”I Take It A Little Personal”
April 10th, 2021
Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead
After delivering huge hits in the 2018 preseason (only 4 months until preseason games!!), Jordan Whitehead got his big break when fan-favorite, Lost-Decade Bucs safety Chris Conte got injured in September.
Joe remembers asking then defensive coordinator/Team Glazer cash thief Mike Smith to explain the difference between Conte and Whitehead. And Smith explained that Whitehead is a “heat-seeking missile.”
Finally, the nation got to meet Whitehead and his big-hitter game this season, culminating in a strong Super Bowl performance. You can see the Tweet from retired Pro Bowl safety Ryan Clark below.
Whitehead was asked about his tackling and explosive hitting on Pitt LiveWire recently and whether he works on.
“Definitely something you get better at and it’s not any easy thing, Whitehead said. “But it comes with a mindset and toughness, too, so I take it a little personal.”
Joe can’t wait to see Whitehead this season, his contract year. Joe has been told that Whitehead is among the very elite Bucs off the field when it comes to taking care of his body and his drive to improve every offseason. What a fourth-round pick!
Jordan Whitehead might be the best open field cut tackler I’ve seen since Bob Sanders. If you don’t know ball google Bob Sanders. Or human missile
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) February 7, 2021
Enjoy today’s Ira Kaufman Podcast, presented by Bill Currie Ford.
April 10th, 2021 at 5:39 pm
What a hit in Super Bowl!!
Ya hoo!! Ha! Ha!
He was injured on his best play, but it make a huge difference, because the KC running back lost the ball, and we recovered. The best play of his career for sure, of Whitehead ”the human missile”. It was so exciting. Incredible.
A well deserved nickname it is! I wish that I could have been that good when i played in our def back in my high school days !
But I was a below average linebacker, at best,… But wow, I loved hit hard!
Whitehead is now one of my preferred player for sure!
Not far behind Levonte David.
People like offense, and it’s fun to see our offense for sure, but def win championships!
GO BUCS!
April 10th, 2021 at 5:58 pm
I seem to recall Sanders being injured a lot. Like really a lot.
Bring the pain, but watch your technique and don’t go breaking your forearms like a previous Bucs safety used too. Best ability is availability.
April 10th, 2021 at 6:12 pm
@Blue Coffee I think you are mistaken. Whitehead caused a two fumbles against Green Bay and was not injured on either play. He dislocated his shoulder when he tackled Jamal Williams and flipped him in the air. It was a quad to the shoulder hit. The only fumble by KC was caused by Suh when he and Cam Gil crushed Mahomes. Mahomes then recovered his own fumble.
On the other hand I love Whiteheads style of play but am weary of the comparison to Bob Sanders who earned DPOY in 2007. He was a generational talent and if only he could have stayed healthy he would have been a HOFer. Unfortunately I think he played less than 40% of games he could have due to injury. I hope that Whitehead can play like him, but keep himself healthy. That will be his biggest challenge.
April 10th, 2021 at 6:21 pm
Love the way Whitehead hits, but admittedly get concerned that he’s gonna have a very short career if he keeps that up. Jordan is almost the lightest defender we’ve got in our Secondary (5’10” & 198 lbs) but he tackles like 6’2″ & 220 lbs John Lynch used to (I still remember Lynch saying something to the effect that he picks a spot on the other side of the runner or receiver and just drives through them to get there).
Kinda the same problem with ‘heat-seeking missiles’. They go boom when they hit something & blow it up, but then you don’t get to use it again.
April 10th, 2021 at 8:26 pm
If the starters are set get another safety, depth at inside LB (Minter and Buchannan are aging and Cichy is OJ on defense as far as injuries). Also draft a CB for Davis as Joe mentioned earlier today. DL needs replacement for Suh next year. This is a chance to stay relevant after Brady retires and half the tam leaves in the next 2-3 years.
April 10th, 2021 at 8:32 pm
Licht will have his hands full trying to pay enough to keep all these great young players……I suspect we will have to let some of the higher-priced vets hit the door….
Whitehead, Davis, Vea, Cappa, Godwin….to name a few.
I’ll tell you who else is no slouch….and that’s Mike Edwards….he is always around the ball and has deflected several balls that have turned into interceptions for others…
April 10th, 2021 at 8:32 pm
And, yep….forgot Rojo
April 10th, 2021 at 8:46 pm
hi kids: lets not mix words, Jordan Whitehead is an animal! without him ( though I love Winfield and Edwards ), we may not be Lombardi winners. our defensive backfield is in good shape and
we will probably be drafting for “best player available”. oh, life is good. Go Bucs!
April 10th, 2021 at 8:49 pm
Jermaine Phillips hahahaha
April 10th, 2021 at 9:03 pm
why?
April 10th, 2021 at 9:20 pm
Mitch Says:
April 10th, 2021 at 6:12 pm
@Blue Coffee I think you are mistaken. Whitehead caused a two fumbles against Green Bay and was not injured on either play.
You are absolutely right Mitch! I was thinking about his 2 hits, on Jones and Williams. Both were against Greenbay. 1000 excuses. Yet, these were fantastic plays! He was injured, and at that moment I tough that he was finished for the year.
He had a torn labrum that Greenbay game, but he played in SB nonetheless. That’s why I get confused, because the guy is so tough that he played with a bad shoulder another game after that!
What a player. Incredible. I agree with you, Bob Sanders was incredible,… when he was on the field. I hope Whitehead will protect himself a little more than Sanders, but you never know. It’s a contact sport! Whitehead is now in it’s best years. I cannot wait to see him next year. You hou!
GO BUCS!
April 11th, 2021 at 12:13 am
Jordan’s physical game vs Green Bay set the tone. Remember Sabby “The Goat” Piscatelli? We’ve come a long way.
April 11th, 2021 at 8:09 am
It will be interesting in training camp, Whitehouse is our best SS, Mike Edwards is possibly our best FS as he is amazing against the pass, of course Winfield is our best all around safety. Winfield will start at one spot, but who will man the other.
April 11th, 2021 at 8:11 am
Remember the Steelers’ Vance McDonald’s stiff arm on Conte on a Monday Night? – We’ve come a long way.
April 11th, 2021 at 12:16 pm
Jordan Whitehead certainly earned his superbowl ring Awesome player–kid maked NFL better!
April 11th, 2021 at 12:47 pm
@Blue Coffee and @Mitch. The hit that injured Whitehead’s shoulder was on the tree trunk legged AJ Dillon.
April 11th, 2021 at 4:03 pm
I just rewatched the Chris Conte stiff arm. I don’t think a single play better summed up the digital clock era of Bucs football.
April 13th, 2021 at 10:02 pm
Well said Adam… burn the digital clock uniforms.