing in on him. “Josh McCown wants to win, and he was doing everything in his power out there to help us win,’’ Tampa Bay guard Logan Mankins said. McCown spread the ball around to six targets, but 15 of his completions and 22 of his attempts were aimed toward wide receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson. His mobility often bought him some extra time, a quality that was missing from second-year quarterback Mike Glennon during the previous five games. “Josh can get out of the pocket a little more and make plays with his legs,’’ Evans said. “He did that today and he played a good game.’’ Sometimes, he couldn’t get away. He was sacked four times and hit 11 times. A third-down sack ended a drive midway through the fourth quarter with the Bucs trailing 24-17. After the Falcons went up 10 points on the last of four field goals by former Buc Matt Bryant, McCown was intercepted twice in the final two minutes, trying to force the action. “You have two choices — you can curl up in a ball and hide and hope that it goes away, or you can do something about it,’’ McCown said of Tampa Bay’s miserable getaway. “I believe the leadership on this team will continue to respond. It’s not what we say right now, it’s with our actions and the way we respond.’’ For the season, McCown is saddled with a passer rating of 71.2, with four touchdown passes and six interceptions. That’s not the kind of return the Bucs envisioned when they targeted a veteran at the start of free agency, signed him to a two-year deal and reunited him with coach Lovie Smith to make smart decisions. “We put him back in and he played pretty good football today,’’ Smith said of McCown. “That’s where we are. Lots of other positions that I’m really concerned about. Quarterback, especially after today, not right at the top of the list.’’ Nobody asked Smith about who would start under center Sunday at Washington, where the Bucs will try to snap a five-game losing streak. Nobody had to. Josh pushed the action all day,’’ said Smith. “I thought that Josh throughout the day kept drives going with his feet and put us in position to have a successful outcome.’’