Lavonte David put a massive target on his back when he said the 2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will feature the best defense in NFL history.
“I think we can be the best defense ever, to be honest. I’m going to go out there and say it,” David said Thursday, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
When asked to further spell out his intent, David doubled down.
“Yeah, I’m going to say it. Put it on me. I’m going to say it,” he said. “NFL history, Bucs history, anything. That’s just the type of attitude we have.”\
Guarantees don’t often work out well in the NFL.
David should be optimistic about Tampa Bay’s chances to improve upon last year’s 6-10 record. He also should be excited about trying to better what his defensive unit was able to do in 2015. But to make a giant leap and say this is an all-time NFL great unit in the making is a bit too bold.
Tampa Bay ranked No. 10 in the NFL last year in total yardage allowed (5,446) but was the seventh-worst unit in the league in terms of scoring allowed (26.1 points per game).
The Bucs did land a couple of potential studs in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves and pass rusher Noah Spence via the draft. And cornerback Brent Grimes should be an upgrade on the other side, assuming Hargreaves wins the starting job.
But to assume an aging veteran and a couple of rookies will be enough to vault this unit into the realm of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens or 2015 Denver Broncos is just wishful thinking.
Have confidence in yourself and your team, surely. But don’t go out there boasting to the media that you’re going to be an all-time great. Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Buccaneers won’t come close to matching the all-time great defenses in 2016.