McCoy done with disrespect
Frustrated DT feels underappreciated
TAMPA — Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is mad as hell and he’s not taking it any more.
At least that’s what he said during a brief rant on Twitter Monday morning.
McCoy, a five-time Pro Bowl player, took to social media to make his case that he’s underappreciated in Tampa Bay and even suggested he might be gone “soon enough.”
“They won’t appreciate you until you’re gone,’’ McCoy tweeted. “Soon enough though. Then we’ll see.”
In another tweet, he said, “No more being quiet. I’m done holding my tongue. Believe that!”
He also tweeted, “You try and try with people but they don’t get it. They push you and push you until you cross that line. Well line crossed.’’
It’s unclear what or whom McCoy is referring to, but a likely candidate is former Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber, who also serves as the team’s TV analyst during the preseason.
In a story in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times, Barber was asked about which players on the Bucs’ were “Badass,” a phrase used by coach Dirk Koetter to describe what he wants the identity of his team to be.
“But you see an attitude emerging, especially at linebacker,’’ Barber said. “Those two guys, Lavonte (David) and Kwon (Alexander) have to be able to drive the bus, especially Kwon, because he has so much energy,’’ Barber said.“If he can consistently be that guy, it will raise the defense. I love Gerald (McCoy), but for a defensive tackle to drive a team, he has to have a huge personality. I mean the personality of (Warren) Sapp or a John Randle.”
About a half hour after those comments, McCoy tweeted, “Training camp, 2017-18 seaszon ..... LET’S GO!! Now it’s really time to go!! No more talking or tweeting.’’
McCoy is signed through 2021. He agreed to a six-year, $95.2 million contract in 2015.
But ever since the Bucs made McCoy the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, he has struggled to overcome the shadow cast by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
It’s an unfair comparison for any player, but if you’re the under tackle in Tampa Bay, it’s also inevitable. It’s also hard to imagine McCoy’s personality being more of a polar opposite than Sapp’s, both on and off the field. McCoy’s demeanor compares more favorably to Lee Roy Selmon.
In responding to Koetter’s “badass” plea, Barber addressed the Bucs’ Super Bowl XXXVII team.
“I was an angry worker,’’ Barber said. “I had a large chip on my shoulder, as you well know. On Sunday, John Lynch talked (trash). Nicest guy in the world until Sunday. Then he ran around and imposed his will on people. That’s the best way to put it. A badass is someone who in any situation says he’s going to impose his will on you. A bad-ass team tries to impose its will on other teams. It’s like those biker gangs who walk out of the dive bars. You see them come out and you think, ‘Man, I’m not messing with that crew.’
“Winning. You’ve got to win. You’re not badass if you don’t win.
“Sapp was one because he was overly talented and played with a bravado and an energy that was unmatched. He could talk the game and back it up. You knew what you were getting into with him. He showed himself to opponents, like putting his helmet down and spinning it in front of the other team. You knew they were going to have to deal with him. That’s badass.’’