Tom Brady Might Have “Torched” The Buccaneers’ Secondary Today, But Vincent Jackson Was the “Best Player on the Field”

January 27, 2013; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC wide receiver Vincent Jackson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (83) catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter during the 2013 Pro Bowl against the AFC at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

You may have already heard stories about Tom Brady carving up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense today during practices held in Foxboro with the New England Patriots. But what you probably didn’t hear, and what you need to remember as we approach the regular season, is the dominant display put forth by Vincent Jackson.

And it’s not just the beat reporters Mr. Krasniqi is hearing from who agree with this sentiment, as Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com chimed in by saying that Vincent Jackson “is a matchup nightmare” and stood out during practice.

Yates also clarifies that the Buccaneers would eventually settle down and start to defend Tom Brady’s offense a bit more effectively, and admitted that Brady didn’t have as strong of an outing as he has in the past.

The Patriots had practiced with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to their preseason game, so the fact that the Buccaneers faced a less-rusty Patriots’ offense and did better than the Eagles did a week ago should be an encouraging sign.

Oh, and Revis wasn’t practicing, either.

But the revelations about Vincent Jackson are signs that point to the veteran receiver having an even better year in 2013 than he had in 2012. Yesterday I wrote about how Vincent Jackson is uncoverable in the slot, and that NFL defenses should be concerned about the Bucs’ willingness to use him there. But don’t forget the secondary observation that can be made about how well Vincent Jackson is performing in training camp.

Some guy who wears number 5 is throwing him the football accurately, and often.

There have been enough reports from around the Buccaneers’ media members by now about Josh Freeman’s new-found accuracy in camp, so I won’t bore you with the details. But don’t take for granted the fact that a Buccaneers’ receiver impressing in practice against the New England Patriots means that he was being thrown catchable passes which allowed him to display his immense ability.

So despite the reports of Johnthan Banks being burnt for scores, and Tom Brady dropping in perfect passes all over the field, remember that many reporters on the scene thought that a Tampa Bay Buccaneer was the best player on the field during joint practices.

This is a franchise that has added more talent over the last two years than almost every other team in the league, and it seems one of their biggest investments continues to pay off as Vincent Jackson continues to put on impressive performances.