Why you shouldn't worry about Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy

Gerald McCoy wanted the truth.

So at the Pro Bowl in January, the Buccaneers defensive tackle sought feedback from three "credible sources." He revealed Monday that those sources — which he wouldn't name —offered similar evaluations. The gist: He hasn't done enough to lead the team.

That really hit home, he said.

McCoy spent the offseason reflecting, asking questions about his role and performance, especially late in games.

"Where is my energy in the fourth quarter?" he said. "Is my technique dropping in the fourth quarter?"

RELATED STORY: McCoy vows to change 'everything'

If McCoy feels he needs to make more plays in the fourth quarter, no one connected to the Bucs will dissuade him. The suggestion, however, that he hasn't been a factor late in games might be overstated.

Sacks don't tell us everything about a player's contributions — sometimes a hit or hurry that disrupts the quarterback can be just as, if not more, effective — but they are one simple measure of productivity. It turns out that while McCoy's late-game sack numbers aren't staggering, they're nothing to just shrug off, either.

Since 2010, his rookie season, McCoy has recorded 12.5 sacks in the fourth quarter and overtime. That works out to about 30 percent of his career total and is in line with the NFL average. The Bucs player with the next highest sack total isn't even on the team anymore. Michael Bennett, who last played for Tampa Bay in 2012, has six.

McCoy sacks in fourth quarter and overtime

Dive deeper into those numbers and you find that of those 12.5 sacks, only four of have come in situations in which the scoring margin has been within eight points. McCoy's last sack in such circumstances came in 2013, when he tackled the Rams' Kellen Clemens for a 10-yard loss on first and goal from the 6. St. Louis eventually settled for a field goal but went on to win the game anyway, which might explain why that sack isn't particularly memorable.

McCoy fourth quarter and overtime sacks, scoring margin within eight points

Has McCoy been as dominant as Warren Sapp? No. Worth noting: Sapp is one of about 70 first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famers.

Over Sapp's 13-year career, he recorded 30.5 sacks in the fourth quarter and overtime, just less than a third of his career total.

Sapp sacks in fourth quarter and overtime

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Here's where Sapp separates from McCoy: Half of his late-game sacks came in situations in which the scoring margin was within eight points. While McCoy has four in his career, Sapp had four in 1999 alone. Also worth noting: Sapp played during the best era in Bucs history; McCoy has played through a period of indecision and upheaval.

If your bar for McCoy is "first-ballot Hall of Fame," yeah, he has some work to do. If your bar is merely "dominant," that's what he expects of himself, too.

"That guy in the middle is what makes everything roll," he said. "Any dominant defense had a dominant guy in the middle, and basically, I just haven't been enough for my team."

Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.