theMMQB: Bucs Lost Their “Heart”
June 4th, 2019
theMMQB: Huge loss.
Former Bucs coach Dirk Koetter liked to call them “glue guys.”
Koetter referred to players who were the foundation of a unit, solid guys that could be counted on for solid if not good play. Sort of like rocks of the roster.
And in the mind of theMMQB’s Jonathan Jones, the Bucs’ defense may have lost its soul when the team released former stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
Jones wrote a piece on teams that grew worse in the offseason and he listed the Bucs among his five.
So I turn my attention to Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers have been fooling me in the offseason and preseason for the last two years into thinking they’ll be contenders. That’s not going to happen in 2019.
I understand they have Bruce Arians there now and people should feel excited about that, but the Bucs still have Jameis Winston at quarterback. Here’s a quarterback who hasn’t been able to take the next step in his four years, continuing to turn the ball over at inopportune times. (Even the backup position took a step back from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Blaine Gabbert.) …
The most change came on defense. Yes, the Bucs got Ndamukong Suh, who is no doubt a better player than Gerald McCoy. But McCoy was the heart of the defense and the team, and this is a worse locker room without him. Jason Pierre-Paul suffered a neck fracture in a car accident and the timetable on his return for 2019 is unclear. The Bucs may be better suited for the future with No. 5 overall pick Devin White at middle linebacker, but I can’t see them being better this season without Kwon Alexander anchoring the middle of the defense. Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves needs to finally play like a first-round pick to lift up a secondary that wasn’t very good last season and lost its most effective pass defenders in safety Andrew Adams and cornerback Brent Grimes.
Jones is hardly the lone person who believes the Bucs defense is worse. So too did Mike Clay of BSPN.com who thinks the Bucs became the worst defense in the NFL (Clay published his words before the Bucs announced the signing of Suh).
This defense scares the hell out of Joe and not for anything good. Suh is not the pass rusher GMC is, unless he is motivated. And who is going to get the 12.5 sacks lost with JPP, Will Gholston? Please! (And don’t feed Joe this noise about Howie Long Carl Nassib.)
Aside from the front line, the Bucs are expecting a whole bunch of rookies and second-year guys who have yet to prove anything in the NFL to suddenly become stout defenders all while learning a new defense? That’s a whole lot of wishful thinking for Joe to swallow whole.
Yes, Joe hopes the Bucs defense can play well. Joe also hopes to find Kerry Washington relaxing on Joe’s leather couch when Joe comes home this evening.
But, as Joe stated on a recent edition of the “Ira Kaufman Podcast,” the Bucs could have a bad defense this year and still improve over last year.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:11 am
QB’s gonna be balancing checkbooks in the backfield before dropping bombs on our young secondary.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:21 am
Hahahahaha! Yeah whatever will we do without McCoy dancing on the sideline celebrating one defensive stop while we’re down 20 points?
What. A. Good. Joke.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:22 am
The “HEART” of the Defense is one of the main reasons we have been losing the last 9 years.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:37 am
Keep up the good work guys, wish you the best.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:39 am
“So I turn my attention to Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers have been fooling me in the offseason and preseason for the last two years into thinking they’ll be contenders. That’s not going to happen in 2019.”
I love it when someone prefaces their credibility by admitting they have been wrong two years in a row.
Care to make it three?
June 4th, 2019 at 5:41 am
Yeah , we lost the soul of the losing culture ! Give me a break , this defence is better without gmc and Kwon ! you’ll see..
June 4th, 2019 at 5:43 am
“but the Bucs still have Jameis Winston at quarterback. Here’s a quarterback who hasn’t been able to take the next step in his four years, continuing to turn the ball over at inopportune times. (Even the backup position took a step back from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Blaine Gabbert.”
The “Best” QB in Buccaneers history isn’t even on track to make the Ring of Honor at Ray Jay
June 4th, 2019 at 5:48 am
“the Bucs lost their heart”…Now that’s funny! This defense has lost walking down the yellow brick road now for almost 10 years trying to find a heart…
I’ll admit we lost a genuinely nice guy and a solid player in McCoy; but imo he was an nothing more than the elderstatesman of a pretty bad defense for the last 9 years… heart of our defense??? Knock it off
June 4th, 2019 at 5:50 am
We are better with Suh and now the culture will be changed with the new coach staff and players brought in. As much as I like JPP it’s time to part ways. Release JPP and Golstein and trade for Leonard Williams to solidify the front line with three beast. That will free up David and White to excel and give us a legitimate defense. The young guys will be fine in the secondary with good coaching.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:51 am
“Suh is not the pass rusher GMC is, unless he is motivated.”
Suh = 56 Sacks
McCoy = 54.5 sacks
Seems like a wash.
Suh = 325 solo tackles
McCoy = 218 Solo Tackles
June 4th, 2019 at 5:53 am
Funny. We’ve run a 4-3 for so long that a 3-4 is a foreign language. Most of the “pressure” in a 3-4 comes from the LBs. It’s predicated on disguise and aggressive blitzing, two things we are not familiar with in Tampa Bay IMO.
GMC HAD to go, he had to. This ish-show of a defense had to be changed. Now, we don’t recognize it, so we’re scared. We’re Buc fans after all, we cling to hope.
We are going to have growing pains. At least this time we have real coaches to guide them.
I am optimistic about this defense. I have fantasized for too long about a defense that flies to the ball and comes with ill intent. I can overlook mistakes if we are playing aggressive.
So Gerald is playing in Carolina. So what?! That’s two opportunities for Bucs offensive linemen to put him in the dirt. That chapter is closed. I want to see what our defense looks like.
Sometimes the “heart” fails. Consider this a transplant!
June 4th, 2019 at 5:54 am
Just remember, the key to winning is this:
“Dance, dance, dance…like you’re down by 8 points!”
How effing STUPID to claim our defense got worse in the off-season! McCoy is a perineal LOSER! Otherwise he would have signed with the Ravens or the Browns…two teams with a legitimate shot to win and make the playoffs this year. Yet, the loser signed for the money…which likely had more guaranteed than the other two.
Why? Not because he’s the heart and soul. No, because he’s a “fraudulent leader.” A poser. A loser.
Give me this newly “worse” defense ALL…DAY…LONG!
All day long.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:59 am
If McCoy was the “heart” of the defense I say we needed a transplant many years ago. Again Joe if you are going to keep beating this dead horse at least give us ONE game… just ONE single game that he changed on His own for the better! You can’t because he didn’t. I find it rich as well that the Bucs thought so much of him they let Suh have his number that says it all
June 4th, 2019 at 6:02 am
How much y’all wanna bet that Carolina “wowed” Gerald by showing him some lame photoshopped picture of him as Batman next to Cam as Superman? I could some lame crap like that being the reason he’d sign there instead of with Baltimore or Cleveland.
June 4th, 2019 at 6:04 am
The Jones article is right on the mark. The D is worse on paper (no question), and contrary to what some Winston disciples think, he is not that good on the field, is proven not to be a leader, and is a very poor role model in our community. That’s not a frachise QB, not the face of the team. After four years. Winston has already helped (not all his fault) with the car wreck, and this year is to just let the Bucs drive to the scene. He wil lhave to prove to be transformed in all aspects for the Bucs to take further risk on him. Gabbert is worse than Fitz, and frankly, Griffin COULD be better than Gabbert–he is super accurate and has performed well in preseasons but no one knows if that would translate to regular season games. I am holding out hope that Arians and his staff can turn a lessor (on paper) team into a better one with a better record. But I am not so naive, and talk is cheap. As for McCoy, he was good, not great, and like Winston (but for different reasons), has been inept at inspiring, leading this team.
June 4th, 2019 at 6:08 am
Letting McCoy walk was in the best interest of him n the Bucs. Since his arrival, the defense once known for its toughness has diminished. McCoy was just too soft n passive. BA saw that after the “my bad Ben” episode last year. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. No way Selmon, Richard (Batman) Woods, Nickerson, Brooks,Booger McFarland, Scott Brantley, Hugh Green, Santana Dotson, or Marcus Jones would go full blown softie on any offensive player. We need players like Suh n that’s what we got. As for Kwon, he is not as fast, strong, or consistent as DWhite. This guy is another Ray Lewis. Since his arrival in the nfl, Jameis has never had a caliber coach such as BA. A coach with a history of developing winning QBs. Lovie n Koetter were not a good fit for Jameis. Mike Smith was a joke. This team has the talent but has lacked a coach who can 1. Be aggressive early n often 2. Bring in a defensive coordinator who can run a defense based on the skill set of the player. 3. Hold everyone accountable, including coaches. BA took over the 5-11 losing cardinals n put them in the playoffs his first year. And, he has the coaches n the players to do even better with this Bucs team than what he had when he took over the losing cardinals. The 2019 Bucs will shock the world.
June 4th, 2019 at 6:16 am
You KNOW it’s coming….you KNOW it!! GMC wreaking havoc on the Bucs’ offense…………TWICE. Motivation is a m’fer…..
June 4th, 2019 at 6:17 am
So GMC and his 6 sacks are gone and the Bucs D is horrible. Nassib and his 6.5 sacks are still here, but this Joe doesn’t want to hear about those sacks. Why? Because they go against his case for GMC!
June 4th, 2019 at 6:20 am
@Kerry Washington is gorgeous.
If you like her, you would love Ethiopian girls.
Hottest Redbones in the world. Ethiopian DNA is so mixed.
Exotic women abound.
June 4th, 2019 at 6:23 am
Batman & Superman on the same team who would’ve thought!!
I can see a lot of sword fighting between them two..
June 4th, 2019 at 6:26 am
GMC was not the heart of our defense!
He was a clown who loves having fun. His intntion is FUN. Not winning. I used to be a big fan of his, but then I really thought about the Patriots.
The Patriots are focused on winning and professionalism. Not “fun.”
Brent Grimes was also negative force in our team. He avoided contact all year. Go watch the TD he gave up against the Cowboys to finish the season. He got played. Karma for half-hearted play.
If we want to start winning again. We need to grow up. Focus on winning. Play fast and physical. Florida Football man! Like the old days!
I respect GMC. Hes a very good human. But hes not focused enough on winning.
June 4th, 2019 at 6:43 am
The best part of you all posters blaming every loss on McCoy is the fact that he now signed with Carolina.
You are p!ssed that he wants to give it to the Bucs now on a different team
The same posters who bad mouthed him / called him garbage / said he was selfish / didn’t care about winning / said he was to nice / soft
Basically ran him out of town.
So he signs with Carolina and you feel betrayed /. Stabbed in the back.
Gimme a break.
Doshlaroo commented he would tell McCoy to his face he was a puss.
That’s funny coming from a guy that has never played a sport in his life or been in a fight in his life
You all have turned into you know who.
June 4th, 2019 at 6:45 am
This defense will be better than last year! Our biggest loss is JPP, he will be hard to replace. Bowles and BA aren’t going to rest until they have a pass rush. They will blitz from every position, unlike the previous regime. There may be growing pains, but making players accountable is HUGE TAMPA BAY!!!
June 4th, 2019 at 6:46 am
Not saying much to lose the heart out of that mess. Last couple years our defense needed its entire body donated to science
June 4th, 2019 at 6:47 am
Absolutely right!!!!!
Ice Scream was the heart of a soft defense.
Suh is the new Heart of the defense. Suh is “The Real McCoy!”
Whether we are good or not this year I’m looking forward to the new ATTITUDE of our defense. Regardless, it will be fun to watch it grow. We have seen the worst already.
Give Jameis growth in the running game and defense and the outcomes will be different.
Go Bucs!!!
In Arians and Bowles I TRUST!!!!
June 4th, 2019 at 6:52 am
We’ve had a transplant …recouperate and let the season begin!!
June 4th, 2019 at 6:53 am
The “ heart of the defense “ , doesn’t he know our defense sucked? Typical misinformed national media.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:01 am
JL—
“I can see a lot of sword fighting between them two.”
Thanks a lot! Now I’ll never be able to unsee those two going at it in a shared urinal again.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:01 am
Not one mention of Todd Bowles instead of Mike Smith……I guess coaches don’t count as off-season improvements…
And he likes Kwon vs Devin White……please, give me a break.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:11 am
I disagree. The defenses Ive watched the past few years have had NO heart. No guts, no fortitude. They gave it up early and often especially in critical situations. What heart?…..
June 4th, 2019 at 7:20 am
Seriously how can anyone haved watched our defense and think we didn’t need to change something major like the established leader for example? I love when they throw Jameis in there just to get everyone to agree with them cause they know everyone hates him. It just shows how weak of an argument they have, no substance just empty words.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:20 am
The heart of sht is still sht.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:22 am
It must have been a type-O. He meant to say “no heart” . bet he’s hating auto correct spell check right now.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:26 am
Scheme and system far superior now on both sides of the ball. Bucs are a better team today than last year for this simple reason.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:29 am
Replace “heart” with “gall bladder” and I’ll buy it.
I think this team could have easily finished at the bottom of the division consistently without McCoy.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:41 am
Bucs just dropped from the 31st best defense in the league down to 32nd.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:48 am
I’d bet money this clown hasn’t watched the Bucs play once in the last 5 years. He cited the wrong players for the wrong reasons. Throw some blank at the wall and see if it sticks. That was funny though so I’ll give him that.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:50 am
How can he say Kwon and GMC was the heart of the defense? When GMC was in, he was gassed early and often. Kwon missed too many tackles and coverage skills were subpar.
How does a defense get better when the “heart” of it has a season ending injury?
Some of these reporters make such laughable statements.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:53 am
Gawd…get over it !…I can’t believe I just heard Rick Stoud saying something like the reason for the RoH is because of players like McCoy….I’ve seen it all and #93 is/was nothing more or less than a very good player…certainly NOT in the class of all time great players…
June 4th, 2019 at 7:53 am
McCoy is in kind of a lose lose situation in Carolina so he must have signed for the money. If he somehow toughens up and plays great it means he’s been dogging it since he his $95 Million contract 4 years ago. If he gets man handled the fans who have been preaching this get to say I told you so. Not sure which is worse for him but neither sound like a winner.
June 4th, 2019 at 7:59 am
If he said Carolina’s defense got worse with the signing of McCoy, I’d buy that. I’ll say this too. GMC reads these blogs and we got in his head. You could tell from his comments over the last couple years. He is weak minded, a mental midget, who totally lacks heart. Heart gets you going when the chips are down. Heart builds champions. When had McCoy ever done that? Someone please enlighten me. As for the MMQB idiot I can name at least 10 better writers in the JBF comment’s section alone. Kwon did nothing as a Buc. Where’s the stats on either of these players to back up the argument? GMC was not a good pass rusher or s leader in the clutch. Again where are the stats or the wins. Look at all the losses attributable to their defense when Jameis’ offense had a lead late in the 4’th quarter. Please show me the facts to prove me wrong. The prosecution’s case doesn’t hold water. Mr. Gambini
June 4th, 2019 at 8:04 am
The Yus will be looking up from the bottom of the NFC South again this season……..Bottom Feeders!!
June 4th, 2019 at 8:06 am
For all the gloom and doom fans I’ve got a ice cold beer waiting for you if the Bucs finish the same or worse on D than last year. Nothing for me except a sweet I told you so. Of course if you start making excuses that it wasn’t because of McCoy, Kwon, or any previous player the deal is off.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:08 am
I’m going to say this D finishes 19 or better.^^^^^^
June 4th, 2019 at 8:11 am
Bowles defense with the jets was rated only 2 spots ahead of the bucs. Don’t expect a complete turn around.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:13 am
They may have lost a leader but here is the thing. Teams lose leaders all the time. You know what good leaders do ? they breed the future leaders. If nobody steps up it tells me 2 things: 1. McCoy wasnt a great leader people make him out to be. 2. nobody is a star on this defense and quite frankly should cost people a lot of jobs next season, Licht included.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:14 am
“But McCoy was the heart of the defense and the team, and this is a worse locker room without him.”
Come on, man. These guys have been losing since some idiot decided that Rah was a better coach than Super Bowl winning Jon Gruden.
McCoy’s “locker room” leadership — whatever that snowflake crap even means — didn’t make this a winning team. Some would say McCoy held them back because he was often pushed out of the gap and other times simply invisible.
I don’t understand the love affair some people have with individuals on a losing team. Great players make teams great.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:15 am
I tend to think of Gerald McCoy as a Pontiac.
Some people might think he’s a Cadillac.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:15 am
I can’t help but think that we could’ve talked McCoy down to like $8 mill (or so), signed Suh and dropped Gholston.
THAT would be a defensive line.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:16 am
Hahahahah what a dumb take.
We fooled him every offseason, but not this one huh?! Coming in every year we were his darling if it weren’t for that jameis Winston. And thank goodness we had our heartbeat on defense because that only resulted in being ranked DEAD LAST in D?
I’m glad we lost our “heartbeat”. Now let’s breathe in some new life and reset this lost decade.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:20 am
I’m sure the BSPN talking heads know more than Bowles and Arians regarding building a team and D. Have never said anything bad about Gerald, but we needed an attitude transplant. Some of the moves last year were to try to bring more “attitude” to the D, but didn’t take hold. Aren’t we tired of being “soft”? Too many guys played soft last year. One thing is for sure…Gerald couldn’t light a fire under them…maybe Suh, Bowles, Arians, and some other additions can.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:24 am
Also, what the hell.. when did this guy ever make a player around him better. All this talk from the McCoy media defenders (joe, Rick stroud, etc) about him never having a pro bowler around him or having 15+ defensive coordinators.
You want this guy on you ring of honor but he never made a single player around him better, got countless D coordinators fired.. in honesty, because we have been garbage on D. Oh but McCoy is the “heartbeat” and “he’s great in the community” blah blah.
Ya no thanks, I’m just here for the football and wins. This new leaf is a long time coming. To the detractors, just wait and watch. Save your tears for a real IMPACT like JPP.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:25 am
Perhaps he was the glue holding a sh#tty team together.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:32 am
The D was the same statistically when he was not on the field the last 4 years so there goes the argument he will be missed.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:49 am
If the Bucs were a human body I wouldn’t have ever considered McCoy the “heart”… He was more like the butt of the team. Lol. Just kidding. He was more like the “thyroid” of the team or perhaps the “liver”. But not the heart…
June 4th, 2019 at 8:50 am
Worst fans in the league. They have battered fan syndrome. Thanks Glazers.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:51 am
Marine Buc Says:
June 4th, 2019 at 8:49 am
If the Bucs were a human body I wouldn’t have ever considered McCoy the “heart”… He was more like the butt of the team. Lol. Just kidding. He was more like the “thyroid” of the team or perhaps the “liver”. But not the heart…
More like the Spleen, kind of important but we will be fine without it.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:54 am
5-11 two straight years. Several games lost in the 4th due to the defense. Jones is a idiot, the defense hasn’t had any heart for years. GMC didn’t change anything and wasn’t the heart of the defense. Bucs defense will be better this year.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:56 am
He’s the heart of a defense that has been on life support the last 3 years. Glad he’s finally gone and within our division so I can still catch his dance moves.
June 4th, 2019 at 8:56 am
BigMacAttack—
“If he said Carolina’s defense got worse with the signing of McCoy, I’d buy that.”
Right on. Your entire post was on the mark. Excellent commentary.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:06 am
Yet another national “expert” who needs to watch more Bucs’ games. However, he did correctly state that Sue is better than Gerald.
As a reminder Joe, in a 3-4, sacks come from all over the place, LBs & DBs, too.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:08 am
F*** McCoy!!! bury that a**hole on Sept.12!
June 4th, 2019 at 9:11 am
lol the heart of the worst defense in the NFL. I think they Bucs will be ok. Now get rid of vhiii and all of the sideline dancers will be gone.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:12 am
Maybe Vita will be better than McCoy. Who knows. Maybe McCoy goes off in Carolina… he’s on decline but we’ve seen lots of players succeed later in their careers.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:13 am
Where are the Doug Martin articles? How is Fitz reacting to being a backup once again? How about Kwon Alexander and his knee rehab? Is DJax working out privately with Wentz? Will McNichols catch on? What about Pamphile? Is he going to start for the Titans next season?? These are the articles we are supposed to like.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:13 am
The pic of McCoy says it all! Looks like he just crapped his draws!
June 4th, 2019 at 9:23 am
I liked GMC but he did not motivate the defense to be better. Kwon wasn’t that good either. I’ve seen too much footage of him missing tackles. Clearly this writer didn’t follow or even do research on the Bucs before he wrote this.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:37 am
Problem is the entire team fools 99% of of you all every year. And they will do it again this year. Amazing how it was COACHING. Smith. Koetter. Scheme. Can’t. make up your minds what or who. Now the whole time it was McCoy. I got news for you. This team sucked before him, with and it will without him unless change is made at the very top.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:43 am
I’m really surprised all these talking heads can’t see what’s right in front of them. GMC was let go because the “Heart of this Defense”played way to nice. The 1 big thing Suh brings to Tampa is his nastiness! I really liked GMC but to many times he was apologizing to other teams. As he was sacking Big Ben he’s apologizing? I’m willing to bet Suh has NEVER apologized to any QB he’s hitting. That’s the reason #93 won’t be McCoy this year & no one needs to apologize!
June 4th, 2019 at 9:47 am
Another example of writers not knowing what the freak they are talking about. You cant write things like this about a team if you never visit or watch the games. The most idiotic thing you could here is we lost leaders and the soul of a defense. How can they possibly be worse than the worse defense in the NFL which they have been since Geraldine arrived and didn’t get better once kwon got here. People dumb articles get taken as fact and it doesn’t even make sense that they can be worse, they defense is unwatchable and best thing about it was they weren’t on the field that much because they let teams score so fast
June 4th, 2019 at 9:50 am
thats how you know this guy doesnt watch the bucs and only looks at the stat sheet….bucs never had “heart” with GMC as the leader…..
GO BUCS!!!!
June 4th, 2019 at 9:51 am
But but but Joe
There was talk earlier in the year about losing Kwon and how Kwon was the heart and soul and you went on a rant for weeks that heart and soul and rah rah only goes so far.
Now GMC gets a story about “heart” and you defend it? I’m confused Joe defended this??–Joe
June 4th, 2019 at 9:59 am
Losing JPP is a huge loss.
Replacing GMC with Suh doesn’t look like much of a loss to me.
June 4th, 2019 at 10:01 am
I haven’t read the article yet. I clicked on comments and did a search for “tmax.” I was disappointed he didn’t post anything yet about Cancer93 serving soft ice cream from a truck.
June 4th, 2019 at 10:04 am
The fact the he mentions Andrew Adams as the best pass defender shows he has no idea what he is talking about and only looked at some stats before writing this nonsense. Adams had 1.5 good games where he benefited from Duff changing up the defense. I guarantee you he will not make a team this year and grimes wont even get an offer to go to camp. How on earth did losing these bums make the team worse?
June 4th, 2019 at 10:10 am
So our defense receives a heart transplant. Now we like dictate and attack instead of reading and reacting. Go ask Mr. Brooks which defense is better. It’s about time we will attack, and may the better scheme win.
June 4th, 2019 at 10:40 am
First GMC is getting up to 10 million which means he has to produce
Also amazing HE TOOK LESS MONEY
AND the Panthers restructured Smith’s contract to get GMC
Something he refused to do HERE. ME McSoftie. GLAD HE IS GONE
ANY respect I had for GMC is gone.
June 4th, 2019 at 10:51 am
lol dude has no idea what he’s talking about
Also McCoy vs Suh in terms of per game sack rate equates to McCoy getting literally like 1 more sack per season. If you factor in likelihood of McCoy missing time vs Suh then it’s a wash.
June 4th, 2019 at 10:51 am
The Bucs did lose the “heart of the defense”. His name was JPP…
June 4th, 2019 at 11:22 am
IMHO we have improved by allowing Kwon and Gerald to row their boat the hell out of Tampa Bay. I seriously don’t expect to see Devin White or Suh testing out their dance moves on the sidelines while they are getting their a$$#$ handed to them. They appear to be more professional, so that’s a gain there. Vernon seems to be a crybaby but maybe there is still hope for him. JPP is a huge loss and they have no back up plan that I can see that makes sense, so that’s par for the course for the last 15 years. I have nothing good to say about Grimes.
I have a bias against most of the Northeast writers when it comes to Buc’s coverage and I think Jonathan is wrong, but what the hell do I know? 😆
June 4th, 2019 at 11:22 am
“McCoy has 39.5 sacks since 2010 when lined up as a defensive tackle, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Only Geno Atkins and Aaron Donald have more from the inside rush.”
June 4th, 2019 at 11:23 am
I disagree with the premise of the article. I like GMC; he is a good man and he is a good player. That said, I have a theory that is, of course, unprovable. I think his nice guy persona prevented the Bucs locker room from holding each other accountable, which the best locker rooms do. Laughing after losses, not getting in peoples faces when they screw up, screening media questions to avoid unpleasant topics. This is not the behavior of a player on a team that holds each other accountable.
All unprovable, but these are my thoughts.
June 4th, 2019 at 11:49 am
Indeed!
June 4th, 2019 at 11:53 am
Like I’ve said repeatedly, You guys go right ahead and drink the..kool-aid. Every GD yr, its what we are gonna do. Hype galore. Put the product on the field and lets see what ya got. I don’t care if you have JC and the 12 disciples starting. I want to see Wins. Arians has talked enough trash to fill 2 Hillborough county landfills. He’d better win. Thats all I can say. You say the team is better? OK..I’m waiting…. Hope is a terrible thing unless its acted upon…
June 4th, 2019 at 11:58 am
Bruce Blahak Says:
June 4th, 2019 at 9:08 am
F*** McCoy!!! bury that a**hole on Sept.12!
—————————
All class here in Tampa. We are loserville.
June 4th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
If McCoy was the “heart,” that explains dismal records.
June 4th, 2019 at 12:03 pm
He was the HEART of the Bucs defense… a defense that, by all accounts in the NFL, lacked heart. It honestly sounds like an upgrade to me.
June 4th, 2019 at 12:10 pm
He was the heart. He was the heart of the defenses that quit on the battlefield field and just went through the motions.
Twice by my count.
June 4th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
I absolutely LOVE GMC fans
You guys can get mad paydays by a company if you can twist the numbers like you twist his stats
Oh GMC has more QB hits in the Month of Oct between the 12-30
Hahah
If you take away his time off the field. YOU MEAN EVERY YEAR and Suh has missed how many games.
The over all stats show Suh ahead in almost all of the stats
Another Funny thing is One day it’s “DT aren’t known for sacks”
The next it’s”well GMC has more sacks if you average his time on the field”
Hahah. You mean the time GMC WAS RESTING UP
June 4th, 2019 at 1:27 pm
Kwon and Gerald were the problems with this team being soft and poor tackling in the rum game. Great teammates great for the locker room but terrible for the scoreboard. So let MMQB say what they want we are better without both of them in my opinion only time will tell.
June 4th, 2019 at 2:06 pm
@ ATrain
I agree. McCoy averaged one tackle per game last year. ONE… Our run defense was a joke. He was able to get a few sacks and some QB pressure but was extremely overpaid. That’s why Carolina only offered $4 million per year…lol. They aren’t as desperate and dumb…
June 4th, 2019 at 2:11 pm
White and Edwards are the heart of our defense now. Thats way better than GMC IMO. Our defense is going to be a lot better this year, given you can really only go up from where we’ve been, but the additions made are big. Suh is better than GMC, White is better than Kwon, Edwards is better than any safety we have, and I think Bunting is going to do well and Davis will do great, if he can stay healthy.
Our pass rush will be fine with Suh and VV opening up lanes for White or David, that will get us plenty of pressure. Nassib will do well and we will have plenty of blitzing from the secondary as well and they all have speed now. I’m excited for the possibilities this year. More than any in recent memory thats for sure.
June 4th, 2019 at 2:13 pm
And Kwon is a good LB but his positioning and angles are terrible. He was either really good or really bad. White won’t have that issue. He’s as steady as it comes and intelligent as well. I love this pick and think he really has a shot at defensive rookie of the year
June 4th, 2019 at 3:32 pm
Kwon was the “Leader” of some of the worst defenses in NFL
History.
McCoy was the “Heart” of some of the worst defenses in NFL History.
This is THE example of addition by subtraction.
Or I guess the Bucs could have just kept both guys to the time of $26 million/year to keep their “presence” in the locker room?
If you know anything about success, a lot of it has to do with mentality and will power. Talent will only get you so far.
The Bucs are in-fact better without these guys.
June 4th, 2019 at 3:32 pm
TREX
Worse fans in the league?
How long you been around this franchise.. my guess is you weren’t on board in the early 2000’s. Otherwise, you would have seen Tampa’a real fans.
Lightning may get all the credit, but Tampa will always be a football town. Its sad ppl like you haven’t had the opportunity to see it.
June 4th, 2019 at 3:40 pm
The Stinking Panthers get gmc… another reason to root against those ugly uniforms and that stupid fan base.
June 4th, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Heart? That’s funny.
June 4th, 2019 at 9:04 pm
What’s the over/under on an apology from GMC to Jameis when he pummels him?