TAMPA, Fla. -- In a season in which he finally has shown he belongs in the NFL, it's only fitting that Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Danny Lansanah gets a chance to play against the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are Sunday's opponent for Tampa Bay. They also were the first of several teams to tell Lansanah he didn't belong in the NFL. Back in 2008, Lansanah made Green Bay's roster as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Connecticut.

That didn't last long. Lansanah was cut after five games and that started a path that led to several unsuccessful attempts to make another NFL roster. At one point, Lansanah played in the United Football League.

All these years later, Lansanah still remembers that the Packers showed him the door.

"Yeah, there is definitely some motivation," Lansanah said. "I'm definitely going to try to put my best foot forward and show those guys that they missed out on a good player. I'm definitely going to talk trash. I've got a lot of friends that still play there."

But Lansanah said he benefited from his Green Bay experience.

"I learned a lot," Lansanah said. "I played with A.J. Hawk. He's one of the best linebackers in the league. He taught me a lot. And [linebackers coach Winston] Moss, they were there my first year in the league and they set the foundation for me and I appreciate it. But I'm here and I'm ready to play those guys."

Lansanah, understandably, has a chip on his shoulder after bouncing around so much. But he finally has found a home in Tampa Bay. Lansanah began this season as the backup to Jonathan Casillas at strong-side linebacker. But Lansanah performed so well that the Bucs dealt Casillas at the trading deadline. That elevated Lansanah to a starting job and he's produced.

Lansanah has 74 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three interceptions. With Mason Foster sidelined with an injury recently, Lansanah has filled in at middle linebacker, where he has drawn solid reviews from the coaches.

"All three linebacker spots are different," Lansanah said. "I consider myself a good athlete. I think I'm good at all three of them. I played middle linebacker in college and we favored the Tampa Two a lot, so there's a lot of carryover from college. It wasn't a big transition for me at all."

That's led to speculation that Lansanah could move permanently to middle linebacker because Foster is scheduled to become a free agent after the season. Or Lansanah could return to the strong side. Either way, his roster spot is a lot more secure than it was in his Green Bay days.