Did The Players Get It Right?

June 5th, 2014

LavonteJoe’s been intently watching the NFL Network series: Top-100 Players of 2014, as voted by NFL players, and Joe’s getting a little nervous.

Players 51 through 60 were rolled out last night, and some of the games greatest linebackers were named in that group:

Vontaze Burfict
Justin Houston
Demarcus Ware
Deandre Levy

That’s where Joe’s anxiety comes into play. No Lavonte David yet, and we’re halfway through the “Top-100.” In fact, no Bucs have been named this year.

If the players voted for Ware, off a washed out season for the horrible Cowboys defense, then is it possible they screwed up royally and overlooked David?

Could David’s extraordinarily public choke in the final seconds against the Jets have swayed opinions? Joe sure hopes not. David certainly is deserving of a Top-100 nod, but top-50 might be pushing it.

The next 10 (Nos. 41 through 50) will be revealed on Wednesday night.

47 Responses to “Did The Players Get It Right?”

  1. Chef Paul Says:

    If they overlooked him, fine. He will make them pay and he will be in the top 10 next year!!

  2. Architek Says:

    No worries there is nothing behind this list but entertainment and media interfacing with the players.

  3. flmike Says:

    I’m really getting to hate the NFLN, I much rather watch PFT reruns all day than the crap the NFLN puts out. Needless to say, Florio thinks LVD is the BEST LB in the league bar none.

  4. Jim Walker Says:

    This kind of talk makes me really want TC to start. The Rays stink and I want some FOOTBALL!!

  5. panhandle buc Says:

    Just like the top 100 plays of 2013, they in the 70’s and I have not seen one Vjax grab. He had at least 3 I can think of that were worthy of a top 100.

  6. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    LVD is the Best Will backer in the game; Bar None! Top 50 All Day-Name (25) Defensive players better than him?

  7. BucsfaninChina Says:

    Man, the Bucs have given no teams any reason to shower them with accolades as to the quality of players. David is miles ahead of Burfict and Ware at this point in his career, but I wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt make the list. Gotta start winning to get respect.

  8. Chef Paul Says:

    I agree flmike.

    They are turning into a pop culture type of TV. Who ever is the flavor if the week, or the Cowboys, gets all the coverage. They are turning into E! TV. I would love to get me some PFT, I’m a huge Erik Kuselias fan but with $100 cable bill, I’m not willing to pay more to get that channel.

  9. buc4lyfe Says:

    No need to worry about David he is a to tier player. He didn’t get the shine because off the pee wee football scheme we ran but still all you have to do is look at the tape. Of course I’m a homer but David is better than at minimum 3 of the 4 players you mentioned Joe

  10. Jason Says:

    Who gives a crap Joe, it’s a list based on past performance, come on guys you should know this better than anyone.

  11. biff barker Says:

    No need to worry Joe. The Biffer suggests you kick back with a well chilled foamy.(Ace of Spades Porter please) LVD will crack the top 20 simply because film doesn’t lie.

  12. Rex Says:

    All the top 100 is, is the bandwagon show because the panthers had one of the best D’s last year so they look at Luke Kuechly as the best MLB in the nfl when David has better instincts and play ability and Kuechly gets in the top 10! I’m not gonna lie that Kuechly is a monster but I do believe behind Kuechly for the second year in a row with 2nd most tackles in the nfl is David. And on top of that he set a linebacker nfl record! But I agree with whoever said this, we need to start piling up some wins in order for people to look at our players as some of the best in the league. The cowboys are overrated and no one but dez and Demarcus should be on this list (with the exception of Demarco Murray). But I am appalled that the players who I thought were smarter with the bandwagon fans of the nfl would over look David like that I mean honestly!

  13. DCBUCFAN Says:

    Wait a minute Joe! you don’t think that David belongs in the top 50?? You think thats pushing it?? Didn’t you write an article saying some nerd football stats player ranking had Mckoy and David in the top 10..jeez joe!

    Joe’s proud of David, which is why Joe wrote this post. However, when you start to honestly list the 50 best players in the league, David isn’t stone cold lock. –Joe

  14. INDYbucsfan Says:

    I disagree joe, I think David is a stone cold lock for top 50. Maybe he’s not on this list but I challenge anyone to name 50 current players better than LVD. Not happening!!

  15. Rob Says:

    I’d only be concerned if you see Luke Kuechly named to the top 100 before David’s name is called.

  16. Rob Says:

    I’d only be concerned if you see Luke Kuechly named to the top 100 before David’s name is called. There are still really good LB’s left.

  17. d-money Says:

    ‘However, when you start to honestly list the 50 best players in the league, David isn’t stone cold lock. –Joe”

    Wrong, If you HONESTLY look at the top 50 best players he IS a stone cold lock. Maybe even top 25. Problem is that these list aren’t an honest look at which players are actually the best.

    They’re poplularity contests. David has only been in the league for two year which means he has only played against a handful of the players voting in this ridiculous countdown. If he’s not in the top 100 the list has ZERO creditbility.

  18. flrocker1 Says:

    pablo thinks……oh wait, somebody is already using that rip-off of Joe. My bad…

  19. d-money Says:

    “Could David’s extraordinarily public choke in the final seconds against the Jets have swayed opinions?’

    It wasn’t a choke it was an ill advised play. Choke implies he didn’t perform in the moment. He performed wuite well in the moment just a bit too aggressive.

    That was such a borderlien call that the refs could have just as easily not called it and no one would have made a peep.

    Boneheaded mistake ? Yes ..Choke? No.

    Ryan Lindell choked in that game, Josh Freeman choked in that game, Lavonte David did not choke. He made a mistake.

  20. Meh Says:

    He was what, 5 or 6 in PFF’s list? Who cares how they rank him. We all know he’s a top 10 player in the NFL. Not a top 10 linebacker – a top ten PLAYER.

  21. You Go Joe Says:

    If Kiko Alonso made the list David HAS TO MAKE THE LIST! No way in hell Is Alonso better than David, but is in the same class of LBs.

    I got a feeling again the NFL players will overlook David. We have a London Fletcher in our hands, a great player that does not get any recognition.

  22. You Go Joe Says:

    @Meh

    There’s a big difference from fans loving him and the NFL respecting him and recognizing David.

    To this date I still get idiots saying David is “that guy that cost you the jets game”. Luckily there are plenty of David highlights to counter it. But the rest of the NFL does need to get in the same page and recognize the kid. He did get All-Pro, but got SNUBBED from Pro Bowl and quite frankly it is embarrassing the number of votes David got.

  23. Bucsfanman Says:

    That top 100 list is a lot like the pro-bowl balloting; it’s a popularity contest. The Bucs are not the flavor of the week and we’re a smaller market to boot.
    I’d rather fly under the radar and sneak up on a few teams than have a team full of top 100’s, well, you know what I mean. That list means squat!

  24. SAMCRO Says:

    Being snubbed is nothing new in these parts. It’s an annual occurrence for as long as I can remember. How many times in our history have we had players who deserve a pro bowl consideration only to be left completely off the ballot?

  25. c-spann Says:

    actually lvd didn’t make a mistake in the jets game. geno was inbounds when he made the hit. I saw a freeze frame of the play that validates my statement

  26. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    I think it’s too early to tell. After all, the players have voted in other players that do not belong in the top 100. Therefore it is entirely possible that David, Jackson, Verner and McCoy will be in the top 50.

    After this year? I suspect we’ll see Mason Foster and Mark Baron and possibly Mike Evans entering the top 100, and we’ll see our regulars get closer to the top 20.

    Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if McCoy breaks the top 20 this year.

    So I think this is all premature.

  27. tiny tim Says:

    David was an all pro. Isn’t that good enough? But I think he will be on this list. I would think being named an all pro would put you in the top 50 when only 25 players are named an all pro per season.

  28. Dylan Says:

    @joe you’re wrong. Lavonte David is top 40 watch. Richard Sherman didn’t make the list two years ago. Following year when he made all pro he was in the 40″s. Lavonte David is arguably the best LB in the NFL along with luke. I expect Lavonte to be just a tad bit behind Gerald McCoy. This is PLAYERS voting not fans. Like darrelle revis said, no offense to Patrick Willis but Lavonte David is the best LB in the nfl in his honest opinion. If Lavonte was 50-100 I was thinking it’s bullsh*t. Any player who plays the bucs has to watch maybe 1 quarter of a game and will see 54. I had two roomates at UCF with me last year, long story short, made then watch one game of the bucs and they instantly noticed Lavonte David and now it’s there favorite player in the NFL and they are ravens and Seahawks fans. If fans were involved with this voting, then I think it could be possible he falls out. Remember Sherman made all pro and not the pro bowl last year and was top 55 if I’m correct. Also, last week they gave a hint saying this player is under sized and they showed a highligjts of Lavonte, it ended up being Wes welker but still. I’ve seen Lavonte present players this year, and seen him hinted towards being revealed twice. My guess is 25-45 is where this man will be named. And in ALL HONESTY, he should be top 15. He made all pro 1st team, was named 5th overall on PFF top 101 players. With all the inside scoop you get joe i am really suprised you think him being top 50 is not a stone cold lock. It is a lock, master lock. McCoy will be top 15, and Lavonte will be right behind him. Player and coaches all know who 54 is that’s not a question. With fans not voting in this top 100 that makes this so much easier.

    Dylan, you’re putting too much stock in the players. That’s where Joe is coming from. You can’t trust their voting, but typically they do a decent job. Lots of varying opinion from players. Josh Freeman, Mike Williams, Donald Penn and Tim Tebow were somewhat surprising picks in the past. All in fun. –Joe

  29. Dylan Says:

    And also I’m pretty sure luke did not make the list last year, and he has yet to be revealed as well.

  30. MegaDaveUK Says:

    Sorry to state the bleedin obvious, but CLEARLY Geraldini and Larry are top 50 in the nfl – clearly – and the real question is which one will make the top 20 – hows about an article on that?

  31. Kyle Says:

    David and McCoy will be in the top 30 you can mark it down now. This list is voted by the players and I guarantee they now 54 and 93 are not to be f-ed with.

  32. KD Says:

    Please. David is without a doubt deserving of a top 50 rating. He should’ve won Defensive Player of the Year last year (either him or Quinn anyways…giving it to Kuechly was a joke).

    Don’t be nervous anyways. This is the same list that JOHN KUHN appeared on a couple years ago. John. Kuhn. If they don’t make it it’s only motivation.

  33. Brian Leichtenberg Says:

    It’s just a joke list y watch it

  34. b.Bruce Says:

    I hope he doesn’t make it more fuel for the fire.I hope nobody on her team makes it.I’m sure GMC will though.

  35. theDON Says:

    lists, schmists

  36. SeanyMac in SC Says:

    Popularity contest don’t impress me, what LVD has done the past two seasons does impress me. So what if LVD does not get national love. I really could not care any less about who the heck in on this list. The off-season will be filled with minding numbing predictions and lists and Mount Rushmore crap and such. Can’t wait for some true football to begin. Go Bucs

  37. J 2.0 Says:

    Pro Football Focus had David as the #5 overall BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE!!!! It is very possible that the players see the same thing. McCoy and David are top 10 guys for sure!!! I wory about VJax. Thought he would be in the 70’s and I unfortunately don’t see him in the top 50. VJax, Verner, McCoy, and David all belong on the list. An argument can be made for Doug Martin, especially over Demarco Murray!

  38. Nick H Says:

    If you think Lavonte is a sub top-50 player… I don’t think you can be helped.

  39. dre-day Says:

    not only is lavonte david a top 50 player (really joe?) i wouldn’t be surprised if he shows in the top 20, maybe even top 10…. there’s a term called “game recognizes game”, and the players made this list… there’s no doubt in my mind he makes this top 100 list.. honestly, anything less than top 30 for him is an understatement in my view.

  40. adam Says:

    They’ve been interviewing him during the countdown. I seriously doubt that they’d care much about his input if he’s not on the list somewhere.

  41. MegaDaveUK Says:

    @thedon

    Rofl – great post xD

  42. Oahubuc Says:

    His name’s gonna get called. He’s as good as there is in the game right now.

  43. Jbeachbuc Says:

    I seem to recall Jimmy Graham not making this list last year.. So, if that is the case, pretty much tells you about the overall accuracy of this list. I think the playerss themselves dont know what the criteria is anyways… Do you?

  44. gotbbucs Says:

    Regardless of what any list says, David is a top 20 defensive player in the NFL, so is McCoy. 1st team All-Pro, enough said. People who know football know this.

  45. Rex Says:

    Brian, it would be even more of a joke list if the fans voted like the probowl. But I think David might be on it, and if he doesn’t that just makes him more of an under the radar player and looks more impressive to others

  46. Trubucfan22 Says:

    David isn’t top 100 or top 50. He’s closer top 10-25. He’s that’s damn good.

  47. PRBucFan Says:

    Top 50 pushing it? The guy was deserving of DPOY consideration.

    Best OLB in the game.

    I bet he’ll be in the top 20