Tampa Bay Buccaneers Address Why They’re ‘Under the Radar’ Contenders originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers underrated as a franchise?
That is the argument Mina Kimes has made on her show “The Mina Kimes Show.” During this week’s stream, the ESPN host interviewed Buccaneers veteran linebacker Lavonte David to answer that very question.
Like Kimes, David was seemingly perplexed as to why the Buccaneers always seem to operate under the radar.
“I don’t know why. We’re a humble organization” David said. “We got a lot of great players. It’s good though, we like having that underdog mentality. We have a bunch of underdogs. A lot of guys with a tremendous amount of talent and a lot of heart that battle week in and week out for each other.”
Perhaps one of the reasons why fans and pundits seem to overlook Tampa Bay is due to their start. When Tampa Bay was an expansion franchise in the 1970s, they were easily the worst team in the league.
Things have changed over the last few decades, though.
Tampa is a title contender. And while they continue to perform in the shadows, that is perfectly fine for their upstart roster. In the case of David, he has already won a Super Bowl, and is still one of the best leaders in the league.
As he looks to put the finishing touches on his career, he’s hoping the organization has one more title run to go on during the 2025 season.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.