Well, Bullocks has certainly answered any and all questions about whether or not he could recover from an injury which has destroyed the careers of numerous athletes with a resounding “Yes."
Bullocks is second on the Lions in tackles this year, and first among all NFC defensive backs.
Of course, he is often overlooked because he plays for the lowly Lions, but his numbers are still quite impressive.
Granted, his tackles are inflated because the Lions secondary has to tackle everyone thanks to their abysmal front seven, but his ability still cannot be denied.
Bullocks looks like he is one of very few bright spots on the Lions defense moving forward, and should be around for years to come.
Green Bay Packers: Tramon Williams, CB
Stats: 32 tackles, FF, 8 passes defended, 4 INTs
After starting only a single game a season ago, Tramon Williams has started five this year after being asked to fill in for the injured Al Harris.
Has he come through? Well, decide for yourself.
In his five starts, Williams has 25 of his 32 tackles on the season (including an 11-tackle performance against Atlanta in week five), five of his eight passes defended, and three of his four interceptions.
Williams has proven to be a star in the making on this Packers roster, and should be able to fill in nicely as a full-time starter when Harris (33) and Charles Woodson (32) retire in the not-so-distant future.
Houston Texans: Zach Diles, OLB
Stats: 66 tackles, 1.0 sack, FF, 2 passes defended, INT
Zach Diles looked like a promising stud on a very young and good-looking defense in Houston this year before being lost to injury (fractured tibia).
Up until his injury, Diles was ahead of phenom DeMeco Ryans in tackles, which any football fan would know is saying a lot.
Even after the Texans ninth game (which Diles didn’t play in), would anyone like to guess who the team leader in tackles is? Still Zach Diles, with four more than Ryans’ 62.
Next season, Diles will team up with Ryans again to form one of the most devastating linebacker tandems in the league.
Indianapolis Colts: Dominic Rhodes, RB
Stats: 80 carries, 290 yards, 3 TDs. 22 receptions, 145 yards, TD
After watching Dominic Rhodes destroy his career in only one season with Oakland, I don’t think anyone in Indianapolis expected him to come back this year and be the runner he was when the Colts won the Super Bowl.
And while he isn’t the same back he was then, he is still a lot better than most expected.
Leading the team in yards with 290, Rhodes has had to shoulder the load of the running with the injuries to Joseph Addai and Mike Hart. His 3.6 yards-per-carry may not be all that impressive, but they are in fact better than Addai’s embarrassing 3.1.
Rhodes looks like he may actually be a competent backup in this league once more, which is better than anyone could have said in Oakland last year.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Matt Jones, WR
Stats: 50 receptions, 586 yards, 2 TDs
Matt Jones has never totaled more than 650 yards in a season, and this year he is on pace for 1,042 yards and 4 TDs.
He has been in and out of Jack Del Rio’s doghouse since being drafted thanks to his character issues, but he looks like he may finally be starting to come into his own as a player. If he can pull off a thousand-yard season this year, I may finally be ready to label him “legitimate."
Kansas City Chiefs: Tyler Thigpen, QB
Stats: 104/192 (54.2%), 1102 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs. 21 carries, 129 yards, TD. 1 reception, 37 yards, TD
Who else could it possibly be on this team? Tyler Thigpen may have overtaken Brodie Croyle as the QB of the future in Kansas City with this season.
After starting third on the team’s depth chart, Thigpen has been thrust into a starting role with both Damon Huard and Croyle on injured reserve, and he hasn’t been terrible.
Especially when considering that he plays in Kansas City behind an invisible offensive line and with no Larry Johnson behind him, his stats start to look better and better.
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