On Sunday, Buccaneers defensive lineman Gerald McCoy was lost for the year with a torn biceps muscle. On Monday, coach Raheem Morris rubbed McCoy’s face in the injured area by blaming the incident on tackling form.
“It goes back to Pop Warner,” Morris told WDAE on Monday, via JoeBucsFan.com. “All your Pop Warner coaches tell you, ‘Don’t arm tackle.’ And that’s exactly why. You gotta put your chest on people. You gotta have your eyes up. Sky your eyes and do the right thing all the time, or it’s going to happen in football. You’re going to get hurt.”
Regardless of whether Morris is right (and he probably is), publicly calling out a key player whose error has resulted in a significant injury may not be the best way to retain the affections of the locker room.
Even Pop Warner coaches know that.