GMC And Sacks
October 26th, 2015
Misguided fan anger at GMC.
For reasons Joe isn’t quite sure about, Gerald McCoy is a punching bag for fans.
Is GMC a Hall of Famer? No.
Is he a good player? Sure. Not sure why Bucs fans expect five sacks each game.
Late last night in Joe’s Washington, D.C. hotel, just three blocks from the Capitol, locally produced Redskins highlight shows came on TV.
Joe, of course, saw fans on Twitter from this here corner of the Interwebs aghast that GMC didn’t record any second-half sacks (or first-half sacks).
Well, based on those Redskins highlights, someone is going to have to explain to Joe how GMC or any defensive tackle is supposed to get to a quarterback when Kirk Freaking Cousins is unloading the ball on a two-step drop to wide open receivers.
Joe understands Bucs fans are mad and frustrated. Joe gets that. But the anger should be directed at other elements of the defense that are allowing receivers to run free across the middle from the moment the ball is snapped.
Can’t anyone jam a receiver at the line of scrimmage for goodness sake?
October 26th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Joe; GMC simply seems too ****ing nice, he does not have that mean streak you’d like to see in a defensive leader. And yes, LeRoy Selmon was a kind hearted leader but he was a beast on the field; McCoy simply does not seem to possess that killer instinct that Selmon, Brooks, Sapp, Barber, Nickerson or Lynch possessed while leading the D. Nickerson is on the staff perhaps he should start getting in the kid’s face; get him angry when he plays and see what happens.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:07 am
Here come the excuses.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:10 am
Joe, he is a good player, and a nice guy, for what that’s worth. I’m just as mad about the high five to MVP Cousins as the next guy, but, the whole defense is terrible. It’s not one guy’s fault. They suck. End of discussion. #siegethebillboards
October 26th, 2015 at 11:13 am
The only person to blame right now for anything is Lovie Smith.
I am done supporting him at this point. His defense is one of the worst in the league. He’s had 2 years to get the personnel he wanted to implement his system. His STRENGTH is supposed to be defense. The impact of his coaching is supposed to be felt on defense. He is not an offensive guru or a talent guru.
What is the Bucs identity right now? We have a rookie QB who is flashing the ability of a franchise QB. We have a young offensive line that looks very promising. We have some great RBs and 2 great WRs. We have an all pro DT / OLB that were here already before the new regime arrived. We have talent in various places all acquired through recent drafts & some undrafted FA signings.
Jason Light & Jon Robinson need to stay because they have had 2 great drafts and some great FA pickups.
Meanwhile; Lovie Smith’s handpicked FAs have been failures. His defensive approach has been a failure. His game management has been a failure. His conservativeness has proven an outdated approach in the modern league. He cannot make the correct adjustments in games and his instinct for playcalling seems horrendous at this point.
I’m done with him. This defense will have to hold teams to 20 points or less in EVERY GAME the rest of this season for me to forgive this kind of a start. 30 points or more in like 4 games already are you f&cking kidding me? Kirk Cousins? Kirk f*cking Cousins?
October 26th, 2015 at 11:14 am
you can be nice and play a violent game like football. That part has been done. Reggie White for instance comes to mind. But to be highly successful at anything, you must have focus. The issue I have with GMC, and Joe may take me to task on this, is that he seems to have a focus on the bigger picture in life. He has a very good handle on what is truly important in life and football is a means to an end for him. Not saying that is bad at all, it is truly admirable. However, when you are the top payed player on your side of the ball in the NFL, I believe you have to be more singularly focused. Unfortunately, things like family, friends, charities, foundations and the like wait until the off season or post retirement. Not saying you can’t be a great player and a great member of the community, but it takes a work ethic and a laser like focus, like say a rookie on our team, number 3, to transform to greatness. GMC’s paycheck dictates he be great. The Bucs just can’t have that much money tied up in a really good player. He has to be great. If there wasn’t a cap, I wouldn’t say a thing, but in this world of the NFL, when you have to be careful how $ is allocated, the top payed player must be great. Check with the Seahawks in two-three years if RW continues on his path.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:15 am
Basically – every strength of this team is attributable to other personnel not named Lovie Smith (good drafts / good QB play / good offensive play & o-line play).
And every weakness of this team is attributable to Lovie Smith – Bad defense / game management / etc
Seems pretty cut & dry. Scott Reynolds wrote an article saying it’s time to fire him.
Dirk Koetter doesn’t sugar coat sh1t and I appreciate him for that. I can at least respect that man coaching this team at this point. Promote Leslie back to D-play calling (since we were much better last year with that formula) and promote Koetter to head coach.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:17 am
Joe your bias and friendship is showing.
I for one don’t expect 5 sacks but is 5 tackles too much to expect? Is stopping them on 3&1 when they run the FB over your gap, is that too much to expect? When you hit Cousins in the chest and he shakes you (GMC) off him like a rag doll, is that too much?
But most of all, after an epic implosion you (gmc) got the nerve to giggle and rejoice with Cousins, on the field at that. What a joke this guy is, it’s pitiful.
Shame on the Joes for blaming the fans for expecting their All-World, All-Everything DT to make 1 play in a “must-win” game.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:17 am
So you’re saying in 40 pass attempts they all came out quickly? I think not, he just doesn’t have it joe and now we are stuck with an over paid player for quite awhile.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:17 am
I guess credit where it’s due, he hasn’t cratered like LVD has since Lovie came over? Hasn’t improved either though, just cannot count on him to produce big time plays at crucial times. Only time this year he did was Jacksonville, which pretty much doesn’t count.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:18 am
I concur with lord Cornelius: Fire Lovie and retain the rest of the staff and the best way to do that is to make the change now and give either Frazier or Koetter a 10 game interview as interim HC and give them the job next season if they can get the bucs to 6-10; probably 2 or 3 more wins than you’d expect from that ****er Lovie….. Of course maybe the glazers simply do not care about W’s but they do seem interested in getting 2 games out of RJS though: London calling????? This team has been in a spiral since those punks took the reigns from malcolm when he had the stroke…. pathetic ownership and a pathetic coach. Tampa deserves better than this!
October 26th, 2015 at 11:20 am
The opponents pass targets were wide open. I just don’t get how that happens repeatedly.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:20 am
And on the two step drop thing, I heard on Sirius a D-lineman talking about release times and how he knew all of the QB’s release times. If he is taking a two step drop, the lineman must have the same clock in their head so that they knew when to get their hands up. Much like a good base stealer knows the pitchers time to the plate, this guy knew the release times on various drops for a myriad of QB’s. Back to that laser like focus. Its something that #3 has. We need the defensive leader to have it too.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:24 am
GMC is a punching bag because he is a mentally weak gutless coward. He won’t fight. Unless you tell him he’s too nice then the paper tiger shows his teeth. This is Gerald’s team yet how many times have we gotten out of funk with him at the helm? How many times has this team triumphed in the face of adversity with him at the helm? How many times has he rallied the troops? Never. Hes said over and over he dont get mad because he’s just blessed to be a pro. He’s already reached his goal in life and give two figs about winning. In my humble opinion.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:26 am
Gmc made 1 million dollars yesterday for 1 tackle and 1 assist. He learned a lot from Revis.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:26 am
Lovie Smith quotes are hilarious and show how stupid he is.
He thought we were improving in our penalties before last game?? We had like 75 yards in penalties just before the bye moron!!
He thought that the run outside on 3rd and goal was good idea because Washington likely expected it up the middle? They likely expected the prior two plays up the middle and we gained yards on each play!!!! WE JUST NEEDED INCHES MORON AND WERE GETTING A PUSH! Winston had to be SO PISSED about that play call knowing how close we were.
The reason smart coaches like Billicheck go for it on 4th down a lot or in what may seem like odd situations is because of how they are able to feel a game out. When your defense just gave up 3 scoring drives in a row and 2 of them were for TDs and your pass defense is playing pathetic you take control of your f*cking destiny and win the game with the strength of your team which was the offense at that point.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:27 am
Joe is a huge GMC supporter, as WAS i. After seeing another example of him being selfish and only caring about his stats and not winning, im done. This dude is programmed to lose and there’s a picture of him smiling wider then if mia Khalifa walked into my room topless. Simply put, this guy loves the BUCS cause they pay him. I get the vibe I care more and my fellow bucs fan care more about losing then GMC. I’m sick of him telling Jameis to calm down and enjoy being a rookie also. He needs to stfu and control his defense. 24-0, comeback W and your smiling like that?!?? Giving Kirk a high 5????? Get the F out of here Gerald. Trade him for a offensive lineman in his prime and it’s full go JAMEIS time.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:28 am
He’s NOT a leader!
He’s never made an impact play in Tampa (that I can remember).
Simple as that.
Seige this!
Go Sucs!
October 26th, 2015 at 11:29 am
Bring back Greg. Simple as that.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:37 am
“Lovie It seems your team hasn’t been making strides in defense”
“Oh I disagree with that”
lmao – and then he has no explanation for his disagreement. Just own up to your failures man. I’d respect you much more if you said “look this defense is just not playing anywhere near the level we need and it’s my fault. Mike Jenkins has some discrete pictures of me with another woman so hopefully you guys understand why I keep starting him”
lmao “what happened there with Jordan reed scoring” you can tell the guy asking the question is literally thinking wtf are you doing
It’s ok though guys there is a lot of football left to go
October 26th, 2015 at 11:42 am
@Lord Cornelius
That play call on 3rd down was ridiculous! Almost as bad as Seattle throwing that pass in the super bowl!! Why didnt we QB sneak or give it to Martin again up the middle!?!? Bring the BIG BOYS in and POUND THAT ROCK!!! *sigh*
As far as Lovie Smith goes, this loss was on the players and not him. Sure he hand picked a lot of the players on the defense, but McDougald and Lavonte (Mr. Overrated) David are NOT his guys and they gave up the winning TD!!!! Maybe Lovie SHOULD have had HIS GUY Major Wright in there instead!!!
This is an example of players being put in a position to execute and FAILING to execute. It’s a simple scheme and the PLAYERS failed to execute.
There is some good news!! Lovie Smith has drafted nothing but offense the past 2 years and has BUILT A SOLID foundation for the Bucs going forward offensively. He is going to get another 2 years (AT LEAST) to build this defense up so stop crying like a bunch of B!TCHES and MAN THE F!#% UP!!! I mean it’s pathetic to see a bunch of grown women act they way you b!tches do on this site!!!
“It’s as simple as that” – Lovie Smith
October 26th, 2015 at 11:44 am
We always like to compare him to Sapp, just went and youtube’d some Sapp and McCoy stuff. Its 3rd and less than 1 with the game on the line in the final minutes. All you need is a score to put yourself at .500. Sapp would’ve been lined up at Fullback, because he was one of the 2 best players on the field. When the game is on the line he’d make the play. GMC tends to fade at this point. He has been saying he’s part of the offensive package, but my guess its as a receiving option, not as a blocker to plow a hole through the middle of anything in his way.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:47 am
One love
The only B’s I see are on the field. 4-18 son, that’s the reality.
October 26th, 2015 at 12:00 pm
McCoy is good he is not great… He is the highest paid player on the team and fans want to see him dominate every play of every game…
Sorry folks but stop expecting McCoy to be great… He isn’t… He is good to average most of the time and great once in a while…
This is why I call him the most overrated player in the NFL…
October 26th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Aaron Donald had 3 tackles and 1 sack yesterday. #perspective
October 26th, 2015 at 12:17 pm
OneLove we’ve always wanted to know: Are you Lovie’s wife, or are you Lovie’s mom? Can’t seem to pinpoint it, so lets us know please?
October 26th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
He’s great, just not a game changer and a natural born leader. Plus he’s made out of glass
Any reference to Sapp (on the field) when talking about him is non sense.
October 26th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
No one expects 5 sacks, just some production from the highest paid player on the team. Whenever this team needs a critical stop he’s no where to be seen.
October 26th, 2015 at 12:39 pm
GMC IS NOT THE PROBLEM WITH THIS ORGANIZATION FOR F&$)$&$-$UCKS SAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 26th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
I don’t need five sacks a game, how bout one or qb pressure or hit or even a tackle – lets start there
October 26th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
You either get it or you don’t and so many here just don’t get it. Some people have the ability to lead others and GMC doesn’t have it. I doubt many people would disagree that he’s incredibly talented but no one is gonna rally around him like the offense has clearly rallied around Winston. GMC has a place on this team, it’s just not as a leader. In his defense thiugh he has pretty much been forced in to that leadership role by media and fans. He has always looked uncomfortable and out of place in that role. This defense is in desperate need of a true on-field leader. I think in time Kwon Alexander could become that guy.
October 26th, 2015 at 1:47 pm
@LordCornelius, keep preaching brother, someone needs to bring some sanity.
@OneLove , Major Wright was on the field on that winning touchdown. Plain and simply put this team is not buying into this defense. When you are coached a certain way and it doesn’t result in wins, it is human nature to tune out the coach. Lovie needs to go.
October 26th, 2015 at 1:59 pm
When your the 100 million dollar man on your team you should expect to take some “real” criticism if you do not show up during the game.
Do I expect 5 sacs a game from Mr McCoy, no but more than 1 tackle at least and be really really close to the QB on every play, and I expect that if your making 1 million a game(think about that) you should be making plays in all 4 quarters. If you can not do it, then expect a pay cut. That’s how it is in the non pro sports employment. You can count on 1 hand how many times Mr. McCoy has gotten a sac in the 4th quarter. And for this he is worth 100 million dollars? The being nice is all good if your winning but we lose a game and Mr. McCoy is smoozing it up laughing and smiling with the other teams players. WTF? When will our record be poor enough so that we get to see Mr.McCoy’s mean angry side.
Joe you don’t understand why we fans are tired of these actions by our Defensive leader. Why not? When will McCoy show up to the game ready willing and able to run thru, over, or across anything in his way to make damn sure we get a Win? When and if he can do that he will be worth 100 million. Being from Missouri I am of the “show me” crowd not the “blow me” crowd, who is happy to hear our “leader” blow smoke up our arse…
Go Bucs! I will be at the game this sunday in Atl. Looking forward to seeing how we respond to this sad game, one we let the other team take away from us.
October 26th, 2015 at 2:11 pm
I will just repost my sentiments on McCoy from 2 1/2 weeks ago because they seem to still be relevant. Oh and this is the real Tiny Tim
Tiny Tim Says:
October 12th, 2015 at 2:39 pm
What some fans like me feel is McCoy disappears for most of the game. It does not mean he is not a “good” player. It just means he is not “great.” There were games where sapp did not get a sack, but he had 5 hits on the qb which resulted in at least one INT due to a wounded duck being thrown, he would also have 3 tackles for a loss and a forced fumbled which means he lived in the backfield. McCoy getting an occasional sack does not mean he lives in the backfield like John Randle or Sapp or Watt because he does not. Thats the difference between great and good.
Tiny Tim Says:
October 12th, 2015 at 5:49 pm
@ Hawaiian Buc and who ever else is confused with the difference between good and great
I can care less about how other DTs in this era is playing. I am not going to grade these DTs on a curve. Before there was Sapp, there was Randle. Before there was Randle, there was Reggie White who played both DT and DE like Watt does. Before Reggie white, there was Randy White from the cowboys. Before white there was Mean Joe Green. These players constantly caused havoc. Let me try to make it clearer for you. Just because the clippers decided to pay DeAndre Jordan a max contract, I am not going to confuse him with Jabbar, Chamberlain, Olajuwon, Robinson, Shaq etc. Jordan is good, but not a great center period.
And to your point about different era ie 5 man routes and quick drops…………the greats adapt to the times whether its getting bigger, stronger, faster, no more stickem, or the dreaded head slap by Deacon Jones. They found a way to be great. If Watt can do it, then so can McCoy and no I am not going to grade him on a curve. If Revis can be great in this pass happy league where he is not able to touch and grab the best WRs like Deion Sanders could then McCoy can find a way to dominate his opponent the majority of the game as well. If Polamolu who does not have great cover skills can find a way to be great in this pass happy league, then so can McCoy. Here is a measuring stick for you….let me know when McCoy is in the discussion for DPOY let alone if he will ever win one. The “greats” all have won DPOY at least once and found their name in the conversation a couple of times.
October 26th, 2015 at 2:39 pm
To see him high fiving Cousins right after getting his ass kicked by him proved to me that winning doesn’t matter to this guy. Sapp and Brooks didn’t want to lose and they were determined to win. McCoy has his contract and that appears is all he needs.
October 26th, 2015 at 2:43 pm
Facts:
* If not the highest – one of the highest paid players in TBB History
* Little to no production against crappy teams & QBs
* No one said 5 sacks, how about a little bit of QB pressure?
* Any style defense (especially Tampa 2) requires some QB pressure to work.
* Yes, we as fans expect something from the team “leader”.
October 26th, 2015 at 3:49 pm
GMC gets more hate than any other player on this team.
@TDTB, Warren Sapp was on twitter today, saying that he high fived and hugged opponents after games, even after a loss.
Is GMC also supposed to cover the WRs and TEs running free on every single 2 and 3 step drop? He’s the least of our problems right now, smdh.
October 26th, 2015 at 3:56 pm
I too agree with many here that McCoy is over-rated, and over paid.
The only other DT that I can compare him to is 99.
Without adjusting for inflation, GMC’s 7 year, $98 million dollar extension is +$62 million more than the 3rd and final contract Sapp was signed to.
By the end of year 6, Sapp had 58.5 sacks, GMC has 31.5, and is on pace to end up with 39 for the same 6 year time span.
We have some solid DT’s on the roster, and I don’t think we would see a significant drop off with GMC gone.
Unfortunately, I doubt there would be any takers with his current contract.
Unless the Bucs find a willing partner by the trade deadline, 11/3/15.
If he’s on our roster on 3/18/16 (Day 3 of the next League Year), his 2016 $6.5 million roster bonus and $12.7 million of his 2017 base salary will become fully guaranteed.
October 26th, 2015 at 4:04 pm
So you want to get rid of GMC and the money he is owed, so that Lovie can use that cash to evaluate and sign more guys that HE thinks are good?!?
So I guess we can get a roster full of Mike Jenkins, Anthony Collins, and Michael Johnson-type players right? That has to better than having GMC, right?
Just look how all that cash we saved from releasing Revis has worked out for us.
October 26th, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Money does not matter. When you have quality players you pay them and keep them. Then build your team around them. Why are we even talking about McCoy? He and Clinton McDonald and even our DE are NOT the problem. They are the only strong part of our defense. The entire secondary and two linebackers need to be replaced. Or in Alexanders case, rotate him. The CB and Safeties are atrocious. But it is not just the quality of players. The scheme does not work and never will work with these players. So get used to it as long as Lovie is here.
October 26th, 2015 at 4:45 pm
I don’t think Lovie will be around to spend money on more sure to be bust free agents. He will probably survive the season.
Clearly he is horrible at assessing talent, and cannot coach them up.
The front 4 in this scheme MUST create pressure on the QB, or your weakness (essentially the back 7 in Tampa) is exposed. We’ve seen this time and time again.
The OL was a weakness, and is now a strength.
Our run game is gashing people, and Marpet (save the 5 flags in the last two games) has the type of anger you want leading the way.
We don’t have one D Lineman that is as nasty as Marpet.
My point was we could save cap room, and I don’t see a huge drop in DL pressure with McCoy out. In fact, there are several games this year that I don’t even know he is playing, until the play is over and he is 5 yards away from the tackle.
October 26th, 2015 at 4:46 pm
It is a problem when your supposed team leader is laughing and smiling immediately following an atrocious loss. Not sure why the guy making $100M is not nearly as upset as every Buc fan alive. He should be pissed off and embarrassed and not happy and jovial!
October 26th, 2015 at 5:28 pm
These comments just show how clueless most of the fanbase is. GMC is the least of our worries, SMDH.
And for you sack-stat-lovers, he still has the most sacks of any defensive tackle in the league this year.
October 26th, 2015 at 6:15 pm
This is the most sensible comment on the site. ^^^^^^
October 26th, 2015 at 7:46 pm
Unbelievable – nobody is saying he sucks. They do point out that he doesn’t seem to make plays when the team needs hi the most in clutch situations. There is a losing culture on this team and that photo of him high fiving Cousins is annoying as hell. Go on Twitter and see what Justin Palowski thinks of this. It points to apathy in regards to losing. You think Jameis will accept that kind of laid back attitude in regards to losing once he is the team leader.
October 26th, 2015 at 11:09 pm
Joe you need glasses or you dont know football all that well…what game were you watching? dont be a azz kiss to mccoy…hes an average DT …soft like a chocolate cookie and a bum shoulder from helping players up..i like the name one guy on here called him …care bear lmao….Joe dont suck up to mr softie…hes overpaid and he takes plays off …if he was a leader he would show it and he would have that mentality like jameis has…our leader is a rookie qb…and he fits that title…mccoy is a hand picked all pro…because hes a nice guy
October 27th, 2015 at 12:28 am
unbelievable Says:
October 26th, 2015 at 5:28 pm
These comments just show how clueless most of the fanbase is. GMC is the least of our worries, SMDH.
And for you sack-stat-lovers, he still has the most sacks of any defensive tackle in the league this year.
*********************
That’s not true, according to bspn Muhammad Wilkerson (jets) and Kawann Short (Car) lead with 5.0 each. McCoy is tied for second with 4.5 along with Aaron Donald.
October 27th, 2015 at 10:32 am
i was just thinking yesterday, if you just took mccoy’s career so far and just multiplied it by 2 – statistically and in terms of pro bowls and the like – does he deserve to be in the ring of honor? i think he definitely falls short of HOF, even with 8 or more pro bowls when it’s all said and done. especially if he continues to feature on teams that can’t hold a 4th quarter lead. i am glad to have the guy on our team, but i really wonder what his legacy is going to be. this team has seen 3 head coaches and zero playoff games in his time here. it’s not his fault, but the same way that team success can inflate a guy’s credentials, constant team failure can also affect a player’s legacy.
October 27th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Ah, you’re right about Short, but Wilkerson is a defensive end, not tackle, he just lines up as a tackle during certain play formations.