Bucs waste another stellar performance from Lavonte David The Tampa Tribune, published 27 October 2014 Throughout the game, Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David’s enthusiasm was on graphic display for an announced crowd of 56,577 at Raymond James Stadium. After yet another heartbreaking setback on Sunday, David did his best to hide the depths of his disappointment. The All-Pro linebacker reeled off his third consecutive game with 14 tackles. Once again, all those stops weren’t enough to avoid a loss. “As a defense, we thought about it during the bye week and realized we weren’t having any fun out there,’’ said David, who punctuated several tackles with an exuberant gesture that energized the home fan base. “Today, we made it a point to have fun and show our emotions.’’ David was credited with three of Tampa Bay’s six tackles for loss as he roamed sideline to sideline, intent on securing an initial home win for coach Lovie Smith in his fourth attempt. “Lavonte was everywhere today,’’ middle linebacker Mason Foster said. “He’s playing light’s-out football for us every week.’’ And when Minnesota rookie linebacker Anthony Barr posted his third fumble recovery in two weeks and ran 27 yards for the winning score 17 seconds into overtime, all David could do was try to mask his anguish and talk about baby steps. “Of course, this is a test for our entire team,’’ David said after the Bucs fell to 1-6 and remained in the NFC South basement. “I believe we have great character in this room and guys still have high spirits. It wasn’t our best, but I feel like we took a positive step today.’’