Barber: Injured McCoy Doomed Bucs Defense
April 16th, 2012
Ronde Barber, not one to exaggerate, offered insight into the value of Gerald McCoy.
Painting vivid pictures on the 1010 AM radio airwaves with J.P. Peterson on Friday, Bucs icon Ronde Barber offered an image of his teammates hanging their heads when Gerald McCoy had his 2011 season ended in Week 9, on the heels of McCoy missing 2+ games with an ankle injury.
“Put it this way, when he got hurt last year we knew we were going to struggle. We knew right away,” Barber said. “We knew right away that, man, we don’t have a guy that can do that.”
Barber shared his excitement about McCoy’s talent level along with that of other Bucs defensive linemen. Barber also made it clear that after the Bucs’ 10-6 season in 2010, he thought he’d play two more years and be retiring “with multiple conference championships.” And it’s that remaining talent and new additions that led him to return in 2012.
“I know that front four we have there, they’re young, so it’s hard to say they’re great players, but they’re going to be great. I mean Gerald, man, Gerald’s had two great preseasons and followed it up by being hurt. So again, it’s not realized, we don’t know how good he can be. You see it in practice,” Barber said.
Barber went on to praise Brian Price, called Clayborn “a stud,” and said DaQuan Bowers “played his butt off at the end of last year.”
“It’s there,” Barber said of Bowers’ ability.
April 16th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Soon to be the best d-line in football..Book it !
April 16th, 2012 at 10:38 am
They just need to stay healthy, get a little more experience, and put it all together. I’m hopeful this will be the year.
April 16th, 2012 at 10:51 am
If McCoy, Price and Cody Grimm are healthy and can stay healthy, the bucs will not have the worst back 7 in football this year even without the addition of Morris Claiborne. If our D line can live up to its potential, our back 7 should have career years.
I hope they are looking at moving Lewis to Safety.
April 16th, 2012 at 10:51 am
Coach’em up!!!
April 16th, 2012 at 10:52 am
Reminds me a little of the Keith McCants/Hugh Green talk back in the day. Oft injured super talents.
Nobody wants to give up on a talented guy, till you have to.
Ronde will always support his fellow players, as he did Raheem Morris.
Well see.
April 16th, 2012 at 10:53 am
So rdy for the season
April 16th, 2012 at 10:55 am
@Eric – I heard this interview and Ronde wasn’t exactly supportive glowing about Tanard Jackson and the current safeties on the roster. He seemed genuine about McCoy. but you’re right, we’ll see.
April 16th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Just like Penn last year with Clayborn at practice, Nicks will make McCoy much better every day having to line up across him.
April 16th, 2012 at 10:57 am
do sometthin with M Lewis cut em or play em
April 16th, 2012 at 11:02 am
“Ronde Barber’s weekly radio show he defended Adams so dramatically it was laughable. Barber said that Adams has been making “great plays” throughout every game and that he’s developing into one of the best players in the league”.
I recall Ronde saying that about Gaines Adams…………..refering to him as one of the best players in the league. Disputing what Beckles was saying about Gaines.
Ronde is a great pro and wonderful guy- but perhaps his praise of Gerald ought to be taken with a grain of salt.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:08 am
@Eric….maybe you could say that if it weren’t for the fact that Davin Joseph calls McCoy the best DT he faces all year when he has to line up across from him at practice. (I know it’s the opposite side McCoy plays but apparently they move McCoy around) All McCoy needs to do is stay healthy and he’ll be great.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:13 am
Eric
Brooks, after he got canned, has also said similar things about Adams and that Adam’s never got a fair shake and was labeled badly. But, lets not forget Adam’s only played in the scheme he was drafted for his rookie year. He then had to deal with the Bates fiasco and Raheems poor defense coordination. I also think the great D-line Marinelli saw his up side and he traded for him, unfortunately never saw the possibilities that he could have produced.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:15 am
@Bobby,
You really expect Joseph to say the guy sucks?
Please point out an example of a player on a current team saying something like that. Of course Joseph will say that. Go interview everbody on the offensive and defensive line and they will glow about their team mates.
Just like Ronde did about Adams on his radio show. Winslow said the Bucs couldnt survive without Raheem Morris. C’mon now. Ronde said similar things.
I remember glowing remarks about Booker Reece.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:16 am
Eric … for what its worth … Gaines was our best sacker over the last 5 years until Clayborn got here last season.
If Gaines hadnt passed and got to play more with Marinelli and the Bears I think he would have been good for a solid 6-9 Sacks a season or maybe been a better 3-4 OLB. Gaines jusnt wasnt strong enough yet.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:16 am
Joe, where’s the mccoy twitter pic you promised to keep annoying us all with?
April 16th, 2012 at 11:20 am
@oar,
Could be true, and the man had a heart condition. Bruce has been lambasted for that selection nontheless.
I am only saying comments by Ronde or any current team mate are hardly objective.
Understandably so. Can’t line up and very well with a guy you publicly say sucks.
Never heard a current team mate of Trent Dilfer say he sucked publicly. But suck he did!
April 16th, 2012 at 11:38 am
@ Jarret
Dude no. Please don’t encourage him lol
April 16th, 2012 at 11:40 am
McCoy’s gotta do some bicep curls to strengthen those biceps! If he & Price can’t stay healthy this yr, it’s time to start looking for other dt’s!
April 16th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Ronde is a good teammate and friend. He is still trying to help rahrah and his terrible reputation.
April 16th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
cue the mccoy haters
April 16th, 2012 at 12:32 pm
@Thomas,
You look worse by the day trying to defend yourself. Maybe you should lay low like you normally do.
Btw, those 4 Saints games you love to bring up are a week excuse for the Bucs exceptional play without McCoy. Tell me how many sacks the Bucs had in those four games? Oh, you’d be surprised that it’s less than the amount of games you use to cite in your defense.
Sheep say ba ah ah ah!
April 16th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Which is exactly what the records show. Also what the defensive ratings show. Also what I’ve been telling the Zombies for months.
McCoy ideas your defense last year. Once he got hurt- it was over.
Numbers don’t lie- not even to zombies!
Teammates don’t get on the air and say guys on their team suck.
But Nothing forces Joseph to say McCoy is the best tackle he plays all year. Other than its true
And no Eric- I call B.S. I’ve listened to Ronde since he had a show. He didn’t “Rave” about the late Gaines Adams. He gave the courtesy Stuff right out of the hand Book” developing. Young. Needs experience”
Nothing similar to what he says about McCoy.
And by the way- Hugh Green was a monster here!!
He’d be a better Lb corp by himself, back in the day- than the three lil sissies we have flittering around now!
I’ve been a fan as long as you have- you aren’t gonna slide mud in, to dirty a debate- past me buddy!!
Besides- we’d be celebrating a SuperBowl win , if you’d stayed in the recliner!
And NOBODY, EVER, said a good thing about Booker Reece. I can’t believe you sunk to that level. I’m embarrassed for you.
That’s almost as bad as Thomas, denying that Winslow was our leading reciever 3 years in a row. There’s arguing- then there’s flat, bold faced B.S.!!
April 16th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Nice to see your still stirring the soup, Capt TIM! Lol.
April 16th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Ok Capt. Ill play:
Here is Ronde’s comment about Aqib Talib:
Asked what he believed the Bucs would do with Talib after the lockout ends, Barber simply offered unequivocal support for his teammate.
“That’s tough for me to say,” Barber said. “I would like to see it not be (the end). I think Aqib is a great, great teammate. I can’t make excuses for his behavior off the field. And obviously, he knows where he needs to improve. That can’t be his issue. He’s too good of a football player to be having issues like that off the field.
“But I’m going to support him. He’s my teammate. I love him to death. I’ve known him for three years and I have nothing but respect for how he plays the game. He definitely needs to figure out how to keep himself out of trouble and focus on what he does best, and that’s play football.”
I am assuming since you hold Ronde’s opinion about GMC in such high regard you also agree with him about Aqib Talib? He seems to dissagree with your “Aqib is a cancer” opinion.
Or, are you applying some sort of double standard cherry picking?
April 16th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
I hope that Nicks doesn’t hurt/mame/kill McCoy in Camp. No, as said above, Nicks should help all the D line players improve. The guy is Beast all the way. Nicks reminds me of a Wooly Mammoth or a Mastodon. One thing is for sure, those D tackles won’t find a tougher guard in the NFL than Carl Nicks. Nicks was the #1 Top Free Agent this year and maybe in the last 5 years, I’d say since Julius Peppers. He’s a Buc and I’m stoked about it.
April 16th, 2012 at 1:32 pm
@Eric
Your last spoken like a true Lawyer.
Excellent Job, because you can’t really have it both ways now can you?
April 16th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Thomas, if Ronde wanted to help Raheem, he would have signed with Washington, yes????
He’s still a Buc, not much help to Raheem.
April 16th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
In my opinion McCoy has been average to above average when on the field. The majority of his teammates and analysts seem to think he will be a big time breakout player this year. If he is healthy he very well could be. The facts keep coming out when he isn’t on the field the Bucs record is awful, with him very respectable. The players around him haven’t exactly been worked beaters, not to mention the coaching.
I’ve pointed this out time and time again for people that compared him to Suh his 1st year.. look at the talent on the Bucs d-line vs the Lions d-line. Suh wouldn’t have had nearly the impact he had if he was on the Bucs his rookie year. Suh was maybe average this year; Troy Aikman pointed out time and time again that NFL offensive coordinators game plan for Corey Willams the DT right next to him before Suh. Once he and these other d-lineman around him hopefully develop more with better coaching and stay healthy then they will be better to judge them all at the end of the year. This year is huge for GMC, Price, Bowers, Black, and Foster.
April 16th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
@ Eric….nobody asked Joseph about GMC. The specific question was “Who is the best DT you line up against during the season”. Joseph said it was McCoy and that McCoy made him a better player. That’s pretty high praise that was unsolicited. Beyond that…just look at the film when McCoy is in the game. The guy is a beast and the entire D-line reaped the rewards. Sack totals were up, ypc were down. The entire defense was much better. He needs to stay healthy but that’s all he needs to do to elevate the entire defense, just stay healthy and play like he has when he was healthy.
April 16th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Ok Bobby,
But you do recognize that numerous experts (not players on our team) have commented that Gerald does not have good technique.
He may have to do a bit more than just stay healthy.
Besides, being the best D-lineman on the bucs is similar to the best chess player in Gibsonton. Not a lot of stars for the group that allowed the most points in team history.
April 16th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
The only ‘experts’ I’ve heard say that are former players that had such terrible technique themselves that the only thing they could do to earn money was host a talk sports program. I know what I saw when McCoy was in and it wasn’t a guy with bad technique drawing all the double teams. I saw a guy that was constantly in the opposing teams backfield disrupting plays and allowing others to capitalize like Clayborn. I watched every game last year on NFL rewind and if you do that and single out McCoy when he was playing you’ll see what I mean.
April 16th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
@bobby
Did you miss Brian Baldinger’s analysis of Gerald?
April 16th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
@ Eric….thanks for proving my point….
April 16th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
@bigmacattack Tim has it both ways on almost every topic, that way he sometimes can get it right, once he does get it right he will tell you all about it, and act like he invented the forward pass.
April 16th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Eric- truly answered like a Lawyer, or even worse , a politicician
I didn’t quote Ronde, in reguards to McCoy.
I quoted Davin Joseph. Who heaped the highest praise on McCoy, unsolicited and unasked.
I didn’t quote Ronde, as he does sometimes speak from his heart.
I did point out that you were exaggerating his statements about other Buccaneer players.
So Eric- are you saying that Joseph is lying about McCoy?
April 16th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Jarrett- if you see the win/ lose record with McCoy. Then see the defensive ranking with McCoy.
You’d have to be a complete mindless moron to question what facts prove conclusively( that means- the facts prove it to be true)
So, knowing you. I expect ya to jump right in the “McCoy sucks- cause he got hurt. See! I know ya. Once in a while , you show signs of life . .
No- I was thinking of another guy- yer consistent.
Over 80% of starting defensive tackles play less than 16 games a season due to injury, over the last 5 years.
40% suffer season ending injury
Tough job. And you thought Crab fishing was dangerous!
It’s a scary job, getting double teamed every play- by two 300+ lb world class Atheletes.
You guys are surprised that our best defensive player gets hurt ?
I know none of you ever thought Of this- but maybe they focus on him! He’s our only threat- Meybe all the lineman are concentrating on McCoy
Unless you Zombies think they are scared of Roy Miller!
The best way to keep McCoy healthy- is to get some damn players on defense. Then McCoy won’t be playing Solo out there- and might not get killed playing 1-11.
Cause believe me- ain’t no offense worried about blocking Hayes, Black, Foster, Jones, Jackson, or that lil quitter Talib.
Yet another new idea flashes in Zombie cave- courtesy of Capt Tim
Rusty Rhino- lol- stirring is my thing!
April 16th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
no tim i like mccoy, im on the capt tim sucks bandwagon
April 16th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Captain
This post is about ronde’s remarks about GMC. You referenced but didn’t quote ronde.
I don’t think ronde or Joseph are liars just good team mates. Just like brooks was when he supported Gaines.
I’ll wager Ian Beckles never said squat about anybody when he played.
My only point is that if you want accurate info about a player current team mates aren’t very credible sources. At least on the record. And, they shouldn’t be expected to be forthcoming about it.
Gerald may have a breakout year, who knows.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Although I totally agree with Capt. Tim on GMC, I have to agree with Eric that you can’t cherry pick the statements that support your belief (and ignore those that do not). By that same token, Thomas makes his living doing the exact same thing. Whenever Beckles or King say anything negative about GMC, he talks them up as if they are Vince Lombardi. Then when someone says the exact opposite, he dismisses it. The jury is still out on GMC, and it will be until he can stay healthy for a whole season. That’s not a knock on him, just reality. It is, however, absurd to say we are better off without him. Even those “experts” that have been critical of him haven’t said that. That distinction belongs to Mr. 2.2.
You do have to take player’s opinions on teammates with a grain of salt. However, for them to go that far, I’m sure they believe what they are saying. Potential doesn’t always transition into performance, unfortunately. I believe it will in the case of GMC, but again we will have to wait and see. The chances are a little more grim for Talib, but you never know. We are going to learn a lot about what we have in 2012.
April 17th, 2012 at 3:58 am
Jarrett- that’s because you are Clueless, know nothing of football, have never been right about anything you’ve ever posted, and stupid.
I thought we went over this?
April 17th, 2012 at 7:50 am
TIM I know your fat and a giant loser
April 18th, 2012 at 1:23 am
Captain,
You quoted a DT season casualty rate of 40%. The DT position will dictate the success or failure of the Bucs. Dominant play in depth is needed.
If McCoy is or becomes dominant, Okoye MAY develop to provide dominant depth behind him. Miller is a solid pro well worth his spot, but he is not dominant. Maybe Price is on the road to becoming dominant. Even if he is, there is no dominant depth behind him.
To best assure their future success, the Bucs should take Poe in the first round. Low motor? Takes plays off? Even if true, will not matter if the Bucs are running the ball and eating clock as he will not be on the field that often.
Take a safety in the second round and a cornerback in the third. Pick up a MLB in the fifth. Get a committee of RB’s at Save-a-Lot for receiving and
pass protection.
Run a base 4-3 with Poe beside McCoy, but mix it with some five man fronts with Price or Miller in with Poe over center beside McCoy. You need a cover one safety who will not give up “home runs”. You need CB’s and LB’s that can “play point guard”; punching receivers at the line and keeping position to disrupt the short timing routes long enough for the front five to collapse the pocket.