Captain Fear
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- Mar 20, 2019
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It’s unclear whether Cleveland or Baltimore offered defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as much or more than the carefully-crafted Carolina compensation package that tries to top Ndamukong Suh‘s money, but neither the new Browns nor the old Browns could give McCoy what his new team can: Two cracks this year at his old team.
That definitely counts for something, even though the Panthers-Bucs series won’t entail a return to Tampa for McCoy, since that game will be played in London. Beyond dumping McCoy’s $13 million salary, Bucs coach Bruce Arians publicly discussed the notion that McCoy “just didn’t fit,” even though (as noted by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) Arians had previously said that he believes McCoy fits Bowles’ defense. The team ultimately chose a cheaper option, who is both more than a year older than McCoy and who developed a reputation in 2018 for not going all out, all the time. Throw in the news from Monday that the Bucs instantly gave Ndamukong Suh the number worn by McCoy for nine years in Tampa, and the two games played by the two teams in 2019 become far more intriguing.
That said, McCoy bristled at the suggestion that the team’s issuance of 93 to Suh and McCoy’s decision to sign with the Panthers wasn’t a coincidence. Still, it’s hard not to wonder whether all factors — the cutting of McCoy, the signing of Suh, Arians’ comments, and the issuance of 93 to Suh — came together to push the needle away from Cleveland and Baltimore and toward Carolina.
Regardless, McCoy staying in the division makes those games more interesting than they otherwise would have been.