Gerald McCoy Was Left In Disbelief
October 5th, 2024
Todd Bowles hugs former Bucs great Gerald McCoy.
Six-time Pro Bowl Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has become quite an unofficial team ambassador in recent years.
The NFL Network personality/analyst is always waving his Bucs flag, but McCoy can still keep it real.
That defensive mess in Atlanta on Thursday night? It brought out the raw Bucs fan in McCoy, as shared on the NFL’s NFL Daily podcast.
“We wouldn’t make the proper adjustments. I don’t know what the heck we was doing,” McCoy said of the Bucs defense. “[Kirk Cousins] was finding those holes in our zone all night. All night. If we watch what he just did a couple of weeks ago to Philly, same thing.”
McCoy confessed that when Atlanta got the ball on its 20 yard line with no timeouts needing a field goal to tie the game with 1:14 remaining, he had no confidence the Bucs defense would step up.
Even after the defense dominated Atlanta on a 4-and-out on the prior drive, with big plays from Logan Hall, YaYa Diaby and Lavonte David, McCoy saw Cousins ready to resume his night of carving up the Bucs defense.
“He never was made uncomfortable, McCoy said.
“The Bucs struggle to rush with four … you’re not playing zone in the back end or great in the back end, you’ll get picked apart. You shouldn’t be able to throw that many times from the pocket and be able to pick somebody apart.”
McCoy also ranted about how the Bucs (Jamel Dean) got off Drake London too soon when he caught the ball over the middle with 8 seconds remaining.
“Just hold him, just lay on him,” McCoy pleaded, noting that laying on a player for 2 or 3 seconds after a play is never called.
McCoy called that just another necessary thing the Bucs didn’t do.
Dean popped off London in less than one second and the Falcons regrouped to the spike the ball with 1 second remaining, setting up the overtime-forcing field goal.
October 5th, 2024 at 6:07 am
Gerald saw plenty of Bucs losses…He knows! I have watched every single Bucs loss since day one in 76 and this may be the one that makes me feel like we …Snatched defeat from the jaws of victory…the most! We have a better football team than this! Lots of blame to throw around. Piss poor game from lots of players and coaches.
Piss poor game from Todd! Good HC fixes poor tackling issues. This has been a problem for years now. Your soft zone? Geez! I have had a belly full of it!
Give them credit. They won …but we gave this one away!
Coen! What happened to your offense in the second half when it mattered! 52 total snaps? Embarrassing sir. Especially when you have the talent to do soo much better!
Mr Licht! An inside LB please …Sorry KJ. Maybe an outside LB or two as well BTW. This aint working too well. Sending Nelson, JTS and or Diaby into coverage never has seemed like a good idea to this Bucs fan. Lots easier to turn a LB into an occasional pass rusher than a pass rusher into an occasional LB…Just saying. What we have is mostly guys who are not good at either one.
Instead of working on all the goofy End Zone Choreography we could work on … I don’t know…Tackling? Blocking? Punting?
Go Bucs!
October 5th, 2024 at 6:09 am
There are so many questions us fans have for the players and would love to hear answers such as to Dean about what McCoy referenced as well as why he played such a soft zone. To Lavonte about not just dropping that pick. To Baker about possibly audibling out of some of the turtle play calls Coen/Bowles were dialing up in the second half (I thought he could audible out of calls). As for Coen I would love to hear him answer a question about why the Bucs O went so conservative after the half? I doubt we’ll actually learn why (Todd told him to go turtle is the most likely truth) but it will be interesting to see how he answers; blunt, angry responses like Leftwich, rah-rah enthusiasm like Canales, falling on the sword and taking blame like Baker did, etc….. Anyhow, good take by GMC93, but hey at least Dean did not help Drake London up. McCoy might have done that but hopefully after the clock had hit zero…..
October 5th, 2024 at 7:17 am
Meh, we’re 3 and 2, long season left, the sky isn’t falling. After MOST losses, these discussions are usually about our pathetic offense. As of right NOW, our offense is 11th in the I’ll league at 25 points per game!
October 5th, 2024 at 7:39 am
Beej, I agree. The season’s young. On the bright side, the offense shows it has the capability of putting up a lot of points. The defense will improve as we get our key injured players back on the field. The one thing we can’t seem to overcome is the team’s mentality to play it safe when we have a lead. That’s solely on the shoulders of defensive “guru” Todd Bowles. You think Arian’s would have been running the ball at the end of the game. He’d have Baker throwing to Mike or Chris. You can bank that! But bottom line, this team is still able to take the Division.
October 5th, 2024 at 7:48 am
@Beeej
You do know their next month & a half of a schedule isn’t anything to brag about right? If the D can’t stay healthy this is what’s gonna happen. They’re gonna have to score at least 30 every week just to at least win. I’d be surprised if they finish better than 9-8.
October 5th, 2024 at 8:30 am
Joe can you explain why the delay of game wasn’t enforced after Cousins spiked it with on second left :40 should of been enough time for Falcons to line up and kick FG they didn’t do it and refs threw flag for delay of game then they didn’t enforce penalty and let the Falcons kick the game tying FG.
October 5th, 2024 at 8:46 am
Trying to figure out if it’s better to get crushed in a game (Broncos) burn the tape and move on , or Lose a game (Thur) and have 10 days to feel the pain of what could have been.
October 5th, 2024 at 8:49 am
@Garro,
Perfectly said sir!!
October 5th, 2024 at 9:03 am
“Tony Says:
October 5th, 2024 at 7:48 am
@Beeej
You do know their next month & a half of a schedule isn’t anything to brag about right? If the D can’t stay healthy this is what’s gonna happen. They’re gonna have to score at least 30 every week just to at least win. I’d be surprised if they finish better than 9-8.”
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If we can’t beat those teams there’s no point in reaching the playoffs anyhow
October 5th, 2024 at 9:17 am
We’ve got time to fix the things that are broken. Can you imagine how we’d be feeling now if that Atlanta debacle happened in the playoffs?
October 5th, 2024 at 10:16 am
Dean Does. Not. Care. THE Definition of “Insanity,” all night long. Is he just STUPID!? You already know he does not care… Saw it on his face all night long. ZERO Emotion. Does not care. And, “Chris” – Are you trying to say that Bucs did not accept the penalty, or that the refs did not mark it off, & no one noticed it…Cause, I have absolutely NO CLUE what you’re talking about!?
October 5th, 2024 at 10:29 am
Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder could’ve thrown for 500 yards against them. Bowles would’ve made them look good.
October 5th, 2024 at 10:40 am
I was screaming at my TV when Dean didn’t do the most obvious thing in the world which was to lay on London to milk the clock!!! Bro they have zero timeouts and the clock was almost down to zero!!!! Was his brain not working or what because any other player in the NFL were to take that tackle instead and we win the game. Dean should be ashamed of himself straight up absolutely ashamed he let his entire team down
October 5th, 2024 at 1:01 pm
I was angered and upset by what happened but no disbelief. That was such a bucs thing to do.
October 5th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
What if the pundits were right about Cuz and we were wrong. He beat the Bucs and Stainks. Now the Stainks will whup the Bucs and there it is. Battle with Canales for the celler in the worst division. No confidence.
October 5th, 2024 at 2:51 pm
GMC was a very good defensive line player on a lot of sh1tty Bucs teams. He wa a high draft choice and deserved every penny. He also never embarrassed TB off field. Hope he’s got his storm plans activated. He knows what he’s talking about. Falcons outplayed the Bucs. It’s just like last season. Bucs split with the Falcons but swept Aints and Carolina. They have to do it again.
October 5th, 2024 at 9:20 pm
Orlbucfan, they didn’t sweep the Aints last season. D. Carr jumped us in week 17 and he’s the type QB who could definitely exploit our weaknesses again. That’s why we better push our offense for four quarters next game. Hopefully get Winfield and Kancey back. If those things happen I like our chances.