Buccaneer Gerald McCoy Turns Transformer, Shows off New Verson of G-Mac

Golf has a "G-Mac" in Graeme McDowell.

The Bucs have their own "G-Mac" at defensive tackle—Gerald McCoy.

The 2011 version of G-Mac showed up at Josh Freeman's mini-camp down there Tuesday at the IMG Academy in Bradenton and you'd think he'd spent most of the offseason with Sgt. Hulka from the movie Stripes.

G-Mac, the 2011 model, is a lean, mean and more muscular fighting machine.

Baby fat might be okay at Oklahoma but McCoy found out last season that when you're up against the best of the best, you'd better be ready to get better.

This new version of G-Mac certainly looks more imposing, looks more like a top three draft choice should look and perhaps, just perhaps, he's going to bring a little more "nasty" to the d-line if and when there is a football season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McCoy was the take-charge guy for the linemen during the first day of workouts and the good news is that two key defensive draft choices were there with him, first-round pick Adrian Clayborn and third-round linebacker Mason Foster.

It's too bad that Da'Quan Bowers wasn't there. He needed to see McCoy and see the tone that is being set by G-Mac.

That's a big thing with a young team like this. The Bucs need players to "set the tone." Josh Freeman's doing it on offense and make no mistake about it, Freeman doesn't want to be just good, he wants to be great and isn't that a great thing for this offense?

Good is one thing, great is another. There are a lot of good football players in the NFL, there are not that many great ones. Good can mean a nice playing career. Great means the Hall of Fame will one day call.

If you read enough and look around, there are different schools of thought on these player-organized workouts. But given the weather here and given the youth of this Buccaneer football team, these three days of Josh and G-Mac and the rest are very valuable.

Kinda reminds you of that moment from the movie The Dirty Dozen when Lee Marvin knew he had a team. The rag-tag bunch went from the "I'm not doing this and I'm not doing that" attitude to "we're not doing this and we're not doing that."

That's the one thing that's so very important to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at this point in time.

Perhaps that's Gerald McCoy's subliminal message to the rest of the defense.

Gander a look at his improved physique then look at his enthusiasm.

The defense needs a dose of both.