Midseason Form
July 27th, 2014
The Bucs’ two-time Pro Bowler is firing on all cylinders already.
Gerald McCoy gets plenty of love from fans and media. Deservedly so.
But Joe was really wowed by McCoy today. He looks to be in midseason form. But Joe wanted confirmation from an NFL veteran in the Tampa Bay trenches.
And Joe got it in a big way.
Joe had some 1-on-1 time with new Bucs starting center Evan Dietrich-Smith after practice today at sizzling One Buc Palace. Finally the pads were on and hitting was allowed. That meant trench warfare. Joe wanted to ask Dietrich-Smith if he’s seen comparable get-off and explosion to McCoy’s in the NFL.
After one day of watching and absorbing McCoy’s full impact, Dietrich-Smith was wowed. He also confirmed that McCoy was absolutely going all out.
“He’s got timing that I haven’t really seen on anybody since I’ve been playing football,” said Dietrich-Smith, who claimed he’s never seen better get-off on a defensive linemen.
“Gerald goes 100 percent all the time. Obviously, he’s a smart player. He’s not going to put himself in a position where someone’s going to get seriously hurt, or himself. He’s constantly working on his craft, and it’s clear now he’s going to be a huge challenge for our offensive line. You saw some of that today, but in the end it will help us.”
Yes, McCoy and the first-team defense was ahead of the Bucs’ first-team offense today.
Dietrich-Smith acknowledged there will be a lot of rotation and chances to compete on the offensive line in the days ahead. But he expects a set line to be “locked down” earlier rather than later in preseason.
There’s no identity yet for the O-line, Dietrich-Smith said, but he likes the athleticism of the group top to bottom.
And how did McCoy finish practice? In a show of unity and camaraderie, McCoy carried in the pads and helmets of rookie Chaz Sutton and second-year defensive end Steven Means.
July 27th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
Joe, I’m not tryin’ to go all Eddie Haskell, but YOU are in mid-season form! Lovin’ the information.
July 27th, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Bawlmerbucfan:
Thanks. Appreciate it!
July 27th, 2014 at 5:48 pm
“In a show of unity and camaraderie, McCoy carried in the pads and helmets of rookie Chaz Sutton and second-year defensive end Steven Means.”
-That, ladies and gentlemen, is class.
July 27th, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Please Please Please don’t get hurt McCoy PleEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE!!!!!
July 27th, 2014 at 5:59 pm
yawn…
July 27th, 2014 at 6:19 pm
I feel like I’m missing something when I go to a practice and I see more #40s than #93s in the stands.
July 27th, 2014 at 6:40 pm
@Mark:
nothing against McCoy – but Mike “The A-Train” Alstott iswas a Boss..
You could realy feel Alstotts’ passion for the game.
He would break his freaking neck for his team.
Such an animal on the field but such an good hearted man off the field..
My personal All time Bucs list:
MikeAlstott Mr.DerrickBrooks
Ronde “Easy(Hair-)Cut” Barber
July 27th, 2014 at 7:54 pm
@ Mark this is the beginning of something good. By the end of the year a new wave of fans will start purchasing new jersey’s.
@Piratic – DITTO! McCoy’s seem to be sending the message – we are one unit…Love it! He is a Buccaneer Man. Is all about respect and unity. They did not learned that last year.
July 27th, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Can we please bring Dunn and Alstott in for a visit?
Go Bucs!
We got our true vibe back!
Go Bucs!
July 27th, 2014 at 10:57 pm
I love this site but the ads are making It freaking unbearable.
I know you have no control over what pops up there, Joe…but you do have control over who you do ad service with. Next time this one comes up for renewal, think of all the complaints you’ve been getting and figure if its worth the aggravation of your readership.
July 27th, 2014 at 11:08 pm
Dunn is part owner of the Falcons. He better not come for a visit. No spies allowed!
July 28th, 2014 at 12:30 am
@JC: Let it go, man. Clearly, Joe has decided that our frustrations are far less important than ad revenue.
July 28th, 2014 at 1:18 am
Piratic:
Not true. But what Joe does not know is if only a small percentage (say, 0.5 percent of readers) are getting these ads. Yeah, six or eight people or maybe a dozen have complained. But when you have 20,000-25,000 visitors a day coming to the site, you can understand how, oh, a dozen people ambushed with the ads is an extreme minority.
It’s not that Joe doesn’t care. Hey, he could do away with the national ads tomorrow, but take a major hit in revenue that keeps this place afloat. Problem is, this site is expensive as hell to keep the lights on including the hours of work it takes. How would Joe make up that revenue? Get a second job which means much less content? Would you take a massive pay cut at your job just because someone not working there gets irritated once in a while?
Joe could go pay-per-read. Guessing nobody would want that.
Just remember that three seconds or so of aggravation from the video ads is a whole lot easier to swallow than paying Joe a monthly subscription, or seeing this site with half the content it normally gets.
Somebody has to pay the bills. Sadly, life ain’t free.
July 29th, 2014 at 1:59 am
Appreciate your feedback. As always, Joe strives to do his best. –Joe