McCoy: “I’m A Little Banged Up”
January 26th, 2017
You bet your butt Joe’s ears perk up upon hearing a Buccaneers’ stud defensive lineman claim his body isn’t in optimum condition — 3 1/2 weeks after the season finale.
Gerald McCoy told Greg Auman of TampaBay.com that he isn’t 100 percent, during a discussion about participating in Pro Bowl feats of strength at Disney’s Wide World of Sports this week.
McCoy was especially excited about a new “power relay” challenge, with linemen tasked with moving heavy objects along a course. He fondly remembered a similar event he watched as a fan back in the VCR days of his youth.
“I’m a little banged up, but I said ‘Yeah, I’ll do it!’ ” he said.
McCoy turns 29 years old next month and Joe thinks it’s worth noting that McCoy feels “banged up” after a lot of rest. Heck, if the Bucs were a Wild Card team and made the Super Bowl, could McCoy have held up?
Joe is not knocking McCoy. His position is brutal and takes its toll. Few players can survive 10 years at defensive tackle. McCoy has seven years in the bank and has had a variety of injuries, many that he’s played through.
Does McCoy have two more Pro Bowl years left in the tank, which would make it seven straight honors for him?
Joe has speculated publicly about a tw0-year window for the Bucs to make a Super Bowl run, using the logic of the very affordable rookie contract of America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, and guys like McCoy, Lavonte David, Robert Ayers and Brent Grimes still performing at a high level, in addition to defensive coordinator Mike Smith being locked down for the next two seasons.
Players don’t last forever, and Joe is thinking a lot today about the Bucs’ opportunity to make a big push in free agency this year to try and crash through that window.
January 26th, 2017 at 10:47 am
Will Gholston should be a starting DT.
January 26th, 2017 at 10:55 am
Que tmax in 3…2…1…
January 26th, 2017 at 10:55 am
Cue*
Whoops
January 26th, 2017 at 11:03 am
I am sure it has already been posted (at least I hope it has been) but 14 years ago today….time flies…
January 26th, 2017 at 11:07 am
This team is still very far behind. Good drafting and retaining in house Free agents or lack thereof have killed this team. You should always have someone developing and ready to go when a vet is coming close to the end of his career. A constant cycle. I hope they guve Jason enough time to actually build the team and not make a mistake by getting rid of him.
January 26th, 2017 at 11:12 am
I’ve been on my soapbox… Telling anyone who will listen, we have to buy the ‘chip this year. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
If your gonna rely on
Grimes
Ayers
Dotson
Hawley
GMC
Darryl Smith
These guys are in either there prime or the window of peak performance is closing out. Go out and get us JPP, Poe/Campbell, Pryor and Stills. Something close to that. That would be the FA home run. Now you can TRULY draft BPA. Damn IMHO I feel like we’re so close… C’mon man where my #DREADNAUGHTS
January 26th, 2017 at 11:17 am
You think the Seahawks window closed when they signed Russel Wilson to a big deal?
Winston’s cap hit was $6 mill last year. If he’s trying to be the highest paid QB in the NFL then we probably won the SB so it’s already a win win lol. If not then he probably is going to cost somewhere in the $20-25 mill per year range.
Basically Winston will = $14-20 mill we can’t spend in cap space. Yeah that’s significant but it’s really not that insane especially with growing cap after his deal is done.
The only “window” logic I buy is maybe Mike Smith if he’s looking to leave in a few years. Otherwise the way the roster is now we should have a better team talent wise in a few years even with Winston’s big contract.. as long as light nails 2-3 picks per year and makes smart deals
January 26th, 2017 at 11:18 am
@Lakeland…I hear you….I’d tell big will to put on about 10 pounds because he’s going to be playing more dt this year….he’s exactly what we need in the middle….a run stuffer!!!…..GO BUCS!!!!
January 26th, 2017 at 11:22 am
“These guys are in either there prime or the window of peak performance is closing out. ”
The thing is that is not a list of superstars that anyone would think “better win the SB before all those studs retire” lol.
GMC/Grimes/Ayers are the only guys who played at an above average level and none of them were all-pros.
January 26th, 2017 at 11:24 am
Kevin…I respectfully disagree. We’re not that far off at all. I called for 12-4 this past season. We were close to doing that. Arizona, Denver and 2nd Atlanta games were the only ones where we got taken to the woodshed. The team knows they let us down. THIS team will NEVER let THAT happen again!!!
Jameis
Evans
Kwon
VH3
LVD
Noah
Marpet
Smith
Hell between Jameis & Kwon, they WONT allow the passive attitude on the field
C’mon homie were close
January 26th, 2017 at 11:34 am
Lord… Really. No, no one will think that. But on THIS team they’re our studs. I’m saying take advantage of the whole bridge player angle Licht is using. I’m saying the same thing JOE is saying, just with my opinion and you laugh. Really. And why are you talking about Winston’s contract? More coffee less typing for you lol
January 26th, 2017 at 11:56 am
“But on THIS team they’re our studs. ”
If those are our studs then we’re not going to make the SB. All 3 of those vets missed some time last year (the actual above average ones on the list).
I didn’t mean to laugh or be an a4shole so I’m sorry. It just feels like a panic move to me to think we better win a SB now when the most important players and pieces on the team are all incredibly young and we can always look to FA every year to add vets
I brought up Winston’s contract because Joe brought it up in this very article in his logic of us having a 2 year window.
January 26th, 2017 at 11:59 am
@WhatdaBUCisthis
“I’m saying take advantage of the whole bridge player angle Licht is using”
“Go out and get us JPP, Poe/Campbell, Pryor, and Stills.Something close to that. That would be the FA home run.”
Those 2 statements kind of contradict each other. The way the bridge player “angle” works is you sign vets in free agency that can come in and start and you draft their successors and let them develop behind those vets and eventually be the long term answer.
So we have the vet in Ayers and if we sign JPP that would be another bridge player because JPP isnt a long term answer. If you sign the young guys you listed Poe, Pryor, and Stills as long term answers then that is building through FA. The opposite of what Licht wants to do. The only player that fits into the bridge player “angle” that you mentioned is Campbell.
January 26th, 2017 at 12:07 pm
Well Joey
I stand corrected
I just want to win. I’m throwing all scenarios against the wall. I just wanna win, my bad
January 26th, 2017 at 12:31 pm
@WhatdaBUCisthis … “The team knows they let us down. THIS team will NEVER let THAT happen again!!!” Au contraire … this year’s team over-achieved, which is AWESOME. They didn’t let us down at all. Compared to the other 31 teams, I’d say the Bucs were (at the start of the year) someplace near the middle, at best. New HC, new DC, several new starters, tough schedule. Took about half the season, but they came together nicely and overcome some devastating injuries to finish 9-7. I for one was really proud of them … they didn’t let us down at all, because they could have just as easily finished 7-9 or worse.
However, 2017 is a whole new year. Even if we retained last year’s roster intact, we’d be hard-pressed to make the playoffs in 2017 given an even tougher schedule this year IMHO. But we know the roster won’t be intact … LOTS of changes will be made. How well we do this year (playoffs or no playoffs) will largely depend on the quality of those changes, in FA and in the draft. To simply sit tight at any position would be a huge mistake in my opinion. We’ve got to upgrade for the here-and-now PLUS we’ve got to simultaneously build for the future. Personally think there’s just too much that needs upgrading to be a SB contender in 2017. Much better chance in 2018 … if we make great decisions in the meantime.
January 26th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
I’m totally tired of this window talk!!! Does NE talk about windows..Green Bay…Pittsburgh? NO!!
Even IF heaven forbid #3 goes down permanantly we’ll just have to find another QB. EVERY season is a brand new season…take luck..no avalanche of injuries..several players having “career” years..
But I guess what I’m trying to say is that while each year is a new team…IF the organization is great, little turnover, a fundamental plan in place…the organization can give us a perpetual window just like the teams I mentioned.
We’re on the way…ManU has finally paid off for the Glazers, they no longer need to plunder the Bucs budget…they’re spending dollars. We have a great up and coming GM and a great set of coaches. Now we start developing depth so we can be perennial SB contenders and not just players…but depth of coaches scouts etc because if we’re as good as we want to be part of the process will be replacing talent on the sidelines and front office as well as the field.
GO BUCS!
January 26th, 2017 at 12:41 pm
@WhatdaBUCisthis
It’s all good man lol. I just wouldnt get too caught up in the flashy names in FA this year. Campbell makes sense, either receiver from Washington makes sense. I just dont want to see people expecting to see guys like JPP, Berry, Pryor, Jeffery, Murray, etc. And not accepting anything less than a haul like that. It might be a lil too unrealistic
January 26th, 2017 at 12:49 pm
@whatdabucs…I understand where your coming from but the players you listed besides Campbell will demand long term deals(5-6years)….instead you go after players like Mario Addison, bennie logan, p.garcon, ron leary…those type of players could be used as a bridge when you sign them to a 3-4 year deal…..draft their replacements and let them develop….at the end of year 3 or 4, you will know what you have regarding the young guys and either resign them and cut the older vets or cut the young guys and extend the older vets…its a win win for the team….
but one thing is for sure…we have to beef up the trenches on both sides of the ball create depth at our skill positions….GO BUCS!!!!
January 26th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Well said StPete. We’ve got the GM, HC, coaching staff AND franchise QB to build an elite team that can compete every single year. Dismantling a team can be done virtually overnight. Rebuilding it takes years. We’re on our way.
January 26th, 2017 at 12:56 pm
I think now is the time to trade McCoy. They could get two first rounders for him (one this year and one next year). He has the value to other teams…probably our most valuable player on the roster atm.
January 26th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
@Buccaneer Bonzai
I think trading McCoy is the smartest move to make with him. Especially since his guaranteed money will be up in a couple seasons. I would just hope they develop his replacement first. Would hate to leave that big of a void for an eventual rookie to fill
January 26th, 2017 at 1:15 pm
@BucBonzai and Joey
I like McCoy but I’m not a fanboy of his. IF we could get the right deal…perhaps two #1’s…I MIGHT consider it.
Problem is over the last four years GMC has averaged 8.35 sacks per season from a position that is not a sack producing spot…DT’s rarely get to double digits these days…unless their Geno Atkins and I think even he missed out this year. He btw…Geno that is…perhaps the best DT in the league at rushing the passer was the 19th ranked sacker this year.
And so if we felt certain we can replace GMC’s 8 sacks I’m certainly opened minded to consider it.
January 26th, 2017 at 1:21 pm
@Buccaneer Bonzai … “I think now is the time to trade McCoy.” Not tracking the logic Bonzai. He’s supposedly “… our most valuable player on the roster” (your words), we have NO replacement on the roster, our DLine would’ve been in deep kimshee all year if not for GMC, and so we need to trade him? Quite the opposite: we need to use GMC as a cornerstone, then add some more blocks to the DLine wall. Draft his eventual replacement – YES. But give that replacement a couple yrs to develop and become another cornerstone. McCoy is a proven player (regardless of what a few say). I think over the years the Bucs management has given away enough proven players to stock a SB team. Let’s not make the same mistake again.
January 26th, 2017 at 2:11 pm
2 year window… Jeezus, that’s just plain stupid… If you manage the cap well, draft well, and develop players, plus have an elite QB, the window doesn’t have to close… See NE Patriots.
By the time McCoy hits the skids, we’ll have another DT in the wings. Perhaps it will be one we draft this year.
January 26th, 2017 at 2:53 pm
@Stpete
2 first round picks is probably an unlikely deal
January 26th, 2017 at 3:32 pm
@ Lakeland
Love will Gholston effort,but we need a defensive tackle over 320 lbs, to stuff the run not DE’s weighing in at 275 to 290 where the size disadvantage would be tough to overcome on a full time basis.Somebody that can’t or won’t be moved.Believe we would get more out of both GMC and Macdonald with some rotation at the position.Other than that I agree with defense on GMC. His play
will keep him on the team until injuries or age slows him down.
January 26th, 2017 at 5:06 pm
And on the topic of trading GMC and referring to an article a few days ago. If that is something that becomes a realistic possibility then I would LOVE Malik McDowell in the 1st round as his replacement
January 26th, 2017 at 8:47 pm
Where you at tmaxipad want to bash a top 5 DT
Now is your chance
You fucn idiots who trash are best players can suck my balls
January 26th, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Where you at tmaxipad want to bash a top 5 DT
Now is your chance
You fucn idiots who trash are best players can suck my balls