Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
There are a lot of good players on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ defense. One of those players is a guy who always seems to get overlooked in defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
McCoy was the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He went right after Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Some scouts thought that McCoy might leapfrog Suh in that draft because McCoy possessed superior quickness. Obviously that wasn’t that case as Suh went number two overall, but McCoy was a solid pick by Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik. He can rush the passer very well and is arguably a better run defender than Suh.
The one problem with McCoy is that he has been injury-prone. He only played a full season in 2012, in which he impressed with five sacks and good run defense. Before that, however, McCoy only played 19 games in his first two seasons. Simply put, Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan needs McCoy to stay on the field.
Assuming that McCoy plays against the New England Patriots, he is bound to have a big game. His main matchup might be against Patriots left guard Logan Mankins, but McCoy has the quickness to get by Mankins, especially in the passing game. Mankins should get the better of McCoy in the running game, but that’s not as big of a deal considering that the Buccaneers play excellent run defense.
What could be really scary is if McCoy takes snaps against right guard Dan Connolly. Connolly is a below-average offensive guard in both running blocking and pass protection. That is not good considering that McCoy is above-average in both of those facets. McCoy could continually get the better of Connolly if he matches up against the offensive guard.
If used the right way, McCoy could be a player that continually disrupts Tom Brady while helping to shut down a running game that is already struggling.
Philip Alexander is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @steely0906, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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