Tampa Bay Jacked Up

Jackson is leaving the California sun for the
beaches of Florida.

Vincent Jackson charged his way out of San Diego as fast as he could.

In the first day of NFL free agency and an abundance of transactions making headlines, Jackson was one of them, signing a five-year, $55.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It has been reported the contract contains $26 million guaranteed -- the same amount Jackson will be paid over the first two years of the deal, receiving the remaining $36 million over the final three years. The 6-foot-5 Jackson is coming off one of his best seasons.

A year after playing in a career-low five games due to a nearly season-long holdout, Jackson was smacked with the franchise tag, but showed his worth, catching 60 passes for San Diego in 2011, accumulating for 1,106 yards and tying a career-high with nine touchdowns.

It was the third time in his career he had totaled more than 1,000 yards in a season -- all coming in the last four years.

However, Jackson's best season came in 2009 when he was selected to his only Pro Bowl. That season the former Northern Colorado standout, along with his nine touchdowns, set career-highs in receptions (68), yards per game (77.8) and yards (1,167). Oddly enough that was the last time the Chargers made the postseason.

Since being drafted in the second-round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Jackson has played in 91 games for San Diego, caught over 270 passes -- 272 to be exact -- totaled 4,754 yards and 37 TDs.

But now with Jackson's departure, it leaves the Chargers with numerous holes at the wide receiver position.

If you take away Jackson's 60 receptions last season, quarterback Phillip Rivers only completed 88 of his 366 completions to a wide receiver. The other 218 came from a running back, fullback, or tight end. Rivers also threw 27 TDs. Again taking away Jackson's total from a year ago, only eight of those 27 went to a wideout -- five of them coming from Malcom Floyd.

The search now begins for Jackson's replacement.

Ringing The Bell

Fat Albert MVP Inevitable

Pujols will be a hot topic most of 2011.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols seems to be the preseason favorite for the National League Most Valuable Player Award every year, but that might be true even more so this season.

It has been well documented that the Cardinals and Pujols were unable to come to a contract extension prior to his arrival to camp earlier this month. Pujols has said there will be no talk of a contract extension until after the season due to not wanting to be a distraction to his teammates.

This means Pujols will hit the open market and have an abundance of suitors for his services this offseason.

Coming off a year where he hit at a clip of .314 with 41 home runs while driving in 118 runs, most consider it to be an under achieving year for the nine-time All-Star. Pujols is expected to have a monster year to prove his worth to the Cardinals and twenty-nine other major league clubs.

More pressure has amounted on Pujols with ace right-hander Adam Wainwright set to miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn ligament in his pitching elbow.

It seems almost inevitable that Pujols will win the NL MVP in 2011 given all the circumstances. With left fielder Matt Holiday and the acquisition of Lance Berkman this winter, there is added protection for Pujols to be even more dangerous. But if the Cardinal offense sputters at all this season, you might throw St Louis' playoffs hopes out the window.

They will need another huge season from Albert to contend in the greatly improved NL Central. 'The Machine' looks to capture his fourth MVP award in seven years for the Redbirds and lead them back to the postseason glory.