Lavonte David Wants No Part Of An 18-Game Schedule
August 4th, 2024
Not down with 18 games.
Probably sooner than later, the NFL will go to an 18-game regular season. There’s way too much loot lying on the table not to.
And Lavonte David said he hopes that comes after he hangs up his cleats.
The Bucs 34-year-old stud linebacker recently sat down for a podcast for Ari Meirov with The 33rd Team. There, David said in no uncertain terms he wants nothing to do with an 18-game regular season.
“I’m going to straight up say I hope it don’t happen,” David said while chuckling. “The season is already long as it is. The 16-game season was long as it [was].
“Even though it is just one more [game], it would feel like five more. It’s a physical game, football. … That’s a lot of added stress to the body.
“Me, personally, I hope it don’t happen. I hope, maybe I’m not in the league when it does happen. Hopefully.”
Would a move to 18 games next season chase David into retirement? David sounds in the video below like it just might.
In various interviews since re-signing this offseason, David has sounded like he would have called it a career if the Bucs had missed the playoffs last season. So obviously retirement is very much on David’s mind.
#Bucs LB Lavonte David does not want to see the NFL go to 18 games. pic.twitter.com/IBrvs4HVtH
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 2, 2024
August 4th, 2024 at 6:11 am
Put Roger Goodell in a sea bag. Every Sunday, 60 NFL players have 60 minutes to each get one shot at the heavy bag. At the end of 17 weeks, ask Roger if he wants to do it again next year.
August 4th, 2024 at 6:18 am
Thank you for the video.
Lavonte was right on point about the reasons, understandably. If the NFL does go to 18-games I can see many players thinking about retiring and doing it. Since 18-games will be more money for the NFL, I have to wonder if the league is looking at older players retiring too…
As a fan, I like the idea of the 18-games with the sound advice that Joe Burrows had mentioned about it. In the same breath, I can understand what the players may be thinking too.
August 4th, 2024 at 6:39 am
When we win the superbowl this season I’m sure David will retire on top.
August 4th, 2024 at 7:45 am
I agree that an 18 game season is a bad idea. But the owners and commissioner will probably do it for the money.
If Lavonte IS in the league when they go to a 18 game schedule the HC can just give him a day off for one of the games. There would probably be an extra bye week as well.
August 4th, 2024 at 8:39 am
They are not stopping at 18, it’s going to be 20 by 2030. The NFL owners would sell their grandma’s kidney for a ten cent profit.
August 4th, 2024 at 9:10 am
King Midas does not end up happy in the fairy tale.
Let’s go year round, 100 player rosters, franchises can own SEC and Big Ten colleges, all games become pay per view, expand to every continent, and we can spend half of game time scanning the press boxes for celebrities
August 4th, 2024 at 9:12 am
I get the sinking feeling this will be LVDs final season. What a player. And the NFL will need to extend both the salary cap and the roster cap numbers before they add more games.
August 4th, 2024 at 9:19 am
It will go to 18 or more and eventually will be no contact the way Roger Goodell is with his no fun league. He’s the worst commissioner and is ruining football
August 4th, 2024 at 11:04 am
On a 18 game schedule, every player would have 1 bye week. They all play no more than 17 games so stop acting like children and man up!
August 4th, 2024 at 12:33 pm
With 18 games, regardless of the $$$, more guys are going to get hurt and burned out, and careers will be shortened. Even with a 60-man roster.
Keep in mind that once upon a time the NFL was 14 games.
Think about it: a SB team will have played 24 games if the league goes to 2 PS games, 25 if they stay at 3.
August 4th, 2024 at 12:39 pm
Let’s see….if it gets to 20 games…first there will need to be an increase in roster size (even if it’s just a larger practice squad to pull from)
Second…might as well have a starting rotation at QB like they have in baseball and maybe even a QB bullpen.
I like football as much as anyone but the longer the season the higher the probability for injuries to primary players. By the end you could very well be watching a watered down product.
And season stat records of players would become more meaningless than they currently are…..here’s an asterisk, there’s an asterisk, everyone gets an asterisk!!!
August 4th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
I Remember when the regular season schedule was 12 games. 18 games is ridiculous, and will have a lot of players retiring early. Greed kills a lot of good things. Add in the playoffs, and the preseason games, no SB roster will ever survive like the Bucs did in 2020.
August 4th, 2024 at 1:47 pm
Cobraboy … ‘With 18 games, regardless of the $$$, more guys are going to get hurt and burned out, and careers will be shortened. Even with a 60-man roster.’
Was thinking the exact same thing Cobra. But I’m sure that eventually it’ll happen because of the $$$ involved. We’ll probably see 2 preseason games & 18 regular season for all teams, plus 4 playoff games for half of the teams. The size of the roster won’t matter; the best will play & get paid big bucks, and the rest will make $1 mil apiece & become S/Ts specialists.
If I was Roger Goddell, I’d start an ‘adjunct NFL’ instead, to compete during the off-season. Kinda like a high quality semi-pro league to feed the NFL (not unlike what baseball & hockey do now?).
August 4th, 2024 at 4:20 pm
18 games in exploitation.
NFL players need to strike. They deserve all grass fields.
They deserve an NFL D League.
They deserve 60 active roster spots instead of 53.
They deserve medical insurance for life.
They deserve better.
August 4th, 2024 at 4:27 pm
teacherman1983 Says:
18 games in exploitation.
They deserve medical insurance for life.
—————–
How about they save some of the millions of dollars they make and buy their own insurance? Or they can just get Obamacare when they’ve blown through their money in 2-years after they retire.
The NFL is a job. If you want the ridiculous high paying job where you get you shower with your buds in the locker room, see them shower, get to roll around in the dirt with them like men – then take the job.
If they don’t like that, then they should use that college education to get a real job, where you can sit in a car in rush hour traffic each morning, to go sit at a desk all day, only to sit in traffic going home to their fat wives while living in a garage apartment and die from a heart attack at 50 from stress and boredom.
August 4th, 2024 at 7:49 pm
While some people do not mind that Jim McMahon doesn’t have to worry about losing the car keys because he’s such a veg he can’t find the car! Others still do have enough humanity to at least bemoan the fact that Jim Otto and many other former stars could barely get out of be in the morning.
End up like Scot Brantley, who cares right? At least one here would point out Scot was a real MAN and a fearsome hitter and nobody can deny that.
I’m guilty as the rest. I love the way Winfield and White hit. But I DO applaud the attempt by the league to minimize some damage IF possible. Some rules stretch the game, no real hitting of QB’s anymore, but if the next Jim McMahon can find his keys great.
The solution is simple. Create the 18th game and mandate limits for each individual player. Would it totally complicate a head coach and GM’s job…yeah but the tradeoff might be exciting. If you could play a guy only 14 of those 18 games you’d also be giving a fig to the NFL players union when you expand the schedule. 14 instead of 17 games!!! AND MORE JOBS FOR THE UNION. Fewer missed games by stars due to injury.
The chess matches for coaches would increase exponentially. When do you rest the stars. Do you adjust depending on W=L records as the season wears on.
Do you plan to create a way to keep the core group for 14 games or look for flexibiliity.
And imagine QB. The negative among us will say the fans don’t pay to see the 2nd string QB’s but if they never really knew which 4 games for sure would they notice…and what about the positive possibility that teams would create a second star for the fans to cheer and support when the starter goes down.
August 4th, 2024 at 11:25 pm
stpetebucfan – of course you applaud taking all the fun and enjoyment out of football, because that’s what bores do.
Anywho, just in case you didn’t notice, the overwhelming vast majority of players are fine. You know who aren’t fine? Middle aged men that sit at a desk all day stressed out having done nothing interesting with their lives – and still end up dying at 48 years old from heart disease, caused by sitting in rush hour traffic and a desk for 25 years.
If you’re scared of playing football – then don’t play it. If it upsets you at the idea of watching a physical sport, then turn it off. That’s called being pro-choice.
August 5th, 2024 at 1:08 am
The original USFL had an 18-game regular season not including preseason games and playoffs. Never read one story, never heard one person say the league was exploiting players or that players wouldn’t be able to remember their names after their careers were over.
Same when the NFL expanded from 14 to 16 games.
August 5th, 2024 at 2:22 pm
Completely agree with him. 16 was perfect. Adding more games just shows how hypocritical they are. They talk about player safety, but they’re going to add more games and more fatigue and more injuries… It’s all about $$$$$.
They’re watering down the product.
August 8th, 2024 at 6:14 am
I am with my man on this! They “say” they want to protect players… Yeah right…They should be looking at shortening the season. Tired slow football players get hurt. I know this because I played the game!
Go Bucs!