“He’s Not Hurt”
January 3rd, 2022
The good news is also the bad news.
Buccaneers savior linebacker and 2020 playoffs hero Devin White has struggled the past two games. The film don’t lie.
White returned from a hip and quad injury and was thriving on the field, leading head coach Bucco Bruce Arians two weeks ago to declare “Devin’s back” and explain why. But now White is going the other direction and not looking like the electric superstar who put the Bucs on his back in the 2020 postseason.
“It was not his best game, that’s for sure. But he’s not hurt,” Arians said today of White’s play against the Jets yesterday.
It’s great to hear White is healthy, but then what happened.
Excellent playing conditions. Big game. Weak opponent. Everything was ripe for White to shine yesterday, but he struggled to get off blocks and didn’t flash his usual juice.
Hopefully, “Devin’s back” (again) on Sunday.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:14 pm
LVD is still out. That’s what happened.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:18 pm
White simply isn’t the dominant force we were all expecting him to be. He’s good. Not great. Reset expectations.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:29 pm
It was the Plan 9 from Outer Space jinx. This crazy season is winding up for a crazy finish. All the attention is now on the Bucs and thier incredible play. Brady is the glue holding it all together. I bet Brady pulls it all together. Amazing Grayson will play a part. This is more fun than anyone could have thoughtI would not be surprised if AB comes back.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:30 pm
When the opponent always runs away from your side to get to the weak link Minter , your stats will be less imposing. Devin is one guy I would rest for the final game.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:34 pm
It’s just an average game. Following an average game. When it counts, he will be there. They won, BTW.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:38 pm
Minter is a real problem in my opinion. I thought he has been the worst player on D. I would like to see KJ get a few reps, he seems like he could be pretty solid.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:42 pm
I agree that KJ should get some reps with the starters. He’s looked good in reserve time as well as in special teams play.
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:43 pm
David means more to this team than anyone realizes!! Really hope he’s back by playoffs!! He eats that block that frees white… Whites never been that good at getting off blocks I mean watch his blitzes!! It’s full out bull rush run into you as hard as I can like a big doofus and get stood up by someone bigger and stronger than him (which I think shocks him that there’s anyone stronger) … SOMEONE needs to teach this guy how to get off blocks!! He NEVER does!! When you see him make a tackle in the backfield it’s because he went in unblocked!! Because David is taking care of the hb blocking cuz he already made it past the first block…. I watched a play yesterday that they threw a simple, easiest play for a linebacker to stop, it was a 7-8 yard slant across the middle and it looked like white got out of the way purposely to let the QB complete the pass!! Every big play they got through the air was right in the middle of the field… White does nothing but read the QBs eyes and gets fooled all the time!! He has no feel for what’s going on around him or behind him!! He’s always out of the way or not dropped back far enough standing in the middle of the field with NO offense around him doing nothing!! He has no feel for the particulars of the game!! It’s just “DEVIN SMASH!!!” They have got to spend a lot of extra hours with this dude teaching him how to get a feel for that receiver running behind you and to stop letting the QB look him off his spot with his eyes!! … Devin is fast, a decent tackler, a good blitzer ya know if nobody tries to block him, … But man, he is not that bright!! And has a lot to learn if he wants to be the man when David finally retires or has an injury that keeps him out a whole year!!
January 3rd, 2022 at 1:56 pm
Buc fans: if hes not great at all times its because he sucks.
January 3rd, 2022 at 2:00 pm
LVD not being there effects him but I also think he’s allowed to have a down game once in a while, he will be a beast come playoff time
January 3rd, 2022 at 2:03 pm
No Shaq, No JPP, No LVD…the Jets exploited it. They were not running up the gut (at Suh, Vita, Nacho). They were going off left/right tackle/end. I kind of think of White as a great North South guy, and LVD as a great East West guy. No reason to jump off the Skyway. He was the only Legit player out of our Outside and Inside backers on the field. Not his best game, but he was easy for the Jets to avoid. When your top 4 Bucs tacklers for the game are all in our secondary, its becomes pretty obvious that our front 7 overall, did not get the job done. Our backups are just not up to par and the Jets are really not that bad of a team. Arrow is pointing up for the J-E-T-S, but in Jets land that means maybe 7-8 wins next year.
Now next game against Crapolina… That team is arrow pointed way down.
We need to take the Fashionista and his JETS reject backup and smash them completely off into Antonio Brownsville.. never to be seen again in the NFL.
January 3rd, 2022 at 2:10 pm
Its like blaming Evans for not dominating targets and catches. Well, no Godwin or AB, don’t you think the defense is going to swarm Evans. No different with D White. He didn’t have a good game no matter what but not having LVD is a big part of the reason.
January 3rd, 2022 at 2:25 pm
You’re missing 3 of 4 starting LBs… you don’t think the other team notices that and makes adjustments?
Also Bowles is doing White no favors. Said it all year, White should be playing going forward on every single play, never backing up, never in coverage, he should be rushing to either get after the QB or to stop the run game. I don’t know the numbers, but eyeballing it, it sure seems like White spends a lot more time 12 yards deep in some crappy zone than he does rushing and making plays.
January 3rd, 2022 at 2:29 pm
Agree completely with SORRY JACK ; White is over rated..not football smart.. LD is the heart & mind of our defense.. we gave up 160 rushing yrds to the Jets & white had 2 tackles all day…..
January 3rd, 2022 at 2:56 pm
Hey let’s get real. Even teams like the Jets put a big red circle on their calender for the Bucs. When you win the Super Bowl , play drunken catch with the trophy, and sit on the top of the NFL mountain, every team on your schedule this year has been waiting for their shot at glory. Beat Brady and the SB Champs? He’ll ya!!! That alone would make their season. And the Saints showed them how to do it. Tampa is mostly a finess team. Smash them in the mouth and bloody their nose!
January 3rd, 2022 at 3:08 pm
Is it too soon to say over rated?
January 3rd, 2022 at 3:09 pm
Homer
Yes
January 3rd, 2022 at 3:12 pm
You find all kinds of LB player rankings on the internet, but I tend to like those provided by Willie McGinest more than some others (mostly because he played the DE/LB position for so long at a high level?). He lists White at #2 in the NFL (behind Wagner).
At the other end of the spectrum is PFF. They interestingly list White at #25, but start off their writeup on him with these words: ‘Although they aren’t as good as true highlight plays, Devin White has made more tackles for loss or no gain than any other NFL linebacker over the past two seasons (33).’
Devin has had some VERY good games for the Bucs, but at times he can get lost in the shuffle too. Tend to think that sometimes a player can ‘do their job’ but not really have any ‘true highlight plays’ as PFF wrote. Don’t know the current statistics, but as of the end of November, White was blitzing more than anyone in the NFL. Still not sure that’s a good thing (compromises his pass coverage?).
January 3rd, 2022 at 3:13 pm
With SUH being a shell of himself.
JPP being a shell of himself due to shoulder.
Shaq missing time.
LVD missing a lot of time.
All the injuries in the secondary, what do you expect?
He is not a one-man wrecking crew. This defense fed off the edge rushers and LVD’s coverage and speed and Vea & SUH clogging the middle so White can roam free.
Look at the running statistics. The entire defense did not progress like we anticipated.
It all starts with stopping the run and rushing the passer.
Another couple draft picks and I fully expect them to be more dominant next year assuming JPP has a healthy year and Trion progresses
January 3rd, 2022 at 3:34 pm
I have waited all year for dominate White to show up. It hasent happened. I will not put it by him to go on a tear in the playoffs but it is what it is for his regular season. Very disappointing.
And I am a huge White fan but fair is fair.
January 3rd, 2022 at 3:49 pm
He either does or does not produce.
No excuses. Fix him or move him.
January 3rd, 2022 at 4:01 pm
LVD has had a HOF-level career. I’m not sure who the dopes are who think they’re making a brilliant point by saying LVD is more important than White. Duh. And so what? White is also a very good player, who is a great player if he’s just rushing the passer or run blitzing, he’s still not good in coverage, however he has improved.
But the other team makes adjustments, and if you’re missing 3 out of 4 LBs, the other team knows White is your playmaker and will adjust for that. There’s no one in the NFL that isn’t adjusting for that and taking advantage of backups.
January 3rd, 2022 at 5:35 pm
Money changes everything
January 3rd, 2022 at 8:39 pm
Minter is horrific that’s the biggest problem and Devin can’t shed blocks or doesnt have the recognition to diagnose the play fast enough to not get blocked out of the play
January 3rd, 2022 at 9:22 pm
It’s time to admit Devin has issues processing the game at a high level. This might just be who he is, a supremely physically talented but streaky player who struggles to read plays and focus that physicality strategically.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:00 pm
It wasn’t just Devin White. Much of the team phoned in the first half. It was the Jets they didn’t need to show up…or did they?
I saw one of our OL trucked on one play and in the first half the Jet’s seemed to win the war in the trenches.
Guys seem to realize they hadn’t showed up and played the second half. Now people can justifiably complain about Jensen and Marpet’s penalities…and on one hand they didn’t make it any easier…but on the other hand it’s awesome to see the fight in this OL!!! Getting their butts handed to them they called an end to it. Drawing penalties at first but then simply putting up a steel front in that final drive. Great to see heading into the playoffs.
January 3rd, 2022 at 10:37 pm
White is amazing, but LVD simply makes everyone better. White can make big plays, he just has to figure out how to do it without LVD….hopefully just for 1 game more ! BTW, remember the PRO Bowler Kwon Alexander. Signed the big Free Agent deal and has bounced around in mediocrity ever since. White is like Karl Malone without Stockton.
BTW, how come one of the top 25 tacklers in NFL history who also covers tight ends and disrupts crossing routes has been in only one pro bowl while averaging playing over 15 games a year.
I expect White has figured this out and will be better this week.