Buccaneers: Game day spotlight week 14 vs Lions – Gerald McCoy
By James Yarcho
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to take on the Detroit Lions and their banged up offensive line, Gerald McCoy is poised for a big game.
Gerald McCoy is a polarizing player among Buccaneers fandom. Some love him, some hate him, some don’t appreciate all he does on a weekly basis. One thing that is indisputable is his ability to be disruptive to an opposing offensive line.
McCoy put his unrivaled get off on full display last week against the Green Bay Packers, showing why opposing offensive coordinators have to game plan around him so much;
How many people are still in their stance (offense too)? McCoy has already initiated contact. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/PbliiY7yCp
— Scott Smith (@ScottSmithFOX13) December 3, 2017
Yes, McCoy is pushing his way into the backfield before some Packers are even out of their stance yet. That’s how good this guy is.
The Lions are facing some offensive line issues and the injuries in Sunday’s game don’t help matters any. Guard T.J. Lang is questionable with a foot injury and this Lions line has already allowed Matthew Stafford to be sacked 39 times – that’s twice more than all of last season and on pace to break Stafford’s career high of 45.
If McCoy does what he always does and disrupts the offensive line – especially a below average one – he will wreak havoc in the Detroit backfield and get to Stafford early and often. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean sacks, but it does mean disrupting the timing of plays and forcing Stafford to get rid of the ball far sooner than he may want to. Of course, this creates opportunities for the secondary to make plays and produce turnovers.
It would be nice to see McCoy get a sack or two (I predicted he would get two on our preview episode of the Locked On Bucs podcast, as you can hear below), but if others around him can take advantage of the opportunities McCoy can create eating up two linemen.
Next: Everything You Need To Know About Bucs vs Lions
He may not make the splash play or have his name announced on the broadcast, but watch the film – he is going to create chances for this defense to make plays and that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from the future Ring Of Honor member.