The PewterReport.com staff will choose a daily Bucs Camp MVP during Tampa Bay’s 2017 training camp based on that player’s performance. Visit PewterReport.com daily to find out which player is named the Bucs Camp MVP.
Bucs Camp MVP 8-5: Unblockable Day For McCoy
Maybe it was the overflowing, standing-room only crowd at Saturday’s practice.
Maybe it was this secret motivation that Gerald McCoy has talked about since the offseason to try and push himself to an even higher standard in 2017.
Or perhaps it was to show former defensive back Ronde Barber, who was on the sidelines, that he is, in fact, bad ass.
Whatever it was, it worked.
McCoy dominated in team drills on Saturday, making whichever offensive lineman drew the short straw to block him, look silly.
Defensive line coach Jay Hayes wasn’t surprised.
“I mean the guy is an All-Pro player. He is supposed to have days like that.”
Someone else who was singing McCoy’s praise – and was victimized on a number of plays – was guard Kevin Pamphile.
“Man, when you’re a Pro Bowler you’ve got to play like a Pro Bowler and that’s what he did today,” Pamphile said. “In the huddle we were like, ‘Man, we’ve got to stop this guy!’ He’s playing great. He’s playing lights-out football right now. It’s making us better going against him every day. I consider him the best D-tackle in the league right now – by far. No one can beat him. When I go up against him every day and then other guys in the league it doesn’t even compare.”
WOW!
Gerald McCoy with back-to-back tackles for loss. They can't block this man today. pic.twitter.com/uCROQyCmdt
— PewterReport (@PewterReport) August 5, 2017
At one point, towards the middle of practice, McCoy had two back-to-back dominating tackles for loss. On the first one, McCoy was able to shed his block and give running back Doug Martin a stiff shot in the hole, and, on the next, McCoy timed the snap and used his quickness to split the center and guard to meet Martin in the backfield just as he received the ball from quarterback Jameis Winston.
Veteran teammate, Clinton McDonald, was impressed with McCoy’s day as well.
“Man, that was an A-plus show today,” McDonald said. “He’s fighting because he knows he has the responsibility to uphold the defense. He got off the ball today and made a ton of plays in the backfield. He’s a Pro Bowler for a reason. He’s an All-Pro for a reason and he showed it today.”