Lavonte David Among The No-Shows
September 13th, 2015
Lavonte David is a great guy and a great player, but not tonight.
In fact, it was a stunningly invisible night for the new $10-million-per-year linebacker.
David was credited for three tackles and two assists. That tied his worst statistical performance of 2014, and you’d have to go back to 2012 to find worse.
But stat sheet blubbering aside, David and other Tampa Bay stars were among the group of Bucs who didn’t “show up,” to use Lovie Smiths’ phrase.
It’s troubling. For the Bucs to win games, they’ll need superstar efforts, not collective wilting.
David had a very rough 2015 preseason, too, for those paying attention. There were plenty of uncharacteristic missed tackles and a lack of splash plays.
No, Joe doesn’t think David is a take-the-money-and-mail-it-in guy. But he really must step it up.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:20 pm
None of our Lb’s had a clue what to do with the read option. It was fake the handoff, LB’s get sucked in, throw it behind them. Rinse and repeat, all game long.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:23 pm
bad coaching and FORCING a system down the throats of players is all you need to look at.
Players win championships NOT systems. Coaches must be able to take advantage of players strengths and put them in the position to succeed. Lovie is far too stubborn and or ignorant to accomplish this simple task. Simple as that!
September 13th, 2015 at 10:28 pm
Tell me?…is Lavonte David not a good player or….
September 13th, 2015 at 10:28 pm
The more this sucky situation continues, and the more I think that what this team need is a complete turnaround. I’m sick of anything resembling the Tampa 2. Just because it’s called Tampa 2 doesn’t mean we have to keep playing that kind of defense. It’s old, it’s outdated, OCs scheme against the Tampa 2 with relative ease, it doesn’t scare nobody nowadays. You need serious coaches to get good results, and last time I checked, Dungy or Kiffin are long gone and not involved in this franchise anymore. Not to mention the right players. You adapt the scheme to the players at your disposal, you don’t force the friggen Tampa 2 on them. That’s a sign of a poor coach right there, dear Lovie Smith. Let this nightmare be gone, please. Hire an offensive coach and and a DC who doesn’t preach the Tampa 2.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:29 pm
Whatever you do, don’t blame that Lovable LovieDovey
September 13th, 2015 at 10:30 pm
tmaxcon 100% right… i was never a schiano fan but he had a solid defense and guys played like their hair was on fire…no with this “we will getem next time” crap… its been 10 yeara of wait til next time its old these are the ray perkins bucs and williamson yucks
September 13th, 2015 at 10:32 pm
Ask yourself how bad you must be to make players like David and McCoy not only uncompetitive but entirely irrelevant.
Hat tip LovieDovey!!!
September 13th, 2015 at 10:34 pm
Listen this was a total team disaster. Yes they were poorly prepared. But at some point the players themselves have to be accountable.
I lost count of the number of missed and broken tackles. That’s not the DC missplacing his players…it’s the players screwing up.
YES the coaches need to be held accountable but SO DO THE PLAYERS and that includes #3!!!
By the second half I started looking for 93…there were times he just got pushed aside and the RB blew through the hole.
I thought the OL actually showed promise..we rushed the ball effectively until we fell so far behind so quickly. I was worried about a special teams disaster, that was the best I’ve seen our Special teams play since the Lovie era started last year. That’s about it…everybody else was just terrible!!!
September 13th, 2015 at 10:35 pm
They were all invisible. The Bucs new defenses nick name the invisible men. The offense can be called the bumbling bums and our MVP will be our Punter.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:37 pm
Get rid of Lovie and promote Coach Koetter. Simple as that.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:37 pm
Dallas
At this point you are growing truly boring. Is that the depth and breadth of your football analysis. Lovie sucks. We get that. Why not type it a thousand more times. And you wonder why people think your loathing of Lovie is irrational.
Lovie is but one piece of this puzzle but because of your blindness it’s ALL you can see. Why don’t we save you the time and effort. Just type your favorite Lovie sucks rant and you’re free to leave and go somewhere else. We promise to cut and paste it on all the rest of the threads and save you the time.
You’re growing tedious, boring and beyond repetitive. Was there no other blame to go around?
September 13th, 2015 at 10:38 pm
Lovie maybe coulda disguised things… where are the corner blitzes like ronde used to do… long year
September 13th, 2015 at 10:39 pm
StPete- I appreciate your positive nature but you really need to learn how to call a spade a spade. You are complaining about symptoms. Even if the players are just simply sucking who’s fault is that? It was just brought up how Schiano had these guys playing under so-called friendlier player-coach circumstances.
Is the bloom finally off LovieDovey’s rose?
September 13th, 2015 at 10:40 pm
Schiano got fired because he LOST HIS FREAKING LOCKER ROOM. It has nothing to do with his systems.
Tell you guys what. Save us all some freaking time here. Take up a collection and put up the first Fire Lovie billboard. That would at least be a constructive way to release your hate.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:43 pm
Is the bloom finally off LovieDovey’s rose?
Not yet Dallas. I set up what IMHO are reasonable standards. I believe this team has 8-8 talent…at least with MG8 and perhaps #3 although today he scared the beejesus out of me. With 8-8 talent if Lovie doesn’t get at least six I’ll join all of you. I’ll even contribute to your Fire Lovie Billboard. Just can’t make myself make a final SEASON pronouncement based on ONE game.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:44 pm
The LB’s were sad
Verner and Banks were clueless
The Safeties were occupied but not making plays
and the DLine was just a half a second late
Sounds like today was just preseason game Five
September 13th, 2015 at 10:45 pm
StPete- it only seems like I’m hammering harder because the thin walls of your LovieDovey protection have grown much thinner. I only have more ammunition after today. You may have heard it a million times but I am not here for you.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Lovie does suck and the suckiness is his responsibility bottom line he is responsible for that bs effor that he has had 7 months to prepare for the titans ans that doo doo is what we as fans get… LOVIE SUCKS NEW COACH ASAP
September 13th, 2015 at 10:49 pm
Official unofficial poll:
Is Lovie Smith competent?
September 13th, 2015 at 10:51 pm
StPeteBucsFan
Don’t need a collection I own a printing company and will gladly donate a fire Lovie banner to Dallas
September 13th, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Lovie Smith WAS competent, but he isn’t anymore. He’s behind the curve now, he’s in over his head as far as the Bucs are concerned.
I understand StPete and his point, but you also have to understand that we’re all frustrated here. It’s like we didn’t have an off season, nothing changed. Same old bad habits. Same mistakes, and we didn’t win yet another game at HOME, against the second worst team in the NFL. This wasn’t the way to start a season, simple as that.
September 13th, 2015 at 10:54 pm
If lovie goes 5 – 11 I too will contribute to a “Fire Lovie” billboard..
September 13th, 2015 at 10:57 pm
All day I saw defenses pressure teams with diff looks and create bad decisions by qbs. But not by Lovie.
I’d love to have a defense like Rex Ryan, where it confuses qbs and actually stops teams. But that will awhile away
September 13th, 2015 at 11:01 pm
We we’re told all preseason the LB’s are a strength of this team… More hoax smoke and mirrors by the organization as you sit in 200 degree heat watching replays of them getting beat on old dinosaur jumbo trons.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:01 pm
It looked like Mccown and Arroyo out there! And that defense can nit play. Lovie can not run a defense in todays NFL. Why cant we just enjoy some football like everyone else. Out of all the other 0-1 teams, we’re the only team thats done. Not mathematically, but this team is finished. Time to start dreaming of next year. Again.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:03 pm
Winston lovers should stop living in denial
The Franchise made a mistake by picking Jameis
They should picked Mariota and we all saw the reasons tonight….
Yes the defense was below average
BUT
with Mariota’s lightning release and pin-point accuracy……he’s very hard to stop
Jameis threw lots of picks in college = we saw this tonight (should’ve been four picks)
Mariota hardly threw picks in college = we saw this tonight
All Winston lovers including Joe needs to come to grips with the reality that this Franchise f-d up bigtime
Stop saying “America’s Quarterback”…..because that he definitely is not
September 13th, 2015 at 11:07 pm
We should all dream of the glazers selling the team. Until then, the team is just a dumpster fire.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:09 pm
So someone was drunk and put Conte in the starting lineup.
Well it looked like his 15th concussion in 2 years might have forced him out… any update on that “Lovie legend”
September 13th, 2015 at 11:11 pm
@Tmax
I say go for it. In fact I’m serious if the Bucs lose their next two. The fans will be with you if we host Carolina at 0-3..and especially if we look as bad as today against N.O. and Houston.
Can’t you imagine a banner flying over RayJay. I honestly don’t know about the rules for flying over the stadium or too close though. Is that even legal since 9/11. If you could fly close enough you’d probably get a big cheer from the 20,000 or so who will be in attendance if the Bucs return home 0-3.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:11 pm
@BucsAnthem
You’re the most annoying poster on here, I swear. I’ve read the same post from you over and over, all day long. We get it, you wanted Mariota. You were right, Winston lovers were wrong. Yada yada. And it’s ridiculous, because you just fail to understand that if Mariota looked good today was also because he didn’t play against a competent defense.
Let’s wait a few more games. If Mariota will continue to look good, I’m gonna be the first person here to apologize to you. My bet is that Mariota will be taken down more then a peg as soon as the next game against the Browns. Sad to say, but at this point the Brows are a better franchise than the Bucs.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:15 pm
Sick of hearing how GMC and David are great but both rarely make great plays.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:17 pm
@ Elle
Good……I’m glad your annoyed……you should be annoyed at the Bucs Organization….not me.
Maybe you’ll be the next person to take off those Bucs “rose colored” glasses???
September 13th, 2015 at 11:18 pm
Lavonte is not being used to his abilities. We saw what he could be in Schiano’s defense. Making him a cover 2 OLB is a total waste. Lovie just has to go, we need to start playing 2015 NFL football and not 1999 NFL football.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:19 pm
@ Tampa Tony
I am sick of people hailing GMC #93 is this great DT
….but he always disappears in games
Ian Beckles is 100% correct from his Radio Show on WDAE
September 13th, 2015 at 11:23 pm
@BucsAnthem
I don’t have any glasses of that kind. I’m sick of this team. Sick of the Galzers, sick of our coaches and most of our players. And I’m not a Winston groupie either. I went to Alabama, I couldn’t care less for Winston, so I don’t have an agenda, like you seem to have, on the other hand. But he is a Buc player now, is he not? So I’m not ready to put all the blame on HIM after ONE game and crown Mariota as the better QB. I just haven’t seen enough to make that kind of judgement. I don’t have the magic ball like you do.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:25 pm
StPete
there are some laws but I am not too familiar with it. A guy in Charlotte county last year tried to hire us to print a banner that read “The Beotch is Dead” so he could fly it over his mothers funeral… true story… even being a sick individual I could not print it LOL…. obviously he wanted the spelling different. I am easy to find on twitterville if he goes 0-3 which at this point I believe will happen. In my opinion this team is not responding to Lovie at all or they would not come out so flat and unprepared especially after reading Melton saying they had a walk through that addressed everything the titans threw at them.
September 13th, 2015 at 11:28 pm
@ Elle
Mariota is the better QB…….plain and simple
You should go on youtube and watch a bunch of tape on Mariota
……THEN
watch a bunch of tape on Winston
…..and then I think you’ll finally “get it” or “see” what I’m talking about
No hidden agendas here either…..I’m just calling it how I see it
September 13th, 2015 at 11:29 pm
In an effort to make StPete happy I would like to start a movement right here, right now for the most Lovable little guy in the head coaching ranks! We should all should just rally around the gosh darnitt bestest fella you can think of that is really any good at his multimillion dollar position as long as it just means winning locker rooms and Sunday services and not actual NFL football games. Whelp!!! That’d be LovieMcLovieDovey!!!
Count me in
September 13th, 2015 at 11:40 pm
@ DallasBuc
LOL
“LovieMcLovieDovey”
……come join the club…..they got jackets!!!!!
September 13th, 2015 at 11:50 pm
Lovie will never win a superbowl!
September 13th, 2015 at 11:50 pm
There’s a reason why people outside of Tampa don’t really know much about Lavonte David. They know Luke Kuechly…. But today is why they don’t know Lavonte David. God we are so second rate
September 13th, 2015 at 11:58 pm
Joe- despite him winning the war of annoying people something has to be done about Anthem. Literally trying to scroll through posts and keep thinking wow people hate Winston and then I realize the same kid all damn day has posted as if he’s mariotas brother. Literally. Like this is ridiculous
September 14th, 2015 at 12:03 am
If Kuechly were here he would be entirely irrelevant under the tutelage of LovieDovey.
Many thanks the Glazers for the poorest of 4 bad coaching decisions, including firing Gru
September 14th, 2015 at 12:03 am
Ah hate to leave this Love fest or should I say Loviefest? LOL
Time for some zzzzzz. Now should we happen to knock of he ‘Aints next week it’ll be interesting to see the comments.
I respect that most of you hard corps will be here still…just like I came to take my lumps tonight.
Besides you guys get a week to gloat. Enjoy it. The Bucs sucked today but the ‘Aints are world beaters this year either. Drew will hit all those short passes you hate. If we could make some tackles it would be nice.
This is where we get to see what the guys are made of…when LVD committed that penalty to lose the opening game in New York it was the beginning of the end. That team folded like a cheap suitcase. Let’s see how the boys rebound next week. If they repeat today..not lose but lose in embarrassing fashion…it’s going to be a long long season. Hopefully we have a little more character in this locker room, but even an optimist like me has to admit at this point it is just hope. This will be a great test of this team’s mettle.
September 14th, 2015 at 12:06 am
This savior does not walk on water. Another long season ahead and possibly 0 and 16 to draft the D end and hire a new coach. I also wanted Marcus Mariota drafted and he put on a show while Jameis Winston barfed all over himself.
September 14th, 2015 at 12:07 am
Lavonte was a different player under schiano wether you admit it or not he wasn’t that impressive last year either
September 14th, 2015 at 12:08 am
Anthem- don’t know you around here and I certainly don’t join loser movements outside of the preposterous ones I set up to make guys like StPete say mercy!!!
September 14th, 2015 at 12:22 am
Let’s see here, Saints loss, Texans loss, panthers loss, jags? Maybe…,we could easily be 0-5 by the bye week, pray for a 1-4 if we can muster a win against the jags but don’t count on it.
September 14th, 2015 at 12:33 am
Looks like it’s going to be a loooong season my friends
September 14th, 2015 at 12:36 am
@BucsAnthem
You judge football players by watching highlights on YouTube? And a bunch of highlights, not even proper tape, on the ‘Tube are gonna show me all I need to know about Mariota and Winston? Alright, I got everything I needed to know about you. Have a nice night, sir!
September 14th, 2015 at 12:37 am
We’ll see next week how this team responds
If the game is just as bad as we saw today
…..then one would have to ask the question “Has Lovie lost the locker room”????
September 14th, 2015 at 12:43 am
@ Elle
Ummmmm……you got me confused with yourself and all the other casual fans on this website who watch sportscenter 30 second highlight videos. …..nice try
Stay in Fairytale Bucs land with your “rose colored” glasses…..because you’ll need them the rest of the season
September 14th, 2015 at 12:54 am
I don’t feel sorry for the Bucs, they treated Rasheem Greene like dirt. They wouldn’t even talk to Mason Foster after the season. Yet they bring in Bruce Carter and signed 2 backup LBs off the waiver wire. I was against them trading Mark Barron, I was totally against them bringing in Major Wright, Chris Conte and Tim Jennings. Reid Fragel played good for us during the preseason and he was waived. Lawrence Sidbury was our best DE during preseason and he was cut, but we kept a injured De and signed another off the waiver wire, who wasn’t even active for the game. Lovie has mistreated so many players, just to keep his favorites. I don’t feel sorry for him or the Bucs, they deserves everything they get. Rannell Hall had a great preseason, but they elected to go with 5 WRs, and one of them are injured. You have 4 WRs and 3 DEs active for an NFL game, that is stupid. Mike James is our best all-purpose back and he was inactive. But he will die with Charles Sims(which make no sense), Mike James and Doug Martin should be our primary backs. Keith Tandy should be our starting Free Safety, DJ Swearinger should be our Strong Safety. But Lovie is stuck on Conte, Wright and McDougald.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:01 am
Good points Lakeland Buc
September 14th, 2015 at 1:11 am
If this team doesn’t get at least 6 wins and look competitive in many of their losses Lovie has to go. Simple as that.
Fans in Chicago were lighting up PFT’s comment section(s) after we hired Lovie telling us Bucs fans we would regret hiring him. They’re intimately familiar with what it’s like to be fans of a Lovie-coached team and they were adamant that we would hate his tenure here as it would be filled with underachievement. Guess what? Looks like they were probably right on the money.
Lovie Smith: Underachiever par excellence. Needs years to get “his” guys and even then he averages 7-8 wins a year after “his” guys are in place. Meanwhile teams like the Titans, Chiefs, Cardinals, Colts, etc, etc, in recent years get new head coaches, new QB’s, new coordinators and they win right away.
DallasBuc may be annoying with his maniacal obsessiveness and narrow views but his instincts about Lovie are pretty accurate. The guy is a relic who was good many years ago but did not (or cannot) adapt in order to win in today’s NFL. He’s overrated as a head coach and probably never should have advanced beyond defensive coordinator in all honesty.
If the Bucs go 5-11 or worse I would love to see Lovie, Frazier and Warhop fired and Koetter elevated to head coach and allowed to hire his own DC and O-line coaches. And I have a sneaking suspicion that the Glazers are keeping this option in the back of their minds and there may be a midnight meeting between them and Koetter immediately after the 2015 season ends.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:20 am
I meant Khaseem Greene not Rasheem Greene. The thing that I hate about Lovie is that he don’t keep or play his best players. He like his favorites, and it has nothing to do with talent.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:28 am
For the past 5yrs, no matter how pessimistic I feel.
I’ll bite the bullet and at least TRY to say – At least one positive thing heading into the season.
So even though I intensely pounded this board (almost weekly). Begging for an additional pass rusher (or two).
The other day – I said ” McCoy should lead this team to a Top-10 Finish”-Those that mock him now…. will eat crow later.
Bold statement – Eh?
Well even though it was the 1st game, and I know – The race is not given to the swift nor the strong – but he who endures until the end.
I fold
I drove my happy arse to Wally’s World and bought the closest thing to crow. I sprung for a $5 baked chicken & some Johnnie Walker to help was it down
Gooooo Bucs!
Yeyy
September 14th, 2015 at 3:23 am
LUVMYBUCS… I’m right there with you man! It sucks right now and the last few years, but you’re not alone… There’s a lot of us suffering right there with you… Keep your head up!
September 14th, 2015 at 3:40 am
Joe, the whole team was a “No Show”… To me, when the whole team is a “No Show”, that means they were unprepared… Which points to coaching.
No team will be successful if they change coaching staffs every 2 years, so in that train of thought I will remain patient, but DAMN… it’s getting hard to remain… I will only say that it took Dungy a while to get the Bucs rolling. So yes, I’m defending and accusing the coaching staff, but in no way is #54 to receive any finger pointing.
September 14th, 2015 at 4:47 am
This is the forth time this defense made an inexperienced QB look like a HOFer under Lovie’s guidence. That doesn’t even include Flacco or Matt Ryan. That’s on Lovie and that’s firable. A defensive minded HC let a rookie in his very first game sit out the entire 4th quarter. That deserves to highlighted. I repeat. A defensive minded HC let a rookie in his very first game sit out the entire 4th quarter. It disgusting and he be escorted out of the entire league.
I only remember being this angry at this team once in recent memory, and that was the Jets game in week 1 two years ago.
September 14th, 2015 at 6:17 am
So embarrassing. Ask yourself this. If we would have chosen Mariota instead of Winston do you believe the results would have been reversed? Would we have blown out the Titans? Would Mariora’s stats be the same? I don’t believe we would have known what to do with Mariota if we drafted him.
September 14th, 2015 at 8:31 am
P’Cola: If the qbs swapped teams I bet the national media would be singing the praises for Winston as the Titans would have tailored a gameplan to help him slice through the bad Bucs D and mariota would have had #s similar to what Winston got behind that porous OL….
September 14th, 2015 at 12:40 pm
There is a reason that Lavante hasn’t been selected by coaches and players to the Pro-Bowl. Sunday showed the reason. I think Lavante is showing what he really is “AVERAGE”!