Now that the football is getting good, Tampa Bay Bucs’ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is hoping that a “small” surgical procedure on his left hand will not slow him down.
McCoy, a three-time Pro Bowler who has been slowed much of the season with a bad shoulder, injured his hand during Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis. He hopes to play Sunday against Atlanta.
“I had an injury the first half of the game, got it looked at, kept playing – it was necessary to keep playing,” McCoy said. “I had it looked at after the game, had a small procedure and hoping to be out there on Sunday.”
“(The situation) is huge. We’re in a spot that we haven’t been in a long time around here. We have a tremendous opportunity that we can’t let slip away. We have no room for error now. We have to be almost perfect.”
Bucs’ coach Lovie Smith didn’t shed a lot of light on McCoy’s injury.
“He had a minor procedure done on his hand,” Smith said. “That’s about all I can really tell you right now. Minor procedure done on his hand. We’ll kind of see how it plays out. He wasn’t able to practice today of course. In a few more days we’ll see how it plays out.
“He’s not healthy and ready to practice. He can’t go, injured, just like the rest of the guys, haven’t been released to practice. Just like George Johnson, [Jacquies] Smith, Bruce Carter, they have something going on and they can’t practice today.”
