Lavonte David: 14 Years of Buccaneers’ Greatness

As I began writing this the report that linebacker Lavonte David is expected to announce his retirement Tuesday at the Buccaneers’ presser around 2pm dropped.

For Bucs’ fans this hit’s home hard, especially after losing Mike Evans to the Niners in free agency earlier this month.

LVD as the fans know him, has been a staple in the halls at one Buc place. His calm presence in the locker room, and solid performance on the field will be something the Bucs will be hard pressed to replace.

In The Beginning…

The Buccaneers selected David in the second round with the 58th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. They did so by trading their third-round (68th overall) and fourth-round (126th overall) selections to the Houston Texans to move up. In return, Tampa Bay acquired the Texans’ second-round pick and a seventh-round selection (233rd overall). David was the ninth linebacker taken in the draft and became the highest-selected linebacker from University of Nebraska–Lincoln since Barrett Ruud in 2005 — who was also drafted by the Buccaneers.

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David made an immediate impact. Earning the start in his regular-season debut against the Carolina Panthers and recording six tackles in a 16–10 victory. His strong instincts and play recognition quickly stood out. This led to defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan to entrust him with the green-dot helmet responsibilities to relay defensive calls. On November 4, he delivered a breakout performance with a season-high 16 tackles (14 solo) in a 42–32 win over the Oakland Raiders. His consistency earned him Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in November after he compiled a league-leading 47 tackles across four games — making him the first Buccaneers player to receive the award.

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On December 2nd of his rookie year, David recorded 10 tackles, two pass breakups, and the first interception of his career in a loss to the Denver Broncos. The interception came via a pass from Peyton Manning. The following week, he added nine tackles and notched his first career sack against quarterback Nick Foles in a narrow loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

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David started all 16 games at linebacker as a rookie. He led Tampa Bay with 139 total tackles (112 solo). David did so while also contributing five pass deflections, two sacks, and one interception. His tackle total tied for eighth in the NFL alongside linebackers London Fletcher and Paul Posluszny. He also finished with 20 tackles for loss. That was the most by an NFL rookie since Kendrell Bell in 2001 — earning a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Underrated David

His impact cannot be overstated, David will begin a new direction in his life now, but there is still one more achievement left for him in the NFL.

Lavonte Davids Hall of Fame watch begins now. See you in Canton!

Lavonte David’s Career Stats