A Bryan Cox Return?
February 8th, 2017
Who could forget tough-guy coach Bryan Cox, who absorbed this unfriendly shove during a 2012 Bucs game?
It took Mike Smith only a handful of spring and summer weeks to embrace the “nasty” edge in defensive end Robert Ayers last year.
So what about the nasty edge in an old coaching friend?
Joe’s talking about just-ousted Falcons defensive line coach Bryan Cox, who was a coaching assistant for two seasons under Greg Schiano in Tampa before Smith hired him to coach his defensive line in Atlanta.
Smith got the boot from the Falcons after the 2014 season, but Cox stayed on and was let go after Atlanta choked away Sunday’s Super Bowl, per multiple reports.
Cox, of course, was a ferocious and studly NFL linebacker throughout the 1990s, a three time All-Pro, a known favorite of Bill Parcells and a Super Bowl champ with Bill Belicheat.
With the Bucs, Cox was known for riding Gerald McCoy to raise his game. Cox talked openly about how McCoy needed to make those around him better, and Cox helped spark a national debate in 2013, after McCoy had complained that his D-line coaches got on his case for helping up an opponent during a game.
Joe’s wondering this morning whether Smith would call on Cox again for a supplementary coaching role in his defense, as well to add even more nasty on that side of the ball.
February 8th, 2017 at 10:44 am
Please explain what you mean by a supplementary coaching role? As in, we have a d line coach but we should go ahead and hire another one? Why not GMs?
February 8th, 2017 at 10:56 am
Maybe he worked that intensity into his son, then we can draft him in like the 6th round.
February 8th, 2017 at 11:03 am
Dang ATL is cleaning house on the defensive side
February 8th, 2017 at 11:05 am
That’s funny I thought everyone in the leagues loved Gerald. Hmmm.
Cox’s dline was the highlight of the ATL def. I say fire that scrub linebacker coach we got and bring in cox to coach Kwon n LVD. The recipe for the SB calls for 2 huge cups of NASTY!!!
February 8th, 2017 at 11:05 am
Some reason the ATL and the HC fired him and took away the play calling duties from his DC up there….might need to stay away…im with a supplementary GM tho or trading GMs for a player
February 8th, 2017 at 11:25 am
What DB said man. Make the call Smitty.
February 8th, 2017 at 11:31 am
ship out the ice cream and bring in a man! Cox’s attitude is much needed in bucs locker room. can not change a losing culture with out eradicating the leader of the losing culture.
February 8th, 2017 at 11:33 am
You talking Ayers,Cox and Campbell in the same meeting room. Maayyynne.
February 8th, 2017 at 12:01 pm
B. Cox would be cool, but we still do have J. Hayes right?
February 8th, 2017 at 12:27 pm
Defense didn’t lose that game…The guy that lost it just got hired in San Fran.
February 8th, 2017 at 12:36 pm
I loved Bryan Cox when he was here, but we have a great Dline coach already.
February 8th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
why do we need more d-line coaching? Hayes seems to be doing a good job so far we got the best pass rush out of our D-line weve seen in seasons im sure Cox has a different philosophy and the heat between him and mccoy would seem to indicate this would only disrupt balances set why change what seems to be improving?
February 8th, 2017 at 1:31 pm
b.cox could work….similar to how teams have an OC and a run game coordinator….smitty could be DC, hayes could coach DE and cox could coach DT….
but you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen…..GO BUCS!!!!
February 8th, 2017 at 2:40 pm
Atlanta is also cleaning house on the offensive side. Make no mistake…it wasn’t the poor gassed Falcon D that lost the Super Bowl it was a totally inept second half offense and mind numbing play calling from Shanahan.
You’re leading 28-12 in the 4th…facing 3rd and one and call a dangerous pass play instead of just giving it to Devonta…worst case scenario you punt..Shanahan gave the Pats that freaking game changing turnover. The D was on the field forever in part because of Atlanta’s quick strikes in the first half…less than 20 plays…The Bucs lost at least two games for the same reason…our offense couldn’t do their part in the 4th Q when it counts…could it be because we have the slowest skill positions in the entire league and NO feature RB? But hey…let’s go draft another DE or DL or Safety…????????
February 8th, 2017 at 4:36 pm
@st.pete…DE is what won England the game….how many”burners” do the pats have?….”0″…they have wrs that run great routes…not saying we don’t need burners but a disruptive defensive front can hide some offensive weaknesses….remember, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
February 8th, 2017 at 4:58 pm
813
Where were their DE’s in the first half? Atlanta used and abused the Patriot D…it was embarrassing…they ran at will…Ryan threw the ball at will….the Patriot DE’s did NOT win that game.
NE did NOT win that game…Atlanta and Kyle Shanahan LOST it. 3 and 1 with a running game that went through those vaunted Pat DL like the proverbial hot knife through butter and Shanahan calls the only play he could to give it away..a freaking dangerous pass. I respect Matt Ryan…but he does have a glaring weakness…he’s not very pocket aware and he’s not agile…#3 blows him away in those categories.
The league is no longer set up for D’s to win. You saw how they were calling the DB’s for Atlanta..in the old days all those defensive holding calls would have slipped by. It’s a new day…safety concerns and fear of boring 12-9 games have tilted the rules to the offense. I get that a lot of purists who love defense are cheesed by that…but it is what it is.
February 8th, 2017 at 10:48 pm
No thanks. Loud mouth ra-ra coach who may get you some results for 3 quarters but won’t have enough foresight to finish the game.
February 8th, 2017 at 11:43 pm
We have Jay Hayes and Paul Spicer to coach DL. Not likely that they’d hire another D line coach.
February 9th, 2017 at 1:18 am
Don’t we have a quality and control opening???
February 9th, 2017 at 3:19 pm
Atlanta’s defense sucked this year, save for a few post season games.