Bucs’ Lavonte David has worn creamsicle, but his game isn’t antiquated
TAMPA — Lavonte David is having fun with the fact that he’s the only player on the Bucs roster to have worn their throwback creamsicle uniforms. It happened during his rookie season in 2012, which also was the Bucs’ first season under head coach Greg Schiano.
“I am the only one,” David said. “I’ve got a lot to brag about. I mess with guys, and I’ll be like, ‘Hey, have you worn it?’ Nobody has ever worn it, so I’m the only one who can brag about it and show them how to dress it up, show them how to look in it. I’ve got that title right now.”
Wearing the creamsicle for David is actually a return to the gory days. The last time he donned that uniform, the Bucs led 14-0 before losing that Week 7 game to the Saints, 35-28. Josh Freeman was the quarterback. Ronde Barber recorded his 46th career interception and would have only one more in his career. 49ers general manager and former Bucs safety John Lynch called the game with Dick Stockton for Fox.
The 33-year-old David knows clothes doesn’t make the linebacker. But what is notable is that in his 12th season, David has already uncorked some classic performances.
He is second on the team in tackles with 28 this season, one which might be the last in a Pro Football Hall of Fame-worthy career. He also has a sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit.
David has contemplated retirement ever since winning Super Bowl 55. That was two contracts ago. In order to return to the team as a free agent, he agreed to take an $8 million reduction in salary in 2023, going from $12.5 million to $4.5 million with a chance to make as much as $8 million with performance bonuses as part of a one-year deal.
“It doesn’t amaze me because of the work he puts in,” linebacker Devin White said of David’s career. “But the thing of it is, he’s always telling me, ‘I think I’ve got one more year. I’ve just got one more year and I’m gone.’ But that one more year keeps coming.
“It just makes me happy for my future, knowing we’re similar players and the longevity he’s had in this league at a high level, production-wise, that’s why I’m just feeding off his energy and hopefully, he’s feeding off mine. I’m trying to squeeze as many years as I can and it’s always good to have a good counter partner. I don’t think they can get no better than Lavonte.”
David was instrumental in helping White navigate his demand for a trade this offseason, calming him down with a long telephone conversation that eventually led to a meeting with coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht in March. He is frequently referred to by White as “the old man.”
“I was joking around about this. I remember back in the day, the first couple years, I’d play Sunday, roll out of bed Monday and the come home and stay home on Tuesdays,” David said. “No treatment. No nothing. Now I can’t go nowhere. I’ve got to get treatment every day — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday — even Sunday before the game. It’s a nonstop thing. It’s fun going back and thinking about how I used to do nothing before the games.”
While the Bucs offense is a work in progress with new coordinator Dave Canales and quarterback Baker Mayfield, David’s defense has allowed only 17 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league.
There was a time when David was considered the promise of tomorrow, not the fulfillment of today.
Since arriving as a second-round pick out of Nebraska, the Bucs endured losing records in seven of his first eight seasons, never sniffing the playoffs. Bowles is his fifth head coach.
Will this be the final season for David? He isn’t buying any of that talk these days, and for good reason.
David has embraced his senior status on the team but there’s no reason for him to feel patronized. On Monday, he was voted a team captain for the 10th straight season.
“It’s been real fun. I’m coming in and opening up more, however guys will take that,” David said. “I’m taking it for all it’s worth. I’m blessed to be in this position. I thank God every day for allowing me to be here for 12 seasons with one team. That’s a blessing and something I don’t take for granted. I’m just able to show all the work I put in, the way I produce on the field and what I do off the field in the community and how I’m looked at by the guys in the locker room, it says a lot. So I definitely don’t take that lightly.
“I’m having fun and I’ve always said when I stop having fun playing football, that’s when I’ll walk away. You can’t cheat the game.”
While David has only been named All Pro (2013) and to the Pro Bowl (2015) once each, his value hasn’t been overlooked by those who have competed against him.
In fact, Lions head coach Dan Campbell called David a “takeaway machine” this week.
“For over a decade now, or whatever that’s been, I mean he’s got to be up there for takeaways,” Campbell said. “I mean punch-outs, strips, he’s as good as you’re going to find. His turnover tape over his period of his career — you’re going to be hard-pressed to find somebody better. So he’s a takeaway machine.”
The only player who has eclipsed David in career tackles (1,374 in 12 seasons) is linebacker Derrick Brooks (1,713 in 14 seasons). David also has 27 career forced fumbles, 18 fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions. Brooks was a first-ballot Hall of Fame player.
“He stays in shape,” Bucs co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote said of David. “That’s key. I tell these young guys, ‘Always stay in shape.’ He takes care of his body. He’s a pro not just on the field but off the field. Anytime you play at that type of level for these amount of years, that’s what you’ve got to give the credit to. He stays in shape and he’s serious. I watch him every spring, but I still see him get out of breaks. I always tell him, ‘You’ve got one more year. One more year.’ ”
Will this be the final year? While David may represent the past of this Bucs team like those creamsicle uniforms, he’s still a very important part of its present.
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