The Bucks have already made some big changes this offseason, and those changes threaten the winning culture the team has established in recent years. It wasn’t too long ago that Tampa Bay was the team that lost the most in a losing franchise, but things changed with the addition of Bruce his Aliens in 2019 and Tom Brady in 2020. .
The last three years have seen the team win the super bowl He has won two NFC South titles while playing with a 37-20 overall record (including the playoffs). 2022 was mostly a disappointment with his 8-9 record and first-round playoff loss, but the division championship and home his playoff games sounded like something the Bucs followers were coming up with. Just recently. in their wildest dreams.
Now, with Brady retired and several key members of the team heading elsewhere, Tampa Bay will have to fight to keep its culture alive. Last year’s record of 8 wins and 9 losses It leads to a downward spiral that erases what was built over the past few years. It will be a group effort to carry everything into the new era, but longtime captain Labonte David is ready to take on that challenge head-on.
Lavonte David and Bucs leaders must take the lead
Bucs LB Lavonte David – Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR
As the longest-serving member of the Bucs roster, Lavonte David knows what the team’s losing days were like. He is one of the few to exist long enough to experience several extreme lows in red, white and pewter before finally reaching the pinnacle of the sport on February 7, 2021. is.And it’s a safe bet that the 33-year-old linebacker didn’t re-sign with the team To experience the struggle before 2020 again.
David knows he and his team leaders have a few things to do to avoid a return to the Bucks Life era.
“With people who have been around and been there and know what they need,” David said Thursday. It’s all about trying to win games and win divisions, first and foremost, because most of the time there’s a lot of core players in the locker room who know what it takes to get there. increase.
“We know how to do it and all you have to do is pass it on to the new guys in the building. We’ve lost people, they’ve got people to fill their roles and they need big shoes, but in the locker room that we have, I think everyone can fit in. Really well. “
Given the salary cap situation, the Bucks have had to make some tough decisions this offseason. Left tackle Donovan Smith, running back Leonard Fournette, tight end Cameron Blate, right guard Shaq Mason and kicker Ryan Sacop are all gone. Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Sean Murphy-Bunting, his two mainstays for the past four years, have signed elsewhere as free his agents. Add in Brady’s retirement and Tampa Bay will have a new look and feel this season.
Baker Mayfield has been signed to compete with 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask to start the team’s quarterback job. It was brought in to strengthen the backfield led by eye pick Rashard White. Former Rams defensive his tackle Greg Gaines is also a newcomer, and there will be many new faces as the Bucks continue to build their roster. As David said, it’s up to him and the other veterans on the team to get everyone on board and keep that culture intact.
Bucs have a solid core to keep them competitive
Chris Godwin and Mike Evans of Bucs WR – Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR
Luckily David has a lot of help. The Bucks roster has quite a few veterans that have been around in recent years as new identities are built within the walls of the team facility. Mike Evans is another of his longest-serving veterans on the team. Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs, Ryan Jensen, Vita Vair, Shaquille Barrett, Devin White, Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean All Antoine Winfield Jr. is likely to be a big part of the effort to keep everything going beyond 2023.
That’s the core of the team, with some worthy free agent signings and a new draft rounding out the roster, but David says there’s a reason the Bucks are confident as the team turns corners into a new era. I believe there is.
“I’m happy with what we have. Most of the locker room remains intact,” David said. “Obviously we’ve lost some key pieces, but the majority of the locker room is still intact and that’s something I really like. We added people, and after losing some on the defensive line, Jamel Dean is back, so that was a big thing for us, for the organization.
“We still feel like we are going to be a confident group. But I feel there are people in the locker room with the people I added to get where I needed to go.
