Inside linebacker of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lavonte David, has been snubbed by NFL fan voters and the league, getting left out of the Pro Bowl.
Here goes nothing.
Dear NFL,
You messed up. Again. For years and years many players around the league have tarnished the reputation of the Pro Bowl game (some choose not to play at all), due to the fact that it’s mainly a popularity contest. Indeed, it is; and year after year, it shows. The most notable victim of this annual laughingstock is Buccaneers linebacker, Lavonte David.
David is a quiet, leave-it-all-on-the-field type of worker and a hell of a football player; an elite one, might I add. David has again had a quietly productive year for the Buccaneers, totaling 104 total tackles, one sack, one interception and two forced fumbles through 14 games as he’s taken a slight back seat to emerging Tampa Bay star, Devin White.
Still, the one-time All-Pro puts up big numbers on a yearly basis and hardly ever receives recognition. To put this into perspective, here’s a side by side of David’s career numbers verses a future Hall of Famer in Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks:
Bobby Wagner:
— Nick Sitro ✌️ (@nicksitro) October 8, 2019
1031 TACKLES
54 TFL
16.5 SACKS
4 FF
8 FR
9 INTS
4 TDS
Lavonte David:
919 TACKLES
107 TFL
21.5 SACKS
18 FF
13 FR
11 INT
3 TDS
Lavonte gets zero respect, it's time for that to change.
As much hype as Wagner gets, the numbers obviously tells a different story. Despite this, Wagner still edges David out for Pro-Bowls (five compared to David’s one). So what gives? And why hasn’t this been talked about?