So, About No. 45
May 13th, 2019
Bucs ILB Devin White.
No, Joe was so busy with Jason Pierre-Paul breaking news and the Gerald McCoy drama and saga that Joe didn’t touch upon another popular subject among fans.
It is the case of No. 40.
Of course, No. 40 is Devin White’s favorite number. And White wanted to keep it while playing for the Bucs. There was a little hangup, though.
No. 40 is also Mike Alstott’s number. And while the number is not retired, that name hangs on the wall of the Den of Depression with other Bucs immortals. The Bucs have only officially retired three numbers: Lee Roy Selmon’s No. 63, Warren Sapp’s No. 99 and Derrick Brooks’ No. 55.
On Friday, the first day of rookie minicamp practice, White deferred to Alstott and chose to wear No. 45.
“I was kind of familiar with the history here, with the A-Train,” White said referring to Alstott. “So it was out of respect [not to wear No. 40]. For all that [Alstott] did for this place. Him winning a Super Bowl. … Him toting that rock like he did. He has his own legacy here. I’m not one to step in the way of someone else’s legacy.
“Even though 40 means the world to me, at the end of the day it’s not about a number that is going to make me go out and get tackles and sacks and make big plays. It is going to be me. … A change is sometimes good.”
White admitted he never even talked to Alstott about wearing No. 40. Instead, he’s worried about helping the Bucs win games.
“You see the name on that stadium, that’s the ultimate respect,” White said. “Hopefully, if I put in the work, I can get to that level someday.”
Lacing on the cleats and heading onto the practice fields of One Buc Palace made White think he was in football nirvana, he said.
He admitted he was noisy because he was so happy and trying to help out any of his fellow rookies in any way he could, even though it was all so new to all of them.
May 13th, 2019 at 5:25 am
Kudos to White for not insisting on wearing #40. However, that is the Bucs’ call, not his. We won’t see Alstott in the HoF and so the number really shouldn’t be retired, it should still be another generation or so before someone wears it again.
May 13th, 2019 at 5:33 am
The Bucs should retire #40, anyone who watched Mike rumble down the field with 3 guts on his back to score a TD knows that. Good for the kid to not insist but I can see Mike being such a classy guy that he would say “wear it if you want “ and that would be a DAMN freeking shame!
May 13th, 2019 at 6:18 am
This is the start of a change in MINDSET FOR THE LOCKERROOM I HOPE
WINNER
ATrain IS A BEAST.
May 13th, 2019 at 6:19 am
Kudos to Devin White for his decision to switch to #45. Mike Alstott is & probably always will be my favorite Buc. Not because of the numbers he put up, which were quite good, but because of his attitude & persona. The ultimate team-player IMO and a true CLASS ACT in every way.
May 13th, 2019 at 6:19 am
Kudos to Devin White for his decision to switch to #45. Mike Alstott is & probably always will be my favorite Buc. Not because of the numbers he put up, which were quite good, but because of his attitude & persona. The ultimate team-player IMO and a true CLASS ACT in every way.
May 13th, 2019 at 6:20 am
Waiting for moderation
🤔🤔
TOO MANY NEGATIVE GMC POSTS
May 13th, 2019 at 6:40 am
If he plays like he is getting hyped up then he will probably be wearing it next season. I doubt Mike minds. Gota earn it is how i look at it. Earn it big boy.
May 13th, 2019 at 6:42 am
Perception is a funny thing.
Mike Alstott is remembered as the blue collar workhorse that fought for every yard with reckless abandon. Hell, even I remember him in that light. He probably had the greatest one-yard TD run of all time against the Vikings and his run against the Browns is an indelible memory to all those that witnessed its beauty.
Yet in his eleven years as a Buc he only averaged 4-yards a carry only once and his 3.7 career YPC is lower than Peyton Barber’s 3.8.
With this in mind, please tell me why Jersey #40 should be retired and why many of you think Peyton Barber is a pedestrian runner at best and a second class bum at worst?
Both men seem like great guys on and off the field and both embrace verbal reticence and let their play do the talking.
As I stated, perception is a funny thing.
Help me out here …
May 13th, 2019 at 6:43 am
Come on , the bucs need to retire #40..period..when I see #40 in bucs jersey Mike will always come to mind…had to picture another possible great buc with the same #…he needs to make his own number great ! Shouldn’t be #47 , shouldn’t be #40 , I say he would look good owning # 41 myself but wtfdik
May 13th, 2019 at 6:53 am
Ja … You’re right in that his YPC wasn’t that great, but the situations he was given the ball in were very often short-yardage situations. Oftentimes those situations in which you need JUST 1 yard are the most brutal as I’m sure you well know. He & Warrick Dunn made a great tandem IMO. They complemented each other very nicely. Once Chucky took over & Dunn left for Atlanta after 2001, Mike’s career stats went downhill significantly. Many forget though that the A-Train did make 1st Team All-Pro 3 years running as well as the Pro Bowl 6 straight years.
May 13th, 2019 at 6:59 am
Belicheck and Brady are about “business and winning.”
GMC is about “having fun.”
We need a new culture on defense.
We are so lucky to replace GMC with Devin White.
We need a true leader on defense.
We will really miss JPP. He was our best player.
May 13th, 2019 at 7:07 am
Defense—
Mike was great for this franchise. No doubt about it. And I do grasp your point about Dunn and short yardage situations. Still, I wonder how Mike would do in his prime, like Barber, if he had to play behind this current OL …
To be redundant, I don’t lack appreciation for Mike, but I cannot understand the vilifications tossed at Barber.
May 13th, 2019 at 7:29 am
The dude was “cant miss” on so many levels….we had a need and got a guy considered to have multiple pro bowl potential. The more I listen to the DT from Alabama, the more the fella sounds like GMC. Likely a very good player….BUT…I don’t want another super nice big smile DT. I want players with an a alpha male edge that will push their teammates. I think White’s impact will cause a major change in the aggressiveness of our defense. Everyone talks Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, Barber….but Nickerson was the one that came here and changed the tone.
May 13th, 2019 at 7:37 am
Wear number 52 and dominate from the ILB position. And win two Super Bowls. And get into the HOF on the first ballot!
May 13th, 2019 at 7:38 am
I like the attitude from Devin White….I hope it is contagious.
May 13th, 2019 at 8:02 am
JA Says
“Yet in his eleven years as a Buc he only averaged 4-yards a carry only once and his 3.7 career YPC is lower than Peyton Barber’s 3.8.”
Take a look at his TDs. Alstott was a short yardage first down and touchdown machine. He almost never failed. Defenses actually feared him.
This is why I have been saying for years that if we want the running game fixed, we don’t need another fast guy. We need another Alstott-type of guy. He wore out defenses, and that led to just about any other RB on the team getting yards.
He is why Gruden’s key phrase was to pound the rock. It was why he had a hug rock brought into One Buc.
It was because of Alstott…not Dunn (who left), Graham or Pitman.
May 13th, 2019 at 8:04 am
I still got my a-train blow horns. Bucs need to bring back some kind of stadium noise maker, much like the rays cowbells.
May 13th, 2019 at 8:05 am
LakeLand Says:
May 13th, 2019 at 7:37 am
“Wear number 52 and dominate from the ILB position. And win two Super Bowls. And get into the HOF on the first ballot! ”
He chose 45 because it is the reverse of 54…Lavante David’s number. It wasn’t just out of respect. White wanted his actions to radiate teamwork and unity.
May 13th, 2019 at 8:06 am
Kudos to Devin for having a level of self awareness, much less franchise awareness, that so many seem to lack.
May 13th, 2019 at 8:08 am
Also, Mike’s best year, I think, was when he had Lorenzo Neal lead blocking. That dude was the best lead blocker I have ever seen.
May 13th, 2019 at 8:13 am
Dang Joe Blocked ATrain. AGAIN
May 13th, 2019 at 9:31 am
Bonzai,
White explains in his presser why he chose 45. 40 was his number, He knows that was AT RAINS, so 4 and 5 was his selection. He never mentioned lvd. If you heard something else where did you hear it. It’s great if that’s true.
May 13th, 2019 at 9:42 am
Bonzai,
Alstott didn’t wear down defenses allowing pitt and Co to run wild. It’s the exact opposite.
He was a closer. Gruden put him in once the defenses were tired and he plowed thru them.
That’s kinda one of the better examples of perception vs reality.
Got say you’re right about neal. What a beast…
May 13th, 2019 at 10:12 am
Solid logic and humble approach from the rook. He’s off to a good start.
May 13th, 2019 at 10:24 am
Devin White made the right decision here. Look, Alstott’s number may not be retired….but in the hearts and minds of Bucs fans it’s a special number and no one else should wear it. Kinda like in baseball with the Dodgers, no one has worn #34 for the Dodgers since 1990 even though the number hasn’t been officially retired. As far as I’m concerned no one should wear 40, 47, or 20 ever again.
No one should wear #8 either!
Just kidding……
May 13th, 2019 at 10:31 am
Maybe Alstott’s number shouldn’t be retired at Raymond James, but that number is special because he was a special player here for the Bucs and Bucs fans. You can compare all the stats that you want but he’s a local fan favorite and important player for the Bucs for many years. You can’t say the same about Peyton Barber (yet). Also, how may pro-bowls has Peyton Barber been selected for? How many All-Pro selections does Peyton Barber have? I believe Mike has 6 and 3 respectively.
May 13th, 2019 at 10:56 am
ATrain will never understand how this website functions, lol. Why would you possible speak to something like that when you have no idea. –Joe
May 13th, 2019 at 11:00 am
When I watched the interview he said, 40 was his number and he was the 5th pick in the draft so 45 works real well. With a D coach telling him 45 looked more aggressive.
His respect for the game, with humble passion to advance his play at this level, whatever his number is really refreshing. Wants to earn his place up on the Wall like those others before have.
Excited to watch this guy play.
Go! Bucs!
May 13th, 2019 at 11:01 am
Loved the ATrain… shame the FB position isn’t used that way anymore… dude was a killer in the redone.. especially against the Dirty Birds.
May 13th, 2019 at 11:32 am
Guess I won’t Bonzai
Thank you
However I really think your clueless because you defend Mr Softie
May 13th, 2019 at 11:44 am
Hard not to love this kid
May 13th, 2019 at 12:33 pm
Forget the numbers, there was and never will be a FB that ran the way Alstott did. The guy had RB moves and was a juggernaut when he turned into a battering ram. Just for that and all his success, he should be a HOFer. Hall of Fame means players who changed and transcended the position and stood out amongst peers in that same position. There is nobody like Mike Alstott. We were lucky to have him.
The HOF has become a popularity contest. It needs real gridiron greats in there to make it legit again.
Someone make that into a hat! #MILA
May 13th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
I agree and I’ll take it a step further. I think the way Gruden used Alstott during the time they were together ruined Alstott’s hall chances. Alstott’s rushing opportunities dropped significantly after the Super Bowl. If Alstott was used the same way he was used in 2002 in subsequent years he may have received a few more pro-bowl nods.
In a general sense, if a player has 8 pro bowl appearances they’re almost a lock for the Hall of Fame. I really believe Gruden ruined Alstott’s chances. The Bucs only had one winning season in the 4 years following the Super Bowl and much of that had to do with Gruden’s stubbornness on doing the exact opposite of what worked in the Super Bowl season.
May 13th, 2019 at 1:31 pm
If there was anyone I would want to see wearing #40. It would be Devin White. Would love to see “40” flying around the field laying out licks. Like how A-Train did from the offensive side of the ball.
May 13th, 2019 at 2:57 pm
Alston had runs where he’d literally break like 5-7 different tackles or drag like 5 dudes with him. I can’t remember seeing anyone like him since he’s left the game. Love that guy lol
May 13th, 2019 at 3:32 pm
D-Rome – Correct, Gruden was an absolute moron with the way he used Alstott. He’d rather have Pittman back there running into the backs of his offensive lineman on every play than to have Alstott running over defenders. I really hated Gruden at the time, and still really hate him today.