Smith Will Make David Great
August 15th, 2016
Will once again terrorize offenses.
Bucs stud Lavonte David didn’t know it at the time, but when he flipped on Twitter when Lovie Smith was jettisoned, his career just got better.
That’s the word from Chris Burke of SI.com. In a listing of the top 100 players in the NFL, David is the top-ranked Buccaneer at No. 31 (Doug Martin is the only other Bucs player listed).
Burke explains David was listed so high, in part, because Lovie is now in the middle of the Illinois cornfields.
David tweeted through it when Tampa Bay fired Lovie Smith in January: “This is stupid, we can’t even have a consistent coach,” he wrote, moments later adding, “Outside looking in, y’all wouldn’t even understand how great of a coach/person he is.”
Can’t blame him for being frustrated by another change at the top, but he could stand to benefit from the Smith-for-Dirk Koetter (and defensive coordinator Mike Smith) switch. While David turned it on over the second half of 2015, he never looked as comfortable under Lovie Smith as he did during his brilliant, All-Pro seasons of 2013, with Greg Schiano at the helm. On his game, David is a free-flowing missile and a standout playmaker in all phases. Despite a sluggish beginning last season, David still earned himself a Pro Bowl trip with three picks, 3.0 sacks, 19 pass breakups and nearly 150 tackles. Few defenders—not just linebackers—can cover the amount of ground David can while arriving with force.
Well, already Alterraun Verner is blossoming after getting out from under the boot of Lovie. Already, yes, it appears the Bucs have a pass rush, albeit a preseason game, something that also invisible under Lovie (and what do you know, that pass rush created a coveted takeaway!).
Joe suspects Bucs fans are going to be pleasantly surprised with this defense come September. Joe is eager to see the chocolate syrup and sprinkles spread upon this so-called vanilla version of Mike Smith’s defense.
(And, no, if you think Joe is going to completely forget about a coach who had the second-worst winning percentage in the sorry history of this franchise, one who also vandalized the roster so badly upon arrival it was criminal, you are quite mistaken.)
August 15th, 2016 at 8:17 am
Joe you could be David’s coach he he’d play great. The guy is our best player period.
August 15th, 2016 at 8:17 am
Vote Koetter/Smith ticket: Make LVD great again!
August 15th, 2016 at 8:39 am
Smith’s defense will take 10 points off apposing team’s scoring average.
August 15th, 2016 at 8:48 am
The whole defensive roster will be much improved. Not only from a upgraded scheme! But a huge upgrade in the game planning!!! Needless to say, the last 2 years was a scheme that was a “just do what we do”! But know we have a Defensive Coordinator that will attack an offenses weakness!!!! They will be watching tons of tape picking out weak O-lineman!! What they don’t do well!!! and the best part! Is that they will exploit that weakness!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
August 15th, 2016 at 9:00 am
Did Chris Burke complete his list? Any top 100 list without Gerald McCoy is one that can be ignored.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:09 am
19 pass breakups??
Thats insane!
2 years of the cover 2 surely improved LVD’s pass defense skills.
2 years with Schiano helped his blitzing skills.
Now, with Mike Smith, LVD is a matured player.
And with Daryl Smith as his mentor for 2 more years, Davonte could develop into one of the all time greats!!
August 15th, 2016 at 9:14 am
http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/passes-defended/2015/
LVD was ranked 13th in the NFL in passes defensed!
He was the ONLY LB ranked in the top 45!! (Kuechly was #48)
All the others were CBs or Safeties!
Love Smith did at least teach LVD the cover 2, which will come in handy during his career! silver lining man!
LVD was amazing last year in our horrible pass coverage!!
August 15th, 2016 at 9:22 am
Lavonte will dominate regardless. But as abemic as our pass rush was last year, it would’ve made sense to blitz David more often, while the other ten defenders play accordingly.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:22 am
Some of the players may have missed Lovie out the door, but overwhelmingly the fans like the changes since his departure. Majority wins.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:30 am
I used to be a Lovie defender in his first year, but after the Washington fold last year, I threw in the towel.
I couldn’t blame him for a number of inane things other Lovie haters did because it was irrational. But after the Washington game there was no one to blame but himself.
Those were his men, his defense and his play calling.
Any writer who thinks the Bucs should have kept him another year sure as hell wasn’t shelling out a $1k a year for season tickets to watch that mess.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:57 am
Time to take the leash off LVD and unleash the beast within! I think alot of buc fans don’t really have a clue on how good this guy can be. He’s been handcuffed for so long and hasn’t been able to fully display his talents. That all changes this year. Time to unleash the wrath of LVD upon the league.
August 15th, 2016 at 10:04 am
drdneast….wow we rarely agree, but yup Lovie lost me at Washington.
Actually I never really trusted him to begin with, but I was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
LVD is going to love playing for Mike Smith.
August 15th, 2016 at 10:29 am
LVD will love playing in any defence because he is a Beast! He said Joe he felt about the firing of LOVIE and that hasn’t changed, but he realizes that he can’t control that so he moves on, he was a Pro-Bowler last year and hopefully again this year! We have a legit threat at the DE position (which we didn’t have the past 2 years nor did we draft for one) for every loss we have this year, will we bring up the ghost of LOVIE or will we hold Coach K and his new All World Staff accountable! LVD could crack the starting lineup on any team the past 2 years, could he get better? I’m sure he will try and I’m just as sure he would have gotten better under either Coach Smith! Simple as that! Keep trashing LOVIE! Remember the HEX left on this team when Doug Williams left town? Don’t be afraid to answer!
August 15th, 2016 at 10:42 am
Who’s your favorite player? Mr.54
He had a great game on Thursday. LVD so fast, Usain Bolt is like man that dude is fast. #respeck
August 15th, 2016 at 11:00 am
I live half the year near philly
Eagles offensive line is by far the worst line in the NFL…RELAXXXX
However, our offensive line shouldnt feel bad, Eagles front line is one of the best in the NFL
*2016 MVP is Mike Smith
**We win game 1, we go to the playoffs
If we lose game 1, we dont go to the playoffs
Game 1 is the season for the 2016 Tampa Bay Bucs
Strange but true
August 15th, 2016 at 11:11 am
Two words: Cautious optimism!
The needle is pointing upwards, no doubt! Lets not kid ourselves though, LVD is an animal in any defense. We shouldn’t use LVD’s success as a barometer to the overall success of this defense.
Good stuff so far!
August 15th, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Hog…you care more about Lovie than anyone on this site.
You care more about Lovie than LVD.
You possibly care more about Loive than his own family.
Congratulations man. Go Lovie.
August 15th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Keep trashing Lovie. Ordinarily, I’d say give it up by now, but Lovie is a different story. His legend needs to be debunked. He was not a great coach in Chicago. They had a few very good years, and a bunch of mediocrity. Somehow, he manages to have a reputation and a level of respect from players that does not correlate with results, but the media bought in. Why is this? Is it because he declares himself a Christian man (wow, that’s original), or is because he is coat-tailing on Tony Dungy? I don’t know. I don’t get it. I mean, he couldn’t put out a decent defense in 2 years, and they were not showing improvement… I enjoy the Losie bashing, so keep it up Joe.
August 15th, 2016 at 1:43 pm
Remember he is gone do why bash that is the question? Renember we haven’t had a defensive draft for the last 2years, and Remember if we don’t get 9 wins why change coaches, this team needed talent, now you got it, stop bashing and win 9 games : 1987 that’s all I wanna hear!
August 15th, 2016 at 5:37 pm
Salish
By some peoples standards that HOF coaching right there.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:34 pm
Hog you’re so good at proving my point every time.