Gerald McCoy Blasts Bucs’ Pass Rush Coaching
April 6th, 2026
Todd Bowles points out something to ex-Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
Joe has railed about the Bucs’ struggles developing pass rushers.
Last week, one the great interior pass rushers in Bucs history took his own shot at Tampa Bay’s pass rush coaching.
Gerald McCoy let his frustration show when it comes to the Bucs’ pass rush during his sitdown on The Arena Gridiron. Alongside him were retired ex-Bucs Lavonte David and Aqib Talib, along with Skip Bayless and iconic Kinsey Wolanski.
McCoy doesn’t miss a Bucs game and said he was pained watching the 2025 Bucs pass rush and texted Lavonte David to vent and look for answers.
Talib said he sees the Bucs squarely in the mix for a division title next season because he thinks the Bucs are talented and it’s hard to have a pile of significant injuries two years in a row. McCoy then cut Talib off.
“We got to coach up their pass rush, man. We gotta coach it up,” McCoy said, adding the Bucs have pass rush talent but didn’t get enough out of it.
“You can coach up any group. They were so uncoordinated. They were not coordinated together and I’m texting [Lavonte], ‘man, hey, what do we got to do, man? [Bucs pass rushers] are just not on the [same page].”
McCoy added that David never responded by throwing specific coaches or players under the bus.
“I’m watching the pass rush and I’m like, ‘well, like, who’s the [pass rush] game’s calling?’ Who got the 1-on-1?’ It gotta get coached up, man,” McCoy said.
Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was a huge loss last season, per McCoy, who called Kancey “a freak of nature” and the key to the Tampa Bay pass rush.
“Calijah is the driving force of our pass rush,” David agreed. “He makes everything go. He frees up everything for everybody.”
David and McCoy went on to say 2025 rookie Elijah Roberts was a huge dropoff from Kancey and it showed, though they didn’t mention Roberts by name.
McCoy said Roberts got “flipped and dipped” too often and David said Roberts didn’t know how to work with Vita Vea. Per David, the defense was night and day better in the season finale with Kancey back on the field, his first action since Week 2. The Bucs beat Carolina 16-14.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:35 pm
Better take a DT that’s a 3 technique in the first or second round then cause one thing we know is Kancey will always miss time.. there is a great opportunity to get a talented DE and DT with R first two picks..
April 6th, 2026 at 4:38 pm
Stop asking them to cover Wipeout and running backs in the pass defense
April 6th, 2026 at 4:53 pm
“McCoy said Roberts got “flipped and dipped” too often and David said Roberts didn’t know how to work with Vita Vea. Per David, the defense was night and day better in the season finale with Kancey back on the field, his first action since Week 2”
It was funny and true, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Yr 2 Roberts looks like. My opinion, but I think he’d be a much better pupil of Will Gholston than Hall ever was.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:54 pm
Elijah Roberts, as a rookie, wasn’t all that bad. His snaps/sack were better than YaYa:
Roberts: 5 sacks 507 snaps 101 snaps/sack (Roberts only had 2 sacks. –Joe)
Yaya: 7 sacks 783 snaps 112 snaps/sack
With last year’s experience, and new coach Marcus West, maybe Roberts will step up this year.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:54 pm
go to coach em better
April 6th, 2026 at 4:56 pm
I think the biggest problem was being too small up front on the D-Line
Roberts and Hall were both liability, against the run, and pass
I said it a thousand times last year, they were getting pushed around
I’m glad GMAC is bringing it up now, because last year it was ridiculous
Charlie Strong is out, Mark West is in
Logan Hall is gone, Elijah Roberts probably won’t see the field
A’Shawn Robinson, Nacho is new additions, they bring much needed toughness
April 6th, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Shut up Gummy.
April 6th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
This coming from McSoftie who use to get tired and pushed around like a WalMart shopping cart!
But says nothing about Bowles the Guru
😂😂
Joke
April 6th, 2026 at 5:13 pm
Bowles Week After Week …
“Coaches gotta coach ’em better. Players gotta play it better.”
To quote the great M1K3: “3-28!!!!!”
We hear you, Mike. Licht doesn’t, but we do.
April 6th, 2026 at 5:15 pm
Did McCoy have a microphone implanted in his mouth?
Seems, at least as of late, the guy’s become a walking quote machine.
Good for the Joe’s, I guess, especially when seeking to empirically fortify the obvious.
Since I’m about 100 lbs shy of the average pass rusher, my personal experience is null. But is pass rushing something you can really coach, or just tweak? To me, it appears the great ones are born with the ability.
Watch the old clips of Leroy Selmon. He didn’t look the part by being super imposing, but he sure played it!
April 6th, 2026 at 5:25 pm
Gerald McCoy Blasts Bucs’ Pass Rush Coaching
Not good enough, he should have come out and said:
HIRE JIM SCHWARTZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 6th, 2026 at 5:27 pm
I’m sure they wouldn’t have to coach up an Aaron Donald
But, with that said, we were too soft up front last season on defense
A’Shawn and Nacho brings a lot of toughness to this defensive front
April 6th, 2026 at 5:31 pm
On a side note
If Mr (Ben&Jerry) call you soft
Then bro you gotta be soft as charmin toilet tissue
April 6th, 2026 at 5:32 pm
To be fair, Gerald had a great first step and good moves. He just blasted off to wherever the QB wasn’t.
April 6th, 2026 at 5:38 pm
If the tush push is legal on offense is it legal on defense? I could just picture A’shawn pushing Vea by his butt to tackle Jalen Hurts on 4th and 1, lol!
April 6th, 2026 at 5:53 pm
“Just gotta coach it better, scheme it better, play it better.” – Toad Bowels
Funny how these guys just can’t seem to figure out what the problem actually is on defense.
Couldn’t be the Guru in charge of the defense could it???
Nah. We got rid of the problems. OC, ST coaches and most of the defensive assistants.
But kept Todd in place. Love that culture!!!!!
April 6th, 2026 at 6:09 pm
If only we had a defensive minded head coach…
The beatings will continue until morale improves… as that tee shirt goes
Jasmine Lite is responsible for this malaise
Liam should be the head coach…
April 6th, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Honestly, I wish he just would go bother the Cowboys fans.
April 6th, 2026 at 6:29 pm
I wish they all would. Bunch of crybabies….waaaaaah! I don’t like Bowles or Licht! Waaaah! I know nothing about football and it’s obvious! Waaaaaaaah!
The Bucs are a well coached, well managed really good football team that has been shredded by injuries the last 2 seasons that knocked them out of contention. There- how about a full dose of reality?
So tiresome. You think they wake up every day, crack their knuckles and say, “let’s see how many people’s cornflakes I can pee in today”? What a boring, frustrating life.
April 6th, 2026 at 6:32 pm
Hint: if you don’t have anything constructive or interesting to say, then don’t say anything. Follow kindergarten rules, not Twitter ones.
April 6th, 2026 at 6:37 pm
Got to coach it better, got to play it better. Come on. It’s a Bucs life
April 6th, 2026 at 6:43 pm
The highest paid Buc of all time…sweeping in nearly a quarter billion of Glazer loot…has spoken. Sure I can’t remember a game changing sack during his tenure…but he did apologize to Big Ben and nibbled on Matt Ryan’s ankle at the end of a game the Bucs actually closed out.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Dexter Lawrence is seeking a trade. Now there is a DT to get excited about.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:11 pm
I thought Charlie Strong was going to be a great D-Line coach
He came with a boat load of experience, with some great college teams
I guess it’s harder to coach up pro players than college players
Maybe Marcus West will get better results
April 6th, 2026 at 7:22 pm
Well, looks like Dexter Lawrence is now available from the the Giants hahahah. LoL. We could’ve (should’ve) already been in a great position DT-wise had we just done the obvious (what I said we should)… And, that was drafting BIG BAD Deone Frickin WALKER. We HAD TO. Especially, at that value. I still cannot understand HOW a team in the South located DEEP inside of SEC Country, could MISS on a player of HIS caliber. 6’7” – 350+lbs. Named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. JUST turned 22 not even a month ago. Was a literal ‘5-STAR’ Top-30 RECRUIT coming outta Detroit’s Cass Tech HS, and was a Freshman All-American (TRUE FRESH), and All-SEC. So, he was NO FLUKE.
Absolutely, DOMINATED THE SEC as a 19-YEAR OLD Soph. Where he was 1st-Team ALL-SEC, and a 3rd-Team Friggin All-American. Again, at 19. He has DOMINATED FOOTBALL, since the very moment he stepped onto a playing field. He was instantly recognized by EVERYONE in THE SEC. Even, during his Freshman season by all of the hardcore posters on “Saturdays Down South.” I mean, THEY ARE HARDCORE SEC. From Georgia, Florida, BAMA, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, and all of them. It is ALL they do all day long… is eat, sleep, and LIVE SEC Football. They were ALL shocked by just HOW GOOD and dominating he was right off the BAT like that, at only 18-years old.
You CAN’T Block ‘HIM’ one-on-one. Impossible. And, as the NFL found-out… It sometimes takes THREE. He was a can’t miss 1st-rounder, and ‘projected’ Top-10 PICK going into his JUNIOR Season. It was just a VERY BAD Kentucky Team, that was poorly coached, and had MAJOR locker room issues. And he was forced to play EVERY SNAP, even while injured. HE was just the perfect eventual replacement for Vita Vea. Guys of his size just can’t move Like THAT. And, he can literally do it ALL. Looong Arms and HUGE Paws. He is a BIG PROBLEM. A menace. Total FREAK. Just dominates the entire line-of-scrimmage, and completely changes an entire game.
He can play all up and down the line, on both sides. Can rush the passer from coming off the EDGE. Tackles for Losses. Batted balls at the line. Tipped passes. Nice Hands. GREAT Instincts. A FORCE. High HIGH Motor. Nasty and Mean. A Freaking DAWG. I was sooooo MAD at that last draft. It was a joke. Just such a waste. We accomplished so VERY little. We should at least have some ‘pieces’ (to build around), but WE DON’T. Morrison, REALLY!? Parish… Now, Come On. Walker, Roberts, Tez!? Get REAL.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:26 pm
If this is what you think is a well coached, well managed, really good football team I never want to see them when you think they suck. Plenty of football knowledgeable Bucs fans on this site who are not on board with your frivolous optimism. It’s a blog for opinions. We don’t dog you for being giddy. Get over it.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:56 pm
I’m far from giddy. There’s plenty to be happy about but this team does need some improvements should they plan to win it all. Specifically on defense they need to improve some starters and depth. However, I think they can cover a lot of it this year and be *very* competitive with just about any team barring serious injuries. It’s the repetition of negativity with nothing else useful to say that is such an annoyance. People that do this are either not a fan or just never happy about anything.
April 6th, 2026 at 8:36 pm
If you don’t agree with Stpetematt, you don’t know anything about football. Everyone should ignore the obvious and throw rose petals at Bowles’ feet as he goes 2-7. Let’s blame the defensive woes on the offensive injuries. Even though Kancey was the only defensive player who missed significant time, let’s blame injuries.
April 6th, 2026 at 8:49 pm
And the previous season? And Kancey is one of our key, most important pass rushers. We lost Walker too we were counting on. The devastating injuries this past season were mostly on offense. The devastating injuries the season prior were mostly on defense. We also need better personnel on defense- especially at ILB.
April 6th, 2026 at 8:51 pm
The year we won the Super Bowl we had 0 official injuries for the game. That’s a big reason we won. Less injuries=more success.
April 6th, 2026 at 9:09 pm
Losers always blame something else
It’s not Bowles it’s the injuries
Oh Really then why has Bowles kept his job BUT THE BUCS JAVE CLEAN HOUSE ON ALL THE OTHER COACHES TWICE
NOTHING CHANGED
In 11 Seasons this guys in .500 and one win in a playoff BUT ITS INJURIES, it’s other coaches, it’s the players
ONLY THING that hasn’t changed the HC
LAST POINT WHERE IS EVANS ( who took less money in a higher tax bracket)
April 6th, 2026 at 9:12 pm
Lakeland … ‘I think the biggest problem was being too small up front on the D-Line’.
B-I-N-G-O !!! And I think Bowles & company has figured that out too, and that’s why we’re beefing up. Bucs’ defenders logged 1043 def snaps at each position in the 17 games last season. DLinemen logged a total of 2503 def snaps last season. Means that Bucs had 3 DLinemen on the field on exactly 80% of the def snaps last season. The other 20% of the plays they only had 2 DLinemen on the field (might be wrong, but I’d assume that those 20% of the plays were primarily Passing Plays, not Running Plays).
I’d still bet that they’ll move Kancey a little further out in hopes of helping him ‘survive the beatings better’. I’m really hoping that we draft DT/NT Kayden McDonald to add even more beef to the interior DLine, but if not, there are several others I think we’d be interested in a little further down the draft. Also still wondering about Elijah Simmons (6’1″ & 334 lbs). Primarily a run stopper, but apparently ‘strong like bull’. Maybe he learned enough in his 92 def snaps last season to earn more field time this year.
April 6th, 2026 at 10:23 pm
What does each Joe actually think?
Clever move to never stick their neck out but instead just like this article get someone else on the bandwagon to take a stance which could be held against them by OBP .
April 6th, 2026 at 11:17 pm
Truth be told that’s on these older guys. Someone somewhere in the chain of command and up the corporate ladder has to be doing better at getting guys involved. They’re not end of story. Starts somewhere and it has to end somewhere the same way over and over again but it’s never the same and we can’t ever get anything done successfully and consistently or constantly anywhere. I’m not even shocked by this anymore.
Need a new OLBs coach and LBs coach. His new name should be LVD. Just saying. The next thing realistically should be getting (2) more OLBs and maybe two more again very early next year! It wouldn’t be a failure drafting (4) OLBs with the top-4 team picks in just two seasons, because we need the help and early development to come around. Have to ensure pass rushers are coming on board. I wouldn’t be upset drafting a 3rd rounder this year on a potential #1 starting caliber potential WR. I’m talking a 6-4 or 6-5 WR with 4.5 speed. Kid from USC looks good or Denzel Boston. I’m not against trying them out. I’d take a chance at trading both this years 3rd and next years third for a high 2nd rounder also. We need another LG. I’d only do it if I knew I could score the Oregon LG.
April 7th, 2026 at 6:52 am
“”If you don’t agree with Stpetematt, you don’t know anything about football. Everyone should ignore the obvious and throw rose petals at Bowles’ feet as he goes 2-7. Let’s blame the defensive woes on the offensive injuries. Even though Kancey was the only defensive player who missed significant time, let’s blame injuries.””
Correct. StPeteMatt’s post is arrogant but at the same time moronic. Next he’ll tell us that the locker room wasn’t fractured and that Evans abandoned ship and took a massive pay cut because of “family” reasons. He’s not as bright as he thinks he is.
April 7th, 2026 at 9:50 am
He’s an idjut.
April 7th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Bowles is garbage as a defensive player developer. Can’t even hire the right guys to develop his defense. It’s pathetic.
April 7th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Players gotta play it better coaches have to coach it better. That’s a great strategy to trash a Super Bowl caliber team on the way to getting fired.
April 7th, 2026 at 1:02 pm
MelvinJunior… You talking about the same Deone Walker that played his best ball as a freshman and then continued to disappear? Or the one that was a 4th round pick by the Bills and managed one measly sack and a handful of tackles despite playing 47% of the snaps and starting 16 of 17 games? Or maybe the one that is a clearly limited athlete and at 6’7 3/8″ and 330 lbs ran a hand-timed 5.36, jumped a measly 25″, benched 225 only 22 times? I’m 188 lbs and can/have benched 225 for far more… I’m 100% sure I run a better 40, and can still jump at least 30″… did I mention that I’m 52? The dude has no mobility, he’s a glacier that plays with poor pad level. He was pick #107 overall for a reason. He didn’t dominate for the Bills for a reason. Roberts will be a better pro.
April 7th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Gerald should know from experience…we couldn’t get good sack numbers when he was here either. Its the secondary just like it was then. Always a soft zone to bail out the qb before the lineman hits home. Everytime like clockwork and the entire league knows it.
Its as if the glaziers demand every dc run the same defense here. We run more zone than anyone every…single….year. Why?
April 7th, 2026 at 4:14 pm
They play scared because they’ve missed on defensive line draft picks over and over, and it’s hard to get a combo like Suh, Jpp, Vita Vea and good linebackers. More hits in free agency is needed for a good defense here, and a DC.