Bucky Brooks has been counting down the best players at various positions, and so far, he's not come across a single Tampa Bay Buccaneer worthy of inclusions on his top tens. No Vincent Jackson on his "best hands" list. No Anthony Collins on his "best blind-side protectors" list. No Alterraun Verner on his "best cover corners" list.
And his coming series don't leave much room for Bucs, either. Doug Martin may be a complete running back, but he's being overlooked due to his injury last season -- though he has the strongest case to make any of the remaining lists. Josh McCown certainly won't make any "clutch quarterback" list, and Dashon Goldson is seen as overrated. Even Mason Foster won't make any "defensive signal-callers" list.
Of course, all of those snubs are justifiable. Anthony Collins was outstanding in his pass protection results, but there are some doubts about how much his scheme helped him, and it was only half a season. Vincent Jackson makes spectacular catches with regularity, but also had a few too many drops at the start of the season. And Alterraun Verner is dynamic, but best fits a zone coverage scheme.
But snubs are snubs, and snubs we've had a lot of this offseason. In power rankings. On top 100 lists. On player evaluations, on coaches' rankings. I'm tired of it. This may sound petty, or small-town, or whatever, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one hell of a talented team and a terrific head coach. They should get a little respect. And if they can't get any respect now, they'll have to earn it by winning some games and showing people what they're made of.