No player was bigger in the Buccaneers win over the Panthers than defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
So after the game, it’s only fitting that he heard from one of the biggest names in Bucs history.
McCoy had a sack, two tackles for loss and a pair of hits on Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the Bucs’ 16-10 win, and that prompted a call from Warren Sapp.
“Sapp called me last night and said, ‘Look, if you’ve ever got a quarterback in your grasp like that and you let him out, me and you are going to fight,’ ” McCoy said, via Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. “I don’t want none of that.
“It’s hard to bring [Newton] down. The dude moves like a receiver. He’s going to be good for a long time.’'
So is McCoy, as the former No. 3 overall pick is healthy and beginning to show signs of the talent that led to his draft status.
While they’re going to enjoy the contributions of rookie safety Mark Barron and linebacker Lavonte David, having a big man in the middle like McCoy can change the face of a defense, as Sapp proved a decade ago.