You Can’t Pass On Lavonte David
June 24th, 2023
“Hey, Derek Carr, bring that sh!t!”
Bucs legend Lavonte David may be 33, but he doesn’t play like an old man.
We all know how well David can stop the run. By the advanced stats, he’s a Hall of Famer (sorry, Ira). Where David may be overlooked is in pass defense.
Remember the Super Bowl when then-Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles put him on Travis Kelce? Yeah, Kelce got yards but how did he hurt the Bucs? He never scored, did he?
Thank you, Lavonte David.
So NextGen Stats decided to look at linebackers and their pass defense. Simply put, David locks people down. Only one guy since 2016 has allowed fewer yards per target than David, and that’s Buffalo’s Matt Milano.
David is a damn treasure. Bucs fans should savor every play he makes. He’s on a one-year contract. Who knows if he’s wearing a Bucs jersey in 2024?
June 24th, 2023 at 8:19 am
It’s increasingly rare players spend a long career with the team who drafted them, we’ve got two hell of famers who are doing just that
June 24th, 2023 at 8:45 am
Good piece. Too many confidence crushing pieces lately from unreliable sources. Saw a piece in Las Vegas suggesting few bettors are taking the under on Tampa.
June 24th, 2023 at 8:51 am
LVD has been my favorite current Buc since he came out of Nebraska. Taking it one season at a time at this point but gonna enjoy it while it lasts.
June 24th, 2023 at 8:54 am
We’ve got some great Buc players & LVD tops the list.
June 24th, 2023 at 8:58 am
I hope he stays for 3 more years.
And I hope he sets many more records.
I hope he gets 5 sacks and 5 interceptions this year!
Go Bucs!
Derrick Brooks and LVD are two of the greatest WLB of all time!
June 24th, 2023 at 10:08 am
He should get roquan Smith money fr fr lavonte still nice..if kuechly and Wagner didn’t exist the nfl would be talking about David for years
June 24th, 2023 at 10:11 am
LVD has the stats but not the national recognition and I don’t know why. Might be awhile but he may may and should make the Hall.
June 24th, 2023 at 10:11 am
To bad his coverage skills didn’t run off on White.
June 24th, 2023 at 11:22 am
Do LVD and Brooks have a relationship? You see Sapp around the team all the time, Meeting and working with DL. You see Barber from time to time.
Joe, do you ever see Brooks around the team?
June 24th, 2023 at 2:07 pm
JOE why does Ira think LVD is not a HOF choice ? Ira says David is a longshot because he doesn’t have the All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors that are important to most voters. Also, Ira says David can’t say he was the very best in the game for a stretch of time, and he played on some horrible defense and isn’t a popular player nationally. Joe knows David will have good enough career stats to get in the conversation, so Joe thinks that’s a great start.–Joe I think he has the stats and he does have the ring. He was on a terrible terrible team for most of his career and still balled out and never quit on the team or asked for a trade
June 24th, 2023 at 2:08 pm
LVD’s age is an asset at his position, not a liability. As long as he’s healthy, a little drop-off in speed is no big deal because he makes up for it in experience and knowledge gained over the years of seeing pretty much every formation there is. He’s a smart player.
Definitely a R.O.H. slam dunk. H.O.F. might take a few voting years once he’s eligible. If there are a bunch of other LBs on the ballot, it could hurt his chances a little depending on who (name recognition guys). I think he does get in eventually and we are so lucky to have him.
June 24th, 2023 at 4:40 pm
1#bucsfan Says:
“He was on a terrible terrible team for most of his career and still balled out and never quit on the team or asked for a trade.”
.
.
I never saw him walking while everyone else was running!
June 24th, 2023 at 5:18 pm
He was already a HOF’er in my book before we slapped the Chiefs around in the Superbowl…
He became a legend that night with his defense against the best TE in NFL history Travis Kelcy…I watch KC a alot and I can’t understand how Kelcy gets wide @ss open repeatedly every week when everyone knows that’s Pat Mohomes favorite target…LVD’s effort handicapped KC that night; combined with our pass-rush the Chiefs never knew what hit them…I was hoping for a rematch the following season but neither the Bucs or Chiefs made it back to the dance…Yet and still, that’s one of my fondest memories of being a Bucs fan…
June 25th, 2023 at 12:41 am
JOE
I don’t even like that you said – “ Yeah, Kelce got yards…”
When the game mattered, the first 3 quarters, he barely did anything. He was locked down!
June 26th, 2023 at 12:17 am
Thanks for the reminder Joe.
I had forgotten how well LVD did with Kelce.
Go Bucs!