McCown gets start at quarterback for Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill., Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Josh McCown has been given the starting quarterback assignment for the Chicago Bears Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

McCown, 32, replaces Caleb Hanie, who was the Bears' quarterback in the four games since Jay Cutler was injured. Chicago is 0-4 and averaged less than 12 points a game in that span.

Hanie is 51-of-102 passing for 613 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions this season. His quarterback rating is 41.8, the lowest in the NFL among players with at least 100 throws.

Sunday will mark McCown's first start since the 2007 season when he started nine games for Oakland. He's appeared in four games, throwing a total of eight passes, since then. In a career that began in 2002, McCown is 611-of-1,060 passing for 6,596 yards with 35 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He is 12-19 as a starter.

McCown was signed by Chicago after Cutler suffered a broken thumb. The Bears were 7-3 when Cutler was injured.