Devin White Says Antonio Brown, Media Motivated Him
March 20th, 2021
Savior Bucs linebacker Devin White, the heartbeat of the Bucs defense, had many layers of motivation during the Bucs’ Super Bowl season.
A recent guest on 104.5 FM in Baton Rouge, White explained that naysayers and a couple of Tampa Bay newcomers really jacked him up.
First up — media and fans.
“I was still getting counted out this year with having like great numbers and stuff, It was like, ‘Oh, he can’t cover.’ I’m like, ‘Where is this coming from? Every time I do something good they find something wrong with it.'” White bellowed.
“So I honed in. Like, ‘OK, I can’t cover. Now I’m going to show you that my coverage is elite, too.’ Like I gotta take it to whole another level; I gotta hone in on it. And I did that, and I started coming up with many more pass deflections, interception. I did it all at the right time. Like I was in the right spot at the right time and you know, that all started with practice.”
White went on to say he also was super inspired by the practice effort he saw on the offensive side of the football.
“Man, you watch Tom Brady and Antonio Brown, watch how they get after it, more so A.B., man, he’s one of the hardest practicing people I’ve ever seen in my life,” White said. “And, you know, me and him are real good friends. So that just kind of boosted me up even more. Like, ‘OK, like this is where you make yourself at out here on this practice field. And the game’s going to really be easy ’cause you done put in the work at 100 miles per hour, so when you get in the game you’re going to go 150 [mph] but you’re going to do it the right way.”
Thank you, Antonio Brown! The way White was a buzzsaw late in the season, after soaking in Brown’s practice habits for a month, Joe suspects Brown really did make an impact on the young Bucs captain.
As for media and fans getting under White’s skin by saying he struggled in coverage, well, he did struggle in coverage! So it’s all good.
Joe can’t wait to see what 2021 White looks like on the field.
March 20th, 2021 at 11:10 am
i can’t wait to see how great this man becomes!
March 20th, 2021 at 11:14 am
The last time i saw a half crazy, super aggressive MLB on the Bucs, his name was Hardy “Hardware” Nickerson. Glad we’re both vertical today Joe
March 20th, 2021 at 11:21 am
I hadn’t paid much attention to AB before he became a Buc. But thought he was an amazing WR down the stretch. Smart. Never dropped a ball, that I recall. Seems to always make the best decision about the direction to go after the catch. I know Godwin is good, but AB is right there with him. I hope Licht tries his best to keep him as one of TB’s favorite targets. There is good reason for that status.
March 20th, 2021 at 11:24 am
I thought that the Bucs would have a tough time finding a MLB that matched Kwon Alexander’s intensity, but Devin White has far exceeded expectations. Imagine having AB on the team for the entire year. There won’t be a let down. Make it happen, Mr. Licht! I can’t wait for the schedule to come out!
March 20th, 2021 at 11:24 am
I want AB back and I’m not afraid to say it. He is being underappreciated right now by folks on JBF. Go back and look at the targets for AB in the critical games leading up to the SB. Really watch his incredibly quick burst on those screens. It’s amazing to me how quickly AB gets to full speed. It’s insane. The dude has been a model citizen since the day he signed in Tampa. It definitely ain’t broke so don’t reinvent the wheel. Sign AB to a relatively modest contract. He’s earned a little raise. I don’t think it will require a very large number.
The only thing I have to say about Devin White is thank you for being who you are. What a beast and joy to watch play.
March 20th, 2021 at 11:24 am
LOL – he was basically talking about YOU Joe…. No other ‘media’ talked about White’s lack of coverage skills more than Joe did.
So congrats to Joe for lighting a fire under Devin White’s ass by writing so regularly that he was not very good in coverage. It motivated him to focus on improving – and improve he did!
March 20th, 2021 at 11:25 am
Wow. It’s nice to see some folks that see the light.(Casual, Dr Stroud)
March 20th, 2021 at 11:31 am
Joe you should do something on why Mike alstott isn’t a Hall of famer
March 20th, 2021 at 11:41 am
Awesome story. We should all write daily about how white getting 9 sacks was a fluke and that he needs to seriously improve his pass rush. Dude might end up with 15+ sacks this year!
March 20th, 2021 at 11:42 am
Joe you should do something about why Mike alstott isn’t a Hall of famer yet
March 20th, 2021 at 11:51 am
I think this is a sign we bring back another LV all-star, or he’s giving him the props he deserves to help his friend get his dollars up in FA.
March 20th, 2021 at 11:53 am
He was getting beat in coverage at times earlier in the season. I made. Comment on his Instagram and it didn’t sit well with him, so I feel somewhat responsible for his elevated play as the season went on. Ha!
Seriously though…he really turned it up and he could stake his claim as the best LB to ever pewter! Dude has passion and skill, that’s dangerous.
March 20th, 2021 at 11:57 am
Brown is not getting his due.
Sign our Super Bowl Touchdown catching HOF stud receiver
March 20th, 2021 at 11:57 am
I was singing his praises WAY before anyone here while LSU was still chasing tht championship ….just saw something, that “it” factor….then he honed it after a year.
AB and Suh are coming back….mark my words!!!
We will win ALL THE GAMES!!!
March 20th, 2021 at 11:59 am
Once Godwin signs his tag, trade him for a few number ones and a two,
Sign AB and Welker, hopefully sign Fournette and Suh
March 20th, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Welker, White, Gronk, AB and Brady
March 20th, 2021 at 12:01 pm
Yup, say what you will about Brown, but one thing that everyone has always talked about is how the guy is a maniac at practices (in a good way). Glad to know that hard ethic is rubbing off on other guys. Let’s hope it continues this season!
March 20th, 2021 at 12:02 pm
Lol clean house.
Godwin > Welker all day.
March 20th, 2021 at 12:21 pm
CleanHouse Says:
March 20th, 2021 at 11:59 am
Once Godwin signs his tag, trade him for a few number ones and a two,
Yes, I’m sure teams will be lining up to trade a kings ransom for a player playing on a franchise tag smh rumor was Chicago was gonna pay that for Wilson and that’s a super bowl winning qb.
This is why nobody takes you serious.
March 20th, 2021 at 12:27 pm
A.B. too.
March 20th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Umm Welker retired a long time ago. Edelman . SMH . Hard to take people seriously that are this clueless
March 20th, 2021 at 12:48 pm
Lol good point Kentucky.
Clean house is a fool
March 20th, 2021 at 12:54 pm
Sounds like he must of been reading comments here on Joe’s page and was influenced to stick it to trolls and wanna be GM’s. Josh Allen anyone? 😂
March 20th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
@Cleanhouse
You should have stopped after the following comment.
Brown is not getting his due.
Sign our Super Bowl Touchdown catching HOF stud receiver
March 20th, 2021 at 1:31 pm
We as fans need to help bring AB back…….. We see and saw how valuable he was down the stretch.
March 20th, 2021 at 1:35 pm
Why does AB need his due? AB made his bed and one year of good behavior doesn’t mean you now get dessert. AB needs to be humble at the negotiation table and hopeful TB can bring him back.
March 20th, 2021 at 1:38 pm
And AB still has his day in court…AB deserves his do, utter nonsense.
March 20th, 2021 at 2:11 pm
Opinions are like aholes and I certainly include mine. We all have them.
Sadly in today’s society things like nuance and the big picture are rarely utilized.
And so Suh becomes a thug who kicks guys and is bad in the locker room. He does play TOUGH…but not thuggish and he’s been great in the locker room.
Then comes AB who historically had been a me first locker room cancer. He’s far from the only DIVA WR. But whatever his motivation he came back and did things right this year. And ironically after being feared as a locker room cancer he turned out to be a great veteran leader who inspired some of our younger guys.
March 20th, 2021 at 2:40 pm
I think many fans underestimate the value of AB….influenced mostly, I suppose, by his unseemly off-field behavior…I trust Brady, AB & Devin White. Let’s bring him back if we can.
March 20th, 2021 at 2:40 pm
BA
March 20th, 2021 at 3:15 pm
OK, I’ll say it … something’s not adding up. White’s admitted response to ‘He can’t cover’ was ‘Where is this coming from?’ Like he was in disbelief. So he ‘hones in’ and voila, his coverage skills supposedly move to a whole new level.
Well, not according to Pro-Football-Reference. In 2019 White was targeted 56 times (in 13 games) and they completed 42 of them for 75.0% completion rate (6.2 yards/target). In 2020 he was targeted 84 times (in 15 games) and they completed 70 of them for 83.3% completion rate (7.5 yards/target). Guess I’m missing something there.
And other Bucs have also mentioned how focused Antonio Brown & Tom Brady are at practice, and how they tried to emulate their example this past year. I applaud both of them, but have to ask ‘Where have our coaches been all these past years?’ And our team captains? I would’ve thought that a primary function for coaches & captains would be to help get the young guys focused and on the right track in terms of practice habits. Apparently not.
The one thing no one can argue with is RESULTS. And the results that came out of our 2020 team was a Super Bowl victory. Whatever changed between 2019 (results: 7-9; no playoffs) and 2020 (results: 11-5; SB Championship), all I can say is ‘The results speak for themselves’. Now, let’s do it again.
March 20th, 2021 at 3:22 pm
DR
There is focus…and then there is focus….there is a difference.
March 20th, 2021 at 3:31 pm
I think it was our critique of his coverage skills that made him improve.
March 20th, 2021 at 3:41 pm
@DR, its all about 110% Everything
GTFO if you not giving it….no room here for below that
March 20th, 2021 at 3:42 pm
Bring back AB!!!! Were gonna need him he will be way better this year and this team will be very dangerous and could go undefeated. .it will be hilarous when we have to play the pats though this year with the way pats are going it might be bucs vs pats next year in SB im calling it watch and the story BB vs Brady is why it will happen JS…I firmly believe keep AB!!!!… we can seriously run this thing back unlike the chiefs who barley beat teams all season while we destroyed most!!! TAMPA BAY ALL THE WAY!!!!@ LFGOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
March 20th, 2021 at 4:57 pm
Godwin is a top 10 WR! He is Fantastic
Mike Evans, IMO, is the third best WR in the NFL!
Discounting his head problems,
Antonio Brown is the best WR in football
I hope Brady persuades AB to stay, because his addition makes our WRs absolutely unstoppable.
March 20th, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Defense Rules, where the head goes the ass follows. Brady was the head and the head was accountable so the rest became accountable. Picture going through the motions at practice and your 43 yr old QB is giving his all and so is the HOF tight end. Then suddenly your not so problematic 7 time probowler SB winning WR shows up off the couch and runs circles around you. Who in that locker room wants to debate success and the process it take to achieve it. We read earlier, Brady saw a very undiscipline team lose to an inferior opponent the Bears and finally blew a piston. If Brady knows anything it’s how to win and now the Bucs own the secret. Sign AB, he deserves it! If he is guilty, deal with it then but for now not our decision and he is Fing good!!!
March 20th, 2021 at 5:18 pm
AB will have a monster season. If Evans or Godwin went down, the team would continue to roll. However, I see AB as one of the most elite WRs in the game…just getting it back. He and TB12 are poised for a great season. Keep the band together; love AB on the WR.
March 20th, 2021 at 8:59 pm
@Cleanhouse,
LMAO. Bro, we have Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller. You want to get rid of a young dynamic receiver so we can be Patriots South? Edelman ain”t special. He was made elite by Tom Brady. He’s a gritty possession receiver on a VERY bad WR room. The man looked good just being surrounded by garbage.
March 20th, 2021 at 11:49 pm
That’s one of the biggest take aways from the raiders hard knocks. He had people who tracked his every footstep. On every sprint he ran. And the computer guy would tell him he was .002 seconds faster out of his. Teams this season. He paid guys to diagnose his body like a car. That part always stuck with me thinking how crazy that was that he paid people to track his every footstep every food intake. But that is the little things that make you great versus being an average player. Everyone has the skill and physical attributes at this level. It’s the people that invest in there body. Because that is there value. That become elite. This guy ran a 4.65 40. And yet hard work and total commitment turned him into an all pro. So yeah I love you got younger players investing into this guys preparation.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:50 am
Devin White one of the best to ever play the game.
March 22nd, 2021 at 5:38 am
@DR I find myself agreeing with your logic most on this site.
I really do think the Brady effect exposed the truth behind most coaches in the NFL. Half the time you are worried about your job and sometimes players don’t respond well to certain coaching techniques etc.
Put all that nonsense aside and work toward a common goal though as a team and everyone wants to get better.
Shows me White reads a lot and takes it personally.
But to have the talent to back it up and fix it and improve, then dominate is next level.
I’m loving every minute of the chemistry this team has regardless of it’s origin.
If we sign the remaining 3, I really don’t see us losing all year. I mean maybe 1 or 2 realistically but 14-2 is reasonable and the path goes through Tampa.