Mike Mayock Talks To Joe
January 31st, 2012
Two weeks ago during practices for the East-West Shrine Game at Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg, Joe got a chance to talk Bucs football with the one and only Mike Mayock of NFL Network. In Joe’s eyes, there is no better talking head in all of football than Mayock, the way he breaks down players and plays in a concise, yet intelligent manner. He is the ultimate draftnik and Joe’s go-to guy for draft knowledge.
JoeBucsFan: What caused the Bucs’ grotesque collapse? I’m sure it was a number of things combining to one ugly result.
Mike Mayock: You are right; it is a combination of different things. What I think happened was when you have a few injuries and things start to go against you and you are a pretty young team, momentum can work in both ways. The year before, it worked in a positive way for a young team. This year when you don’t have enough guys who have been through tough trench battles before, when things start to go bad, it’s difficult to stop them for getting real bad. I just think it was a combination of their best players getting hurt, especially on that defensive line. Then all of a sudden, not sure there was enough veterans to keep things working the way they should.
Joe: Gerald McCoy, for his first two years he has had trouble staying on the field. It seems Bucs fans are turning on him. Joe is of the opinion that penetration can do as much if not more than a sack. In Joe’s eyes, it seems he gets penetration. He doesn’t get sacks but he disrupts. Your thoughts?
Mayock: He is a high level football player but his challenge is to stay on the field. No matter how well he plays in spurts it doesn’t matter unless he can get a 16-game season in under his belt. The jury is out. I understand fans’ frustration. He’s a talented kid that can make plays. But if he is ever to be considered an elite defensive lineman, he has to stay healthy.
Joe: Adrian Clayborn really played well as a rookie. What was your take on his first season in the NFL?
Mayock: If you ever watch a tape of him at Iowa, no defensive lineman played harder than he did. He is a young, gifted defensive lineman along with Price, Bowers and McCoy. If they can they can keep these guys healthy, they have something to build on along with that linebacker Foster. There are some good young building blocks. If they can keep those kids healthy, they’re a group to build around. Just a matter of being more consistent and being healthy.
January 31st, 2012 at 11:18 am
“He is a high level football player but his challenge is to stay on the field. No matter how well he plays in spurts it doesn’t matter unless he can get a 16-game season in under his belt.”
I think Mayock has been reading my diary because I have said almost the same exact thing.
January 31st, 2012 at 11:42 am
“The jury is out. I understand fans’ frustration.”
You mean Softy’s record: 30 tackles, 4 sacks, 16 missed games (including games left early), 2 IR stints, 4 seperate injuries causing missed games leaves a question about whether he will pan out?
I cite a November 2011 JBF article where RahRah Morris said that McCoy had “pop warner” fundamentals which were attributable to him being injured.
Everyone agrees that Softy is a good athlete for his size. The problem is he has never (even in College) turned that athleticism into big-time productivity because he his weak, has poor fundamentals and is injury prone.
That is all anyone has ever said, and the frustrating thing is how the pro-Dom contingent has tried to sell McCoy as something more than just potential. Clayborn has actually exposed his potential significantly over a 16 game season – something McCoy has not done yet has been paid 20 MILLION DOLLARS.
That is why fans have turned on McCoy.
January 31st, 2012 at 11:56 am
This fan hasn’t turned on MCCoy.
I once went on a worldwide music tour with a singer who had this song called “Stronger than before”. The song basically said:
“Broken wings take time to mend before the learn to fly again. On the wings of god they’ll soar, and they’ll be stronger than before.”
What the song was talking about is how injuries heal, making that area stronger than it was before the injury.
Now, I have no idea if this is or will be the case with McCoy, but I really like the guy and want him on this team. Certainly, cutting him would be a mistake.
HOWEVER, I am not opposed to getting in a juggernaut DT to play next to him. Or to switch back and forth.
There does come a point when a team has to say “enough is enough” though. Then again, holding onto Caddy seemed to work out…not in a great way, but in a decent way.
Maybe, because of his injuries, GMC needs to be designated a backup for a season or two…get healthy and get some training under his belt.
I thought Milliard was doing an amazing job on him before the latest injury. I really want to see what our new staff can turn him into. Milliard was teaching aggression on a level GMC had never been taught before. I hope that continues, only more so.
January 31st, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Pete?????
You want to get another DT to start in front of our former #3 overall pick?
I like the idea, and the depth (and no freaking Hayneswurf).
Are you for the idea of drafting Trent Richardson? I sure am, and I would love to have Blount teamed up with the #5 pick in the draft this year.
What is better then 1 star player? 2.
January 31st, 2012 at 12:35 pm
I would rather have a weak sauce tackler on my team, then Hayneswurf!
Hayneswurf is not allowed back, he is a quitter, liar, cheater, and a head stomping selfish Fat POS.
No excuse for bringing him in last year, Dom. Better do some soul searcing for FA’s.
January 31st, 2012 at 12:54 pm
The article is on target.
We need a staff. This shouldn’t take longer than this week to fill it or something is wrong.
I know McNulty permission was denied, so either work out an agreement or move on.
January 31st, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Yep, well put Jeff.
Bucs need a staff in place, yesterday.
January 31st, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Dear Mike Mayock,
Please come to Tampa to be our GM.
WIth Warmest Possible Regards,
Bucs Fans 🙂
January 31st, 2012 at 5:24 pm
This guy knows more than Big Carmine Lupartazzi hopefully he can help wack some of the stiffs on the roster some of these guys are playing like Johhny cakes and Vito Spatafore. I swear I saw roy miller wearing chaps and albert Haynseworth dressed up ike the cowboy from the village people at few press conferences. Time to weed out the shirleys and get a few mademen on the roster