Bucs can only hope for best with McCoy’s injury This time, an injured Gerald McCoy didn’t get his way. The All-Pro defensive tackle of the Buccaneers hobbled off to the sideline for the second consecutive Sunday, favoring his right knee. But unlike last week at Detroit’s Ford Field, McCoy’s determination to return was overruled by Tampa Bay’s medical staff. When McCoy was hurt with 2:08 remaining in the opening quarter against the Panthers during an incompletion, the Bucs feared the worst. Teammates gathered around and there was a signal for a cart, but McCoy was having none of it. “He wanted to go back in, just like last week, but I told him you have to listen to the doctors,’’ fellow defensive tackle Clinton McDonald said. “And of course, he didn’t want a cart. He wanted to walk off the field on his own. That’s the kind of guy he is. He’s the engine of our defensive line, he’s our catalyst, and we wish him a speedy recovery.’’ Lovie Smith termed it a hyperextended right knee and McCoy left the stadium with a heavy wrap around his right leg, declining comment except to say, “Talk to you later.’’ Then he was gone, off to the team bus for the flight home Sunday evening and a further round of tests on Monday. “Gerald’s not only our defensive leader, but he’s a friend of mine,’’ Bucs cornerback Johnthan Banks said. “It was tough to see him go down. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. He’s one of those guys who, when he’s out, it really hurts your defense. He’s got the heart of a lion.’’ A week ago, McCoy limped off the field in Detroit with a knee injury that initially appeared serious. After a brief examination by Tampa Bay’s medical staff, he began sprinting down the sideline, then returned on the following defensive series, playing the rest of the way. On Sunday, when McCoy sat on the bench by himself, a portrait of dejection, Smith walked by with the somber news -- your day is done. “Same knee, totally different injury,’’ said Smith, who discredited an unsourced report last week that claimed McCoy had suffered a dislocated knee against the Lions. “With somebody that works as hard as Gerald, you always wish the best for them,’’ Bucs defensive end Larry English said. “We’re such a tight-knit group up front that when one of us goes down, it affects all of us. We know how much Gerald wants to be out there. But at the same time, the rest of us have to take it as a challenge for everyone else to step up.’’