Lavonte David Said He Never Had A “Forward” Coach Like Bruce Arians
April 4th, 2026
Bucco Bruce Arians did not hold back when players were stupid.
The stories that Lavonte David is telling in his retirement media blitz are really, really good.
One of the pit stops David made when he went to Los Angeles this week was to do a sitdown with Rich Eisen. There, Eisen asked David for his favorite Bucco Bruce Arians story.
David busted out laughing out loud, knowing he had to be careful because it is difficult to offer up an Arians story without cursing and there’s no cursing on Eisen’s show.
David said he never had a coach who was so “forward” as Arians. You could tell David wanted to use a different, more accurate description, but he couldn’t.
David told the story early in Arians’ days with the Bucs he had a team meeting. He had an accountability board.
If a player was on the board for doing something stupid, he got cursed out in front of the team and warned if a player had more than two checkmarks on the accountability board, Arians had every intention of dumping the player.
David thought that was a good method as he said the Bucs lost a lot of games during the Lost Decade just due to dumb mistakes.
David said Arians referred to the board as an “ME chart.” The “ME” refers to mental errors. And Arians would go mental on the player.
And when you made a mistake, Arians would let a player know in front of everyone. Loud. With very colorful, salty language.
“If you were on the ME chart more than one time, he would just dog curse you out,” David said. “I was like, ‘Dang, that’s what I like right there. Coaches holding the player accountable.’
“‘If you are on this board more than once, that means you just don’t give an eff and you’re just a dumb MFer and that means I will have to get rid of you,'” David quoted Arians in one of his lectures to the team. “‘We’re not going to have dumb MFers on this football team.’
“I respect him on that right there.”
David said he never had a coach who would unload on players for being stupid like Arians. For Joe, that is saying a lot.
David came into the league with former Bucs commander Greg Schiano who was known for hollering, often with a bullhorn. And, David played for Bo Pelini at Nebraska, who was a dime store Bobby Knight wannabe, just unloading on every one and every thing and perpetually PO’ed at the world.
But, David said, the Bucs may have needed that to cut down on dumb mistakes that in the past had burned them so badly.
The next season with Arians and his direct, spicy vernacular, David became a Super Bowl champion.
April 4th, 2026 at 12:11 am
BA’s replacement promptly got rid of the board and the three practice fields, which is what you should do after winning a Super Bowl and missing the next one because of major malpractice on the part of the Genius In Charge Now.
Change what was wildly successful and to the era of decline, regression not aggression. The dumpster is on fire and it was just pushed into a waste oil dump.
April 4th, 2026 at 12:12 am
That’s why l say we should draft guys with high football IQ
High motor, energetic, think on their feet, plays until the whistle
This team had way too many loafers last year
But l think Bowles are thinning them out
The 30+ veterans that Licht is signing are needed
Now, we just need to nail this draft, and keep it moving
I’m certain we will be a better football team than last season
This is our year to Rise and Shine
April 4th, 2026 at 12:23 am
Obviously, I’m a huge BA fan. He’s one of a kind. He and coach Bowden are the best.
April 4th, 2026 at 12:25 am
It’s BAs fault we have this turd of a coach
April 4th, 2026 at 12:27 am
Bowels…
Oh I’ll just stop …,
April 4th, 2026 at 2:22 am
Cleanhouse … ‘It’s BAs fault we have this turd of a coach’.
From everything I’ve read, BA has always been a huge fan of Todd Bowles. Todd worked as BA’s DC for 5 years, and the results are incredibly impressive for all who didn’t notice:
o 2013: Cards defense ranked #7 (20.3 PPG average) & #1 in Run Defense/#14 in Pass Defense.
o 2014: Cards defense ranked #5 (18.7 PPG average) & #13 in Run Defense/#29 in Pass Defense.
o 2019: Bucs defense ranked #29 (28.1 PPG average) & #1 in Run Defense/#30 in Pass Defense.
o 2020: Bucs defense ranked #8 (22.2 PPG average) & #1 in Run Defense/#21 in Pass Defense.
o 2021: Bucs defense ranked #5 (20.8 PPG average) & #3 in Run Defense/#21 in Pass Defense.
2019 is obviously the anomaly in those 5 years, but it was actually a very good defense considering that we were transitioning to a 3-4 scheme AND that Jameis totally screwed the pooch (and the defense) by throwing 30 INTs & fumbling 12 times on the season.
BA reaped the benefits of those Bowles-led defenses (Top-10 finishes for 4-of-those-5 years) by compiling a 52-29 record in Arizona & here over those 5 years. And oh ya, going to the playoffs 3 times, winning 5-of-7 games, plus a Super Bowl.
BA obviously had a lot of influence with the Glazers, and might have had a deal with the Glazers to hire Todd as HC once he retired (none of us know for sure). But I doubt that the Glazers would’ve kept him for 5 years now as HC unless THEY were really behind him 100%. THEY can replace him any time they choose.