Shares longevity insight.
There may be a lesson here for a couple of other Bucs defenders.
For Lavonte David, 35, to be entering his 14th season with the Bucs as one of the premiere linebackers in the game, he first has to have good genes. Not just to play at a high level in the NFL, but to stay on the field.
David was asked yesterday at One Buc Palace what he does to keep himself physically healthy. Very rarely do you see David miss multiple games in a row.
David said the trick for him in helping him stay on the field is being proactive, no matter how small a bump or bruise may be.
> “I think the main thing for me is just taking care of things while it’s a little problem, before making it a big problem,” David said. Any time I feel any nicks or bumps, any small little thing, I try to get on top of it really fast so it doesn’t become a big problem.
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> “Then, getting my conditioning level to where it needs to be and taking care of my body right away – eating right, doing what I’m supposed to be doing, being disciplined in all aspects.
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> “I just feel like the off the field life when you’re disciplined, it \[carries\] over to the on the field life.”
Joe took that last sentence to suggest that hitting the clubs today means hitting the unemployment line tomorrow.
Joe has heard more and more the past few years about how diets have helped players gain longevity. We all know Tom Brady, who played until he was 45, was really strict about his diet. You know, the famed avocado ice cream?
(Anyone remember how Josh Freeman bragged he stopped at Taco Bell every day after practice? Then again, his problem wasn’t physical. His problem was between his ears.)
Once upon a time players just gutted it out. As long as you were walking, you were fine and only the weaklings and attention hogs ran to the doctor.
Now, as we know with sports science and modern medicine, and as David has reinforced, only the dumbarses try to act like the tough guy. And those are the guys who physically get beaten to a pulp and worn down and are out of football before they hit 30.