Superman’s Kryptonite: McCoy Out!

Ladies and Gentlemen of Bucs Nation it is over, finally!

Gerald McCoy has been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCoy was due to make $13,000,000 this season and was the situation was becoming a distraction for management, coaching staff, players, and fans. The Buccaneers were rumored to be trying to find a trade partner for the 6 time Pro Bowler, but no luck. The move has caused several emotional responses by fans.

Let’s dive into what McCoy meant to the Buccaneers:

He was drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. He has been the anchor of the defense since 2010. That being said McCoy has been injury prone during his career. Gerald McCoy missed 14 regular season games from 2010-2018. Not to mention last season he was tied for 54 on the sack list with 6. He also had 17 solo tackles. Fans will say, “He was getting doubled teamed all year.” Well, I am sorry to say Aaron Donald and Fletcher Cox get double and sometimes triple teamed, but their stats don’t change. McCoy became more infatuated with his work off the field. This is not a knock on him, because the community appreciates everything McCoy has done for them during his tenure in Tampa. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay pays for what you do between the lines and McCoy just wasn’t good enough to warrant $13 million dollars. There was zero chance of him lining up for the Buccaneers this season. The relationship was tarnished and it didn’t help his cause when both he and his wife took to social media.

Now the Buccaneers need to fill the void left by JPP’s injury and McCoy’s departure.  Ndamukong Suh will fill that void very nicely. Suh is rumored to want to sign a 1 year- $10 million contract with the Buccaneers. He has been incredibly durable in his career. The defensive tackle has NEVER missed a game due to injury in his career. He also played alongside Aaron Donald last season in Los Angeles. He will immediately make 2 year defensive tackle, Vita Vea, better. Vea will see more single coverage, which is always a good thing if we learned anything from last season. Fans only remember Suh for his suspensions, but when is the last time we had a guy with this type of mean streak…. Warren Sapp? I mean we had a banner up that read “Geraldini’s Superheroes.” The message was good, but when it comes down to it Gerald was playing more like a sidekick than a superhero.

Head Coach Bruce Arians is ushering in a new regime in Tampa, so fans need to embrace the change. A player like Suh could be a game changer for the Buccaneers. He has a lot to prove this season if he hopes to land another big contract before retiring. One thing’s for sure the tides are changing at One Buc Place and time will tell if it’s for the better. Stay tuned for additional moves that may come for the Buccaneers.