What Makes Lavonte David Great
May 22nd, 2015
The making of Lavonte David.
There were few things to like about the Bucs last year. You know, 2-14?
The best thing about last year was the Bucs won the Chase for Jameis. That is the greatest memory, other than the home run draft pick of wide receiver Mike Evans.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t good if not great players on the team. The thinktank FootballOutsiders.com refers to Bucs linebacker Lavonte David as their favorite “No. 1 underrated NFL player.”
Joe never thought he would see the reincarnation of Derrick Brooks, but David is about as close as you will get. Yaron Weitzman of SBNation delivered a long, long feature on what makes David great. Below is Weitzman’s take from Bucs coach Lovie Smith about his favorite play from David in a brutal season for Smith and the Bucs.
But Smith doesn’t mention any [statistics]. Instead his mind travels back to that devastating loss, to the third quarter of game only being kept alive by a still-ticking clock, to Matt Ryan, taking a snap up 35-0 and handing the ball off to running back Devonta Freeman, to Freeman running behind the left side of his offensive line for 7 yards, to David, not giving up in a game where doing so would have been the easy thing to do, closing in on Freeman and jarring the ball loose with a vicious hit, to David, leaving even more of himself on the field, scurrying after the loose ball and eventually securing it.
“To me, it just showed the kind of guy and player he is,” Smith says. “He’s the best outside linebacker in the NFL and everything you want a great linebacker to be.”
It is just so sad that it seems folks outside the Tampa Bay area have no clue how good David really is. And he is wonderful.
The linked feature is a really nice read. You should check it out as you kill the clock to get a head start on a three-day weekend of boozing.
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:07 am
Instincts, speed and techniques…..Lavonte David “America’s Outside Linebacker”
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:10 am
They haven’t noticed up until now. But the “Jamies affect” is about to illuminate the play if every member of this team rest assured.
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:30 am
Damnit TBBF. I gotta get up really early to beat you.
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:42 am
Great article, great find by the Bucs, now let’s extend this guy (Lovie’s favorite linebacker).
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:43 am
He is great, no doubt about it, but he was better in Schiano’s scheme.
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:45 am
Schiano’s system really made him stand out.
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:52 am
Instincts man!!! Crap ‘imagine if we had teamed him with Luke k and not given away Bennett and not traded for revis and drafted Sheldon Richardson instead. It was all there to be had we would have the best front 7 in the nfl
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:54 am
schiano’s scheme did allow Lavonte to freelance and play off his instincts and it led to him making a lot of splash plays but lets remember how bad the rest of that scheme sucked. Lavonte had a good year last year, he was just in a more disciplined scheme and the defense as a whole was better.
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:57 am
Hurry up Bucs, get better, become a contender and David will get all the accolades he deserves and then some.
May 22nd, 2015 at 9:04 am
if a frog had wings….he wouldn’t bump his ass…Geez
May 22nd, 2015 at 10:17 am
PAY THE MAN!!!
May 22nd, 2015 at 10:40 am
oh now that we have a qb people will know who he is cant wait. pay him!!!!!!!!!!!
May 22nd, 2015 at 11:20 am
Absolute stud. Favorite player hands down!
May 22nd, 2015 at 11:38 am
If a linebacker isnt picking up sacks, the media and the fans dont notice, which is a shame. Lavonte was all over the field last year. Racking up 14 tackles in three straight games. He didnt have alot of ints but its not like quarterbacks picked on him either. With the additions of Carter and Alexander, I eiuld love to see Lavonte get a chance to blitz more, especially how our defensive ends are mysteries right now. Hell, Lavonte ciuld probably take some snaps as mike on third and long due to his range. I can not wait to see what this team brings this year. I ghink it will be good.
May 22nd, 2015 at 12:34 pm
All we had to do was draft luke instead of baron thats not real pie in the sky.all we had to d
May 22nd, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Do was sign Bennett to a 3 million a year deal he didn’t wanna go anywhere-frogs had wings.
May 22nd, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Great? Far from it. But he is very good.
He and McCoy need to step up and lead the d to be a good unit that protects 4th quarter leads and make impact plays to stop teams. Neither do this but need to start.
May 22nd, 2015 at 3:14 pm
Winning will bring the most attention to the Bucs from a national perspective. Yes, Winston brings some attention but more focusing on the QB position. If we can become a contender again, then the defensive standouts as well as offensive standouts will become better known and recognized by other markets media outlets. We also HAVE TO PLAY GREAT WHEN ON NATIONAL TV. Last year we were an embarrassment to watch, so no player on that roster was very noteworthy. This year I think Evans, V-Jax, Winston, GMC and LVD will all become much more talked about by the national talking heads.
May 22nd, 2015 at 11:14 pm
The Coaches seem to think MegaKwon Alexander has a lot of the same qualities as LVD. I read where they think he is faster at some things. Will be great to see these guys play together. Haven’t seen B. Carter yet, but he had 5 INT’s last year. Hope he can adjust to the middle, and in a short time. Danny is still in the mix, and yet ahead of MegaKwon, but this is a good problem to have. Just like our DT’s too. Not so much when we talk about DE’s and DB’s, but can’t win them all. Offense looks a lot better too. Really excited to be a BUCS fan right now.