“Hopefully Somebody Like Lavonte David Gets The Credit He Deserves”
March 30th, 2020
Joe’s going to stop shaking his head to wag an accountability finger at Bucco Bruce Arians for his recent chatter on national radio.
During one of Arians’ many post-Brady-signing interviews, he noted that one reason he’s excited for all the upcoming prime time games and inevitable spotlight is because “hopefully somebody like Lavonte David gets the credit he deserves.”
Well, consider that the Bucs were eliminated from the playoffs on December 8 of last year. Arians, if he really cared about David getting credit for his great play, could have then ordered guys like Todd Bowles, Mike Evans, Ndamukong Suh and others to use their star power to do some interviews to promote David’s play while Pro Bowl voting was still active.
Of course, Arians himself could have done a car wash of national interviews at the time. (The Bucs were 6-7 and on a three-game win streak). But he didn’t. The head coach also could have asked general manager Jason Licht to come out of his months-long media hiding, or for Jameis Winston to drop a few Tweets for No. 54.
Joe could give more examples, but you get the idea.
Aside from incessant losing, David and other Bucs suffer from a lack of recognition in part because the Bucs do such a crappy job getting the word out. Apparently it’s easier to complain about it than to do something about it.
March 30th, 2020 at 10:16 am
he’s been a rock since he’s been drafted
March 30th, 2020 at 10:34 am
Maybe so, but Pro Bowls are not exclusively voted on by their peers. Fans are involved and I don’t have to tell you that most don’t use analytics to make their decisions. Or how else do you explain why McSofty made so many when his numbers were pedestrian at best most seasons? Yes, an advertising blitz could’ve possibly gotten him some recognition but the fact that there were quite a few LB’s who came from winning programs while the Buc’s were mired at the bottom of their division was his biggest obstacle. LVD should’ve tried doing more self promotion, and made himself available to the national press. Some guys just avoid the spotlight and in the eyes of the fans they tend to ignore them.
March 30th, 2020 at 10:36 am
this defense will be let off it’s leash this year, and he will shine. I suspect no less than 4 probowlers from the Bucs this year.
March 30th, 2020 at 10:40 am
Asinine article. As usual, take an innocent remark by the coach and create a stupid argument for the sake of negativity. For the sake of negativity? Sorry, man, Joe isn’t letting this organization off the hook when it does a crappy job promoting players. Joe sees what other teams do. Arians brought it up and Joe isn’t going to let it slide. Accountability should apply to all.–Joe
The coach and GM have full time jobs already and don’t need to be tasked with promoting players for greater exposure.
March 30th, 2020 at 10:48 am
The biggest reason that David hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves is because of fan voting, and the fact that for almost all of America, the Bucs are an absolute joke. I love them and have for years, but at the very best the Bucs on a national level are an afterthought. WIN and we’ll see more of these guys – David included – get the recognition they deserve.
March 30th, 2020 at 10:49 am
Gotta agree w/ GetOverIt completely. This is silly on multiple fronts. I’ll give credit where it’s due though, it takes some talent to take something positive or positively said and turn it into a negative article, or bashing.
March 30th, 2020 at 11:23 am
Food for thought, Isaiah Simmons is being compared to Lavonte David! How’s that? How the hell did he fall so far in the draft? It has to be his communication? I’m not criticizing him he’s a helluva football player and very humble but if there’s one knock on him it’s his communication skills. If he was conceited and pretentious like Richard Sherman he’d have 5-6 pro bowls. I can’t imagine how bad we would have been on defense without him the last 6-7 years.
Our nickel package is ridiculous with David and White. There is no better in the league and it’s not even close. With a healthy JPP And more experienced secondary, David will unleashed to blitz more to really showcase his skills.
March 30th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
It’s possible for both things to be true. LVD is a great talent who has been overlooked because he’s played on a loser in a backwater market.
LVD is a great talent who wasn’t promoted properly by is organization. I do not view this as BA’s fault…Licht should…if he hasn’t already appointed somebody who does nothing but promote players.
I remember in broadcasting receiving tons of mail…some of it with expensive glossy folders…some even had videocassettes from Universities around the nation featuring a star player they were pimping for the Heisman in the pre season.
This promotion fell under the responsibility of the school’s Sports Information Director….usually delegated. Licht could delegate an NFL version of this. I suspect they actually do have people for this…maybe they do a bad job?
Maybe it gets back to winning and market size.
Whatever…LVD seems like a together dude. As long as he has the respect of his peers and most importantly his teammates and coaches he’s probably cool.
March 30th, 2020 at 1:19 pm
I hardly think we should be pointing the finger over the lack of hype videos and stat graphics. Give me a break! Show us some evidence that these things other teams do makes a legitimate impact and we’ll ease up Joe’s.
To me all that would be screaming into the stiff breeze of fantasy football loving Americans who never had a reason to care about the Bucs…. ’till now. I think that’s Bruce’s point here.
And let’s play devils advocate… So had he gone on a PR blitz on 12/8 and then the last month of the season unfolded the way it did, Joe’s and all the armchair fans out there would have been griping that he should have been focused on coaching instead of doing PR.
Me, I want coaches coaching and players playing. Point the finger at the PR team if you need a scapegoat for this silly issue. You can’t eat your cake and have it too w the coach and players tho.
March 30th, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Getoverit is right!!!!! It’s your job, america’s joewinstonfan, to promote players to get your access. Joe’s access has nothing to do with anything other than Joe being a daily media outlet with three full-time writers covering the team year-round, and a photographer who often travels to games, and triggering more than 7 million visits to the website annually. Why make things up? If Joe’s “access” ever ended, the website wouldn’t change, traffic likely would increase for a variety of reasons and Joe would have access in various alternative ways.–Joe
It is actually against the interests of the team to have player go to the probowl, even if they deserve it, because it often triggers incentives that cost more. If Joe accepts your premise that the team considers the cash value/loss of a guy making the Pro Bowl, then it further illustrates some of the hypocrisy in Arians’ comment.–Joe
So this is on you, america’s joewinstonfan! We know you have it in you given you incessant lobbying for america’s unemployed backup qb. You ever hear Joe say Jameis should have made the Pro Bowl? No, you have not. The archives are hear for your reality check. –Joe
March 30th, 2020 at 4:35 pm
Continue to invent things about Joe’s motives and operation and you’ll be banned from commenting. Why make things up? You don’t have to like what’s here, but Joe demands there is no fabrication about the host. It’s a simple rule. Thank you. If you want Joe to censor his opinions, well, that’s just not going to happen.–Joe
March 30th, 2020 at 6:41 pm
I think you’re more in a college mindset than a pro mindset about this Joe. It’s really up to LVD to hire some people to push his name and his brand. That’s what pros do because they’re no longer clueless college kids with no assets who need help from the big school they’re playing for.
Tom Brady is a big boy and able to promote himself. Why not LVD? Because he’s too humble? Well then let’s let that be that and move on.
Granted, the Buccaneers do have a PR department, and I think they could do more and push for more national love for LVD, certainly, beyond a shadow of a doubt. But at the end of the day Lavonte can hire a little help in that department too.
As for why no one on the Bucs coaching staff or front office was going on national media and trying to talk up LVD the second half of last season is because if they would have been given almost NO chance to talk about it because all anybody was going to want to talk about was the dumpster fire that our season was becoming. Really? As Joe wrote, the Bucs were eliminated from the playoffs after a wild win that pushed them to 6-7 and a three-game winning streak. It was a perfect time to push for David in various ways.–Joe
Put yourself in our coaches’ and GM’s shoes and imagine – what is it that the national media types were going to talk about? Lavonte David? Hell no. They’re going to talk about the dumpster fire and who wants to deal with that? I mean get real. You know their attempted LVD promotions would have been totally drowned out. Wrong!–Joe
March 30th, 2020 at 9:42 pm
Got it joe. Make an argument and get banned. Don’t like your opinion, express it, get banned.
access meant that if a player likes you they are more likely to talk to you. Your questioning the coach invites argument of opinion. Probably shouldn’t have called it trash, but hey, what did you call IRA?
Isolation is setting in and everyone is a bit bichy. No sports and the bucs is all there is to talk about. Your pic thing of jameis itched fans like your calling Ira stupid. We are here for your opinion, and aren’t here to change it, but if it takes heat, own up. But banning myself as some dumb poster wasting time, redlecmbout as well as calling Ira stupid for arguing with your opinion.
March 30th, 2020 at 10:34 pm
NFC LB slots in Pro Bowl have been locked up of late by perennial media love objects… David never had a fair shot but might now with Keuchly gone and the prime time slots courtesy of Brady. We’ll see.
March 30th, 2020 at 11:03 pm
And I have been banned. America’s joe appears to have no tolerance for criticism. I though that was fought in journalism 101, but must not be in the blogger curriculum
March 30th, 2020 at 11:54 pm
News to Joe. What did you do?
March 30th, 2020 at 11:55 pm
Have absolutely zero clue what you are talking about. If you want to be banned, that can be arranged.
March 31st, 2020 at 10:54 am
Bucs are such an insignificant market, with such an insignificant amount of success. David’s lack of recognition has to do with him not being a top 5 pick and not playing for a winner. I don’t think any sort of promotion from the coaches and players would help a 4-3 OLB that doesn’t get many sacks.
Now if he were a MLB, there is a greater chance of recognition.