Hustle.
This is simply an example of a player busting his arse.
Or, as former Bucs linebacker Scot Brantley would say, “It’s about want-to.”
Joe has noticed, reading the comments over the past few months on this here corner of the interwebs, that several Bucs fans are down on Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum. Joe sure isn’t.
And the following are the reasons why Joe’s not throwing in the towel on McCollum. Not even close.
Last year McCollum broke up 17 passes. That was third-most in the NFL. Joe doesn’t know too many rotten corners that pull that off.
But then there is the following that shows Joe that McCollum plays with heart and energy. NextGen Stats has a list of the longest tackles in the NFL last year.
A long tackle is the distance a tackler has to travel to bring down a ballcarrier. Of the top-eight longest tackles, McCollum has two. One was a run play (No. 2) and the other a pass play (No. 8).
Against the Crows last year, Derrick Henry had an 81-yard run. McCollum raced from 88 yards away to catch Henry as McCollum got him at the Bucs’ 11-yard line.
Then, in the same game, Saint Lamar Jackson hit Rashod deep down the middle McCollum covered some 77 yards of real estate to track down Bateman at the Bucs-8.
Hustling isn’t new to McCollum. There was a tackle he made on a punt as a rookie against the Browns where he got knocked out of bounds right away at the Bucs-45. McCollum raced like 30 yards down the Browns’ bench out of bounds, then cut inside to get back on the field at the Browns-25 and forced the punt returner out of bounds.
That’s hustling.
Yeah, Joe understands McCollum was a starter on one of the worst pass defenses in the league last year. It was also McCollum’s first year as a starter. People learn.
Joe has seen enough (pass breakups and sheer hustle) that tells Joe there’s quite a bit to work with. Combine McCollum’s top-shelf athleticism with his ability to break up passes and his hustle, those are the core ingredients for a ballplayer.
Imagine if Devin White had the heart and the drive that McCollum has?
Bucs flyer Zyon McCollum just checks on the Gatorade tables en route to the returner: pic.twitter.com/Gpise8FNnA
— Pete Damilatis (@PeteDamilatis) November 30, 2022
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