McCoy suffers latest key injury for Bucs Greg Auman, The St.Petersburg Times, published 3 October 2016 The score was tied early in the second quarter Sunday when Bucs Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy went down with an injury to his left calf. He didn't return to the game, and the Bucs didn't score again, falling 27-7 to the Broncos on Sunday. The question now is how long McCoy will be out and whether the Bucs can win without the center of their defensive front. "Gerald is one of our leaders. … When he was in there, (he) was dominating," LB Lavonte David said. "We lost one of our leaders. Now we have to have the next guys step up. Guys around him have to play even harder, even better. … You can't replace Gerald." McCoy went down on the field and had to stop several times as he walked off the field with trainers. He was evaluated on the sideline, his left sock and shoe removed, and then he walked gingerly to the locker room and was not seen again. McCoy has played through several injuries in recent years, missing only four games in the past two seasons despite shoulder, hand and other injuries. Two other Bucs also went down with injuries. Rookie DE Noah Spence, who made his first start replacing another injured defensive end, hurt his right shoulder, and TE Brandon Myers injured a hip while playing more as a replacement for injured TE Luke Stocker. McCoy was walking without crutches after the game but had a boot on his lower left leg. Spence had his right arm in a sling as he left the locker room. The Bucs started the game with four regulars out for the second week in a row with injuries: Stocker, RB Doug Martin, DE Robert Ayers and WR Cecil Shorts. So the Bucs finished the day with seven players out of 53 sidelined, not counting three on injured reserve and two on the physically unable to perform list.