Impact Player: Gerald McCoy
August 1st, 2012
The Bucs simply cannot turn out much worse than the ole defense they displayed last year. It was so miserable, matadors were found hiding their faces in the palms of their hands.
Stronger secondary play? Sure. Better linebacker play? It cannot be worse. How about the defensive line?
It is there that Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune suggests the 2012 impact player can be found and his name is Gerald McCoy, so Cummings writes in a TBO Bucs Q&A.
Q: Who do you think will be the biggest impact player on the defense to turn us around after last year’s horrible effort?
Brian, Normal, IL
A: I think Gerald McCoy will make the biggest impact. He has to stay healthy, obviously, but he was a difference maker when he was healthy last year and he’s a smarter player now. This could be a breakout year for McCoy. The Bucs believe it will be. He does have to stay on the field, though.
— Woody Cummings
Boy, it would sure help if GMC could stay healthy for a change. He could be a difference maker. Per Ronde Barber, he was the difference-maker. Remember, with GMC last year the Bucs were 4-2. After he left with an injury, the Bucs were winless, including a grotesque 10-game losing streak to end the season.
Feel free to do the math on this as well.
August 1st, 2012 at 8:17 am
Apparently Thomas2.2 isn’t awake yet to bash GMC…
I for one am looking for GMC to have a breakout year and for him to be the anchor of our defense for many years to come..
August 1st, 2012 at 8:23 am
Hoping for big things from GMC this year.
I don’t know if his absence is the sole reason for the losing streak, but I think it was one of many reasons.
August 1st, 2012 at 8:33 am
A player has to stay on the field to make a difference?
Nothing gets by Woody.
August 1st, 2012 at 8:38 am
Boy, is Thomas gonna be pissed……
August 1st, 2012 at 8:44 am
Hopefully this is the year well get to see gmc and his play for 16 games. I think he can be a special dt and one that consistently lives in the opponents backfield if he can just stop being injured. Really wanna see gmc wipe cam’s smug smile off his face first game of the season.
August 1st, 2012 at 8:56 am
I won’t accept the “we are 4-2 with him on the field” argument because I could use that with anyone who was injured or even say “we lost 10 games in a row with Adrian Clayborn on the field”. There are 11 guys on the field at any given time. Winning or losing a game is never any one player’s fault. Especially when talking about defense.
I do think he will have an impact. He always has. The question is: for how long?
August 1st, 2012 at 9:03 am
i love that 2 of those wins were against 2 team that were plain terrible, i mean they even drafted above us! i hope that he can show up a lot more then he has in the past when he played.
August 1st, 2012 at 9:15 am
so sick of hearing about GMC’s “potential”……love watching him play, but have yet to see the play = the media coverage.
August 1st, 2012 at 9:38 am
Don’t all you yahoos who blast Cummings as an idiot on all other subjects start acting like Cummings is all of the sudden the gospel authority on matters.
Cummings said:”I think Gerald McCoy will make the biggest impact. He has to stay healthy. . .”
T2.2 says: “I think that (pregnant pause) Pigs will fly!”
BTW: The bucs were not 4-2 when Gerald played (another lie) – he did not play in the Saints win, being that the team only won 4 games all year, and that Gerald did not play in 1 of them – do the math ladies – it is categorically impossible for them to have gone 4-2 with Gerald – that is another falsehood perpetuated here and other places.
Further: look this up: What was the team’s best defensive performance of the year? = The win over the Saints at home! Guess who was out with an ankle Sprain (not a bicep as has been set forth as his only injury problem, he also missed preseason action with a shoulder) = baby Gerald.
Also, who coincidentally went down after the Bucs had won 3 games = Cody Grimm, your best run stuffing secondary player.
Funny how your desired theories fall apart with facts. Gerald has been horrible when he was on the field. Maybe Schiano can turn him around, I hope that he can! But it will be a MAJOR reclamation project.
August 1st, 2012 at 9:43 am
You guys need to expect more from baby Gerald. He is a 3rd overall 60 million dollar player. He is supposed to dominate, blow up plays and offenses.
You guys are so afraid to us the word “bust” which he has been SO FAR, that he thinks that he is meeting your terribly low expectations.
Set the bat higher for your supposed stars, expect greatness. Instead, many of you want to argue with me that Gerald may be something more than a disappointment – everyone should be in agbreement that Gerald has been a HUGE, MONUMENTAL disappointment so far.
Does that mean that he will never be better? No, of course not. But history does matter. 33% of his contract term matters.
August 1st, 2012 at 10:17 am
Wow Thomas you missed your calling, you need to come work with me, in an office full of Nationally recognized sports writers who ALL disagree with your assessment of GMC, wow, you can become the new Mel Kiper…
August 1st, 2012 at 10:32 am
Wow, this sounds… EXACTLY what we heard about GMC last year. Needs to stay healthy, breakout year… I’ll believe it when it happens
August 1st, 2012 at 10:47 am
GMC dominating at practice this morning.
August 1st, 2012 at 11:20 am
PFF had a list of the top ten individual performances by DT’s last year. Who had number seven?
“7t. Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 4 vs. Indianapolis (+5.8)
McCoy has been something of a tease during his time with Tampa Bay. He looks the part when he’s on the field but has too often encountered injuries that have kept him off of it. If you want a look at what he’s capable of, have a watch over the 53 snaps he played against the Colts. A sack and two pressures may not stick out, but as is often the case, McCoy showed himself to be a complete player, making life extremely hard for Mike Pollak in particular. McCoy walked away from the game with two tackles for losses and three more for short gains before going on to manage only 22 more snaps the entire season after another biceps tear.”
His healthy play has not been all that disappointing, just his injuries.
August 1st, 2012 at 11:20 am
Of course GMC will be dominant. If you have half a brain and know anything at all about the injuries that he suffered, you would know that bicep repair makes the bicep stronger than it was before. I’m not even concerned about a healthy Gerald McCoy. A healthy Gerald McCoy is a pro bowler and this is his year.
August 1st, 2012 at 11:51 am
The Bucs also lost EG at about the same time GMC went down. I really think EG was that last bit of leadership they had on the team, and losing him for the season had an impact on the 10 game slide.
August 1st, 2012 at 1:24 pm
@aj….we didn’t look as bad offensively as we looked defensively. I think losing Graham hurt but not like losing McCoy.
August 1st, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Against the Colts, their Line was deccimated by injuries:
For much of the game – =Gerald drew a Undrafted Free Agen, Rookie, who did not play College football was activated for the first time just before the game.
Yes, Gerald faired well against him and the 3rd stringer before him.
August 2nd, 2012 at 12:07 am
If Cody Grimm was so great why is he not with the 1st team? Replaced by Barber who will be playing out of position.
If Gerald McCoy is so bad, why is he with the 1st team and a player who could replace his position get shipped to Chicago?
Everyone is wrong but Thomas2.2…