TAMPA, Fla. -- The loudest voice in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' locker room called the team's performance in last week's loss to Atlanta pathetic and embarrassing.
Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, a team captain, missed that game with a broken hand. But McCoy was bothered by the performance he saw on the field in Tampa Bay's 56-14 loss to Atlanta.
"The Thursday night game, that was just a group of guys not being physical, not doing what we were coached to do that week and just letting a team take over," McCoy said Wednesday. "I had somebody close to me, that I would allow only people close to me to tell me this, but they said Thursday was pathetic. And I believe that.
"It's kind of bad that that comes from the outside. We have to feel that in the building that our last performance was pathetic. It's very embarrassing, and that's not us at all. Coach has not coached us to be that way. If nobody else will say it, I'll say it. It was embarrassing, and we've got to be better."
McCoy expressed optimism about being able to play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said he was scheduled to practice on a limited basis Wednesday afternoon.
"I'll just do what I can do," McCoy said. "Hopefully, I'll be out there Sunday. Anybody that's been around me knows that when Sunday comes, I turn into a wild man. So whether I've got one hand, half a hand or no hands, I'm going to give it all I've got."