Josh Freeman and Gerald McCoy Must Be ‘Dynamic’ Playmakers

How will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fare against the Carolina Panthers Sunday? Tell us how Josh Freeman and Gerald McCoy perform and you might be able to come up with a reasonable answer to that question.

Be it as it may, the Panthers are a 2 1/2 point favorite and a lot of that advantage comes from quarterback Cam Newton, who proved time and again last season that he is a “dynamic playmaker.”

Newton is the engine that drives the Panthers. Limit him and you have a good chance to win. Easier said than done.

The Bucs need to control what they can control. That’s where Freeman and McCoy enter the picture.

With new weapons like running back Doug Martin, Freeman needs to take control of the offense and execute. This is a huge game for Freeman. The Carolina defensive line isn’t as imposing as the two units Freeman will face after this week, mainly the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in that order. Here’s a chance for Freeman to get off to a good start and gain confidence.

Confidence is what aids performance. Newton’s got it. We don’t know if Freeman does. We’ll know more on Sunday night.

As for McCoy, if anyone needs to become “dynamic” on Sunday it is McCoy. He needs to be a disruptive force, he needs to cause havoc, he needs to play a great game, not a good game, a great game.

If the linebackers are going to be effective, it will depend on the defensive line and it all circles back to McCoy.

Yes, it’s “all about five” when you look at the offense.

On defense, let’s just good ahead and say “it’s all about 93.”

Those two players need to step up if head coach Greg Schiano is going to have anything to clap about on the sideline.