Lavonte David's first four seasons have been statistically exceptional
While Lavonte David has had a pretty good reason to be confused by his Pro Bowl snubs over the first four years of his NFL career, seeing his statistics against some of the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers greats makes it even tougher to fathom.
David has been a force defensively for the Buccaneers, and is one of the most reliable players in the NFL. So, how do the numbers actually look against the likes of Derrick Brooks, Hardy Nickerson, Ronde Barber, John Lynch and Shelton Quarles over their first four years?
Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com broke it down:
Lavonte David: 577 combined tackles, 405 solo tackles
Derrick Brooks: 515 combined tackles, 377 solo tackles
Ronde Barber: 226 combined tackles, 186 solo tackles
Hardy Nickerson: 218 combined tackles, 218 solo tackles
John Lynch: 168 combined tackles, 125 solo tackles
Shelton Quarles: 101 combined tackles, 68 solo tackles
Those numbers by David, especially in comparison to the former Buccaneers listed, are basically incredible. David's been well-deserving of a Pro Bowl nod, and as Kania points out, there's a good chance he could get in as an alternate this year.
Regardless, with David, Gerald McCoy and rookie Kwon Alexander, to name a few, the future looks bright for this young and talented defensive group.
Jeff Smith writes about the NFL for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @JSM8ith.