Larry Foote Thinks He Knows Why Lavonte David Returned
March 15th, 2025
“Hey Lavonte, it took me a few years but I think I figured out your poker face.”
Bucs fans were sweating right down to the last moment when Bucs icon Lavonte David decided to return for the 2025 season. So what were Bucs coaches thinking?
Yesterday when the Bucs made newly-signed edge rusher Haason Reddick available to media, outside linebackers coach Larry Foote was hanging around. Foote took time to chat with a few in the local pen and mic club.
Joe asked Foote how concerned he was that David might retire and what the vibe was with the rest of the Bucs coaches regarding David.
Foote said in recent seasons David was playing very coy with coaches, including this offseason.
“The last three years he had a poker face,” Foote said. “I’d try to squeeze it out of him and he’d be laughing. He’d say, ‘I will let you know.’
“The last three years I had no idea. But I kind of had [a hunch this winter].”
So what was Foote’s hunch? He knew David was getting close to a standard set by Bucs Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks. Foote thought the mark was regular-season games played. Foote believed David could break that this year.
Well, Joe looked it up. Brooks played 224 games for the Bucs. David has 198. So David would have to play through the 2026 season to snap Brooks’ record for games played by a Bucs linebacker.
Rondé Barber holds the franchise record with 241 regular season games played. For David to break that, he’d have to play 44 more games. That would mean David would have to play in 2027 — and hope he doesn’t miss games due to an injury.
David playing through 2027 without missing games due to injury seems a bridge too far for Joe.
Apparently, per Foote, David would consider it a high honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Brooks, or to have a franchise mark better than Brooks.
“When I knew that, I said, ‘Oh, yeah. He’s coming back.'”
Joe remembers last year when Foote thought David was gone. Foote congratulated David on Instagram for a fantastic career, wishing David success in his after-football goal of starting a ministry.
Instead, David had an ace up his sleeve on Foote and returned.
March 15th, 2025 at 8:10 am
Just glad he’s here, and hoping he plays at the same impressive level… praying for no injuries. He’s been incredibly durable, the Bucs have been very lucky for it.
Strange how a guy like Ronde plays 241 games but Chris Godwin has 2 terrible injuries before he hits 30. It’s just so random. It’s not just the position because we had secondary guys dropping like flies last year, one with the same injury Godwin had.
March 15th, 2025 at 8:11 am
Right…
It had nothing to do with the $10M he is being paid.
Oh brother – you can dry this out and fertilize your lawn with it.
March 15th, 2025 at 8:14 am
Lavonte has accomplished so much with far less help than Brooks had.
Brooks had Sapp, Rice, Barber, Lynch, and Quarles must also be mentioned.
Except for the brief period where Lavonte had JPP, Suh and Shaq with the Gravediggers playing more press man coverage and actually defending passes — and Devin White before his regression. Otherwise he’s had scrubs.
He is amazing.
March 15th, 2025 at 8:42 am
future… hall of… famer.
(sick of bobby wagner getting all of the hype all of the time!)
[no knock on bobby, just saying lavonte has been criminally overlooked by the media]
March 15th, 2025 at 8:50 am
Famu_Rattler Says:
March 15th, 2025 at 8:44 am
Fire the cannons…. We now have our before each game cheer slogan…..
“for the boat parade, for the boat parade, FOR THE BOAT PARADE…LFG BUCS”
Thank you Chris Godwin…. We do this to win a Championship…..
March 15th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Britt and White were his protégés.
They are gone.
Dennis looked good but a little soft.
We need to invest in 2 ILB’s who can have at least 1 year learning from Lavonte David.
This could LaVontes last season.
It’s our last chance to draft 2 guys to learn from him.
I really hope we can draft two ILBs in the first 4 rounds.
March 15th, 2025 at 9:05 am
By the way,
Anybody remember Beckwith?
He was unbelievable.
Go watch his games sometime.
He could have been a true legend at LB.
March 15th, 2025 at 9:08 am
Marine Buc … LVD’s made plenty of $$$ to this point. Gut feeling is that what’s driving him right now is that he’s unsure if he’d get into the HOF. He’s close, real close IMO, but it’s not a done-deal yet.
I’m convinced that Lavonte believes this 2025 team can win the Super Bowl. IF that happens, AND he has his typical solid year, he’s bound to get into the HOF. And BTW,if we don’t win it this year, I’d put money that LVD will be back in 2026 for one more crack at it.
March 15th, 2025 at 9:11 am
teacherman … ‘We need to invest in 2 ILB’s who can have at least 1 year learning from Lavonte David.’
Yea verily. Dennis is a solid backup, but his availability through 2 years sucks. Sorry, but that’s not the type of ILB I want to see starting in this defense.
March 15th, 2025 at 9:25 am
Yeah it was a shame what happened to Beckwith, he had it going on.
March 15th, 2025 at 9:26 am
I think Dennis will be fine now that the shoulder is finally taken care of.
March 15th, 2025 at 9:31 am
Beckwith was a good player how bad was the injury guess enough to never see the field ever again
March 15th, 2025 at 9:47 am
This is the year of LVD and SVD.
We will see greatness in that Duo this year, I believe.
Sadly, that combo will only be for a year or 2…
(Obv, we’ll get an ILB in the draft, but I think this is the year of LVD & SVD regardless)
March 15th, 2025 at 10:49 am
LD54 is 112 combined tackles away from overtaking Derrick Brooks as Buccaneers all time tackling leader and for 7th most NFL tackles of all time.
That is likely what coach Foote was referring to.
David needs 133 combined tackles this year to overtake Zack Thomas for 6th most NFL tackles of all time…. which is more unlikely as he has only done that once in the last 9 years (134 tackles in 2023).
LD54 currently has the 5th most SOLO tackles in NFL history with 1111. He only needs 25 solo tackles to overtake Donnie Edwards for 4th most all time – but will not catch up with #3 Derrick Brooks (1300) any time soon…..
LD54 also has the 9th most Tackles for Loss all time and will be moving up that list quickly as 2 TFLs gets him past Jared Allen, Von Miller and Demarcus Ware – 7 TFLs gets him past Julius Peppers and 8 TFLs gets him past Aaron Donald for 4th most TFLs of all time. David is 18 TFLs from surpassing Calais Cambell for #3 spot all time but is unlikely to hit that # in 2025 – plus Campbell will likely play again this year and add to that total….
March 15th, 2025 at 11:37 am
LVD is just as good as DB was. He deserves the HOF, and I wish him the very best with his ministry after football. I’m not religious, a solid agnostic, but LVD is a first class human being.
March 15th, 2025 at 11:42 am
That could be. Foote definitely said “games.” Joe has the recording and heard it a half-dozen times.
Perhaps Foote was thinking about years played? Brooks played 14 years. David is entering his 14th season?
March 15th, 2025 at 11:46 am
I would still take an edge rusher at the draft to learn under vets.
March 15th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
Joe Says:
“Perhaps Foote was thinking about years played? Brooks played 14 years. David is entering his 14th season?”
That makes sense as well. Puts David in a rare group with HOFers Brooks and Barber as the only lifetime Buccaneers with 14 or more seasons played.
March 15th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
Marine Buc – I think Lavonte squeezed Licht for the 10 mill. How about 7 – nah I’ll retire. How about 8 – well maybe. How about 9 – I’ll think about it
10 – deal. Would have played for 7.
March 15th, 2025 at 1:58 pm
@Aj
He never got enough credit from the beginning. He’s been underrated & he’s still underrated. I’m sure if he went & played for somebody else it would be much different.
March 15th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
@ DR
“LVD’s made plenty of $$$ to this point.”
Cool. Then why doesn’t he help the team by reducing his salary to the league minimum then?
I believe we both know the answer to that question my friend…
LOL.
March 16th, 2025 at 6:57 am
He needs help, draft Campbell.
March 16th, 2025 at 7:53 am
We are blessed to have several top CLASS type players on the BUCS, TAMPA BAY is a HIGH CHARACTER TEAM!!!! of course the money plays a part no body works free. GO TAMPA BAY BUCCANEER$ !!!!
March 16th, 2025 at 8:26 am
Why are some of you worried about how much LVD is making it’s not like you pay his salary. At the end of the day he’s the one making the sacrifice of his body and whose to say how much someone is worth
March 16th, 2025 at 8:45 am
DefenseRules… Agree on Dennis. Two years in and we don’t know what we have – can he start 17 games plus playoffs. Lots of offseason hype about the guy and I’m not buying it. We need two quality ILB’s to address the weakness in the middle. Talent deficiency on D is a long way from being addressed. A 30 year old Reddick with a chip on his shoulder is good – at least for one season. LVD in his final season – ok, my favorite Buc. But CB starters and Edge and DT depth are all pretty thin. And let’s see how Winfield returns.