24-year old safety Tanard Jackson missed the first four games due to a NFL suspension but he has made up for lost time.  Jackson has played in 10 games for the Buccaneers this season and he has made 61 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, defensed 6 passes, forced 1 fumble and he has 4 interceptions (two of which he returned for a TDs).  Jackson gives the Buccaneers a playmaker at the back end of the defense so they need him to keep out of trouble off the field.

26-year old linebacker Barrett Ruud is having another great year for the Bucs.  He has played in 14 games for the Bucs this season and he has 121 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Ruud has been a tackling machine since getting drafted by the Bucs and he is showing that he is a guy they can build a defense around.

Despite catching passes from three different QBs this season 26-year old TE Kellen Winslow has played well all year.  Winslow has played in 14 games this season for the Buccaneers and he has caught 68 passes for 752 yards (11.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Winslow has played in every game this season which dispels the thoughts that he was a injury prone player.  He leads the Bucs in catches, receiving yards and receiving TDs this season.

Rookie 7th round pick Sammie Stroughter will replace the injured Clifton Smith returning punts and kick-offs.  Stroughter has returned 11 kickoffs for 324 yards (29.5 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 8 punts for 45 yards (5.6 avg).  Stroughter is also making a mark on offense for the Buccaneers this season as he has caught 27 passes for 288 yards (10.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stroughter was a outstanding pick by the Bucs last April and he should be able to do a decent job filling in for Clifton Smith.

The Buccaneers have been using Earnest Graham at fullback this season which is quite a insult to a player like him.  He has played in 8 games for the Bucs this season and he has carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards (5.1 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 46 yards (5.8 avg) this year.  In his six years with the Bucs, Graham has played in 74 games in which he has carried the ball 417 times for 1,732 yards (4.2 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  He has also caught 81 passes for 548 yards (6.8 avg) in his time with the Bucs.  Graham has been a good soldier for the Bucs often keeping his mouth shut and doing what the team wants but he is getting stiffed by the team.  He has played well whenever called upon and he would likely do a much better job than either Cadillac Williams or Derrick Ward if they just gave him the rock.  Cadillac Williams has carried the ball 117 times for 450 yards (3.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs this season and he has caught 18 passes for 121 yards (6.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Derrick Ward has carried the ball 66 times for 243 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 13 passes for 114 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  If the Bucs don’t start giving Graham the rock soon they should do him a favor and either release him or trade him over the off season because it’s just not right how they have treated him over the years.