Bucs offensive line well represented in Prisco's position rankings

CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco recently wrapped up his rankings for each position in the NFL - the top 10 players at each - and several Bucs have cracked the lists.

The highest ranking went to center Jeff Faine, who is fourth, with Kellen Winslow ranked as the fifth best tight end. Three Bucs offensive linemen were on the lists.

To check out the full list, go here position rankings.

Here are the Bucs that made it, with Prisco's comments:

Inside Linebacker (Barrett Ruud, 10th)

Prisco: He plays the all-important middle in the Tampa-2 and does it well. He's a tackling machine. 

Tight end (Kellen Winslow, 5th)

Prisco: Now that he's out of Cleveland and healthy he should revert to his 2007 numbers. He's one of the best threats down the field of this group.

Center (Jeff Faine, 4th)

Prisco: Smart, heady center who added the glue to a young line that needed it. He's not overpowering, but he gets by with his smarts.

Guards (Davin Joseph, 5th; Arron Sears, 10th)

Prisco on Joseph: He emerged as a Pro Bowl player last year on one of the better lines in the league. Plays with a mean streak.

Prisco on Sears: Doesn't get the attention Joseph gets, but he's not far behind.

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Comments

[noosa]

Gruden may not have built a solid offense but he sure did build a solid offensive line that was built to last

[Dspkable]

(noosa - Rhetorical question: Why is it the favorite coach in Tampa is always the previous one?)

Glad to see some respect going out to these players, but most of them were top picks in the draft. Amazing how 6-8 years ago, the BUCS offense was our weak point. Letting any QB in the backfield get sacked, pressured, ribs bruised, spleen ruptured, you name it. Full circle now, we are moving that O-Line up the list to one of the leagues best. It's a shame the career of a lineman tends to be so short due to all the injuries and extra weight they have to carry. Here's hoping this line gels enough to give us 3-5 years of solid production and our QB and RB's some time to make the plays.

[Russell]

Notice Trueblood didn't make the list? That's a shocker! Wait til Peppers schools him again this year and then maybe they'll figure out that he's not the answer.

[aj]

I think I'd put Faine at the top. No lineman in the league hits the 2nd level like he does. Another thing they do with him I don't see elsewhere is have him chip and pull. In that instead of just pulling he knocks the tackle, then slips to the 2nd level and heads to the outside to lead block. It's pretty amazing he's athletic enough to do that.

[Kurt]

No shocker here; the best part of our team was Gruden's main responsibility.

[BucFandango]

Trueblood has to know he's on the ropes with the fans, and another mistake filled season like last year and he is out. He has a lot to prove and I think he will. He is a big strong boy and he's not stupid. New Coaches and a new scheme, with Jeremy leading a zone sweep, with Big Davin in tail. Julius Peppers, John Abraham and a few more Big Dogs may just get knocked on their @$$es. I see Derrick Ward running over the likes of John Beason, Johnathan Vilma, and some others. I'm personally pumped up about Jagz and his offense. I just hope they all make it out of camp alive.

[Tom]

I think that Faine is the best at his position and Joseph is one of the top guards.

However, I think Sears is overrated. He really gets beat a lot in pass protection and he gets push back a lot at the point of attack. I hope he plays to his potential this year.

Trueblood is the worst player on that line but he's not terrible. He's an average RT. Which is better than what we had with Kenyatta.

[Mark Urbo]

Gruden and Allen did a great job with youth and FA's the last many years. This team has a real nice base of players...

Too bad the current Coach & GM are a joke !