— Gerald McCoy says he’s approaching his ninth training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the same way he has all the others.
The six-time Pro Bowl selection really doesn’t feel there’s any reason to change because attitude is a big part of his success.
“I always try and stay in the rookie mindset Jack Doyle Jersey , always willing to learn more, knowing I can learn more, and just do my best to learn more,” the 29-year-old defensive tackle said.
“I’m not Gerald McCoy. I’m No. 93 on a 91-man roster, trying to make the team. Once I make the team, then I’ll be Gerald McCoy. … Until then, I’m just another guy trying to make the team.”
It’s not the first time a player of his stature has claimed the same thing, but there’s no disputing the 6-foot-4, 300-pound McCoy’s desire to get better and help the Bucs re-emerge as contenders.
Tampa Bay has missed the playoffs the past 10 seasons, the second-longest drought in the NFL behind the Cleveland Browns, who haven’t earned a playoff berth since 2002.
McCoy, who has 48½ career sacks and has been selected to play in six consecutive Pro Bowls, was the third overall pick in the 2010 draft.
Personal success, however, has been bittersweet.
A year ago Doug Flutie Jersey , Tampa Bay’s defense ranked at or near the bottom of league rankings in several key categories, including passing, total yards and points allowed, as well as sacks and third-down efficiency.
General manager Jason Licht and coach Dirk Koetter are counting on the trend changing after upgrading around McCoy with the offseason acquisition of veteran defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul, Beau Allen, Vinny Curry and Mitch Unrein, as well as first-round draft pick Vita Vea.
Pierre-Paul had 58½ sacks over the past eight seasons with the New York Giants. Allen and Curry were productive members of a deep defensive line rotation that helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl last winter, while Unrein was part of Denver’s AFC championship team five years ago. Vea was the 12th pick of the draft.
Understandably, McCoy is excited.
“We brought in four new guys that have all played in a Super Bowl, and three of them have won it. That’s a lot of experience. Guys who know what to do and how to do it — do it the right way,” the ninth-year pro said.
“Just the (defensive line) room overall is different, a lot of experience, and a lot of knowledge. Guys bouncing ideas off of each other, things you’ve never heard before. … It’s only just going to make us great in the long run,” McCoy added. “But John Ross Jersey , we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Curry, who started every game for the Eagles last season, said the linemen are building chemistry and learning more and more about each other every day in practice.
“My biggest thing is I’m telling everyone: winning is contagious,” Curry said.
“It’s the National Football League, everybody is good,” Curry added. “It comes down to discipline and how bad do you want it.”
McCoy is doing his part, too.
In addition to picking the brains of the veteran newcomers, he has been spending extra time after practice helping some of the younger players trying to earn jobs.
McCoy recalls the early years of his career, when there weren’t any experienced defensive linemen on the team to take him under their wings.
“I can honestly say I had no help. When I say help, I mean guidance as far as how to play this (pro) game, at least from a defensive line standpoint,” McCoy said. “I don’t want any D-linemen to come through Tampa, while I’m here, and be able to say that. … I never want guys to have to experience what I did.”
Police acknowledged Tuesday that a woman was assaulted during a home invasion at a suburban Atlanta house owned by NFL star LeSean McCoy, hours after graphic posts on social media accused the Buffalo Bills running back of bloodying his former girlfriend.
One female was treated and released from the hospital Logan Woodside Jersey , while another sustained a minor injury during a targeted invasion early Tuesday, Milton police said in a release responding to requests by The Associated Press.
McCoy denied allegations posted on social media earlier in the day accusing him of hurting his former girlfriend.
"For the record, the totally baseless and offensive claims made against me today on social media are completely false," McCoy said in a statement released on two of his social media accounts. "Further more, I have not had any direct contact with any of the people involved in months."
McCoy was responding to an Instagram post from a person who said she is friends with the injured woman. The post showed a graphic photo of the former girlfriend and accused McCoy of physically abusing her, his son and his dog, as well as injecting steroids.
The woman who posted the accusations and the ex-girlfriend have not responded to messages left by The Associated Press, though both Instagram accounts showed pictures of the women together in London during a music festival, with comments on each other's posts. The AP generally does not identify people who may have been victims of abuse.
Police said it's not clear how many suspects were involved, but one demanded specific items from one of the women in the home.
Police spokesman Charles Barstow said he could not release any further details.
The Bills issued a statement saying they have been in contact with McCoy and the NFL and will continue gathering information. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is reviewing the matter.
McCoy turns 30 on Thursday and is preparing to enter his fourth season with the Bills. He spent his first six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he led the NFL in yards rushing in 2013 before being traded to Buffalo in 2015. He has never been suspended by the NFL for using performance enhancing substances during his nine-year career.
Fulton County Magistrate Court records show that McCoy initiated eviction proceedings against the former girlfriend in July 2017, saying that the pair were no longer in a relationship.
Court records show two attempts to serve the former girlfriend with the document but no other action. Eviction paperwork was filed again last month with McCoy listed as the plaintiff and the woman and "and all others" listed as the defendant.
The sworn statement to initiate the proceedings was signed by Tamarcus Porter, who played football with McCoy in college.
Porter was arrested with McCoy following a nightclub brawl involving off-duty police officers in Philadelphia in February 2016. No charges were filed after prosecutors said they could not prove who initiated the fight in which two officers were injured.
The sworn statement signed by Porter said McCoy is the owner of the house and that his ex-girlfriend was refusing to leave.
No attorney for McCoy is listed in court records for the June 6 filing.
The former girlfriend challenged the eviction June 22, saying she had been in a relationship with McCoy for at least two years and that she and her children have lived with McCoy at his house since October 2016, according to a motion filed by her lawyer.
A hearing on the woman's motion had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon Nick Bellore Jersey , but her attorney requested a delay because of a family emergency. The judge issued an order resetting the case 30 days.
McCoy discussed marriage with her over Memorial Day and, on May 29, gave her "a substantial gift," the motion says. McCoy left Georgia the next day and had not returned, the motion says.
The woman went to Virginia on May 31 to attend her sister's graduation. While she was gone, on June 1, McCoy had some of his friends, family members and others remove her furniture and furnishings without her knowledge, the motion says.
The woman saw this happening through security cameras that she could monitor on her cellphone and called the police, the motion says. The police stopped the removal.
The eviction papers were served on the woman's 16-year-old son on June 11.
The woman's lawyer argues that serving the eviction papers on a minor was improper and invalid and the proceedings should be quashed. The lawyer also argues that since Porter is not an attorney, the case should be dismissed.
The woman's attorney claims the eviction action was "completely falsified" by Porter, that McCoy never asked her or her children to leave the home. The last time the pair spoke was on June 1, when McCoy said he was going to meet the woman in Virginia for her sister's graduation.
Associated Press Writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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07.09.2018 09:03
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