TAMPA, Fla. -- On Thursday, All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy caused a bit of a stir when he said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense has been "soft."

A little later in the day, coach Lovie Smith was told of McCoy’s comments. Smith didn’t exactly agree with McCoy’s choice in vocabulary, but he didn’t argue the theme of what was said.

"I wouldn’t use that word to describe our guys," Smith said. "But we’re not playing the type of football we need to. We’re not as physical as we need to be is how I would say it -- in all areas. That’s one of the areas we’re working on. Hopefully, in time we won’t be talking about these things."

But it is being talked about because the Bucs rank No. 32 in the league in overall defense.

"If one of our captains says that and he’s out there playing, there’s probably something to it," Smith said. "Right now. But we can change it."

It’s really just a matter of terminology and, in each case, the right guy is using the right words. Smith is soft-spoken and not prone to being publicly critical of his team. It would be out of character for him to use the word "soft" to describe his defense.

But, coming from McCoy, the use of the word makes sense and carries a lot of weight. McCoy is the team’s best player and also one of the most vocal. McCoy is one of the strongest and most respected personalities in the locker room. He can get away with saying the defense has been soft.

That is mostly because he’s right and the entire defense needed to hear it.