Lay Off Gerald McCoy!
November 22nd, 2015
Gerald McCoy’s numbers are not far off from Warren Sapp’s in the Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning season.
Joe just doesn’t get it. Many, many Bucs fans love throwing rocks at Gerald McCoy.
Is he having a great season? No. Is he Warren Sapp? Who the hell is?
Is GMC a future Hall of Famer? No, not yet. Of course not. It he a good player? Sure.
Bucs fans, for reasons unknown, must expect GMC to rack up 12 tackles and five sacks a game. Where they got this standard from, Joe isn’t sure.
Joe did some late-night digging Saturday. No Bucs fan would say Sapp had a bad year in 2002, when the Bucs won it all. Sapp had 40 tackles in 15 games in 2002. That’s an average of 2.6 tackles a game.
This season, Gerald McCoy, entering today’s game with the Eagles, through nine games has 15 tackles for an average of 1.6 tackles a game.
So GMC is averaging one less tackle a game than a Hall of Famer and folks want to tar and feather him. Really?
This is what gets Joe about people whining about lack of tackles: Look at who also plays on the defensive line. Given the choices of where to run, just what moron of an offensive coordinator would actually calls plays to run at GMC? Please.
When it comes to sacks, in 2002, Sapp had 7.5. Currently, GMC has 4.5. He can easily match Sapp’s 2002 mark. Joe doesn’t remember people wanting to run Sapp out of town that season for his supposed lack of sacks.
(FYI, Geno Atkins of the Bengals, largely considered to be the top defensive tackle in the game, has just one more tackle than GMC this season and currently has six sacks.)
Now could GMC rise up and make a play in the clutch more than once a game? Sure. The biggest thing Joe took out of the victory at Atlanta was when the Bucs needed a play most, GMC finally got to Matty Ice and forced a bad pass to win the game.
If GMC could have just made one of those plays in the second half at Washington, then the Bucs would be 5-4.
Is GMC a good player? Sure. If he a Hall of Fame player? Not yet. Joe doesn’t see that as any sort of sin.
November 22nd, 2015 at 6:26 am
GMC will not say it but he is playing with pain. I recall one game earlier this season he came off the field grabbed his shoulder wincing in pain. The next series he was on the field doing his job. He is hurt and has NO support form the rest of the line. If only ASJ would get some of GMS’s toughness.
November 22nd, 2015 at 6:44 am
Glad to see you sticking up for GMC Joe. Gerald may not be having one of his All-Pro years number-wise, but he’s still been a solid anchor on our DLine. And your stats on Sapp’s 2002 year got me curious Joe.
GMC was having an excellent 2015 through our first 5 games … 11 tackles, 3 assists, 4.5 sacks. Close to Sapp’s averages in 2002. Interestingly GMC played 51 snaps per game average … 75% of the defensive snaps average. Clinton McDonald played in all 5 games also.
McDonald got hurt in the 6th game against the Redskins if I remember right, and GMC’s snaps went way up for the Skins, Falcons, Giants games … to 64 snaps per game and 87% of the defensive snaps average. During those 3 games GMC had a total of 3 tackles and 1 assist, no sacks. His snap count was way down last game against the Cowboys (to 40 defensive snaps), but he still played 74% of the defensive snaps.
My guess is that the Bucs finally figured out 2 things: One, Gerald was playing far too many snaps per game in that 3-game span, especially with a bum shoulder. And two, he misses McDonald. With Mac in there, offenses couldn’t key on GMC as much. GMC and Mac work great together.
November 22nd, 2015 at 7:05 am
McCoy is playing hurt and is getting blown up by double teams, pancaked and thrown 5 yds off the ball.
November 22nd, 2015 at 7:14 am
I said this the other day…Kwon is the only defensive player they have drafted period in two seasons. Love is going to take the two meanest pass rushers he an find and when he does…you will see Gerald McCoy get free’d up once they step up. Anyone that thinks he is out there slacking are fools. The guy plays his ass off and his teammates respect the hell out of him.
November 22nd, 2015 at 7:23 am
It’s the “Is he a good player? Yes.” part of that posting that misses the point.
He’s not a good player right now. Perhaps he’s hurt, but short of knowing that I have to question his ability right now. What’s he got? Four tackles in the last five games? No sacks? No pressures? Nothing!
He gets paid too much to be a non-factor.
November 22nd, 2015 at 7:29 am
After looking at McCoy’s career stats he’s just barely off his best year. Barring any further injuries he should be fairly close to 2013.
November 22nd, 2015 at 8:18 am
I don’t care about stats. How about our top 5 pick has his name called for SOMETHING? it’s like he’s invisible.
November 22nd, 2015 at 8:39 am
What fans…..pick on GMC playing hurt…..and criticize ASJ for not playing. Who will be this week’s chump?
November 22nd, 2015 at 8:44 am
Miguel Grande has an appropriate avatar, a clown. Sapp will be remembered for being a miserable human being who happened to be a good football player. I’m tired of glorifying #@!holes. Give me McCoy any day of the week. I can point to him as a role model.
November 22nd, 2015 at 9:15 am
Leave Brittany alone, you bastards!!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 10:06 am
You’re defending Geraldine bc he needs defending. And aren’t you the first to pile on Joe every Sunday and Monday?
So you can pull up some obscure stat and compare 93 to one of Sapps worst years. And we can say he’s injured, and throw every excuse to defend our Brady-paid superstar.. But his numbers this year are identical to last year this time, sans going off for 5.5 sacks in November.
He’s soft and undisruptive – yet every game I still watch 93 hoping to be proven wrong.
November 22nd, 2015 at 10:42 am
Bucs need to continue to build roster, fill depth. We need to ad good players. WE DON’T NEED TO CONTINUE TO LET GOOD PLAYERS LEAVE THIS ORG.
November 22nd, 2015 at 10:51 am
“Layoff Gerald McCoy!”
Let his play make us lay off. No one is a 100% now in week 11. All I’m asking for is to be apart of four tackles/ assist and one qb pressure. Or make the rb change their mind and some one else get the tackle 3 times.
I just want us to have a good defense again. It requires McCoy to step up. Every since 2002, some Bucs Fans just gave our defense a pass and made excuses for lost games and opportunities. Yet, they quick to blame the qb and coaches even if it wasn’t their fault.
Bucs was known for its tough defense at one point. Shame on me for wanting that take no prisoners defense again. Jameis and the offense can’t win consistently by themselves. It’s time for the veterans to step up and stop the excuses.
November 22nd, 2015 at 10:58 am
@Joe
Well written with solid stats backing your point. And I think your conclusion is spot on…I’ve been posting this for months…
Is GMC a good player? Sure. If he a Hall of Fame player? Not yet. Joe doesn’t see that as any sort of sin.
Exactly Joe!!!
@DefenseRules
Great point about Clinton McDonald. His loss can not be overstated. I remember a thread where we were talking about leadership and #3 versus GMC and noting the difference between simple talent and God given leadership skills.
In addition to drawing some attention away from GMC in the games..McDonald is quiet LEADER with championship experience. I’m a huge McDonald fan and look forward to his return next year.
With Gholston and Spence and GMC and McDonald…Lovie is free to go out and draft the top two available DE’s. Our DL could become a real force next year.
November 22nd, 2015 at 11:00 am
Red86:
No, shame on you for calling out one of our better defensive players on a defensive squad that doesn’t have all the talent it needs. Running McCoy out of town will do the opposite of helping our d get to where it needs to be. NEED MORE GOOD PLAYERS, not less.
November 22nd, 2015 at 11:06 am
FanOfBucs
Yet, he wind up going to the Pro Bowl with similar crappy D line mates.
See the hypocrisy in your excuse? It’s like some fan is ok with sub par to average play.
November 22nd, 2015 at 11:09 am
Not advocating getting rid of McCoy here. Just play better. No saying what he going to do. Just do it.
November 22nd, 2015 at 11:47 am
@ Joe
Fans can care less about how many tackles or sacks GMC gets (while those are nice). We want to see the constant QB pressures like Sapp or Watt. We want to see GMC beat a double team and met the running back in the backfield for a three yard loss as Sapp often did. Stop trying to hide behind a bogus stat line. If you want to throw out a stat line, throw out that Sapp had five 40+ tackle seasons in his 9 year buc career. Throw out that in GMC’s six year buc career, he does not have one and he only has topped 30 once and has never had a double digit sack season. I don’t need a stat line to tell me GMC is nowhere near in the same league as sapp because I like Koetter can use the eyeball test. And for you to even remotely hint at that in this article is ludicrous. And yes, fans did get on Sapp when and if his play declined at times because he had a high standard for himself and we became accustomed to a high level of play from him. How soon we forget.
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:00 pm
Let’s not cherry pick statistics to support an opinion. How do GMC’s stats compare to all of the other 3-techniques in the league this season?
I’m not sure statistical comparisons to Sapp 10+ seasons ago are valid because the rules of the game have changed dramatically. But if they are, describing the difference between 1.6 and 2.6 tackles per game as insignificant is ludicrous. That’s a whopping 61% difference. In terms of baseball, that’s the difference between a .200 hitter and a .322 hitter. Nobody would describe that difference as insignificant and it illustrates the difference between GMC and Sapp quite well.
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:02 pm
Red, you make a good point.
McCoy went to probowl despite playing with lackluster support around him. HE’S THAT GOOD 🙂
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:03 pm
McCoy has been dealing with shoulder issue.
Shoulder issue ended Simeon Rice’s career
Shoulder problem is why Lynch was cut.
Injuries are actually real. Lol
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Shoulder problem is why Lynch was cut (according to the Bucs)
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Blah blah blah blah Joseph …McCoy sucks
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:56 pm
From an opponent perspective when you’re on the field… No one care if you’re hurt, having off the field issues, and etc. It’s dog eat dog. And players jobs are always on the line.
All I’m asking is one tackle or assist per quarter. All NFL players are experiencing pain right now. I acknowledge he may be injured. But, when you’re on the field… No one cares. Either step up (man up) or sit and heal up.