Are fans concerned that the signing of wide receiver Vincent Jackson was for too much and could potentially cause problems given Jackson's history? Well according to an article posted by ESPN's KC Joyner, Jackson should be well worth the money the Bucs paid for him as he is listed as the biggest 'Matchup Buster' in the NFL.
A 'Matchup Buster' according to Joyner is a receiver that gets more than eight yards per attempt against cornerbacks that allow less than nine yards per attempt. By that metric, Jackson averages 11.5 yards per attempt. By comparison, the next highest 'Matchup Buster', Victor Cruz of the New York Giants, averages 10.9 yards per attempt.
Jackson was the only wideout to top the 11-yard mark in this category. Any concerns that this was due to his working extra hard to land a big free-agent contract should be alleviated by the fact that Jackson posted an 11.7 YPA on 60 targets in this category in 2009, his last full NFL season. This just provides more evidence that Tampa Bay quite possibly made the best free-agent pickup this offseason when they signed Jackson. He gives Josh Freeman a dangerous downfield target, something that was lacking for Tampa Bay last year.
If Jackson can replicate this level of success in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers' offense should have much more explosiveness in 2012.
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