GMC’s Sin? He Wasn’t Warren Sapp

May 21st, 2019

The way folks reached to find excuses to claim Gerald McCoy was somehow no better than kneeling Akeem Spence blows Joe’s mind.

Joe cannot think of a player in any city in any sport that played as well as GMC did and was so hated. You would have thought the guy cussed out fans who wanted his autograph, or he had a rap for slapping around prostitutes.

But Joe learned it wasn’t results that many Bucs fans wanted, it was image. Style over substance. A cartoon character. And GMC’s Batman-worshipping ways were not the images these same Bucs fans wanted; damn the results.

They wanted a knuckle-dragging, nuts-kicking, eye-gouging, arm-stomping, blood-sucking animal as a defensive tackle. Instead, they got GMC. And so many fans held that against him so badly it blinded them.

No, GMC was not Warren Sapp, a transcendent player who won a ring with the Bucs  People seemed to personally hold that against GMC  God forbid someone isn’t a Hall of Fame player

Joe remembers all too well talking to offensive coordinators and head coaches and general managers at the NFL combine each year trying to find out if GMC was truly as bad as some of his haters believed him to be. These same people who made seven-figures a year working in football would all look at Joe like he had three eyes, especially when Joe would recount the stories of how Bucs fans couldn’t wait to get rid of GMC.

And that day came yesterday.

Sadly, GMC, who personified sportsmanship, will never get the full respect he deserved from many Bucs fans.

Again, they didn’t like his personality and it blinded them. There wasn’t a thing he could do for these people that would have gotten them to lay off.

Except to leave, which is what happened yesterday.

This nonsense that GMC was solely responsible for losses was and is a joke. If you want to go baseball WAR, like so many people want to do when they freak out on GMC, Lavonte David had a worse win-loss record than GMC, yet David seemed to get a complete and total pass, even though he too is a nice guy.

Until two years ago, the beloved defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a future Hall of Famer, had a worse WAR than GMC. Joe didn’t recall any Rams fans wanting to run him for the Rams’ ineptitude. Same with Browns fans. They embraced left tackle Joe Thomas for being the lone bright spot in a miserable organization.

No, GMC never took a snap in a playoff game (yet). Joe blames this on the Bucs organization largely being incompetent over the past Lost Decade.

Bucs fans blamed GMC.

You know who else never played in a playoff game? Dick Butkus. Say his name in a bar in Chicago and you can literally hear the angels sing and watch the sun part the clouds.

Joe is guessing Lee Roy Selmon couldn’t play in the 21st century. He always helped up opponents and constantly worried he would hit quarterbacks too hard. He has a bust in Canton if you don’t know.

Personally, Joe doesn’t give a damn if a player on his time off plays with Batman dolls, plays with matches or plays with himself so long as he produces on Sundays.

GMC produced. And for reasons that are not quite clear to Joe, it was never enough for too many Bucs fans.

94 Responses to “GMC’s Sin? He Wasn’t Warren Sapp”

  1. Gerald McBezos Says:

    It’s about the money. Isn’t it always?

    We paid for a steak, we got a hamburger.

  2. Adrnagy Says:

    Gerald will end up with the patriots. Jpp inactive. We should wait for teams to release players. Maybe ESPN will release booger and we sign him.

  3. Swamp Buc Says:

    I’m gonna miss GMC.

  4. pick6 Says:

    sapp was more than a player, he was a culture changer…mccoy was billed as the face of the franchise but really he just had the misfortune to a very high draft pick when the team had no identity after a total housecleaning. he was the leader by default because there was no talent or experience from the head coach on down. tough situation and he wasn’t the type of guy who could turn it into something more than it was. those guys are rare

  5. Go Bucs 72 Says:

    Hey you don’t guys remember when McCrybaby totally took over the game and we won? Yeah me neither.

  6. Unimpressed Says:

    His sin is he played on a loser team, with loser fans, and there was no end to the losing in sight. The fans needed a scapegoat, they picked the nice guy who smiles too much and treats his teammates and opponents too well.

    I’m happy for McCoy, he’ll actually get a shot at real success with another franchise.

  7. thefinalf33r Says:

    If you had to pick two players to go into our ROH from this decade, Evans is first and McCoy is second.
    The hate is exaggerated but when it came down to it, he costs too much

  8. pick6 Says:

    i always felt like Gerald would have been better suited to be a Simeon Rice type. A guy who is not “the guy” but is a gifted athlete and great teammate who is free to march to the beat of his own drum. If Simeon were on a team where he was expected to be the tone-setter it would go badly. In fact, that is exactly why he was available to the bucs in free agency all those years ago

  9. Swamp Buc Says:

    I just don’t understand all the hate fellas. I really don’t. Ever sense he has come to Tampa he has worked his $&& off.

  10. SOEbuc Says:

    I’m giving the 6-time Pro Bowler mad respect. We didn’t have a good HC his entire career. He’ll go to a team now and they’re going to win the Super Bowl. Great in the community.

  11. Lamarcus Says:

    Joe

    That actually sounds like you blaming us haters on GMC release. His greatest sin to me imo is losing and accepting losing, not making no one better around him when he is leader of the team and reading articles you bashing every other player for losing but GMC gets the pass. Never criticized. Always made GMC the good guy always pointing out his good stats like 21 participation stats. GMC got paid his 100 contract and sucked since 2014. Let it go. It wasn’t us haters who drove him out of town… A real coach came and said no dice.

  12. Race to 10 Says:

    I hate when media type write this stupid article. No one does that for the lavonte Brooks debate because there isn’t one , it was manufactured by people making excuses for mediocre play

    No 3 tech gets 3-4 sacks a game for 16 games so it’s all the other plays like watching him constantly out of his gap for a decade and watching him reach for running backs running right where he was supposed to be

    When sapp left he had no suitable replacement, why don’t you write about how a rookie missed 6 games and still tied Geraldine in tackles. No one debated the pass rush skills he used to have, it was the rest of his game that sucked. BA basically said his football sucks and did what kotter should have done and moved on. Lol this is a sad attempt to take a shot at fans for the leader of a horrible decade of defensive football so much it was offensive. The plan was to make it so easy to score the other team would get bored to death and let us sneak back into the game

    Go dance on someone else’s sideline while the team is losing and see what happens to him. Nothing because he would never do it

  13. Swamp Buc Says:

    I have a 93 jersey and it is woooorrrrnnn out. I think some of you guys go way over the line.

    GMC has been good man and a great player at the same time for years.

    If you can’t see, then maybe you are blind.

  14. BucsBall80 Says:

    Whats the issue. Hes not worth 13mil. If he wanted to stay he should of took a pay cut. We needed the money. Plus they want new leaders in the locker room. And McCoy had alot of clout and sway in the locker room. One way or another he was going to make less money. I dont fill sorry for his rich axx. Hopefully this has light a fire under his axx and hell ball out for his next team. Good luck to you. MrMcCoy.

  15. Mike10 Says:

    Ya had absolutely nothing to do w his historically bad defenses..

    Bye gerelicia!

  16. Go Bucs 72 Says:

    Look at the bright side, maybe one of y’all McCrybaby fluffers can get his official Bucs jock strap from Goodwill tomorrow so you can continue sniffing it!

  17. DooshLaRue Says:

    I see the inferior Joe has made his sad, sad case for Softie.
    He was “hated” for his soft play, high pay and losing ways.
    The Sapp comparison is lazy.

  18. Swamp Buc Says:

    Go buc 72 who exactly have you been rooting for?

  19. Swamp Buc Says:

    I mean, you just sound like a maniac talking about this stuff buddy

  20. DB55 Says:

    Media wanna-be’s keep posting pictures of all the great things he’s done off the field and granted you can’t find people much less athletes that are as gracious, generous and playful as McCoy off the field. But the haters want him to be great ON THE FIELD. He is not therefore he’s gone.

    Performance? Like Race said McCoy had 17 solo tackles vs Vita’s 21 and Vita missed almost half a season. And I bet if you look at the 6 sacks he had at least 1 or 2 were gifted to him, meaning it was another player making the play and McCoy falling on the pile to pad his stats.

    Just like LaMarcus said BA came in one day 1 and said “we have to evaluate” and they found that he wasn’t worth the 13 mil much less 16 mil or f’n 100+ mil.

  21. ATLBucsFan Says:

    The fans didn’t release GMC, the Bucs did.

  22. Howard Cosell Says:

    Howard suspects that Arians wields more power than any other coach since Gruden. It’s ironic to say the least that Arians seems to agree that McCoy is not anywhere near worth the money he makes.
    If Arians though McCoy was worth the money you can bet your bottom dollar that McCoy would be at training camp smiling.
    This calling out and off-loading of McCoy is 100% Arian’s doing.
    Arians is considered a brilliant football mind by some.
    ……and he’s going to trade McCoy for a case of Gaterade

  23. DB55 Says:

    Honestly I’m surprised he even survived after saying this about Trump:

    “That dude’s crazy,” McCoy said Monday. “No, I don’t agree with (anything) he said. I don’t think (anybody does) … It’s not the last time he’s going to say something stupid. It’s very idiotic, what he said. It’s retarded. It’s very stupid. It’s dumb.” – McCoy

    “Gerald McCoy, who made critical comments of President Donald Trump on Monday, apologized on Wednesday for using the word “retarded” as part of that, saying people should first be praying for the president. [LOREN ELLIOTT | Times]
    By Greg Auman
    Published September 27 2017″

  24. Jean Lafitte Says:

    It was time. He has been regressing for a couple years now. We need a changing of the guard. Time for the youth to take it by the reigns. GMC is at a point where he is replaceable. I still can’t get over the fact he had only 1 pass deflection all season. He didn’t even try to bat the ball down, probably because he could barely move anymore, so it was too much effort to throws his arms up in the passing lanes. Plus, too many times last season he was velcro’d to the LG, and missed a lot of tackles that went through his vacated gap. Vea will make GMC a distant memory.

  25. DB55 Says:

    Can’t tell you how excited I am.

    I might go play with some action figures and eat ice cream.

    Definitely wearing my Batman t-shirt tomorrow

  26. KingBuc17 Says:

    GMAC, Best of Luck in your future. It has been great but its a business and we can’t afford you at $13+M. MoneyBall quote, lets be honest with one another ….. We will miss you as a great teammate, man and player.

    Hope you come back and retire a Buccaneer!!!!

  27. SteelStudBuc Says:

    The guy did all he could. It just wasn’t enough. Sadly we (us fans) have to belittle him with 10 year old boy insults for years. I appreciated his loyalty and effort… just wasn’t part of the right winning formula. Hopefully they can win more in the next era… with better uniforms I hope. This team needs a new identity.

  28. kgh4life Says:

    Great man, great teammate, and was a fixture in the community,however, GMC didn’t win with the Bucs, simple as that. He’s a good player just not elite. One of GMC’s major down fall in my opinion was his personality: all smiles on the field, coming to camp dressing up in superhero costumes, seems like he was more worried his image than football.

  29. Cubano Bucanero Says:

    This doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as when 55 was released. I cried a little then

  30. Race to 10 Says:

    He’ll get into the ring of honor for lack of options. I’m with it though he was a good player for us and by the time he got a teammate worth a salt he was to old and washed up. We’ll see how much love their is for him if he signs with a divison rival. Geraldine was good player just soft as tissue.

    You ain’t worth 13 million if you cant even be voted team captain at 30. Its business and every player deals with it especially hall of fame’s that think they still have something left. Emmitt Smith, adrian Peterson, Brett Favre junior seau and he’s not in the same league as any of them. Dude is soft but I would love to see how he performs in a playoff game but sadly he’ll go to the highest bidder most likely

  31. DB55 Says:

    Easily replaced! I’m thinking we can sign Coach Locust to a one year proof it deal. Let’s be honest coach couldn’t do any worse!!!!

  32. Buczilla Says:

    I think that comparing Gerald to Lee Roy because they were both “nice guys” is a little silly even though I get it. Leroy was a transcendent hall of fame player, whereas, Gerald was very good for 3 years during his career and simply good for the rest. I’m a little young to remember whether or not Leroy was dancing on the sidelines while his team was getting curb stomped, but I’m guessing that never occurred.

    Warren was one of a kind and I personally never expected Gerald or any one else on the Buccaneers to have his demeanor. I don’t expect players to foam at the mouth and beat their dog for losing a game, but seeing players like Gerald laugh and joke around turned my stomach. I can only go from what I’ve seen on the sidelines, and for all I know he ripped his helmet apart with his bare teeth in the locker room after games. I’m glad he’s gone (something in return would have been nice Jason) because I think he set a horrible example for the players around him. Personally, he seems like a cool dude and I like comics as well, although Batman sucks. Hulk smash. 😬

  33. Loyaltotheend Section 312 Says:

    When you get paid so much for so little productionamd are billed as a leader for an awful d every year you deserve the criticism

    LVD and others never hyped themselves up as leaders like GMC did

    Good player but I’ll never feel sorry for someone who’s made over $100 million in his career for so little success

  34. Walkergodeep Says:

    Everyone bashing GMC the man played the hardest he could every game not his fault Tampa suck he had no help. None of you could have done better.

  35. Clean House Says:

    Clean House
    Fire Licht

  36. Scotty in Fat Antonio Says:

    So, who is next on the Bucs Fans’ hit parade. I think LVD is next up.

  37. Defense Rules Says:

    Excellent article Joe & most of your conclusions are spot on. Your comparison of GMC to “left tackle Joe Thomas for being the lone bright spot in a miserable organization” is particularly interesting I thought. Yes Browns’ fans embraced Thomas; he was an incredible LT … 10 straight seasons of never missing a single game, 10 straight seasons of Pro-Bowl AND 6 seasons of First Team All-Pro. That’s some incredible PERFORMANCE; Joe Thomas dominated & everyone knew it. Just as important, he was a class act & everyone knew that too.

    Gerald McCoy wasn’t the dominating presence that Joe Thomas was, nor was he the dominating presence that Warren Sapp was … but GMC was very good. The Bucs promoted him as the ‘face of the Bucs defense’ just like Sapp was, and GMC gladly accepted that role. And THAT was his biggest mistake IMO. He tried to ‘play the role’ with kimonos, Batman paraphernalia, etc instead of letting his play on the field do his talking for him. Joe Thomas was genuine … a great performer & genuine good guy from everything I’ve ever read about him. Warren Sapp was genuine … a great performer but oftentimes a butthead. Gerald McCoy wasn’t genuine … he was a very good performer but he tried too hard to ‘play a role’.

    I’m sorry to see GMC the ‘very good performer’ go, because he was … and still is … a talented DT. But the ‘role’ that he’s played won’t be missed. The Bucs defense under Todd Bowles are building a different ‘image’ and HOPEFULLY it’s based on hard-nosed, smash-mouth football. Save the kimonos & Batman paraphernalia for Halloween.

  38. LeAndrew Gilbert Says:

    For pray for years for Gerald McCoy to step up. He was a cap causality he was a great father a good man. But that does excuse 13 million a year he was taking from the team. He averaged 10 sacks a year. You could argue. He never did. He never produced on the field. Even when he broke his arms I was rooting for the guy. The year after to two broken arms he was trying to get better. He got complacent. As Bucs fans got complacent as well. The year afterwards he got a pro bowl. I think he did not deserved it. Aaron Donald was able to be picked in the Draft. Even thought I wanted him. We didn’t get him at the time he was good trade bait but the Bucs we’re complacent when it came to him. I remember we have been the cellar of the division for years with him at the helm. The needed to go to see if I was wrong or team will get better without him.

  39. Bucsfanman Says:

    The bright side is that I won’t have to keep reading about how a DT is responsible for a decade of losing.
    He produced on what has been an outright putrid, awful, gutless, and pathetic football team. Year after year this team squandered talent through sheer willful ignorance, or downright pi$$ poor judgement.
    Regardless of how we feel about Gerald McCoy, this team cannot afford to let even average talent leave the building. $13 million made him expendable. That’s the bottom line.
    Best wishes GMC! That is, unless you’re playing the Bucs!

  40. Morgus the Magnificent Says:

    Amen Joe!!!!

  41. Race to 10 Says:

    Very short memories on these pages but I for one certainly remember 2017 with zero pass rush. Oh yea Geraldine was on the team and we know exactly what that looks like for the bucs to have the fewest sacks in the NFL. Vea has already replaced his minimal production. Nostalgic takes on Geraldine, simple production doesn’t match the pay so he was cut something that would not happened a couple years ago but he ain’t that player anymore nothing personal so keep it moving

  42. Bird Says:

    He deserved better at the end from this organization.
    Arians was just a dik To be honest

    Now he clearly wasn’t worth 13 mil
    But now we are out JPP and McCoy
    Hope Licht has something up his sleeve cause those are 2 huge holes to fill and we didn’t address in draft

  43. Ndog Says:

    When he was drafted i was not excited because he never finished in college as he was a disruptor. So when he gets to the pros people expected more and im not sure why. He is what he is, a great athlete for his size BUT not a great football player as he lacked instincts. Actually it’s kind of impressive that he played as well as he did based only pure quickness as he never really had great technique, or the instincts to make him special. In the end we got what we drafted a guy who got very close a lot but was never good enough to get the job done, that’s the bottom line. I’m my opinion he was the wrong pick as I wanted Eric Berry. Now to be fair he didn’t really hit his potential dude to other reasons but he still was the better pick hands down.

  44. Buc believer Says:

    No GMC sin was that he was an overrated charicature of a football player who was ALWAYS self promoting. From LOVING being the last player on the field “praying” during game days to showing up for camp in his bath robe to doing a dance on the sidelines with his team still losing, but when it mattered when the Bucs really needed him he was nowhere to be found, gone,incognito, that is until the cameras came around for post game interviews then he was right there with that big ship eating grin. BYE BYE loser!!

  45. Totally Exonerated Says:

    I’m thinking this is great news yet I’m reading sad, somber articles.

    Reminds me of November 9th 2016

  46. Tom Edrington Says:

    To mention Lee Roy in a GMC article is blasphemy…….remember he was a defensive end in a 3-4 defense and would THRIVE today as he did many years ago when they pretty much triple-teamed him….no substitute for cat-like quickness and his “get-off” speed was blinding, incredible moves and the BEST human being I ever had the privilege to know for 36 years.

  47. Reach87 Says:

    What Bucsfanman said. Clear illustration in the article and with Bucsfanman’s comments that many JBF posers (not a typo) have no clue on what it takes to play the position, for so long, for so well, on a team that cannot win (coaching, inferior players compared to the opponent). Not excuses. Facts. Not Madden, real NFL football. On a brighter note, we CAN win. As we move down that road, I wish him all the best someplace else (away from this truly miserable crowd). Go Bucs!

  48. Bobby M. Says:

    GMC’s issues are as follows….

    1. He played after a Hall of Fame DT that was everything you wanted on the field

    2. He never made a playoff game

    3. He never elevated anyone’s game….Generally a great player will cause an average player to look considerably better.

    4. He has ZERO signature plays. Not a single moment in Bucs history that you can say he made a play that was a game changer.

    Does he make the Bucs Ring of Honor…..Yeah, I think so. But Canton? Not even close currently. He would need to find the perfect system with the perfect complimentary players AND do some damage in the playoffs.

  49. The Buc Realist Says:

    She-mc sin was that she complained in every other defense that did not feature her as the defacto-under tackle!!!!!!! The media knows all of the pass-agressive comments and eye-rolls an interviews until she got her way!!!!!!!!! You want something to hang your hat on this year sheep???????
    Be very Glad that the new DC is not forced to keep gmc happy having to run a defense from incompetent lovie’s script!!!!!!! and when they introduced some flexible defense, she-mc and her agent cried to the higher ups!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    And now, just like we told you weeks ago!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! Its the much requested “Realist Repost”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The Buc Realist Says:
    May 7th, 2019 at 7:43 am
    Gmc has no value!!!!! Shocking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  50. Scottybucs Says:

    So tired of reading about how the Bucs fans are bad or stupid….team hasn’t went to the playoffs in over 10 years. Any fan base would be annoyed and want changes. It’s easy to be a patriots fan hen your team wins every year. A little winning would go a long way…when Bucs were 2-0 last year I’d wear my Bucs hat around town and everyone would want to talk Bucs…the Bucs have good fans and want a winner

  51. Nathen Says:

    McCoy never showed up to play! Fans expect more from a “talented” pass rusher like McCoy. LeVonte would have been held to the same standard if he played in the trenches. How do you win in the trenches when your most talented pass rusher disappears when he’s needed most? Bucs need accountability more than they need McCoy. No player should be bigger than the team (except a HOF QB like Brady).

  52. Eric y Says:

    His weakness is he brought his kindness to the field …. it’s like the movie the longest yard when they took the female hormone pills

  53. Eric y Says:

    Nathen so true

  54. Mort Says:

    Thank you. Great article about a very good player who I will miss being on the team I love. I wish Gerald nothing but the best. He has suffered for this team and deserves far more respect than he has been given from most of the idiot commenters here.

  55. LargoBuc Says:

    How many defensive tackles take over games!

  56. Doug Says:

    He doesn’t belong in the ring of honor.

  57. The Buc Realist Says:

    @largobuc

    Not many at all!!!! And if you don’t have one, don’t treat her like she does and pay her as if she did “take over games’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    No Value!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  58. The Buc Realist Says:

    Same that the sheep always figure it out, a year to late!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Its the much requested “Realist Repost”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The Buc Realist Says:
    February 20th, 2018 at 10:55 am
    Trade GMC for picks!!!! Don’t need the phony captain crying about playing out of position in a 3-4 holding the whole defense back!!!!!!!!!

    Draft
    1st Mount Vea
    2nd Harold Landry

    If the Bucs commit fully to switching to a 3-4 front defense, then the “real” fans will give this regime 2 years to get the roster and scheme installed!!!!!! 2 year extension to all coaches!!!!!!

    Make the best choice and switch to the 3-4!!!!!!!

    GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!

  59. The Buc Realist Says:

    “Its a shame”

  60. AlteredEgo Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. Says:

    This may be the first year in Buccaneer history with no positive feelings…certainly the way I feel…I think despair is the word

  61. Ed Says:

    Still think he never developed enough strength to overcome those double teams. Like others have said, his ability to hold his gaps and make tackles were missing from his stat line. Teams ran right at him and many times he was blown up by interior offensive lineman. Great at chasing quarterbacks, great at busting through the line of scrimmage with his quickness. Other than the splash plays his salary could have been used for a couple of stouter defensive linemen. Of the 9 seasons here he played 3 or 4 great seasons, 2 or 3 good years and the last few he was well below his pay grade. He’ll go elsewhere and with better players around him have a couple of good years but no one will play him over $8,000,000 now. If he wanted to finish up with the Bucs he should have redid his deal and stayed here. Good luck Gerald you will be remembered as a great young player who topped out after year 5 and as a veteran didn’t improve during your second contract.

  62. AlteredEgo Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. Says:

    Gerald McCoy was a very good player and person…too bad he played under such dysfunction circumstances , how many HC’s ????…..Too bad so many expected him to be something he never was…what he was was a very good NFL player…a grade A player….that said….No Way does he belong on the Ring of Honor….he never distinguished himself from anything other than being a grade A player

  63. D-Rome Says:

    In all the years Warren Sapp played for the Bucs he had 10+ sacks in 3 of those years. Of those three, there was only one year where he didn’t have a double-digit sack guy coming off the edge. That was 1999. Even in 2000 when Sapp had 16.5 sacks he had Marcus Jones coming off the edge with 13 sacks. That same years Ronde Barber had 5.5 sacks.

    My point is that throughout GMC’s prime years he *never* had that kind of help. The Bucs failed GMC, not the other way around. Gerald McCoy was one of the best players in Bucs history on and off the field and the production backs that up. He didn’t have a great season last year but he lead the team in QB hits.

    He will be in the Ring of Honor one day and deservingly so. The Buccaneers are not a better team with GMC off of it and Donkey Kong Suh is not the answer. There is no more debate between Suh and McCoy. McCoy ended up being the better player and better man. The only negative I can say about GMC is that he really wasn’t a leader. Great teammate, great person, productive player, but not a real leader.

  64. Dusthty Rhothdes Says:

    GMC NEVER changed a game the way sapp did, Sapp had THE play that changed the bucs from the yuc when he sacked steve young (who got hurt) got them out of FG range in ol sombrero and bucs beat the #1 49ers in a 4oclock game at the ol sombrero and put the NFL on notice that this is a team on the rise. What did GMC ever do in that capacity except dance when the bucs were getting smoked

  65. Maze Says:

    Too soft

  66. 813bucboi Says:

    shouldve drafted ed oliver……

    GO BUCS!!!!!

  67. tmaxcon Says:

    D-rome

    Sapp can easily argue he had worse coaching than cancer93 considering he had to suffer through 6 wasted years with Dungy the clown and no chance in the postseason. since the ignorant one dimensional dungy the clown and McKay could not build an offense after whyche built dungys defense sapp has a legit argument

  68. 813bucboi Says:

    lamarcus

    i agree….

    not the fans fault….

    GO BUCS!!!!!

  69. FairMinded Says:

    His greatest sin was playing so well he earned a massive $100 mil contract. Then the usual bs about players not being worth that much because some average fan can’t fathom it based on THEIR salary started creeping in. The guy was and is a stud. Wish we could afford him still because he deserves that money. Hope he finds success elsewhere but remembers not every Buc fan was as simple minded. Good luck Gerald

  70. ToesOnTheLine!!! Says:

    His sin was he was $13 million against the cap with production based value of maybe 2/3 of that. Like most here I wish him and his family well, but this guy wasn’t some victim…he’s a talented player who got paid a lot of money for having a couple seasons landing on IR, a couple really good seasons, and mostly solid but not spectacular seasons on some bad defensive units.

  71. BucsminsterFuller Says:

    Joe you are wrong.
    The problem isn’t that he wasn’t Sapp or had Sapp’s attitude.
    The problem was he wasn’t a difference maker.
    Can you point to a game where GMC made a memorable play?
    What is in GMC’s highlight reel?
    getting doubleteamed and getting to the QB after he has thrown the ball?
    Half the time i can’t tell if he is on the field or not.

  72. BringBucsBack Says:

    Wrong Joe!
    1. Fans don’t hire or fire.
    2. LeeRoy, Brooks, Lynch, Barber, Alstott etc… were, by all accounts, nice guys off of the field. No one questioned their effort on the field because, they were reliable & clutch (& drafted later than 3rd overall, save for Selmon).
    3. We “dumb” fans love Paul Gruber not because he was a jack-wagon but because his on-field performance demanded respect. Another nice guy, too.

    The name-calling is childish & cowardice. We simply expected more out of the 3rd overall pick. McCoy was good & occasionally very good but not nearly frequently enough; overall, underwhelming.

  73. TBUC North Carolina Says:

    Hope the Glazer Idiots figure out the half empty stands is the result of the most inept GM in NFL history!!(Trent Baalke is now a close 2nd, Steve Keim running close behind) … Meathead has successfully pulled over the Glazer boys one of the biggest employee money heist in employment history!!

  74. D-Rome Says:

    Can you point to a game where GMC made a memorable play?

    I remember when GMC tipped an Alex Smith pass that led to Chris Conte intercepting the ball. That led to a Bucs victory on the road in Kansas City. I can keep going if you’d like.

  75. Usedtocould Says:

    To quote joe, “we can lose without him”

  76. RustyRhinos Says:

    As a fan of both Sapp & McCoy what I really wanted from McCoy during his 9 seasons was to see him mad as hell over the QB he just pile-drivered into the turf and pushing that QB into the dirt as he helped himself up. Not offering a hand to the fallen QB , just telling him to get ready to feel that same turf again real soon. Instead we watched and heard this DT apologize to QB for hits, then dance, smile, and laugh on the sidelines of losing games. We heard about how fast his first step is and when we have watched him be first step rode completely out of the play using his body and fast first step to block his own teammates out of position, again and again and again. I know we can not ask a guy to be who he is not. But when you get paid millions to be that guy and you are not. The turk eventually fi ds your doorstep.
    Good luck Mr. McCoy
    Time to move on.
    Go Bucs!

  77. chopshopp Says:

    How in the world does any one forget he was drafted #3 and left nothing to remember him by except man-crying, cheeky-smiling, QB apologizing, sideline dancing, costume wearing, eye-rolling, excuse making, ice cream eating, Glazer robbing, gameday vanishing, no-leadership leading, comic book worshiping man child ways? He was a boy among men.

    He was average most of his career. It’s laughable to say his name in the same breath as Sapp and Selmon. By the way, Selmon played on some of the worst Bucs teams EVER. That didn’t stop him from being a HOFer. He was just that good. I’m sorry but not sorry that we have had 2 HOFer DTs and anyone would have been compared to them. Gotta deal with the cards you’re dealt. Bucs LBs and DTs will always have to measure up to Sapp and Brooks.

    And how pathetic is this organization that some people are talking about the Bucs ROH for McSoftie? I know we’re bad, but dang hold out for some ELITE players for that honor.

  78. BucsminsterFuller Says:

    Tipping a pass makes the highlight reel now?

  79. tmaxcon Says:

    Sapp carried that backup brooks just another overrated cult member that receives a free pass… go storm

  80. AlteredEgo Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. Says:

    When was the last high 1st round pick of the Bucs that worked out…Mike Evans ,although not really that high

  81. Pugs&Bucs Says:

    I’ve posted this before. I can’t remember a single game that GMC took over. He never had that one game where he was unstoppable. We think about Warren Sapp and there’s no less than five. He very quietly recovered a couple of fumbles, wrapped up a couple of sacks and put together a decent statistical year. But there was no domination. He never made that game breaking or game changing play. Let’s be honest: he was invisible on the field.

  82. passthebuc Says:

    The reason he was so hated is that the Bucs themselves were losers. If the Bucs had built a team and competed at a higher level, nothing would have been said about GMC. He, also would not have been overpaid because he would have been just one player on a good team. GMC was a good player, he just was not Jesus Christ.

  83. Buccernutter Says:

    Joe

    Please help me with this. Did the bucs reach out to McCoy about a restructure?

  84. Mike Johnson Says:

    I can see the constant repeat our bucs have suffered from over the last few yrs when this D line under performs and Vita does not live up to expectations. The line will read…..Somewheres theres a DT who is now playing for a contender
    named GMC laughin his A** off.

  85. Cobraboy Says:

    Sorry, McCoy is not worth even close to that $13 million.

    He has never been a leader even when forced upon him.

    He does not strike fear in the hearts of opponents. When teams say “we have to account for Gerald McCoy”, that’s coachspeak for not wanting to create any bulletin board material. Fact is EVERY PLAYER has to be accounted for. Sheesh.

    Yes, McCoy is a nice guy. Frankly, in the brutal world of the NFL trenches, that is actually a negative.

    INO, Gerald McCoy is the first millennial snowflake NFL DL.

    Beyond his famed “get off” he has never once made me think “wow, that’s special”, and I have seen every one of his play in his career at least twice.

    Fact is he inspires no one around him. Never has. He’s a pair of comfortable shoes you’re reluctant to throw away.

    BUT, all that said, the overriding issue is money and value: the Bucs don’t have the cap space for an overpaid player, and restructuring a bunch of other players to accommodate McCoy just creates more cap problems down the road.

    Fact is I felt much, much worse when Warren Sapp got released. I feel a big “meh” with McCoy’s release.

    I wish him and his super hero collection well, whever they land.

  86. ElioT Says:

    I don’t think anyone expected McCoy to be Sapp.

    • We did expect him to be a leader.

    • We did expect him to make other players around him better.

    • We did expect him to hate losing.

    • We did expect him to refuse to allow his defense to be historically bad.

    • We did expect him to make impact plays at big moments.

    McCoy did none of the above and was not worth $13 million.

    He was a huge part of the culture that needed to change around here.

    It was time for a change.

    I’m sure Bruce and Jason approaches McCoy like men and told him he needed to take a pay cut, McCoy chose not to and now he’s out.

    Great person, no doubt, but he’s not a winner and is mentally soft on the field.

    I’m sure he’ll produce on his next team, especially if he enters a locker room with real established leadership to where he can be the follower that he truly is (and there’s nothing wrong with that).

    Go Bucs!

  87. DraftJameis Says:

    McCoy never seized the opportunities to be GREAT. No signature sacks, FF, multi-sack possession to hold the lead.

    GMC Career Splits:

    ATL: 14 games, 5 sacks
    CAR: 15 games, 4.5 sacks
    NO: 15 games, 2.5 sacks

    Those are largely pass-first teams, who have had the same systems for multiple years, that GMC was constantly exposed to. I understand that sacks are not necessarily the be all end all measure for the position GMC plays, but I think it gives a look into one of his biggest criticisms; he didn’t takeover big games. Even if you can’t pin the “lost decade” on him, it has to be noted that he was the one constant.

  88. ElioT Says:

    @draftjameis

    Well put.

    In order to solve a problem of losing culture, you have to look at the variables, identify the constants and remove them.

  89. ATrain Says:

    GMC is A Good DT

    Some fans and Joe held him as a ELITE PLAYER this is what set him up for the negative attitude toward him

    I don’t think any BUCS FAN Hates GMC if they do they are wrong

    Criticism does not equal HATE

    GMC was held out and paid like an ELITE and He was Not

  90. tmaxcon Says:

    Buccernutter Says:
    May 21st, 2019 at 10:37 am

    Joe

    Please help me with this. Did the bucs reach out to McCoy about a restructure?

    they realized they could not win with his soft arse on roster and overvalued the career failure which caused them to end up with nothing when they should have just settled for 6th rounder. there was never any doubt cancer93 was gone. ba would not put up with professional fluffer like cancer93 period. only low standard bucfan is butt-hurt that their failed hero is gone…. the bucs are a better team and organization without the crying clown that can not be disputed.

  91. J Says:

    Meanwhile drunk Jameis gropes a female.

  92. unbelievable Says:

    Joe you are 100% correct with this article. 100%

  93. alaskanbucd Says:

    I like Mccoy as a player,but if he really wants to play for tampa and BA he would have surely reconstruct his deal and take less money,he is definitely not getting $13M a year anywhere..all this talk that he is a team guy,i guess not if he is not willing to sacrifice some $ to make the team better….GO BUCS! minus GMC

  94. Jim Says:

    Huh?