Ira: GMC Was Right
April 20th, 2017
Ira agrees.
When Bucs stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy bore his soul to the local pen and mic club Monday, like he was in a confessional at a chapel on the Saint Leo University campus, he told all who listened he must improve late in games.
Of course, the howls of the drooling jackals that have tried to run GMC out of town hit peak pitch when they read these words on Twitter. Joe shared the stats that show GMC does indeed show up in the fourth quarter, to no avail.
Enter prized JoeBucsFan.com columnist eye-RAH! Kaufman. Monday, eye-RAH! took to the airwaves of WDAE-AM 620 to talk Bucs with co-hosts Ron Diaz and J.P. Peterson, and eye-RAH! believes, yes, GMC was right.
“He’s right. He has to do more,” Kaufman said. “[GMC] is haunted by the ghost of 99 [Warren Sapp]. That’s the way it is. He is always going to have Sapp just above him and just below him like an albatross. There is only one Sapp, guys. I don’t think it is any shame if you don’t measure up to 99.
“Look, he is a very good player. Has he lived up to his status? Yeah, I think he has. He has Pro Bowls. In the two games [the Bucs] needed to win [last December], the defense didn’t show up and Gerald is the leader of the defense. He has to take responsibility.”
Joe won’t fully go there. It wasn’t the defense of the Bucs that failed in December, it was the offense because it was pretty much a two-man gang, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, and Mike Evans. Cam Brate got hurt against the Saints and it ended his season.
When the Bucs needed to score in the fourth quarter at Dallas and at New Orleans, they crapped in their pants. The lone fourth-quarter score in both games combined was a Roberto Aguayo field goal. Both games were one-score margins.
Could the defense maybe have played better in the second half at New Orleans? Perhaps, but how many teams are able to shut down Drew Brees in his own house, c’mon?
April 20th, 2017 at 12:36 pm
“Could the defense maybe have played better in the second half at New Orleans? Perhaps, but how many teams are able to shut down Drew Brees in his own house, c’mon?”
Playoff teams do shut down a Brees. Tampa could be ready to take that step. Maybe.
April 20th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
JOE,
I love this site cause you make me laugh
I have never seen a reported as in LOVE with a player as you are GMC
The man called himself out and HE IS RIGHT>..FILM doesn’t lie..
WATCH you can see him take plays off and in his position on the team as a LEADER HE need to PLAY all out and LEAD…
Jamies shows a LEADER quality…By the Way HE called out GMC also
SO everyone has called out GMC and you still carry his purse.
April 20th, 2017 at 12:39 pm
TRADE!!!!!!!!!!
April 20th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
Joe and GMC own an ice cream truck together.
April 20th, 2017 at 12:44 pm
T-max is probably reading this post over and over again with a bottle of lotion and some kleenex next to him. Just remember to wash your hands before typing your nonsense Tmaxipad!
April 20th, 2017 at 12:54 pm
99 is a once in a generation player, the guy was a TE at miami and a crazy athlete and has that arsehole in him that will step on your throat and knock out out hall of fame QBs and laugh at it, he is the QB KILLA, GMC is not an “athlete” like 99 nor an ahole, he is just a fun loving guy who wants the ice cream after the game and go swimming with the other team, help the qb up, let the qb dictate how a scrimmage goes and nothing wrong with that either but he should be himself a non inspiring b level player, and thats fine if you want to be a below average team and smile about it
April 20th, 2017 at 12:58 pm
TDTB, funny and true.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
“The man called himself out and HE IS RIGHT>..FILM doesn’t lie..
WATCH you can see him take plays off and in his position on the team as a LEADER HE need to PLAY all out and LEAD…”
Jamies shows a LEADER quality…By the Way HE called out GMC also
——-
This is a clown statement. First of all, I have never seen, heard, or thought of McCoy taking plays off. Just because he is successfully blocked doesn’t mean he’s taking plays off.
Second, Jameis didn’t call out GMC. He talked to him about taking on a more vocal role. I love Jameis, but let’s not make like he’s perfect at this point in his career either. Did you forget the Rams game when he repeatedly missed a wide open VJax with the game on the line? Point is, just because a player doesn’t make all the plays doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player. It also doesn’t mean he isn’t a leader. Stop looking so far into things, just because you don’t like a guy. You’ve obviously already made up your mind on McCoy, but try not to make it so obvious.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:04 pm
How many big plays made by GMC can you name off of the top of your head? I can only remember 1 end of the game sack last year. That is it for 7 seasons. Anyone? Exactly
April 20th, 2017 at 1:05 pm
The defense WASN’T the issue (except when the whole dline went down in the first couple weeks- MINUS McCoy).
The offense was terrible last year. Jameis has been acting the part of a leader but let’s wait for him to actually lead this offense before drawing conclusions about how anyone should be behaving.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:07 pm
I bet that we all remember the 2 games Keith Tandy sealed up though…I’m just saying. The dude has never been clutch which is why he has never been embraced by the fans. We can’t ever say remember that time GMC did…
April 20th, 2017 at 1:10 pm
“Let’s go have fun.”
April 20th, 2017 at 1:12 pm
I think the key (but not only) measure of a player’s value to a team revolves around the question “Is the TEAM better off with or without him?” In GMC’s case my answer is ‘No question the Bucs are better off having GMC on the team’. Personally think that McCoy’s biggest problem has been playing too many downs on defense each game. Last season for instance he was on the field for 75% of the Bucs defensive downs. Next closest DLineman was Will Gholston at 55%, Ayers with 54%, Noah Spence with 53% and McDonald with 46%. And it’s the same thing season after season. GMC’s 794 snaps on defense in 2016 amounts to an average of 53 per game for the 15 games he played. I’d contend that’s far too many for an interior lineman who’s constantly getting double-teamed. Really hoping that the addition of Baker plus a healthy McDonald, combined with a better performing offense that can increase TOP each game, allows McCoy to play fewer snaps, stay fresher into the 4th qtr, and have a bigger impact on game results.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:13 pm
Bottom line is McCoy came out and said what many of us have been saying for years now. He is not a bad player but way overhyped for his lack of production when it comes to crunch time. He stands up and plays pattycake at the line way to often in the 4th quarter and that has costed this team games when we are relying on his inside pressure to effect the QB. This is a fact and now people that he respects have pointed it out to him. The problem is if he really cared about being great he would have seen it for himself or heck just listened to me 🙂
April 20th, 2017 at 1:14 pm
@Jeremy,
I can think of a sack on a Monday night game against Miami on the final drive. I can also think of a play against Atlanta on 4th down on the road – 2 consecutive years. I can also think of him getting a hand on the pass against KC that Conte picked off and returned 50 yards out of the end zone. He also had a huge sack against SD last year on third down to force them out of FG range. That’s a bunch right there.
He’s a 3 technique!!!! He’s not a corner or a safety. He’s not going to have the same amount of splash plays. It’s stupid and ignorant to think otherwise. How many game winning plays have you seen Aaron Donald make? We have been a bad team basically his entire career. It’s hard to make a significant play when you are down 4 TD’s, don’t you think? If you want to blame him for that, that’s equally as stupid as your belief that he should make the same amount of splash plays as a DB.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Everyone relax.
The team dealt with a ton of injuries last year and that is what really held us out of the playoffs. Offense and defense both took turns being good and being bad but I think every team has that during the season.
As far as GMC goes people are right, you can’t think of a time that he dominated a game. But that doesn’t make him bad, he is just a solid DT and that is okay because not everyone is going to the hall of fame.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:21 pm
GMC needs to do more if the Bucs are going to walk that aisle come February. But he’s never had the help that Sapp on that defensive line had either.
Get another edge rusher in this draft and start using David more on blitzes the way he was used his rookie season.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:26 pm
The 100 million dollar solid DT.
April 20th, 2017 at 1:28 pm
Dak Prescott damn near had a perfect game against the Bucs, and the main reason for that is nobody from the Bucs d-line even got a breathe on him. GMC doesn’t show up in big games, he said it himself and Ira is saying it. What is the point of arguing it?
April 20th, 2017 at 1:40 pm
“…the howls of the drooling jackals…”
Hyperbole much?
April 20th, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Not to go political here, but this reminds me of some event where the attacker flat-out states his reasons for doing it.. but people turn around afterwards and try to say “no, why he really did it is ____”.
GMC is soft, he’s always been soft.
He just stated “reputable sources” said that (at the peak of his career) he’s not doing enough – and he agreed.
He is clearly a head-case, not a super-star, he does not flash on the field, he’s not a leader, he’s the center of a defense that has been mediocre (at best) over his 7 years here, and he does not take double-teams nearly as often as people say he does.
Let’s just take him at his word, and hope that he improves..
April 20th, 2017 at 1:44 pm
JoeLichtFan fan and their merry band of agendas!
GMC good
Mixon bad
Oline good
Martin bad
Licht good
Facts bad
April 20th, 2017 at 2:04 pm
Film doesn’t lie yadda yadda….no but your interpretation of that film could be off by a mile.
The only HARD evidence I’ve seen on this was Joe’s stat’s yesterday about 4th Quarter Sacks between Sapp and GMC. The numbers were almost identical.
This debate has grown ludicrous because one side want’s to state things unequivocally that are simply not true.
And so….I think we and EVERYBODY agree that GMC is NOT Sapp…he never will be…as someone pointed out Sapp was a freak with bizarre fast twitch muscles and natural strength from one of the ugliest bodies to play the position!
But people are embarrassing themselves. How big of a gulf is there between a first ballot HOFer…perhaps the best ever at his position…and say an average NFL DL? How much difference between Sapp and say Culpepper…Booger…both very good DL’s but not in the same class as Sapp….again who is or was?
And so despite the FACTS…and the opinion of the majority of the league that GMC is a Pro Bowler…despite McCoy’s ACTUAL NUMBERS…people want to act like he’s the reason the Bucs suck.
Could he play better…who couldn’t? I think IRA nailed this one…
“Look, he is a very good player. Has he lived up to his status? Yeah, I think he has. He has Pro Bowls. In the two games [the Bucs] needed to win [last December], the defense didn’t show up and Gerald is the leader of the defense. He has to take responsibility.”
I think that’s exactly what he did yesterday. Now does Kwon have any responsibility…LVD? Other DL?
April 20th, 2017 at 2:08 pm
I don’t think many would hate on McCoy if he was a quieter guy and not the self appointed leader. He puts too much on himself to the point that it doesn’t help anything imo.
If he just played his game and wasn’t featured in press conferences / interviews / billboards / etc or giving speeches about himself being the leader i think everyone would appreciate him more. But who knows
April 20th, 2017 at 2:16 pm
“I don’t think many would hate on McCoy if he was a quieter guy and not the self appointed leader. He puts too much on himself to the point that it doesn’t help anything imo.”
——–
I wasn’t aware that GMC voted himself for captain. So let me get this straight, everyone rips on GMC for being too nice and not mean like Sapp. These same people get mad when he says he’s a leader, just like how Sapp did. Explain to me how that makes sense. GMC was the third pick of the draft. He’s the highest paid player on the team. He’s the best player on defense. He’s the only perennial pro bowler we have on our roster (for now). He’s well known for being one of the hardest workers on the team, as well as one of the most respected players on the team – by his teammates, coaches, and front office. Yet you’re butt hurt because he “anoints” himself as a leader? I guess you’d prefer if he said he’s not a leader? I’m sure you wouldn’t rip him for that either, right?
April 20th, 2017 at 2:18 pm
“If he just played his game and wasn’t featured in press conferences / interviews / billboards / etc or giving speeches about himself being the leader i think everyone would appreciate him more. But who knows”
====
I think you need a lesson on how it works in the NFL. He doesn’t volunteer for these press conferences. He’s is volunteered by the organization. You notice he doesn’t go to the podium after the games. You know why? Because he doesn’t have to. He has to do interviews. Otherwise, he will get fined. I can also promise you he didn’t go to the Glazer’s office and say “hey Mr. Glazer, can you take a picture of me and put it up on a billboard outside the stadium?”. This is a business, but it’s not his business. He does what he is told.
April 20th, 2017 at 2:24 pm
I think you are wrong Lord. I think people hate him because he makes so much money and is a nice guy. I have learned a lot about our fans on this site and it is pretty sad. Many seem to prefer guys like Mixon who punches women and Sapp who is widely considered the biggest a-hole to ever play in Tampa. They seem to think you have to be a complete d1ck to be good. I guess they are too young to remember one of the greatest of all time here in Tampa was widely considered to be a good guy too. Not sure how LeeRoy Selmon was able to reach the hall of fame without being a pr1ck!
April 20th, 2017 at 2:42 pm
Hawaiian Buc
Have you watched a game… There is a big difference in getting blocked and standing straight up.. HIGH SCHOOL coaches teach that..Dont Rooster fight..
2nd did I say he cant make a bad play…NO EVERY PLAYER DOES …
Jamies is man enough to call himself out when he plays bad on the day he does.
Jamies did call him out behind closed doors or do you think they were having ice cream with Joe.
Please GMC is a Good player at BEST.. NOT GREAT and NO LEADER…
Did you catch the game GMC stood off to the side as Jamies was pumping up the team..I think we call that Pouting …
SO stop with the GMC train or at least call it straight..
April 20th, 2017 at 2:42 pm
By the way HawaiianGMC called himself out for NOT being a leader
April 20th, 2017 at 2:43 pm
A-Train,
There are so many false statements in your argument, I’m not even going to waste my time. You believe whatever you want.
April 20th, 2017 at 2:44 pm
“By the way HawaiianGMC called himself out for NOT being a leader”
———–
Saying he needs to do more is not the same as NOT being a leader. I’m sorry you can’t wrap your simple little brain around that incredibly difficult concept.
April 20th, 2017 at 2:45 pm
It’s official. Gmc is Roman reigns. Joe I love you but u shove this guy down our throats. Enough w this clown player.
April 20th, 2017 at 3:02 pm
Yeah Hawaiian there is really no point arguing with them. They have made up their minds and nothing will change it. He sees a pic of something and makes a ton of assumptions about what GMC was thinking/doing as opposed to saying I have no clue what was going on during that speech or what GMC was thinking. He says GMC personally called him out and believes it to be true even though nobody has ever stated that GMC personally called out GMC. When GMC says we all need to play better, in his mind by we he means GMC. It is such a weird way thing for Buccaneer fans to despize their only perennial pro bowler. I love how they say he isn’t clutch in the 4th quarter, yet his stats in that quarter are virtually identical to Sapp’s.
April 20th, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Sorry, I meant to say he believes JW personally called out GMC.
April 20th, 2017 at 4:06 pm
For those clueless people saying mccoy’s stats in the 4th quarter are identical to sapps are football idiots. Its more than sacks. Sapp created a lot more pressure in the fourth quarter which resulted into poor passes that lead to ints. Sapp had many more hits on the qb which sped up the qb’s timeclock in their heads that led to bad passes. You see clueless football experts, its more than the occasional sack that mccoy gets every other game, it should be the constant havoc being created in the backfield like sapp would do. Even in the years when sapp had 6 sacks for the season, he was still 5 times as disruptive as mccoy was in his best year. Wise up. Do not let 4th quarter sack numbers lie to you. Don’t believe me? Just ask the three sources and mccoy himself.
April 20th, 2017 at 4:18 pm
You know who needs to improve the most on defense?
JASON LICHT.
April 20th, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Gotcha Webster. Sacks don’t matter when they don’t fit your narrative. Thanks for clarifying!
April 20th, 2017 at 5:01 pm
1st of all, proud to say I dropped out of that joke of a school Saint Leo!
2nd, can anyone even remember where/when all this GMC hate started? Refresh my memory if I’m wrong, but when was the last time a DT was the driving force behind a team making the playoffs? You can name some elite d-lines but I don’t think a single DT in recent memory has pushed his team over the hump, so why bash a good player like he is? Give him some help and make him the focal point of a dominant line and then call him out on his play
April 20th, 2017 at 5:43 pm
The hate GMC gets is unreal. So uncalled for.
April 20th, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Carolina, stop making sense!
April 20th, 2017 at 5:52 pm
Hawaiian do you fight Joe to hold GMCs purse
Can’t come up with any argument so you name call
Juvenile
So I have written something you understand
YOU’RE A TOOL
April 20th, 2017 at 6:26 pm
Touchdown said
“He says GMC personally called him out and believes it to be true even though nobody has ever stated that GMC personally called out GMC. ”
What in the blue heck are you talking aboit
April 20th, 2017 at 6:29 pm
Guess you missed the post below where i clarified the typo
April 20th, 2017 at 6:52 pm
The whole idea is stupid. GMC is a good player. period. end of story.
A train even admitted it so what’s to argue?
Nobody is really saying GMC is more than a good player. What’s wrong with that? There have been plenty of players chosen top 5 overall that have busted completely.
Stats (and tape) show GMC has consistently been a top 3-5 player at his position every year since he came into the league 7 years ago. That’s very respectable.
Is he a 1st ballot HOFer like Sapp? No of course not. Why put those type of expectations on a player. Its just a stupid argument all the way around. GMC is what he is. A very good NFL DT. We are fortunate to have him and of course are way better off with him than without him. How could there even be an argument about that?
April 20th, 2017 at 8:03 pm
Lol!
Dumbassbuc, Tmaxipad,(rammed by)A train, Iq55,
Etc, couldnt tell a Defensive tackle from a tackle box.
Obvious by their cluelessness
If GMC gets hurt in Game one. No playoffs.
Period
He is as valuable to the defense, as Jameis is to the offense.
McCoy said, that what he was talking about- had nothing to do with his play.
Try listening. Or better yet- get someone intelligent to explain it to you.
Everyone in the league has said that McCoy is the one guy on our team, that they have to scheme around.
Including our own coaches
Sapp said that McCoy is a better DT than he was.
So, added up- that means alot more than a group of Minimum wage earning, coach sitting, millionaire hating, self loathing, wine in box drinking losers like the collection of nobodies hating here.
Instead of projecting your own worthlessness on to someone who is actually sucessful in life- why dont you boys toss in all you life savings, then take that $17.23, and go buy a life. On another teams site.
Or better yet-
Run down to OneBuc, and Tell McCoy about your deep rooted hostility towards him.
Lmao
April 20th, 2017 at 8:05 pm
Dang Joe!!
By the time You moderate my comments, the herd will have moved on!!
April 20th, 2017 at 9:08 pm
GMC is right, he needs to control games more. Stats are nice, but outcomes and fourth quarter performances are most important.
Sacks through 7 years. In the NFL:
GMC 42.5
Sapp 59.5
17 sack difference, and GMC missed a lot games hurt. I think GMC will be good to go, as long as we can win some games this year.
GMC is a class act and a model human being, unfortunately he lacks the ferocity and aggression Sapp brought in addition to his physical talents and stats.
Sapp made those around him better with his nastiness. You the no any teammate on D is going to foster a soft mentality and loaf when you have a 1st ballot hall of famer wrecking sh!t and bringing the nasty.
It would be great for GMC to see a mental coach and work on a way to be nice, but nasty and aggressive when the ball is snapped.
I love the Bucs, and I think GMC gets criticized fairy. He’s a great player and person, but I just don’t know if he is mean enough to be a boss and get us to the playoffs. If we go to the playoffs, and the D is a big part, the GMC hate will subside.
For a long time GMC was our only franchise player, and when things don’t go well we often look at the coach (4 in GMC’s time), and then the players.
April 20th, 2017 at 9:09 pm
*you think any teammates on d would foster a soft mentality**
April 20th, 2017 at 10:09 pm
@SteveK,
I agree with some of what you wrote. However, I am 100% in disagreement that being nasty has anything to do with how good of a player you are. The best pass rusher in the history of the NFL was the nicest guy in the world – Reggie White. They don’t come any nicer than Lee Roy Selmon. You have to be who you are. As Jameis says “Real recognizes real”.
GMC hasn’t had the career of Sapp to this point for several reasons. Number one, he’s probably just not as good. Sapp was a freakish athlete. Number 2, GMC has never played with another Pro Bowl lineman. Let that sink in. You can name another of his peers that haven’t had at least one (Bennett became a Pro Bowler after he left). Number 3, Sapp had considerably better talent on the back end. Number 4, Sapp had better coaching. Can anyone argue this? Number 5 (and the one that is so often forgotten), the league is totally different than what it was when Sapp played. Teams didn’t run read option back then. 3 step drops have become the norm, where they weren’t back then. Teams are in shotgun far more than what they were back then. Offenses are designed to get the ball out of the QB’s hands quickly. Also, QB’s are generally speaking more mobile now. Sapp wasn’t chasing around guys like Can Newton and Russell Wilson. Again, I’m not saying GMC is Sapp, because he isn’t. However, GMC has been a fantastic pick no matter how you spin it. He is respected by his teammates, coaches, front office, opponents, opponent’s coaches, and 95% of the fans. Everything is on his side as being a really good player except a couple bozos with miserable lives that are upset he doesn’t get 15 sacks and 5 game winning plays per season (and that’s not directed at you).
April 20th, 2017 at 10:31 pm
Hawaiian,
Great points. I believe Sapp’s demeanor helped set the tone for other guys to rise up and play with an edge. You’re right, GMC is not Sapp and QBs get rid of the ball quicker.
I do believe we can get the edge that Sapp provided from someone else. Maybe, Robert Ayers?
Sapp was a cornerstone on a generational/ al time defense. GMC hasn’t had the coaching, and he’s bone on some atrocious defenses. Not his fault, just part of what gets everyone upset when we lose.
Fans ride GMC because he’s nice, and the Bucs teams he’s been on have sucked. I would love to see us make the playoffs, and with GMC healthy. Then, we can really see how GMC would or wouldn’t light it up in crunch time.
I do believe in the “clutch” and “warrior” gene. Sapp had the warrior gene for sure, and I’d say he was clutch.
GMC might breakout this year. He’s determined too, and I hope we can draft another 3 technique to keep him rested for 4th quarter opportunities.
Go Bucs! Can’t wait for the draft.
April 20th, 2017 at 10:38 pm
I want to say something negative about Ol’ Softy 93, but my knees really hurt today.
BTW, kind of a smart move by the Ice Cream Man talking about his sore knees. He may have gotten the feeling that he was on the trading block and by mentioning his boo boos he can finish out his overblown contract here in Tampa.
April 21st, 2017 at 1:43 am
Hey Douchelarue-
I guess football isnt the only proffession thats hard on the knees!
Your knees hurting, comes as a surprise to no one