All-Pro defensive end Gerald McCoy’s unceremonious departure from Tampa Bay was one of the major story lines of the NFL offseason. The 9-year vet’s decision to sign with the Panthers, his former team’s NFC South foe, only escalated the talk around his release. So heading into his first matchup against his former team, it’s natural that a McCoy revenge game would be a major topic of discussion – for everyone but Gerald, that is.
“My family, my friends, you guys, fans, everybody is making this game a big deal and I’m not. Everybody thinks I’m going to make it a big deal and I’m not going to. The only thing that’s big about this game is I know exactly who I’m facing, what they’re good at, what they’re not good at. That’s it.”
That’s not to say this game isn’t important to McCoy, who says he understands his release was a “business move”, just not for the reasons everyone thinks.
“I don’t want to go 0-2. I know that. I’ve done that too many times in my career. We’ve got a really good team here and you never want to let one loss turn into two. So, we’ve got to bounce back and make sure we go out and play well on Thursday.”
There’s no question that a win is most important, but a little part of me thinks getting it against your former team will make a little bit sweeter.
