Lavonte David Has Kwon Update
February 4th, 2019
Information on rehab.
So what that the Super Bowl was played last night? Bucs fan crave information even though the 2018 season is now over.
And while Bucs officials have been available to media on only two days since the end of the regular season, fans are salivating for any morsel of news as the offseason is now in full gear.
Last week on radio row in Atlanta at the World Congress Center, Lavonte David was prowling around and he did a hit for FOX Sports answering a variety of questions.
One concerned the rehab of free agent middle linebacker Kwon Alexander. What David lacked in specifics with Kwon, he made up for in emotional enthusiasm about how he believes Alexander will be ready to play when the 2019 season kicks off.
“He went through his emotions,” David said of Alexander’s initial response of mentally dealing with the blown knee. “You can tell that he was determined to get back right away. And it is showing right now. He’s already squatting. …
“It is no surprise to me. He is one of the most determined, motivated guys that wants to be out there [on the field] and loves the game of football. A fiery guy.”
It will be interesting to see what the Bucs do with Alexander. It stinks for him that in a contract year he had the first major injury of his career. Awful timing.
And then there was the issue that the Bucs defense actually improved when he was out of the lineup. While it likely could have been the coaching of interim defensive coordinator Mark Duffner, that gnarly fact likely will be used as leverage against Alexander by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
That’s if the Bucs choose to keep him. Coming off knee surgery, all bets are off.
Also, David is not cool with the politically correct NFL saying of the zebras, “They just throw flags just because it’s a hard hit.”
You can watch the full video of David on FOX Sports below.
February 4th, 2019 at 5:27 am
Kwon should get a 1 yr deal. Alexander and Smith will get one more season but may have to change their position and roles to better fit this team on the field. Alexander just seems to be a perfect fit as a outside linebacker because he seems a little undersized to be in the middle of the defense which may contribute to his injuries. A move to the outside in a 3-4 under scheme could be what the doctor ordered for Kwon Alexander.
February 4th, 2019 at 5:30 am
Coaching CHANGE on defense improved it , it wasn’t cause he was gone. That comment tells me you think Joe dirt is better or as good cause defense got better. Cmon joe your more intelligent than that.
Whole defense team improved cause changes made after Smith left. Did you hear much sadness from players after he left , NOPE.
Cause as you say every show loach of communication between layers and coaches on defense.
February 4th, 2019 at 6:25 am
At least Joe Dirt can tackle. I like Kwon but he’s a poor tackler. If we do go to a 3-4 he’s out of here. You need LBS who can get off blocks and cover A and B gaps. I don’t think Kwon can reliably do that. Nor do I think dirt can. He’s just better suited for it.
February 4th, 2019 at 6:38 am
Tough luck for Kwon…..but it’s business……this may depend on the health of Beckwith….so, it will be all about money…..how much, how long.
February 4th, 2019 at 6:53 am
With the exception of a good hit by Minter on Newton ,I saw a dropoff in any linebacker not named LVD.But the communication between Duffner and LVD
probably helped the defense play better.
February 4th, 2019 at 7:00 am
Bucs LB corps right now consists of LVD (age 29) plus … oh ya, pretty much nobody. Kwon, Minter, Taylor & Lynch are all UFAs, and Bon’s a RFA. Beckwith is one big question mark IMO (love his play, but we all have zero idea what his play will be like when & if he returns to the lineup). Neither Joe Dirt nor Jack Cichy have impressed me. Lynch is a great Special Teamer, but he leaves a lot to be desired as a LB. Minter’s valuable, but as a backup IMO, not as a starting MLB.
Given a choice between re-signing Taylor & re-signing Kwon, I’d take Taylor then use a 2nd or 3rd round pick to draft a starting MLB (unless we could find one in FA for a very reasonable price). The only way I’d personally re-sign Kwon is if Bucs intended to dump LVD because of his salary (Kwon would be much better outside than inside IMO).
February 4th, 2019 at 7:17 am
Bob in Valrico
You saw a dropoff in every LB other than LVD cus every LB went on IR or had a bad injury at some point. We had to get Minter off the street to play a third or fourth string spot and he went on IR within his first game or two. Cichy with horrible injury background went down his first game.
Thing is we have no clue what this defense is gonna look like. Bowels might be saying a hybrid right now, but they’re not gonna give out their scheme plan before the SB. If we resign Kwon, we need a reliable vet to sign on a short term contract, also. If they wanna run more of a 3-4, I would definently have no problem letting Kwon go and trading back a few spots for Devin White. That guy is gonna make it big time putting him in the right spot in the right scheme.
February 4th, 2019 at 7:23 am
I don’t know where this stupid defense got better when Kwon was out came from but don’t say it was likely mark duffner because it was duffner and it wasn’t that good a defense it was just nice to see an average defense take the field for once.
The middle linebacker position was trash once Kwon went out. Nobody has his level of skill except Beckwith and with that ankle injury He’s a big question mark also. So if you don’t like Kwon your basically saying draft a middle linebacker because the ones on this roster suck much worse
February 4th, 2019 at 7:28 am
I would like to hear as much as possible on the recovery of Beckwith if you can find anything. Wasn’t anything said about his recovery and rehab at all since surgery. His health is also a big piece of the LB corp since his speed was such an asset and he F’d up his ankle real bad. Once again, might have to bring in some better vet depth for the short term and see what happens.
February 4th, 2019 at 7:37 am
Defense Rules
“Kwon, Minter, Taylor & Lynch are all UFAs”
And maybe other than Kwon, all those guys need to take a hike. Thinking this defense is gonna get revamped and a lot of depth wiped clean. Hopefully for some players that have more playing experience on good teams.
February 4th, 2019 at 7:42 am
3-4=Spence/LVD/D.White/Beckwith
February 4th, 2019 at 7:46 am
If kwons instincts matched his verocity…..
Wow……
he just isn’t a natural player
3 million a year guy
February 4th, 2019 at 7:48 am
Kwon is over rated
As are most of our young “talented” players
He’s awful shedding blocks takes bad angles and is a liability in coverage
Oh and he’s a captain of one of the softest defenses I’ve ever seen
If he leaves it’s no big deal
February 4th, 2019 at 7:48 am
Also has u start rating the talent
You can see why we are stuck at 6-10
As long as Jason is the gm that’s we’re our record will stay
February 4th, 2019 at 8:00 am
Agree with “Loyal”….Great teammate, high hustle doesn’t equate to top tier. His angles are terrible as well as his coverage skills. He’s like the Ryan Jensen of the defense. Nasty attitude but is a liability for a few really bad plays per game.
We cant keep overpaying for avg out of fear we cant find replacements. If the GM is as good as advertised, he’ll find another serviceable player. That sad reality is we have ZERO faith in him actually pulling that off regardless of how many picks we have, how high we pick or how much the Glaziers will spend.
February 4th, 2019 at 8:27 am
We need to fix the O-line in the draft- it isn’t glamorous but it is actually time we do that, though I will not be sad if we take Oliver. Donovan Smith is a Guard all day and all night. I would guess about 1/4 of these fumbles you people cry about from Jameis (and you are right to some degree) come because Smith’s footwork is too slow to be a LT in this league. Move him to LG, move Marpet back to RG where he belongs and would have probably been to the Pro Bowl the last 2 “Experimental” years, draft J Williams or the kid from UF or Ole Miss if you can trade back and pick up more draft picks. Last year should have been D James, only because Licht signed like 4 FA D-lineman, fine we got Vea, fix the trenches, I get it. You can’t just fix the trenches on one side of the ball, gotta fix the O-line they cannot open holes in the running game-2 straight years of this and they are certainly going to get our QB killed at some point. LB can wait until 3rd or 4th round IMO or we go big in FA if someone is available. IF D Smith is the best LT in FA, why would we even think of signing a different FA LT? I guess we also have to see who can come back from injury. If Beckwith is done, we may NEED to go LB first.
February 4th, 2019 at 8:30 am
^^The ramblings of a madman^^ LOL- Silly season starts in a couple weeks boys and girls
February 4th, 2019 at 8:53 am
Like I’ve said plenty of times on this blog – Kwon Alexander is Barrett Rudd 2.0
So turn the page and move on.
February 4th, 2019 at 9:04 am
Draft either
* David Long Jr. – West Va
* Joe Giles-Harris – Duke
February 4th, 2019 at 9:25 am
i say resign him….switch him and beckwith….LB’s come a dime a dozen….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
February 4th, 2019 at 9:41 am
David Long Jr. (Aka Mr. TFL) West Virginia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwJY_u47-9s
February 4th, 2019 at 10:01 am
Kwon does not tackle well? Baloney. He has taken over games by himself and been the top tackler. Granted he does not cover passes well but I hope we won’t be running Lovie’s soft defense where he has to do that. This is a one gap attacking system so he will be attacking one gap every down except for blitzes. He also has value as a future replacement for David when he retires. Don’t count out both Cichy (who was a great MLB for Wisconsin) nor Kendall Beckwith returning who played outstanding MLB for us. He has had plenty of time to heal up his leg now. We need ILB Minter to mentor BA’s new system to all our Linebackers and start in the 3-4. We don’t need White as much as we have to have a first round LT! Fix the trenches first!!! As far as injuries go remember GMC got injured each of his first two years and ended up an All Pro for many years. We now have four strength and conditioning coaches so I expect a lot fewer injuries under BA! Koetter was soft and that led to a lot more injuries than most teams.
February 4th, 2019 at 10:03 am
Haha Lavonte talking about penalties probably still remembers that bull spit call back against Jets and geno smith
February 4th, 2019 at 10:15 am
I have proposed for years moving D. Smith to LG. However now there are three teams wanting him as a LT. His agent under those circumstances won’t let him sign a much lower one year prove it Contract at LG. If Warhop had moved him to LG when I proposed it and played Liedtke at LT and D. Smith had seen he in time could be an All Pro as a Guard this would be different but instead Warhop convinced him he was a top 3 NFL Tackle and really big money went to his head instead. So Licht needs to auction him off right now to those three teams for a trade and take the top bidder. Keeping him will cost us too much cap space and ruin BAs turnaround and just may injure Jameis again and without a proven backup our season will be over once again. Moreover he may be cut by BA for being a slacker anyway.
February 4th, 2019 at 10:16 am
Ignorant fans and makes you realize how much madden and fantasy football have warped reality and so many people have no idea what the freak they are talking about. Apparently ignorance rules the day and people act like this losing franchise can replace people so easily. He’s young with room to get better and people got this internal clock saying your supposed to move on from talented players when the rookie deal is up as if you know so much about talent evaluation. If they go hybrid they need linebackers and of just draft a guy in the second or third to replace him. 6 draft picks and assuming a rookie would be better is just stupid. Even if they draft white to play the middle which I would be on board with I’d still keep him especially with the age of Lavonte
February 4th, 2019 at 10:37 am
keeping kwon is flat out stupid…. once again bucfan confuses popularity with being a good football player. kwon is below average at best and can’t tackle nor can he pursue…. he has been a KEY member of some of the most embarrassing defensive units in NFL HISTORY those are facts people. let go of your emotions let the fool walk. no one clings to mediocrity like a bucfan
February 4th, 2019 at 10:39 am
Owlykat Says:
February 4th, 2019 at 10:01 am
Kwon does not tackle well? Baloney. He has taken over games ”
there has NOT been a buc defender who has Taken over a game since sapp walked out the door…. way to go all drama queen on a mediocre lb who is always hurt and always watching the opponent score….
February 4th, 2019 at 10:40 am
Top-10 In Solo Tackles 2018
#1 Darius Leonard – Indianapolis Colts (LB) 126
#3 Leighton Vander Esch – Dallas Cowboys (LB) 111
#6 Roquan Smith – Chicago Bears (LB) 95
Draft Position
• Roquan Smith – NFL Draft: 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
• Leighton Vander Esch – NFL Draft: 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
• Darius Leonard – NFL Draft: 2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36
Honorable Mention: Undrafted Free Agents – Blake Martinez, Cory Littleton
February 4th, 2019 at 10:48 am
“And then there was the issue that the Bucs defense actually improved when he was out of the lineup.” – J0E
In my opinion, one has nothing to do with the other. The firing of Mike Smith is the reason the defense got better, but let us not pretend it became great either. It was only marginally better.
February 4th, 2019 at 10:49 am
CJ Mosley or KJ Wright provide cannot miss instant improvement LB’s that bring all the tools and championship experience. Release MeSean , GMC , and Dsmith. That creates alot of cap room.
February 4th, 2019 at 11:05 am
owl
i agree….d.smith shouldve been moved to LG once mankins retired…..both he and marpet couldve been PBer’s by now….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
February 4th, 2019 at 11:13 am
Kwon is replaceable. Sorry, it’s true. He’s often out of position and misses way too many tackles for us to be pining over him.
I’m not opposed to re-signing him because we have a ton of question marks, but I wouldn’t sign him long-term.
C.J. Mosely would be an instant upgrade. I agree ’76.
February 4th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
Fabio didn’t replace Kwon in the lineup. Very poor analogy.
February 4th, 2019 at 12:04 pm
Bucs are very hush-hush about that. The only information we got was when Beckwith was in the locker room.
Joe hates typing this because it’s so sad. Honestly would be surprised if Beckwith plays again. If a guy misses an entire season due to a broken ankle in April, it sounds like he had his ankle shattered.
February 4th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
You *really* need to remember that line. You don’t know how accurate you are.
#Communication
February 4th, 2019 at 12:45 pm
it’s truly a shame about beckwith that being said 1 full year out football he can’t be counted on. hopefully, he bounces back but he can’t even be in the discussion about the future for bucs and licht until he proves he can come back then it’s a nice problem.
February 4th, 2019 at 1:01 pm
Damn glad to hear someone knows something about FB players! Alexander-OVERRATED, average at best, get a real MLB and Bucs fans will see HUGE change of overall D play! Move on and plan to get the QB of our Defense, a real ILB, with first round pick for exact reasons above, plus don’t know anything about Beckwith health status, who I believe is our best ILB, and cant stop run because of overall poor LB play! Get 2 free agent LBs who have proven track record to fill LB needs, let LVD play one ILB spot and draft LSU-D White to play strong ILB position in 3-4 D. I would consider drafting in 2nd rd. the hybrid OLB who can rush the passer, and rock with current D-lineman, and get help in free agency for Dbs. Oh, so many needs before even get decent D play?! Go Bucs.
February 4th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
@LUV
You are my go to guy for this kind of info. We’ve all seen Spotrac and realize how much cap we can clear by cutting MESEAN, GMC and SMITH.
But I’ve read the cap is going to increase by ten million minimum and maybe more. Any info on that?
February 4th, 2019 at 7:25 pm
Smith was replaced, that is the reason the D got better. The D would been better with a healthy Kwon
February 4th, 2019 at 10:03 pm
Because of the deficiencies elsewhere the linebackers on this team have been getting a pass for years. They are athletic! They are sideline to sideline tacklers! Yes at times they make spectacular plays, but what I see is a group that is almost always chasing guys down the field after backs have crashed through the gaps they over run. The secondary is a mess, I get it. But the D line played better this year and the beginning of the year our LB’s looked horrendous. I like Beckwith but who knows about him. That injury was horrific.
I think Kwon is more of a Weak side LB and we have David there, there is no big hitting LB in the middle. I would take CJ Mosely in a second over Kwon. I would take a real look at Devin White as well. I am so sick of seeing our LB’s fooled on misdirection game after game. If Kwon wants to do a show me deal, I say ok. But he may be overplaying his hand coming off a major injury. This D needs a re set. Let’s go and get it done Todd.
February 5th, 2019 at 10:55 am
One of the reasons the LB play overall was so bad last year was the stupid scheme. The DL were just supposed to lock onto their OL to set up the LBs to clean up. (Which was why Vea looked so bad early on pushing the Lineman in his face). That allowed Offenses to have gaps open to run through even without any blocking so then the LBs had to run them down which made it easy to run for five or six yards at least anytime they wanted to. It was a watch and react defense. However, this Three Four Defense is just the opposite. It is a one gap aggressive scheme so the front three hit three gaps and the four LBs each hit the remaining gaps which means they meet the RB just as he is getting to their gap or in the backfield and that penetration puts pressure on the QB too. Penetration is the key and you saw a lot of that on both defenses in the Super Bowl. Cichey and Minter could do that inside and David and Kwon who are both very fast could play the outsides and bring in Spence as an outside LB on the strong side on third downs. It is far different than the MLB in a four three who reads and reacts and may have to stop short passes too. We need a LT a lot more than we need White in the first round.