Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David voted to All-Pro first team

As reported by Gregg Rosenthal on NFL.com, both Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David have been voted by the Associated Press to the All-Pro first team.

Unlike the Pro Bowl, which is voted for by fans, players and coaches - who between them made an egregious error in judgement this year - the All-Pro team is generally seen as the more respected accolade. It's therefore fitting that the best defensive tackle and best 4-3 linebacker of 2013 were both selected to the All-Pro first team.

McCoy has had a beastly year, notching nine sacks (being robbed of a tenth by the official statisticians), 48 tackles and three pass break ups. With his unrivaled explosion off the line, McCoy was a terror whenever he was allowed to rush straight, commanding double and even triple teams, yet still being one of the effective interior rushers in the game. There's no telling how much more effective still he might have been if Bill Sheridan hadn't insisted on all his ineffective stunting, but with Lovie Smith now taking charge of the team, there's little doubt that we'll see the full, unleashed McCoy in 2013.

Perhaps even more so than McCoy, it's fantastic to see Lavonte David getting recognized after being snubbed for the Pro Bowl. The only linebacker in NFL history with 100+ tackles, six sacks and five interceptions, David's 2013 season simply one of the best campaigns a 4-3 linebacker has ever had. For those who buy into the statistical witchcraft that ProFootballFocus peddle, David's 80 defensive stops were the most they've ever charted in a single season. There can be no bigger compliment than this simple truth: Bucs fans can now legitimately start to put David in the same category as Derrick Brooks.

This is both McCoy's and David's first All-Pro selections; there is no doubt that it won't be their last.