Logan Mankins is the missing piece on the Buccaneers offense

Week 1 will bring surprises. But to be Professional Grade is to be consistent. @SBNation: Who will be consistent all season? #GMCPlaybook

— Marshall Faulk (@marshallfaulk) September 4, 2014

Consistency in and of itself isn't a particularly interesting quality. I can tell you that Oniel Cousins is going to be consistent game in, game out. There won't be a lot of variation in his quality of play. But that's mostly because he's not a very good player.

Similarly, Lavonte David and Gerald McCoy are going to be consistent every game, simply because they're outstanding players. Outstanding players find ways to produce, and to make an impact every single game. And both David and McCoy have done so over the past two years, every single week.

The one player who I think whose consistency will be crucial to the Bucs is not someone like that, though. The player who's going to be consistent every week, is Logan Mankins. Not because he's an All-Pro, because he's on the decline and his quality of play is not what it used to be. But Mankins is going to bring an attitude, and a pedigree to the offensive line and the offense as a whole that wasn't there before.

Moreover, he's going to bring that attitude every single week. Mankins wasn't just an outstanding player because of his athleticism, he continues to function consistently because he's tough, because he knows what it takes to win, and he does that every single week. That's why Bill Belichick sang his praises when he traded him to Tampa. It's why Greg Cosell thinks he will do more for this offense with his approach to the game than with his physical. And it's why the Bucs are convinced he's the missing piece on offense.

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