“They Need To Take A Microphone Away”
September 18th, 2011
Let Joe say first that he doesn’t think it makes much difference at all what comes out of Gerald McCoy’s mouth — not yet anyway. The guy is harmless and simply being himself when interacting with the media.
But Joe does find the many takes on McCoy’s style of communication interesting. It was up for debate again this past week after McCoy gave a detailed account of Detroit Lions’ linemen sitting back — possibly illegally — serving up what many called excuses.
Derrick Brooks, who clearly finds it legitmately painful to speak a negative word about the Bucs. was down on McCoy for talking about opponents versus talking about his own performance and that of the Bucs as he did after recent games against the Patriots and Lions. Speaking on WDAE-AM 620 Wednesday, Brooks said McCoy speaking out in detail before watching game film isn’t wise and Brooks said it’s best to focus on your own performance or your team’s only.
Brooks acknowledged McCoy says the “right things” among all his chatter but, overall, Brooks is not on board with McCoy’s open style before he reaches a high level of performance.
Also speaking on WDAE-AM 620, former Bucs defensive tackle Brad Culpepper was more direct about McCoy.
“They need to take a microphone a way from that guy for a little while. He doesn’t know that he doesn’t know,” Culpepper said.
Culpepper said McCoy’s comments about the Lions offesnsive linemen flashed some of his greenness about the game. If the O-line is sitting back on you, Culpepper said, then you need to know how to take advantage of the space.
On the flip side, Tampa Tribune scribe Woody Cummings said fans and media”need” Gerald McCoy to keep talking “from the heart,” so he said on The King David Show on WQYK-AM 1010.
Cummings said there are so many players in the NFL that won’t say anything meaningful to the media and, subsequently, to fans. And McCoy may be the only guy in the Bucs’ defense that will, Cummings said.
“It’s just Gerald’s way of saying what happened’ [in a game,] Cummings said, acknowledging “those end up sounding like excuses when they lost.”
For weeks, former Bucs Shaun King and Ian Beckles have clobbered McCoy on the sports radio airwaves for talking too much and not producing. Basically, they want him to shutup and perform. King has been particularly, critical, which Joe has documented.
This week, King said the Bucs brass got on his case for blasting McCoy. King said he told the Bucs to “to kick rocks” and emphasized that he wouldn’t censor his commentary for anyone at One Buc Palace.
King also stressed his concern early this week that Raheem Morris and McCoy’s public comments after the Lions loss were far off the Father Dungy path.
“Tony Dungy’s motto all through his time in Tampa was, No Excuses. No Explanations,” King said. “I get worried as a lifelong Bucs fan when I hear excuses and explanations from coach’s and players.”
Again, Joe doesn’t think there’s any problem or issue at this point. Raheem surely doesn’t have to play Father Dungy, and McCoy can be himself. If McCoy becomes a problem and guys want him to shutup, then Joe suspects captains like Jeff Faine and Ronde Barber will make that happen.
On a more important note, former Bucs DE Steve White — who disagrees with the kvetching over GMC’s open personality — seems far more concerned with McCoy’s performance. And to that, speaking on WQYK-AM 1010 Tuesday, White said McCoy was excellent against the run in Week 1. Though he says McCoy’s pass rush has a good ways to go.
Joe can only hope the next media buzz surrounding McCoy is about a crushing sack on Donovan McNabb.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:19 am
We are at a consensus about this guy. King, Culpepper, Steve White, thomas 2.2 and now the great 55. How dusgusting us it that the bucs tried to tell king not to speak honestly about how bad mccoy has been fir a #3.
That is exactly why I cant stand the Glazers and Rah. Instead of coming out and being honest and saying “we expected more and he has a long way to go” they try to spin the media and baby him.
Admit it: you hit on freeman, so far you have missed on mccoy. Price and okam should be your starters.
We need football men running things not politicians.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Sorry for thry typos small keys
September 18th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Hey Shaun King, maybe you might know of a much more well-known motto of Tony Dungy, that would be being a choke artist of the highest order in the playoffs.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:33 am
The heat on McCoy is all about his paycheck. Straight talk.
Assuming King didn’t blow his NFL money, the Bucs won’t be able to shut him up. Not all the media can be bought.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Thomas you’re a doofus. Culpper was spot on. McCoy’s not making any sense with his comments is most of the problem.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:44 am
As Bucs head coach, Dungy & Morris have the same number of Super Bowl wins (and from the looks of the Colts now w/o Manning, Dungy had little to do with that SB win). I can’t stand the Father Dungy crowd, was Dungy a good coach, yes, but his teams were uninspiring and absolutely emotionless which translated onto the field as uninspired and emotionless football, it was like watching a defensive football machine that couldn’t score. Bring in Chucky and in comes the emotion and a SB. We all know Chucky’s shortcomings, bad evaluater and worse drafter. This regime is still just in the second year of the rebuild, 2009 was what we call the tear-down year, clear the underbrush and old growth out and let the new growth begin, last season was the start. McCoy gets it, I think the older ex-players need to calm the hell down, this is not Father Dungy and The Emotionless Monk-aneers. McCoy is not Brooks,King or whoever he’s Gerald McCoy and that’s the only person needs to be.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:53 am
“Tony Dungy’s motto all through his time in Tampa was, No Excuses. No Explanations,” King said.
hands down the most applicable statement for all walks of life.
shut up and do your f-ing job.
September 18th, 2011 at 11:26 am
Let me make something clear, I do NOT give a shit about what Gerald McCoy has said. Amd although some of my friends are the ones calling him out I totally disagree with them. TOTALLY. First were the taken out of context Brady comments he said as a joke, now its comments he made about the Lions offensive line being illegal WHICH WERE ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Here is my thing, why didnt anybody comment on his actual performance? You know, what REALLY matters! Was it because he played well? Or was it because they dont know enough about DLine play to tell tthe difference? Honestly I have seen the past two years that fans will let talk radio make them believe anything and so be it. But if I were a fan who actually cared about the direction of this team I would be demanding a lot more competent commentary about the product on the field that a bunch of dime store psychologist s worroed about what a guy says after the game. So far I havent heard any local host admit he played well athough The head coach said he did repeatedly, the announcers during the game did repeatedly and I saw it with my own two eyes grading the game. What about u?
September 18th, 2011 at 11:53 am
They all need to shut the f^*k up and leave McCoy alone. Their problem is , that they are all old men. They didn’t grow up in the communication age. Twitter, Facebook, etc didn’t exsist when they played. So that should shut up and accept the changing times. They are dinosaurs at this point. And NOT one of them took local kids to The movies. Just a stray way for a team to reach it’s fan base. And in case you guys haven’t noticed- this team is code red on reaching it’s fan base- being the only team that can’t get enough slackers in their stadium to fill it up.
My jOb demands that I stay on top of the newest technology, and EVERY possible form
Of communication and information. So of my “old school” comrades refuse to accept or acknowledge the new communication era . We have a word for them
Extinct.
McCoy having open communication with the fans will only further endear him to fans, who need to get to know this team, so they’ll get off their ass and go see them. The old retired Bucs need to accept things have changed.
Both McCoys talent and Style will be the future of this franchise.
September 18th, 2011 at 11:57 am
People get upset/angy when coaches and players say the same ol’ rhetoric all the time and give the exact same answer to every question. And people get upset/angry when you have players and coaches who are actually honest, speak their minds and let you know what their thinking. To sum it up, people are always to be angry/upset. It’s the world we live in today.
I’m not one who likes to make excuses or hear your team make excuses, but it’s ridiculous what people get upset/angry at these days. Like Teddy Bruschi clobbering Ochocinco for twittering “WOW” and complimenting his team’s performance. WOW!
September 18th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Steve White- as always, the best voice on all things Buc. Exactly. My post all week pointed out that McCoy played great- and was statistically TWICE as good as Suh.
It also amazes me That BUC Fans aren’t up in Arms over the Lions deliberate cheating, and the Refs lettinging it slide. It almost implies that the NFL let them get away with it. It was obviously illegal. It was obvious the lions knew it, yet practed that way. It was also obvious they knew they weren’t gonna get called for it!! It kinda implies that , if the NFL wants you to be an” up and coming team”, you get illegal advantages.
That is a major alliegation. But if you look at that game – they played an illegal alignment the entire game, with no concern of penalty.
September 18th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
@SWG94 – You’re so right man!
People will believe anything they hear and let their minds be made up for them instead of making it up themselves. It’s a really sad thought actually.
And I have not heard anyone local besides the coach say he played well either. These people either just have no clue what’s going on or like I said earlier, this world is just full of upset/angry people who will never be happy, or just don’t want to be.
And yes I agree again, I thought he played very well. This was his first game back from injury as well. He did a fine job, and I think he has been since about the midpoint of the season last year.
If Price and McCoy can stay healthy and keep going in the direction that they are headed, I see a very bright future even with these shades on. They really remind of “The Williams Wall” in some ways.
September 18th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
GMC may be doing a great job of lifting the curtain of what goes on gameday, but the problem is he’s revealing how clueless or slow to adapt he and/or his coaches are to the unexpected. That’s why the Bucs veterans are trying to tell him put more production on game tape and less bulletin board material on audio tape.
September 18th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Steve – thanks for weighing in. Although I don’t have your resume and credentials, I did watch the game and grade him. I have been accused of being too tough on McCoy, maybe some of that is true.
However, he was okay against the run, 2 tackles, most positive run plays did not come from his gap etc. In pass rush he was terrible. I heard you on the radio concede that.
Do you consider a decent run game performance and a bad pass game performance playing well? I think that Price has shown more productivity when healthy. I think that Price is a more natural 3 technique and I have argued that if Price is healthy I would love to see Okam starting at Nose and Price at UT with McCoy rotating in on obvious run downs/short-yardage.
If you stripped the draft position and pay grade away from price, Okam and McCoy I truly believe that the stock price of McCoy right now would be the lowest.
I was very pleased with Bowers in his first pro start Being able to win a couple one on ones (also Price as I stated) from my notes Bowers had the only clear hit on Stafford all day. Many of Stafford’s throws were 7 step drops where he camped out and waited for CJ to get in position.