Lavonte David Talks Interception Of Tom Brady, 2022 Changes
July 31st, 2022
Lavonte David
Through four days of underwear football at training camp (aka pads-free practices), the explosiveness of Lavonte David is in Joe’s top-3 most encouraging signs.
The NFL’s active leader in solo tackles looks fantastic.
That’s right. David leads all active players in solo tackles, more than future slam-dunk Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner, who was in David’s 2012 draft class. David is second to Wagner in combined tackles when it comes to active leaders; he’s got 1,222 to Wagner’s 1,383.
Barring an injury this season, David will pass a handful of Hall of Famers and rank 21st all-time in combined tackles.
Near the close of practice yesterday, David flashed what looks like throwback quickness and picked off Tom Brady while moving to his right. David was about 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and got underneath a Brady throw for a clean look.
Joe talked to David after practice and he called the interception “fun” because the linebackers’ personal goals in each practice are to get hands on at least two footballs in some way to disrupt a play.
He said Brady is such a fiery “ultimate competitor “that it’s no surprise he didn’t ask what David saw on the play, but David said he expected that question would be coming soon.
“I’m sure he probably took that a little hard,” David said of Brady. “There’s a tremendous competitive spirit out there and nothing is taken lightly in practice.”
As Ira Kaufman Podcast listeners know, David has worked with Buccaneers legend Derrick Brooks on adjusting his workouts and offseason preparation for what a 32-year-old linebacker needs to stay effective and play several more years, versus a 28- or 29-year-old.
David said he definitely feels a difference.
“Just changing up the simple stuff” is how David described what changes he’s made courtesy of Brooks, including workout goals, routine changes, tweaking his mental approach and eating habits.
On the food front, David said he went weeks without carbs during part of the offseason and added more greens and vegetables. “Everything together really helped me get where I need to be. I feel great,” he said.
July 31st, 2022 at 1:33 pm
Wagner is worthy of praise, but David is better in nearly every stat. The stark contrast in post season awards between the two is a perfect example of the shameful national media bias in the nfl. If the production is even close, it’s our guys that usually get screwed.
July 31st, 2022 at 2:06 pm
Buczilla – it’s not just bias, it’s also the difference between a woebegone embarrassment of a team and the other being the legion of boom. One team won games, and the other was hiring and firing coaches left and right.
July 31st, 2022 at 2:24 pm
@Mort
What you say is true and being a sad sack franchise certainly played a big role during the lost decade, but the mostly numbnut national media is far and away the bigger problem. Ronde being left out of the hall of fame in favor of lesser players like Brian Dawkins (just an example) is downright criminal and most of the hof voters should lose their voting privileges. Put Ira and Dungy in charge and let’s bring some respectability back to the process.
July 31st, 2022 at 3:29 pm
Oh of course that’s a factor, but it’s far more likely they pay attention to the Bucs when they’re actually good. That’s why people think Devin White is top tier. He can be, but he got the credit because he made plays on national TV. Lavonte was on tv once, and lost the Jets game in 2013 with a questionable hit out of bounds on crybaby Jeno Smith. Like it or not, he hasn’t made game changing plays on national TV enough. He covered Kelce and shut him down all game in the SB but that’s not what the narrative was after the game.
I’m not agreeing with it or justifying it. Simply explaining it.
July 31st, 2022 at 4:07 pm
Brady gets pissy if he loses a ping pong match, let alone being picked off in practice. As for David, he’s a tremendous player. If memory serves he was drafted behind Wagner, by a dozen spots or so. Both great linebackers that any team would be lucky to have.
July 31st, 2022 at 5:36 pm
Has Jensen’s actual injury been released yet?
Is it a torn ACL/MCL or just a sprain?
July 31st, 2022 at 5:46 pm
BB, not from my knowledge. I don’t think they’re required to provide injury reports in camp. I maybe wrong. I think if it was an torn ACL, we would’ve heard about it by now from schefter by now. Maybe they’re waiting for the swelling to go down, but it’s not hard to diagnose an ACL these days.
July 31st, 2022 at 6:28 pm
Ok please can we stop saying this one will fo this and this one will do that and the team should do this if they stay healthy. Geeze just stop already with the obvious. Just talk about what’s what. Tired of all you in the media constantly saying well he’ll break the record if he doesn’t break his leg first. If the season ended today we would be in first place and get a bye. Wow. Vin Scully once said he announces the games alone and just talks baseball because that’s what people want. Not the bantering back and forth and the what is. Oh he wouldn’t have struck out if he wouldn’t have swung at 2 pitches in the dirt. He would have had a touchdown if he could have caught the ball and got both feet down wow
July 31st, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Anthony, literally have no idea why you’re here, and what you’re talking about. If you don’t like the banter, go read a newspaper. What’s the point of being a fan, if you can’t comment on the minutia?
July 31st, 2022 at 7:59 pm
it still amazes me that these millionaire kids cant understand diet and how to work out in the nfl? they are just super human teenagers… youth is wasted on the young…
August 1st, 2022 at 12:08 am
Greens and vegetables have carbs.
August 1st, 2022 at 11:27 am
Yea, all the talk is about the offense and all the receivers coming in. However, the Bucs have a brutal schedule, and have to face nearly every top QB in the league. If the Bucs are going to have a dominant season, the defense has to step up and excel like they did in the late season and post season runs of 2020. As good as he still is, not sure Brady can consistently win shoot outs against some of the younger, dual threat QBs.
August 1st, 2022 at 11:32 am
Further comment. If the defense is decimated by injuries, poor coverage, and lack of pass rush like last season, I could see the Bucs actually finishing around .500, considering the offenses they have to face.
August 1st, 2022 at 11:48 am
I wouldn’t practice LVD too often. He knows the system.
Keep him 100% for the season.