If you're a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who has relied on athleticism over technique, life with new coach Greg Schiano has likely been a culture shock.
Schiano has turned offseason workouts with his team into a crash course in the fundamentals of the game. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy explained Friday that he didn't know how to properly tackle before Schiano came to town.
Darlington: The Buc stops here
Greg Schiano is really tightening things up in Tampa Bay, and Jeff Darlington says his players are fully buying in. **More ...**
"We do a tackling circuit before every practice, and I've never done anything like that before," McCoy said, according to The Tampa Tribune. "I realize now that, before, I was just playing football. Now, I'm really learning how to tackle and I think it's going to help me a lot."
Keep in mind that McCoy was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 draft. It's a stunning admission for a player who is supposed to be the face of the defense. This was the challenge Schiano inherited.
"You have to brush up on your fundamentals; there's no question about that, because you have to have a fundamental base to go with the talent you have," cornerback Eric Wright said. "I think it's something that's necessary and I'm glad we're doing it and doing it every day. Other teams do it, but not on a consistent basis. We do it every day here, and I think it's a good thing."
The Bucs lost their final 10 games last season, so we're guessing a closer attention to detail can't hurt. Tedious practices might not make Schiano popular, but something had to change after the failed "youngry" experiment under Raheem Morris.