LeSean McCoy talks Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and 2020 Super Bowl possibilities

LeSean “Shady” McCoy recently made a reappearance of sorts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the field during the team’s most recent win over the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday.

Four carries, thirty-two yards, and one catch for three more yards may not have been the biggest workload of his career, but what a career it’s been for the twelve-year veteran now playing for his fourth NFL team.

And we’re talking beyond stats even. Sure, McCoy has over 11,000 career rushing yards. He’s contributed almost 4,000-yards receiving for his squads as well. In all, McCoy has accounted for almost 15,000-yards of offense and is just eleven touchdowns away from 100 career scores.

McCoy has also played with some very notable quarterbacks including Michael Vick, Patrick Mahomes II, and now Tom Brady.

His quarterback history was part of the conversation when McCoy jumped on to join Michael Irvin on his PodcastOne Network show, “The Michael Irvin Podcast”.

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“I’ll tell you what, one thing is they’re both so competitive,” McCoy said about Mahomes and Brady. “They both want to win. They have that leadership together. It’s kind of weird seeing one leadership from a younger guy that’s improving and getting better each year...And then a guy like Tom who’s successful, who’s been doing it since day one, I mean his resume speaks for itself. So the way that they lead is so different but ultimately the same goal when you actually break it down and look at them together. So it’s pretty cool, I’m pretty blessed to be from Pat to Tom.”

Of course, it seems these days you can’t have a long career without having some controversy involved to varying levels. Whether it be the way McCoy departed Philadelphia or other off-the-field activities, the Bucs running back isn’t a stranger to drama surrounding his team.

When the Buccaneers decided to add Antonio Brown to the mix, it was the strength of leadership in the locker room many credited for leading the franchise to think they could withstand the backlash and addition of such a divisive personality. About his new teammate, McCoy told Irvin,

“He’s been perfect, he’s been great. That’s another example of (these kind of) relationships where you can talk to each other outside of this ball...because we all go through types of things where we need somebody to talk to, man.”

The NFL life is certainly a different experience than the typical life being led by your average human being on this planet.

That being said, some topics and thoughts do resonate on the inside and the outside of NFL locker rooms. One of those right now is whether the Buccaneers are favorites to become the first franchise in history to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Of course, before Tampa Bay can do that, they have to make the playoffs. Playing on an offense which hasn’t looked the same any two weeks this season, and certainly hasn’t hit their stride just yet, McCoy sees positivity in their potential and is excited for what’s to come.

“We have so much talent and potential,” McCoy said about his team. “Ok, let's turn it on, let's turn it off - no - we (have to) keep it on, start fast, play smart, because we’re a good team. You know, and it’s like you’re putting a lot of new pieces together man, we’re close. And you know that thing where it’s like we have so many good players it’s like, ‘Ok, how can we do everything for everybody?’ We’re this close to getting it together and I’m really excited (for) how things will play out in the playoffs because we’ll be there.”

Of course, helping lead them there is quarterback Tom Brady. Considered by many to be the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, Brady himself has experienced growing pains this year as he settles in with his new team, coaches, scheme, and teammates.

In fact, this past weekend the Buccaneers offense experienced another shift in approach to winning an NFL game. The result? Brady had his fewest passing attempts (23) in a single game since September of 2014 when he attempted the same amount of passes in a 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Only, his team won this time.

Earlier this season Brady attempted more passes against the Los Angeles Rams (48) than he had in a single game since November of 2016 when he threw the ball fifty times in a 22-17 win over the New York Jets. Only, this year, Brady’s team lost the game he had all the throws in.

So it’s been a strange year all around. Some of the oddities happening have led to media speculation there might be a rift between Brady and his new head coach, Bruce Arians. Arians has long been known for pulling no punches when it comes to holding players accountable, but also for praising them when they do well. Just this week Arians told the media he didn’t think Brady was getting enough credit outside the building. Of course, he’s also been critical of his Hall of Fame quarterback. Perhaps some of it has led to speculation and rumors. Something McCoy put an end to immediately when Irvin asked about it.

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“If coach said this, coach said that, his approach is like...he’s the coach, I’m the player, and that’s how it works,” McCoy said about the dynamic between quarterback and coach. “It’s like his mindset is different. It’s like you can’t affect him...You won’t see it because his mind is so, like, developed...So, when I see the media - and that’s their job - they try to stir it up...it (doesn’t) even affect Tom because from Monday to Friday to Sunday, coach Arians and Brady, their relationship is tight.”

Like McCoy said, and like many others have said, it’s a business. One predicated on winning and doing what it takes to reach the final game of the season in hopes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. McCoy experienced the ride last year with Kansas City, and is now and forever a Super Bowl Champion because of it. To borrow some great words from another great part of NFL history, Bill Parcells, for the rest of LeSean McCoy’s life, nobody can ever tell him that he couldn’t do it. Cause he did it.

Now he wants to do it again.

“I’m very confident that we’ll get to the playoffs, and then once you’re in, anything’s possible,” McCoy said about Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl chances. “That’s what I’m telling guys because this team hasn’t been to the playoffs, and they’re asking questions. I’m like, ‘Once we get there, then everything else is done. Now we can settle down and we can game plan each game at a time and focus on that game.’..We just want to get in there and get to have a chance. Because I think once we get into the playoffs with these coaches, and these players, we have a good shot to make a (Super Bowl).”

Irvin ended that exchange with McCoy stating he believes the Buccaneers will be able to handle their business in the next three games against the Atlanta Falcons twice and Detroit Lions, to end the season.

If they do that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finish the season 11-5 and have a really good chance at facing the NFC East Champion which many believe will produce the team most likely to provide a route to the Divisional Round of the 2020 NFL Playoffs.

Like McCoy said though, once the post-season gets underway, there’s no telling what will happen.

To catch the entire conversation between running back LeSean McCoy and Michael Irvin on The Michael Irvin Show from PodcastOne, find the show on any of your favorite podcast providers.