After a report surfaced on ESPN about Buccaneers’ defensive tackle
Gerald McCoyand his work ethic, a former Bucs coach spoke out about it.
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Jenna Laine of ESPN asked the other NFC South writers what they thought about the firing of Lovie Smith and Falcons writer Vaughn McClure used the opportunity to take a shot at Pro Bowl tackle Gerald McCoy’s work ethic, which we covered here. Mark Cook of PewterReport.com took the opportunity to reach out to former Buccaneers defensive line coach Joe Cullen to see what he thought of the comments. Joe responded in the way only Joe can;
"“You tell him to tell his source to put his name on it,. That is total BS. Gerald worked his ass off. I’ve coached some good ones around the league but no one worked harder than Gerald. He was limited at times because of injury but no one in that building worked harder. You can put MY name on that as a source. Total BS. Tell that guy he can call me.”Mar 13, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Honorary starter Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) waives to fans prior to the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at streets of St. Petersburg. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports"
Cullen, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens as their defensive line coach, could not have been more angry or upset at the notion according to Cook, who also spoke at length about it on the What The Buc? Podcast recently.
"“As a guy who has seen Gerald every year since his second year, we’re talking about every practice, every OTA, every mini-camp, blah, blah, blah…no one has ever questioned his work ethic. Listen, Joe got fired by this team. He doesn’t owe anybody anything, he doesn’t have to blow smoke at this point. Joe was always a brutally honest guy and had a good relationship with Scott (Reynolds) and I. I texted Joe and (a few minutes later) I get a text back. Before I can finish reading it here comes a call from Joe.He is hot. Not like a ‘put on’ hot, like when your wife gets fake mad. Joe was genuinely pissed about the situation. To me, that answered any question, not that I had any questions because we witness it first-hand. When you talk about a man’s work ethic, you’re confronting his character, in a sense. Gerald works hard and always has worked had and that’ll never change.”"
With yet another report coming out that McClure is way off base, it seems as though McClure may want to find himself a new source sooner rather than later.
Next: Should The Bucs Pursue Roddy White?
In the meantime, Bucs fans can rely on Gerald McCoy busting his rear to continue to improve and help the Buccaneers continue to right the ship heading into the 2016 season.