{"id":833372,"date":"2026-03-25T18:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T18:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/833372\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T18:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T18:51:22","slug":"lavonte-david-has-a-hardware-problem-joebucsfan-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/833372\/","title":{"rendered":"Lavonte David Has A Hardware Problem – JoeBucsFan.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Click through to BillCurrieFord.com to see their extraordinary March offers. Family-owned in Tampa since 1960! Bill Currie Ford general manager Sean Sullivan is ready to help you PERSONALLY and give you the famous Ira Kaufman discount. Don\u2019t Worry, Drive Currie!<\/p>\n

BY IRA KAUFMAN<\/p>\n

The Canton clock is ticking for Lavonte David.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Although David won\u2019t be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame until the Class of 2031, the debate has already begun about his gold jacket credentials. Buc fans naturally feel he\u2019s a slam-dunk candidate \u2014 and that\u2019s understandable considering what David has meant to the franchise during his splendid 14-year career.<\/p>\n

But as Tampa Bay\u2019s lone Hall of Fame representative since 2005, I\u2019m here to tell you the road to Canton may not necessarily be a smooth one.<\/p>\n

I can hear Buc Nation collectively question my sanity.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s true David has a compelling case for pro football\u2019s shrine to excellence, he lacks one critical component in a glittering resume. Numbers? Sure. Hardware? He\u2019s a little light.<\/p>\n

David ends his career among the all-time leaders in tackles and tackles for loss. He made a major impact across the board and certainly embodies the Hall of Fame\u2019s core values: commitment, integrity, courage, respect and excellence.<\/p>\n

Luke Kuechly, who just earned a Canton bust in his second year of eligibility, can\u2019t say enough about No. 54.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy that I feel never gets enough credit is Lavonte,\u201d Kuechly says. \u201cI love Lavonte. Go look at his sacks, his forced fumbles and his fumble recoveries \u2026 it\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n

David\u2019s lack of Pro Bowls shouldn\u2019t be a major issue. Hall of Fame voters don\u2019t pay much attention to an honor that has been watered down significantly over the years. Instead, it\u2019s his single first-team All-Pro designation that could slow David\u2019s roll into Canton.<\/p>\n

Many Hall of Fame selectors are the same voters who fill out All-Pro ballots. Unlike Buc fans, they didn\u2019t see David play on a weekly basis. They didn\u2019t see his consistent excellence as a sideline-to-sideline linebacker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI let my play do the talking,\u201d David said at Tuesday\u2019s retirement announcement.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, that will be enough.<\/p>\n

David ranks fourth in career tackles, behind Ray Lewis, London Fletcher and Derrick Brooks and just ahead of Bobby Wagner. Fletcher, who holds the record for most consecutive starts at linebacker, has been waiting since 2019 to be named one of the Hall\u2019s 15 finalists for induction.<\/p>\n

David was a better player than Fletcher, but Hall voters may not agree he was MARKEDLY better.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the off-ball linebackers who made the Hall of Fame while playing in this century.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1st Team All-Pro\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0All-Decade\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0D.P.O.Y.
Derrick Brooks\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a05\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes
Luke Kuechly\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 5\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes
Ray Lewis\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 7\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Twice
Junior Seau\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 6\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 No
Zach Thomas\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 5\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 No
Brian Urlacher\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a04\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes
Patrick Willis\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 5\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Yes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 No<\/p>\n

That\u2019s called hardware.<\/p>\n

Wagner has six first-team All-Pro honors and was an All-Decade choice. He was in the same 2012 draft class as David and Demario Davis, quite a linebacker trifecta. But while David\u2019s Buccaneers were in the midst of a 12-year playoff drought, Wagner\u2019s Seahawks made the postseason seven times between 2012-19.<\/p>\n

That brought considerably more national exposure to Wagner, who has played for four teams and is currently a free agent.<\/p>\n

Even Kuechly had to wait a year for his enshrinement \u2014 and it\u2019s hard to imagine voters holding David in higher regard than his Carolina counterpart.<\/p>\n

Nobody knows the Hall of Fame finalist class for 2031. We could assume David will make the final 15 in his first year of eligibility, but try telling that to London Fletcher, who has never heard his case discussed among the voting bloc.<\/p>\n

Those of us who witnessed David\u2019s elite play would consider it a travesty if Canton makes him sit and take a number, yet it happens. Cris Carter waited six years. John Lynch waited eight. Lynn Swann waited 14.<\/p>\n

While Lavonte David is no slam-dunk, he\u2019s a heck of a candidate. He\u00a0may not have the hardware, but David\u2019s an exceptionally hard guy to dismiss.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Click through to BillCurrieFord.com to see their extraordinary March offers. Family-owned in Tampa since 1960! Bill Currie Ford…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5506,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[211,2599,2598,7,6,704,250,2597,2596],"class_list":{"0":"post-833372","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","8":"tag-buccaneers","9":"tag-bucs-message-boards","10":"tag-bucs-news","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-tampa-bay","14":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","15":"tag-tampabay","16":"tag-tampabaybuccaneers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116291326497865225","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=833372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=833372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=833372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=833372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}