ATLANTA -- Josh McCown had a brace on his right hand and his tone was far more dejected than at any time since he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There was good reason for that. The Bucs had just lost 56-14 to the Atlanta Falcons.

"It's just embarrassing," McCown said.

The insult was the loss. The brace represented the injury to his thumb. But there might be even more than that for McCown to be despondent about.

McCown, who suffered the injury in the second quarter, said X-rays were taken and he'll know more Friday. Good news or bad news, McCown's hold on the starting job could be in jeopardy.

When things are going like they are for the Bucs, there usually is some change. Coach Lovie Smith even hinted at that after the game.

And McCown, who was signed to provide a veteran presence, could be in jeopardy of moving to the bench. If his thumb is broken, it would be easy for the Bucs to hand things over to backup Mike Glennon because the Bucs wouldn't look as if they were admitting signing McCown was a mistake.

But, even if McCown's thumb is all right, it still might be time to turn to Glennon. Tampa Bay's offense has shown no consistency in the first three games and McCown has made some bad decisions.

Some things have to change and one of them might be the quarterback.