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Bucs linemen fire back after Schiano claims OSU’s D-line is the most talented he’s coached
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It didn’t take long for some of those NFL defensive lineman to catch wind of Greg Schiano’s comments about his defensive line at Ohio State.
And needless to say, those lineman playing at the professional level – guys like Gerald McCoy, Will Gholston and George Johnson – didn’t agree.
Schiano praised his defensive line, stating that it was the best unit he’s ever coached. When asked if that included his NFL days with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Buckeyes defensive coordinator confirmed.
“It is. That’s not a joke,” Schiano said. “We had a great player in Tampa by the name of Gerald McCoy, a tremendous player, but that was one guy.”
Schiano was the head coach of the Buccaneers from 2012-2013. Naturally, some of those Tampa Bay defensive lineman had a response.
“I’m guessing it was to make his defensive line more confident, but it surprised me that he said it,” Johnson said told Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. “But, coming from coach Schiano, it really didn’t surprise me.”
“The fact is, they’re still in college, trying to get to where we are,” Johnson said. “You can’t compare a college team to an NFL team”
McCoy, the only individual Schiano praised, also had a brief response.
“Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion,” he said.
It’s probably accurate to say that Schiano was saying that largely to give his linemen a confidence boost. After all, those NFL defensive linemen are playing in the professional ranks for a pretty good reason.
It’s understandable why Johnson and McCoy might have gotten a little frustrated with those comments.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB