The Need For Superheroes
May 18th, 2018
The way the Bucs played defense last year, Joe isn’t sure Superman with all his powers could have saved them.
The Bucs sure could have used a caped crimefighter the way offsides-jumping, Lightning-trolling, belly-shirt-wearing, practice-hating, kicker-heckling, tree-grinding , non-contact-football-loving, chicken-wings-grilling, playing-time-squawking, TV-cooking-star Swaggy Baker stole millions from Team Glazer. Perhaps that’s why Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht put up the Bat-Signal after the season to lure so much help to the Bucs defense.
Among the roster is a superhero of sorts. That would be stud defensive tackle and uber Batman junkie Gerald McCoy.
So Joe thought it was just about perfect when this week new Bucs defensive coordinator Brentson Buckner went all superhero context when asked about how to get the most out of GMC.
“First thing is, Gerald is a good kid,” Buckner said. “He is a well-respected kid. He is respectful. He works hard. He wants to be great. But I had a talk with Gerald. ‘Now you have to work on it. Now you get to the point that you are 30-years old. It is not about your ability now. It’s about playing the game up here’ [Buckner points to his noggin.]
“I sat down and watched film with [GMC] and I told him, ‘The way you improve your game, it is mentally evolve your game even more.’ He wants it. He is hungry for it. … Now I am challenging him personally to go to that next level. Now get stronger. Not get faster. Play the game up here [Buckner points to his noggin again]. Know what they are going to do before it happens. Be smarter about it. Embrace your teammates around you and then watch it grow.
“I don’t need a Superman. I knee a whole bunch of Super Friends.”
Joe sort of thinks if GMC isn’t smart about the game enough to predict what will happen, he is damned close. Remember, it is GMC who told Swaggy to watch out for the hard count from Cam Newton — and Swaggy completely blew off GMC’s instructions — on the famous offsides call that cost the Bucs a win at Carolina last year.
Joe has to wonder if Buckner may have missed the mark only slightly by telling GMC he doesn’t need to be Superman. Wrong Superhero. GMC is a Batman guy, not Superman.
But to take Buckner’s analogy a bit further, GMC needs to be more like Robin or Alfred?
Holy playoff drought, Batman!
May 18th, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Jameis = Captain America
Evans = Batman
OJ = Thor
Kwon = Wolverine
Spence = Spawn
Grimes = Iron Man
Vea = Hulk
GMC = She Hulk
Marpet = Juggernaut
Jensen = Sabertooth
May 18th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Well well I guess Batman errr Geraldine is needed after all.
May 18th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
The best line of all the press conferences, hands down
May 18th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
“Now I am challenging him personally to go to that next level.”
cue the usual suspects in 3… 2… 1…
That said, I’d love to see GMC have his best year yet. Seems reasonable, as this has to be the most talent that’s ever been around him on our d-line.
May 18th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
She Hulk. That cracked me up. Pretty funny.
May 18th, 2018 at 12:36 pm
Does that make talk show dominik and loser lovie the “Legion of Doom” because they lose in every episode????????
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 18th, 2018 at 12:41 pm
You forgot something. Buckner also said that how does GMC ability helps his team? He does the same thing over and over again every year. It does not help his team win just gets him into the probowl and his respect
Glad Buckner knows that GMC is overrated.
May 18th, 2018 at 12:55 pm
More like …..https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dLCGKOI5ZYQ
May 18th, 2018 at 12:55 pm
Batman was one of the Super Friends.
May 18th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
@NFLNut
More fitting:
Jameis = Booster Gold
Evans = Hawkeye
OJ = Bucky
Kwon = Black Panther
JPP = Iron Man
Grimes = Captain America
Vea = Hulk
GMC = Batman
Marpet = Juggernaut
May 18th, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Lamarcus Says
“You forgot something. Buckner also said that how does GMC ability helps his team? He does the same thing over and over again every year. It does not help his team win just gets him into the probowl and his respect
Glad Buckner knows that GMC is overrated.”
Totally taken out of context, lol.
May 18th, 2018 at 2:43 pm
I think i want to marry Brenton Buckner.
May 18th, 2018 at 3:15 pm
Bonzai
It is what it is. I know it’s a troubling time for GMC fanboys
May 18th, 2018 at 4:48 pm
Seems like Buckner is on the same page as on Ian Beckles and (per Ian; Sapp), Chidi too.
To me it sounds like he is saying Gerald is out of position a lot and need to stop playing selfish. He just did it by not fully calling him out and embarrassing him to the public.
Come on Joe! You guys are really good at reading between the lines. You’re choosing to disregard this.
It’s fine though, it will be clear by start of the season that JPP is the leader of this unit.
May 18th, 2018 at 5:50 pm
i get what buckner is saying and it’s amazing that this hasn’t been a point of emphasis earlier in GMC’s career. it seems like every coach he’s had has schemed to move him away from double teams with stupid stunts and twists instead of designing a scheme around the fact that you have one dude that everyone prefers to double and erase.
May 18th, 2018 at 10:14 pm
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Bonzai,
I had to look up “Booster Gold” as I never heard of him before … but no, he doesn’t seem to fit Jameis at all … he seems to fit Cam Newton though.
I’ll stick with Captain America for Jameis as Cap was a selfless guy who loved others and was always willing to lay his life down for the team which fits Jameis to a “t”.
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