Lavonte David Can’t Win (The Perception Game)
June 7th, 2025
No respect.
Want an example of how Lavonte David is so overlooked as an NFL star? Joe has one right here.
Over at SI.com, Gilberto Manzano decided to rank the best defensive triplets of each NFL team. While on offense that generally means a quarterback, receiver and running back, Manzano picks the best player on each of a team’s three levels for his defensive triplets.
Manzaro ranks his Bucs’ triplets at No. 18. That’s fair when a team doesn’t have an edge rusher (hopefully, Haason Reddick, when he shows up, takes care of that).
Manzaro chose Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield and David as the Bucs’ triplets.
So who does he cite as the underrated player of that threesome? Hint: It ain’t David.
Triplets: Vita Vea, Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield Jr.
Vea remains one of the most underrated players in the league. He’s coming off one of his better seasons, recording a career-high seven sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time. David notched another 100-plus tackles for the 11th time in his 14-year career.
Vea is more underrated than David? Don’t think so. The run Vea gets in the national mediasphere, from what Joe has seen, you’d think Vea is an All-Pro tackle.
Joe isn’t knocking Vea, but in just seven seasons he has twice as many Pro Bowl selections (two) as David has in 13 years.
So Joe would suggest Manzano, in looking to knight a Bucs defender as “underrated,” didn’t see the trees for the forest. He looked right past David.
It seems the Bucs’ icon is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. No respect.
June 7th, 2025 at 12:12 am
I gotta see this list. It may be a fair ranking simply based on Winfield’s last year and Vea not having high snap counts.
Those 3 at the top of their games though, as a biased fan, has me putting them in the top 10.
June 7th, 2025 at 12:14 am
With better coaching, Vita could/should be a hall of famer. A classic example of the Bicoachal failing to develop, if not regressing, defensive personnel.
June 7th, 2025 at 12:15 am
Ranking them conservatively amongst their position groups…
Vea – 7
Winfield – 4
David – 12
Don’t equal 18 to me. Edge rushers must have weight in these rankings.
June 7th, 2025 at 12:46 am
Vea is in a contract year right?
Veas body hasn’t really evolved since his rookie year.
And lots of grey hair. (A sign of dehydration and alcohol use).
Vea is the strongest man in the NFL.
I think that has made him complacent.
With his size, speed, and strength, he should have made every Pro Bowl.
His stamina also hasn’t improved.
I hope Vea will come back in better shape.
And cut the alcohol.
June 7th, 2025 at 1:15 am
List is in the link.
June 7th, 2025 at 1:16 am
2026 is Vea’s contract year.
June 7th, 2025 at 1:17 am
If you ask me (and no one does), I think we have several underrated players. The whole team is, as a matter of fact, knowing what they have done the past few years.
June 7th, 2025 at 4:47 am
So everyone with gray hair drinks too much alcohol and doesn’t drink enough water? Silly. There are many factors that cause gray hair.
June 7th, 2025 at 5:17 am
Agree with some of the others on the list too. However, Manzano named Devin White as the Eagles’ best inside linebacker last year.
June 7th, 2025 at 7:00 am
Bowles in a recent interview said he doesn’t like playing his CBs off ball so much and will do less of it this season. Then gives a bunch of reasons why it was used so much in 2024. I think with the two new corners we can play more man and allow them to get more physical once they get used to the NFL way of covering a receiver (be just in physical enough with them to be in their pocket but not drawing fouls).
I’m hoping their ballhawk instincts come to fruition, too.
Dennis & Winfield Jr staying healthy will improve coverage over the middle.
If the pass rush isn’t a lot better, we’re screwed either way.
So Reddick, Yaya and the guys are key.
June 7th, 2025 at 7:20 am
Lavonte David should wear DANGERFIELD on the back of his jersey. That would get the point across.
June 7th, 2025 at 7:29 am
The defense had a horrible year last season. Hard to calculate Winfield as one of the triplets when he was injured most of the year.
I think that perception hangs over the entire D not just LVD. Improve on D and make a long run into the playoffs and the “recognition” will improve.
June 7th, 2025 at 8:00 am
Makes me wonder how much a difference a good Randy Gregory could have made. Perhaps a play here or there and Washington punts. Adding two CBs, and two edge guys in the draft depending how they are utilized, plus Reddick my optimism is high. So glad David came back this year just wish his future replacement was learning beside him. Maybe that’s Dennis if he can stay on the field.
June 7th, 2025 at 8:03 am
If I had to pick the most important player to this defense, it’d be Vita Vea. Lose him for any significant number of games, and we’ve got major problems. More-so than losing any other defensive player IMO.
Back in 2020 when we lost Vea for 10 games in that season, we had Suh, RNR & Gholston to step up on the DLine. And ALL 3 did exactly that. Not only did the 3 of them get close to 2000 def snaps among them, but they also combined for 9 sacks, 42 QB hits & 17 TFLs. Our interior pass rush florished, and that helped several other defensive players have very good years: JPP (9.5 sacks), Devin White (9 sacks), Shaq (8 sacks). That alone accounts for 75% of our 48 sacks that season.
Bucs need our interior DLine to excel again this year & have a consistent pass rush AND run defense. HOPEFULLY that’ll free up our ILBs & OLBs to capitalize on 1 v 1’s & ‘holes’ in the opponents’ blocking schemes. Vea is the key to starting all that in motion IMO.
June 7th, 2025 at 8:06 am
no worries. this year it’ll be Kancey, Dennis, and Tykee
June 7th, 2025 at 9:50 am
There’s more to a player’s value to a team than strictly their stats, although LVD’s are consistently great. Guys like Collinsworth and others on national broadcasts especially call LVD “remarkable” for his consistent, excellent play. Thumb-sucking ‘stat boys’ also underestimate his leadership.
As for Vea, his snap counts are on par with other big men in the middle and, I’m sure Joe will correct me if I’m wrong, I believe his snap count went up last season.
June 7th, 2025 at 10:52 am
I drink, therefore I have grey hair.
Wait…..I have grey hair, therefore I drink.
Wait…..I drank before I had grey hair, but did not have grey hair before I drank (except for last night).
Therefore, I should have a drink.
Thanks, Permanently Moderated!
June 7th, 2025 at 10:53 am
Agree with DR – we need another thumper in the middle. Get that done Licht, please.