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I'm always skeptical of Pro Football Focus when it comes to their rankings of players, grades and the significance they attach to some of their charted statistics. But I'll still dance gleefully when they say something positive about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because at least they are objective, whether their methods are accurate or not. One thing to like about Pro Football Focus: they named four Buccaneers to their top 101 of 2012.
Those four Buccaneers are, of course, Gerald McCoy at number 20 with 53 quarterback disruptions, third among defensive tackles. Vincent Jackson at number 27 with 17 passes with over 20 yards in the air, second-most in the league. Lavonte David at number 28, with 18 tackles for loss, second in the league. And finally Doug Martin, whom they call the third-most elusive starting running back in the NFL.
Newly added Buccaneer Dashon Goldson did not make the list, sadly, but the Bucs will also get two players back next season who would have made the list had it not been for injuries: Carl Nicks and Darrelle Revis. That would give them six players on a top 101, excluding any of the many young players on the Bucs' roster who could grow and snap up another spot. Of course, injuries could easily cost them a few players as well.
Still, it's just more proof of the quality of the Bucs' starting roster. The question now is whether they have enough depth to compensate for the inevitable injuries.
Read more:
Where do the Bucs' starters rank?