Gerald McCoy signing with the Panthers isn’t really about revenge

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There’s no doubt that Gerald McCoy is looking forward to his two games against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this year. Not only did new head coach Bruce Arians say McCoy wasn’t “as disruptive as he used to be” prior to his release, but the Bucs then signed Ndamukong Suh and gave him McCoy’s old jersey number.

However, McCoy has made it clear that signing with the Carolina Panthers wasn’t really about getting revenge.

It was more about being able to make an impact for a team that has a real chance to make the playoffs, which McCoy was never able to do in Tampa Bay.

Even though he’s 31 years old, McCoy is a major acquisition for the Panthers as they transition into a 3-4 defense. This is also the best defensive situation McCoy has played in throughout his nine years in the league.

McCoy is joining a Panthers defense that’s poised to make a leap this year. They have former All-Pro players with Luke Kuechly and Kawann Short, young secondary talent ready to take off, and added edge rusher Brian Burns in the draft.

Carolina has a wealth of front seven talent now — and a potentially dominant defensive tackle group.

The Panthers already had one stud defensive tackle in two-time Pro Bowler Kawann Short. With McCoy joining him, the Panthers have a potentially dominant interior pass rush duo. That’s going to be huge as they try to improve a defense that finished 25th in sack rate last season.

Both McCoy and Short are coming off of impressive seasons rushing the passer, according to Sports Info Solutions pressure rate data. Of the 59 defensive tackles with at least 200 pass rush attempts in 2018, Short ranked 10th in pressure rate while McCoy ranked 17th in pressure rate.

Bruce Arians said that McCoy “didn’t fit” with the Bucs, but he’s still getting it done as a pass rusher after nine seasons in the league. At times, he still shows off the athleticism that made him a top-three pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Here’s an example from the Buccaneers’ game against Washington last season. McCoy is lined up at three-technique outside of the right guard. He slaps the guard’s hands away at the snap of the ball and accelerates toward the quarterback, forcing an incomplete pass.

That quickness is a good match with Short, who has a more bruising style of pass rushing than McCoy. Short doesn’t mind getting physical on his way to the quarterback — watch him completely ragdoll Dallas’ left guard en route to a punishing sack on Dak Prescott.

The contrast between McCoy and Short will give opposing offensive lines fits in pass protection. The Panthers can pick and choose their pass rushing matchups based on the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. That’s a luxury they didn’t have prior to signing McCoy.

McCoy and Short can give teams problem by themselves, but the Panthers still have to figure out how they utilize Dontari Poe in the upcoming season as well.

Short, McCoy, and Poe are all sizable investments for the Panthers this season. It’d make sense to get them on the field at the same time to get the most bang for their buck.

One way they can do that is by using a Bear front. Bear fronts feature two three-techniques with a nose tackle sandwiched in between them. For example, here’s the Patriots lining up in a Bear front against the Packers last season.

With three players lined up in the middle of the defensive line, there really isn’t an opportunity for the offense to double-team anyone. It’s an easy way to ensure that Short, Poe, and McCoy would all be seeing one-on-one blocks.

Obviously, getting elite defensive linemen in positions where they don’t have to worry about a double team is beneficial. Here’s an example of Aaron Donald whipping Seattle’s left guard without the threat of a double team — thanks to the Rams’ alignment.

Carolina has the perfect personnel to run this front, too. Poe is a prototypical nose tackle, Short is a three-technique with the strength to play nose in a pinch, and McCoy is the classic penetrating three-technique. Even their backups at defensive tackle like Kyle Love and Vernon Butler can contribute and allow the Panthers to get creative.

McCoy is best suited for three-technique, but he does have some experience playing nose as well. At times, Tampa Bay placed McCoy at nose tackle in its Bear front last season. McCoy’s speed gives him a unique advantage at nose tackle, especially against outside runs.

Watch how he’s able to run down the line of scrimmage to stop the running back for a short loss.

Interior defensive linemen aren’t the only ones to benefit from the single blocks that Bear fronts create — edge rushers see plenty of one-on-one opportunities too.

That’s great news for Brian Burns, the Panthers’ first-round pick this year. Burns is a speedster off the edge, but he’ll need some time to acclimate to the NFL like all rookies do. Bear fronts will give Burns plenty of space to rush the passer from the outside.

With the guards being forced to block the three techniques, Burns will have the opportunity to execute his patented spin move without getting blocked by an offensive guard.

Short, Poe, McCoy, and Burns give the Panthers a nice core of talent along the defensive line as they transition into a 3-4 defense. Depth pieces like Butler, Love, Mario Addison, and fourth-round pick Christian Miller round out a diverse defensive line capable of generating pressure and penetration.

Adding McCoy didn’t just help their defensive line — linebackers Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson are big winners from this signing too.

Carolina has the personnel to think outside of the box with their pressure packages now. The combination of Short, McCoy, Kuechly, and Thompson can cause hell for opposing offensive lines — especially with the speed that Kuechly and Thompson posses.

Here’s an example of how McCoy was used on a blitz with Lavonte David last year. David is lined up inside of McCoy, but they twist at the snap of the ball. The center and right guard can’t keep up with the speed that McCoy and David bring, resulting in a sack on Cam Newton.

Kuechly and Thompson can bring the same dynamic that David did on this play. According to Sports Info Solutions, Kuechly generated pressure on 18.3 percent of his pass rushing snaps. That’s good for 11th out of the 80 linebackers to rush the passer at least 60 times last season.

It’s time for them to really turn up the heat now that they have McCoy on the roster.

The Panthers have built an explosive front seven and have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs — something that would be a first for McCoy. With two games against Tampa Bay this season, McCoy can show the Bucs that he fits on any team that needs an interior disruptor (which every team can use).

McCoy makes the Panthers’ defensive line a lot better and he finally has a suitable running mate at defensive tackle with Short. If the Panthers’ defense can stay healthy, they can be a unit that really takes off this season.