McCoy And Price Are “Very, Very, Very Special”

July 8th, 2012

Ex-Bucs captain Jeff Faine talked about some former teammates and Bucs offseason moves.

Former Bucs captain Jeff Faine had no problem praising the Bucs front office and serving up a backhanded slap to Raheem Morris during an interview with J.P. Peterson of 1010 AM Friday evening.

Typically, Faine was one of the more candid Buccaneers during his time in Tampa, except when he was dishing out “Saltines and anchovies” labor union spin. So it’s also worth noting his gushing praise Friday of Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, two guys Faine lined up against in practice.

Peterson asked Faine directly about McCoy and Faine seemed to struggle to find words to express how very highly he rates McCoy, emphasizing that McCoy is an extraordinary talent and “he’s a very, very, very special player.”

Faine went on to say Adrian Clayborn is a top talent “with a mean streak” and a guy with great versatility against the run and pass in a division where that’s critical. And Faine had similar McCoy love for Brian Price.

“I’m telling you, J.P., if he can stay healthy, Brian Price is a very, very, very special player. He was out of shape the entire season. And it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t run because of his [previous medical issues,]” Faine said.

As for Faine’s future, he explained that he passed on offers to join team in free agency, and Faine expressed confidence that he’ll find a new and competitive team soon.

“Some teams have to make some decisions internally that we’ve been talking to. There’s definitely interest,” Faine said. “I could have jumped at some teams that don’t have the pieces in place to win. … I want to go where they have some pieces in play and what’s a winning situation.”

Faine identified the Bucs’ top move of the offseason as the re-signing of Ronde Barber because of his veteran leadership. He also said Vincent Jackson brings a “legit threat and legit leadership,” and he painted a picture of Mike Williams yearning for the kind of hands-on guidance and teaching Jackson will deliver.

56 Responses to “McCoy And Price Are “Very, Very, Very Special””

  1. ClayBURN94 Says:

    Thomas 2.2 disagrees with you Mr Faine. Thomas 2.2 knows more about football than Schiano, Sapp, Faine, and the list goes on.

  2. Oregano Says:

    Maybe Geraldini is so very special that he will leave our team to participate in the “Special Olympics.”

  3. RustyRhino Says:

    Never going to swear I was ever a Faine fan, but he has stepped up and is telling it like he sees it. Way to go Mr. Faine yeah “only 2-3 more years left to play” woe to the team that signs him for those 2-3 years and only gets 5-7 games a season…. Good luck. Glad your part of buccaneer history now.

  4. Steve From Oregon Says:

    I dont know what type of salary Faine is looking for, but it would seem that he would make excellent insurance to an Oline….maybe worth a second look on the cheap if he is willing.

  5. Vic Says:

    Faine’s a great backup center

  6. Thomas2.2 Says:

    I agree with Faine on Price and Clayborn.

    I partially disagree with Faine on Gerald. I have always said that Gerald has talent, he just wastes it by not turning it into productivity by being 1 dimensional and soft.

    I am sure that Faine wants his friend to do well, as do we all.

  7. Dini's Biceps Says:

    Just saw a stat that Roy Miller & Amobe Akoye are amongst the WORST tackling D-Tackles in all the NFL. McCoy & Price determine whether we go 9-7 or 4-12 <— then draft a stud QB

  8. Thomas2.2 Says:

    I also find it interesting how Joe quoted Faine on Price and Clayborn but didn’t with Gerald – cloaking his decision not to include a quote about Gerald with “he seemed to struggle to find words.”

    I bet the quote didnt sound as strong as Joe hoped – so lets just paraphrase that part in a way I want it to sound. Classic.

    It’s true that it is hard to describe how a talented player like Gerald could be so unproductive.

  9. Thomas2.2 Says:

    Of course meaning a full quote with context etc

  10. Have A Nice Day Says:

    @Dini’s Biceps – Miller was ranked 14th best, not worst. He has always been a good tackler. 35 tackles for every 1 miss = rock solid.

  11. raphael Says:

    just shut up Thomas, your an Idiot..

  12. the_buc_realist Says:

    Roy Miller is not rock solid, They call that guy turtle because he is always on his back and helpless. The D-line was horrible. They have alot of work and alot to prove if they want to be an average unit this year!

  13. The Dutcher Journal (Pete Dutcher) Says:

    Thomas2.2 Says:
    July 8th, 2012 at 11:28 am

    “I partially disagree with Faine on Gerald. I have always said that Gerald has talent…”

    Thomas…that is the FIRST time I have seen you say that here. I admit, I don’t see or read every one of your comments, but that I think I would have noticed.

    Rather, it looks to me as though you are laying the groundwork in case GMC has a great season.

  14. TrueBlue Says:

    Take the four best defensive linemen in the NFL and give them little coaching, no, or a poor, plan of attack and they will leak running backs like a sieve. There’s a lot more to last years massive failure than just the quality of talent.

  15. Dini's Biceps Says:

    @ Have a Nice Day <—- woops sorry, i knew i had trouble figuring out that spreadsheet but thought i had it right (good thing i'm not in the media reporting those shenanigans)

  16. Garv Says:

    I find it odd that message board posters such as 2.whatever, eric, those sort of “fans,” seem to enjoy hating on everything Buccaneers and do so predictably and often.

    Why? What is really wrong with them? I mean, most of us are enjoying a rather strong off-season and are optimistic about the Buc’s turning things around. You know, enjoying life a bit, having fun. But those feebs? Always negative, always boorish and always miserable. Funny, I can only imagine them in dark, friendless, closets trying to make up for being so pathetic.

    Me? If I were Joe? Gone in 60 seconds, the lot of ’em. But I’m not. I’ll just go out in my condo, into the sun and look forward to training camp starting in 20 DAYS!!!

    Buccaneers in 2012?

    Can’t WAIT!!!

  17. The Dutcher Journal (Pete Dutcher) Says:

    Have A Nice Day

    I like Miller in a backup role. I think he has his faults, but also his strengths. I don’t think he’ll ever be a sacker, but if he can improve his speed and tackling, I think he can still be very good. Reliable.

    .

    the_buc_realist

    It will be different this year. Why? Because the entire line is a legit threat. If offenses focus on Miller they’ll open themselves up to Clayborn or Bennett.

    I think that once we pass game 5 or so, or Dline will become very hot. Up untill then they’ll be finding their “sea legs”.

  18. Have A Nice Day Says:

    @the_buc_realist – That was only considering his tackling skills. His tackle to miss ratio of 35:1 is extremely solid.

    Whether he is any good at the rest of his job, well, that is an entirely different story. He was, after all, ranked almost dead last in overall performance.

  19. The Dutcher Journal (Pete Dutcher) Says:

    Garv

    /signed.

    Can’t wait to get my new recliner and big screen for my man cave next month!

    If I could just find a non-subscription DVR, I would jump up and down.

  20. Have A Nice Day Says:

    @Dini’s Biceps So – I had trouble too. It seems they have the spreadsheets and the commentary switched up. I just looked at the actual stats and it made things a bit clearer.

  21. Dini's Biceps Says:

    @ Have a Nice Day…………cool. i just learned a lesson though (be more careful if i’m trying to report a fact).

  22. Have A Nice Day Says:

    @Dini’s Biceps – haha We have all done it before and we’ll probably do it again. No big deal.

  23. ziz Says:

    It’s funny how Thomas accuses Joe of leaving out something Thomas didn’t even hear. All together now, Tool.

  24. Mr Lucky Says:

    Please tell me WHY you all give ANY creedance to Jeff Faine??????

    1. The team cut the dude

    2. Faine says that there is a ‘lot of interest’ in him but he doesn’t want to go to just any team because ‘he’ [Faine] wants to play for a winner since Faine only has 2-3 years left.

    3. Since Faine doesn’t want to play for the Bucs doesn’t that imply that the Bucs don’t have all the pieces in place for a Playoff run?

    It’s amazing how many people, myself included, didn’t like Faine when Jeff was complaining about Freeman doing workouts during the lockout and wanted him to shut up but now because he says something ‘positive’ you jump on the Faine bandwagon?

    Faine is only saying this crap because deep down he knows his services aren’t in high demand and he is hopefully creating some ‘goodwill’ in case on the the Bucs centers gets hurt in preseason.

  25. McBuc Says:

    Mr Lucky, What makes you think he does not want to play for Tampa? They cut him, he did not quit. If anything, your argument would make more sense in reverse. He wouild say nice things to try and get them to bring him back. Come on man! Faine has aways been a streight shooter, his entire carreer.

  26. McBuc Says:

    Sorry lucky, I missed the end of your post.

  27. Mr Lucky Says:

    @McBuc,

    Tell me why Faine didn’t say this last year?

    People need to understand a person’s motive before deciding if their comments have any value.

  28. Drew Says:

    I can honestly think of only one reason as to why Thomas 2.2 shows so much negativity towards Gerald McCoy. He must have had a Man Crush on GM and tweeted his new found Love, but GM explained in a tasteful way that he was not that type of guy.

  29. Thomas2.2 Says:

    Don’t hate Gerald, just the waste of $ and talent that he has been.

  30. Andrew Says:

    All you who think you know what you are talking about, and you know who you are, need to sit up and take notice to someone who has actually been there and done that. Faine has been in the league for many years and has gone up against some of the best d-lineman in the league, so when compares those elite players to the players that he has gone up against in practice, like McCoy and Price, he is able to distinguish who is good and who is not. his view carries alot of weight and should be taken seriously. some of you are just to fu@king dense to realize this. this is a great thing to hear from him.

  31. Andrew Says:

    and I hope is right.

  32. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    Mr. Lucky,

    First of all, who’s to say he didn’t? Second, if he didn’t it’s probably because he wasn’t asked the question. He simply answered a question asked of him. Third, what purpose would lying have at this point? I take this comment a lot more serious with him off the team than I would with him on it.

    Right or wrong (yet to be determined), he obviously really believes what he is saying. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am struggling to figure out who to listen to: someone like Faine who went up against GMC all the time, or Thomas 2.2, who has a friend that is an ex-scout.

  33. Andrew Says:

    @Hawaiian

    my point exactly.

  34. Bobby Says:

    Andrew, you just don’t understand. Thomas knows more than Faine. Thomas knows more than any actual player or coach. He is, after all, a pretend attorney. We all know Attorneys Have Ostensibly Large Egos, or… A.H.O.L.E. if you prefer.

  35. Thomas2.2 Says:

    Faine has first hand experience, that I dont, against GMC and other NFL tackles.

    There is a reason that team’s don’t allow players to build a roster – they are terrible at evaluation because there are personal issues that infect the analysis.

    BTW: Faine has a reason to be careful on criticism and high on praise and positivity – teams are contemplating bringing him in for a short stint and won’t if they think he is a risk to air dirty laundry if cut or let go.

  36. Andrew Says:

    @ Thomas2.2

    No the reason players don’t build rosters is because ITS NOT THEIR JOB. You have got to just be fuc@king with us, their is no way anyone can be this big of a douch bag. oh, what i would give to kick your ass.

  37. ClayBURN94 Says:

    So I guess you could build a roster, right ThomASS? Faine plays football while you go around pretending to be a lawyer. Whos oppinion do you think we would side with more? ThomASS=DumbASS

  38. Thomas2.2 Says:

    If players were better at assembling rosters than management, it would be very easy to make it their job – team’s would save a to of money eliminating scouts and personnel departments.

    Players mostly make poor coaches and GMs.

    If it takes a player to assemble a roster, why is Dom (scared to play football per his mom) our GM? Shouldn’t we just let Jeff Faine make those decisions.

    Thankfully, Schiano is an excellent evaluator and coach – I hope that he can teach Gerald to tackle and make a few impact plays.

  39. Mr Lucky Says:

    Wow, so much negativity towards Thomas 2.2!!!!

    What really bothers me is that those who are criticizing Thomas 2.2 do it with name calling and slurs instead of using FACTS to rebutt him.

    Maybe people have to resort to name calling because facts don’t support their beliefs?

    Let’s face it folks GMC is a #3 overall pick in the 2009 draft and statistically how does he stand up to other #3 picks?

    Unless GMC has a breakout season THIS YEAR then GMC will join the ranks of Gaines Adams in the Bucs Hall of Shame.

    I’ll give Brian Price a pass because of his injury but the same applies to him as well – 2012 is either a make it or break season.

  40. Paul W. Says:

    Thomas… Who is the better GM? Faine or dominik? What about John Elway man? If I were to believe everything you said, then I would end up killing myself because it’s so contradictory. I happen to think players are not gms because scouting players eats up a lot of time which should be used to prepare themselves on the field because it provides a better value.

  41. BamBamBuc Says:

    Mr Lucky – you might want to go back to other topics and see that I’ve consistently disagreed with Thomas, except in the case of Talib. Each time I disagree, I use facts, stats, and even reference video from NFL.com. I don’t call him names typically (although recently his rash of comments gifting starting jobs to rookies and players that have yet to earn it has led me to compare him to Raheem 2.2)

    Second, I don’t care what draft pick GMC was, nor do I care how much he is being paid. How he compares at this point of his career to other similar picks in history also does not bother me yet. You give Price a pass due to his injury, yet GMC has been injured in both his first two seasons. Neither was a pre-existing condition, nor were they career threatening. GMC actually has a better chance to come back and play well than Price, although I do hope Price can overcome all the adversity he’s faced.

    Who is to say that the Great And Wonderful SUH won’t suffer a career ending injury in the next year or so and fall off the face of the earth along with many other former players? There’s also no telling whether or not GMC will come back stronger and better than ever and go on to a HOF career. Both are possible, neither are likely. It is a possibility though that GMC will have a better “career” (after a slow start) than Suh. Many fans of the Lions wrote off Stafford after all the shoulder surgeries his first two years (to a QB, no less), yet he came back and played very well last year. GMC has the chance to do the same. Is Stafford a future HOF QB? I doubt it, but he could be decent. Is GMC a HOF DT if he does this year what Stafford did last year? I doubt that as well. Doesn’t mean he can’t have a very good career and help turn around a D that hasn’t done well without him.

  42. Garv Says:

    Mr. “lucky”………another one of the constant whiners and a great mate for 2.whatever. Beautiful. Sad but beautiful at the same time………Romeo, Juliet and their sad little child erica…..

    Just take a trip to the Skyway and do us all a huge favor.

    BUT…..on a positive note, this is good to hear from Faine and for Buccaneer fans to read. Things are looking up and it all starts in 19 days.

  43. teacherman777 Says:

    Anyone dissing Faine is an evil person.

  44. Oahubuc Says:

    I consider that a learned evaluation and an indication we may be getting a veteran backup on the cheap.

  45. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    Thomas,
    Building a team and evaluating talent are two different animals. Evaluating talent on film versus evaluating it by competing against said talent are as well. The reason many players don’t make good GM’s is that they have to evaluate talent though film. It’s much harder. But if there is one position Faine can effectively evaluate, it’s DT. Obviously you aren’t that stupid to not understand that. He goes against GMC, as well as all the other DT’s in the league. He obviously feels GMC (and Price for that matter) is very good. This was much more than a generic answer, and he obviously meant it.

  46. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    Mr. Lucky,
    I got no problem with you, but you are dead wrong about Thomas. You ignore all the names he calls others: ladies, sheep, etc. He doesn’t respond to facts, which is why many choose to not use them.

  47. Mr Lucky Says:

    @BamBam – thanks for a well written response, somewhat of a rareity around this site lately; I’ll contribute that to the off season.

    My reasoning about the injuries between Price and McCoy are this – Price’s injury was just freakish and usually career ending. From my knowledge about what happened to Price nothing could have prevented it.

    With McCoy his injuries are different and I believe that after the first injury in his rookie season I believe that McCoy should have trained better and harder in order to prevent the injury from occurring in year 2. In addition poor technique could have ‘contributed’ to the injury that McCoy sustained.

    I just don’t believe that McCoy has shown the ‘will’ or ‘drive’ to live up to the potential that he was billed prior to the draft. I HOPE that 2012 is his breakout year.

  48. Mr Lucky Says:

    @HawaiianBuc – Unlike the season I only check in a few time a week so I don’t read a lot of the posts.

    @Garv – I see you’re still the ever present Pollyanna that you were last year, ignoring facts when presented to you and still calling people names; I guess some things never change.

    Hopefully with real coaching the Bucs record in 2012 will be the exception to the aforementioned rule.

  49. Ladyz Says:

    Is it possible that we have one or two posters writing under more than one name? Would it be posable to have only positive comments for twenty-four hours? Go Bucs !

  50. Garv Says:

    Mr. “lucky”…
    I believe you call yourself that?
    Just sick and tired of your whining.
    I find it hard to believe “fans” such as yourself and your soul mate 2.whatever
    can be anything but miserable school boys who were picked on too much. So you type your garbage over and over again and get feedback. I guess for people like you ANY kind of feedback is good. But it won’t make up for the hole inside from years of being ridiculed. What you do here, you and your soul mate?

    This is not getting even brat, it’s just annoying as hell.

    And yes kid, I AM an optimist and DO enjoy thinking good things are ahead for the Bucs. It’s why I renew every year. It’s fun.

    Buccaneers in 2012?

    Can ‘t WAIT!!!

  51. Garv Says:

    I tryyyyyy to get out
    but they pullllllll me back in…..

    It’s too bad this site is constantly under attack from trolls but my responding to these idiots obviously does not help matters.
    Until we can meet when they come out of hiding or until they simply disappear, it is what it is.

    Sorry for biting the hook…..again.

    NOT sorry for being an enthusiastic and supportive fan and for looking forward to the soon to be here season ahead.

    Buccaneers in 202?

    Can’t WAIT!!!

  52. Eric Says:

    Amazing how Faine has been so roundly criticized on this site. Then, when he says something that fits the conventional wisdom, he’s suddenly a true professional.

    The guy is smart enough not to trash his former team mates or management. Coaching is a convenient scapegoat…….

    Joe all but ran the man out of town…….

  53. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    I do kind of agree with you Eric, but for the record, I have never criticized Faine. I’ve always thought of him as a true professional, and never really agreed with all the criticism he received. Perhaps his comments weren’t that smart from a PR perspective (similar to Blount’s response about Richardson prior to the draft), but he was just being honest. It didn’t bother me then, and still doesn’t bother me.

    However, perhaps you don’t know the difference between not trashing his former teammates versus going out of his way to praise them. He said much more than what he had to say. I think it’s amazing how when someone praises GMC (Schiano, Faine, etc.), some dismiss it, yet when others (Sapp, Beckles, etc.) says anything remotely negative about him, all of a sudden that is the truth.

  54. Scubog Says:

    Garv: As I have for the past 36 years, I share your enthusiasm for the season ahead. I have been reading Joe Bucs Fan for several years but only just recently decided to read some of the comments. I share your assessment of this group of posters that is littered with a far more juvenile collection than I would have expected. It seems they are more interested in name-calling than with making their point or discussing a topic. They also have such little to say, with nothing to support their claims, that they simply resort to criticism of what I thought was their favorite team. Explains the divorce rate among young people. And I thought some of the posters on Pewter Report had issues. Hopefully McCoy and Price can stay out of the infirmary and show their worth. Some of these people will be heading to Walmart to buy a 93 jersey…………discounted of course.

  55. Garv Says:

    @Scubog…
    Thanks man, a kindred spirit!
    LOTS of positives to be optimistic about this off-season and really looking forward to Buc football coming soon. BTW, had to leave Pewter Report too. It was better when they charged more for the paper magazine IMO.

    As for injuries? Let’s just hope for the best. Too many “fans” seem to enjoy ripping players for getting hurt, something I will NEVER understand. Did you notice Sapp on the NFL network talking about McCoy? Think he picked him as most improved this year. We’ll see.

    Buccaneers in 2012?

    Can’t WAIT!!!

  56. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    I’m with you Garv on the whole injury thing. What really kills me is when fans attribute players getting hurt to not working our hard enough in the offseason. As if they would have any clue how hard that player works. Perhaps the injury could just be attributed to playing a game where injury is common place? Did Peyton Manning get hurt because he wasn’t working hard enough? Was Tom Brady’s ACL torn because he took a vacation in the offseason? It’s a ridiculous argument.