Bucs DT Gerald McCoy Rips Critics Who Question His Love for Football

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy isn't happy with people questioning his love of football and effort in the game.

He took to Instagram on Sunday to make sure people knew he was grinding (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times):

"Cinco de Mayo. Everybody out, probably getting ready to drink, probably drinking right now. No matter. You want to question me? See what I do on Cinco de Mayo. I work. I work. And I've got my kids with me. How many people doing that? All-Pro on and off the field. Want to question me? 'Is he going to be ready? Does he love football?' What? Y'all crazy. Lost y'all mind. I work. Don't you ever question me."

McCoy, 31, was once one of the NFL's most dominant interior linemen, registering 33.5 sacks between 2013 and 2016. And while he's still able to generate pressure up the middle—he's posted six sacks in each of the last two seasons—his overall impact on the game has waned.

Last season, he earned a grade of 78.6 from Pro Football Focus, just 28th among interior defensive linemen. 

It's not that McCoy had a bad season. As PFF's Daniel Rymer wrote:

"With 38 pressures (20 hurries, 12 hits, 6 sacks) on 426 pass-rush snaps, McCoy earned the 33rd-best pass-rush productivity rating (5.2) out of 121 qualifying interior defenders. To compliment his pass-rushing ability, McCoy also finished with the 28th-best run-defense grade (81.1) among interior defenders; he recorded 11 run stops on 272 run defense snaps."

But for a player who ranked in the top 10 at his position in PFF's rankings from 2012-14, it was below the lofty standards he established for himself earlier in his career. 

New head coach Bruce Arians has noticed. He said in March that McCoy is "not as disruptive as he was four years ago" after watching film, per Stroud. And he also spoke about McCoy's passion for the game. 

"It's very hard because we can't get in pads," Arians said in March. "You still see it. You still see his enthusiasm for the game. If he still has all that, I'm fine."

McCoy hasn't participated in the team's offseason workout program or voluntary minicamp, and his release remains a possibility given the $13 million he's due this season, none of which is guaranteed. He's under contract through the 2021 season, but the Buccaneers could release him this offseason without absorbing any dead cap space. 

So if McCoy isn't willing to renegotiate his deal, it's possible the Bucs could move on.