Gerald McCoy is one man who understands. He's seen so much in this league that anytime he opens his mouth with a golden nugget, young NFLers must perk up and listen.
“Young players, you live football.” This was the 3-technique monster's main message to his younger Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
“Me? I’ve been doing this nine years, so I’ve learned how to manage everything. If you’re young, live it. Don’t be happy being in the NFL. So what? What are you going to do now that you’re here? Do something with it. Make the best of the opportunity.”
McCoy, 30, is as good as it comes from a defensive interior perspective.
The veteran has qualified for the Pro Bowl six times over the span of his eight-year career while also finding his way as a First-Team All-Pro member back in 2013. Perhaps nobody in football history has witnessed an interior defensive lineman with a quicker “get-off” than McCoy. He's a talented, athletic specimen, but his true prowess out of the 3-technique comes from his extraordinary anticipation and first step.
That's what makes his advice so valuable. He doesn't simply rely on god-given-talent. He studied the game and worked at it until that get-off was sublime. McCoy's also a tremendous family man.
“If I’m talking to Vita, go home, say hello to your family and get right back here,” McCoy said. “The only way to prepare for this Tampa heat is to be in it. You have to train in it. . . . Live what you’re doing, man. Set a foundation now. I’m nine years in and I’ve set a foundation. Young guy? Football. That’s it.”
In 2017, McCoy tallied six sacks and 33 tackles. He'll enter 2018 with the most talent around him he's perhaps experienced his entire career.
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