“He Got Thrown Out Of The Bar Twice”
April 14th, 2023
The Devin White mess sent a former NFL general manager to the film room to study whether White has a case for a massive contract.
The verdict?
No.
White is not one of the elite stars of the game, ex-Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said while co-hosting on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week.
(Brief timeout: Joe knows Spielman chooses his words carefully. Joe chatted with Spielman this year at the NFL Scouting Combine and eventually pressed Spielman, 10 years after the fact, to talk off the record about Josh Freeman’s time as Vikings starting quarterback. Spielman wouldn’t say a word about it.)
After news broke that White wants a trade from Tampa Bay because the Bucs won’t meet his contract demands, Spielman said he pulled up film of the Bucs-Dallas playoff game in January to see how White fared.
Bad night for White, Spielman explained.
“[White] didn’t play very well in that playoff game,” he said. He’s a very good runaround linebacker, very good in coverage, very productive, but he got thrown out of the bar twice when Dallas locked in on him and not a really good take-on guy at the point [of attack]. But he’s talented. He’s got all the tools that you want. It’s just what teams value for that position now. It’s almost like the running back where even though there’s good running backs, but they’re getting devalued.”
Keep in mind that Spielman is a former linebacker and his brother Chris was a Pro Bowl linebacker. So Joe respects the film critique.
Spielman added that the Bucs either don’t consider White a core player because of their other stud defensive players, or White is demanding too much money.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:22 am
What a doosh he’s turned into….
draft day trade please….replace him with Trenton Simpson….we could trade down from 19 and still land him.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:25 am
Everybody wants too much money……even those who cut team-friendly deals.
Too bad coaches don’t count against the cap…..then their deals wouldn’t include as much guaranteed money….
April 14th, 2023 at 11:30 am
Rick don’t know ish lol cause Devin sucks in coverage
April 14th, 2023 at 11:31 am
I respect his opinion, but he lost me at “(He’s) very good in coverage”. Other than that inaccurate comment, I agree with the rest. I only move him in a trade if we get the right kind of compensation. Otherwise I let the situation play out and perhaps he’ll be forced to somehow live on 11 million for the year. Oh the pain…
April 14th, 2023 at 11:34 am
“very good in coverage,”
This guy just lost my respect after this statement… Go back and watch some game film guy…
April 14th, 2023 at 11:35 am
@ Steven007
LOL…
I should have read your post before commenting.
Agreed 100%.
What a joke.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:35 am
The Bucs are most likely not going to let White go or trade him because it would set a bad precedent for the organization. The best case scenario for the Bucs is that he uses the contract situation as motivation to get ready for a break out season. The worst that can happen is a Keyshawn Johnson-type situation where he turns against the team, and the team in turn just de-activates a disgruntled player. He needs to be careful because other teams are paying attention and might be turned off by this behavior. Sending out cryptic messages on Twitter earlier gave him some degree of plausible deniability, but this recent news now shines the bright spotlight on him. Let’s see how he handles it. Go Bucs!
April 14th, 2023 at 11:47 am
To be fair to White the Cowboys playoff game might have been his worse game as a Buc. Interesting he says he good in coverage cause that was his knock his first few years.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:52 am
DW has had his moments of a awesomeness. Then again he has had plenty of days where he just couldn’t compete! So much lack of consistency in his game. Because of that, I would grade him as a bit above average. It’s too bad, he could have been one of the best middle linebackers. But no!!
April 14th, 2023 at 11:57 am
Good in coverage?
April 14th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
>>> very good in coverage <<<
Uuuhhhmmm
April 14th, 2023 at 12:08 pm
Very good in coverage? Lol.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:09 pm
Spielman nails it except the part about him being good in coverage. He sucks at coverage. The Browns tying TD on 4th down was to a TE Diva was supposed to cover. But at least he sucks at tackling.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:09 pm
Only looked at one film and determined “good in pass coverage” so pretty sure that is why Spielman is an ex-GM
April 14th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
I hope there’s a Josh Freeman 30 for 30 one day.
Inquiring minds want to know.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
I’m amazed that I can say, truly literally, screw him and the horse he road in on.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
EVERYBODY chill. He watched ONE game and apparently had a good night in coverage. He didn’t base it on a season.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:20 pm
bad teams have to pay more for good players. DW is very good if used correctly.
this is a bad team, DW knows it and wants to get paid before getting hurt as the D will be on the field most of the season.
Let the man get paid or at least have a chance on a decent team.
He seems like a genuinely good person as well. Hard to find talent and character in the nfl these days.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:27 pm
One game does not a player make. Give me a break.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Lost any credibility as soon as he said he’s “good in coverage.”
April 14th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
Marine, happens to me all the time. Makes me wonder what on earth he was looking at in order to make that determination. Maybe he inadvertently was watching Levonte in coverage?! Haha.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
I agree with someone else who posted this recently, and I hesitate to say it but even the Munchster has mentioned it before, White’s strength is in rushing the passer. It’s an odd strength for an inside linebacker but he has it. Granted, he passes him by as much as he sacks him, but he has unusual numbers for an ILB. Maybe let’s play to his strength and not drop him back as much. But then I’m sure the defense called is dictated by the various changes in formation and so that’s probably not a practical thing to do.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:58 pm
If White was what he thinks he is they wouldn’t have re-signed LVD. It pains me to say it because I was a huge supporter of drafting him, but the feel for the position isn’t growing on him. Amazing athlete almost to a fault, because rather than using proper technique and angles he thinks he can run around the mess and still make the play. Doesn’t work that way in the NFL.
When White is allowed to walk next year, replace him with a first and second down thumper that can play in the A and B gaps and bring in more DB’s in subpackage.
Fill this defensive roster with versatile defensive backs and forget about spending money on off ball linebackers.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:00 pm
10 years later and he won’t say a word about the Freeman fiasco OFF THE RECORD?! He played 1 game for them! I’m with you rriddler, where’s that 30 for 30? His whole career saga seem to get even weirder over time
April 14th, 2023 at 1:00 pm
If white would actually take coaching, instead of relying totally on his skill set, he’d be so much better. His technique is so poor at times, I think he has a learning disability. GF and I have talked about this ad nauseam. No way I’d pay him 15+. Send him to football Siberia. Cleveland or Indianapolis. The smart owners collude. No good team is taking on that kind of money for him, or giving up anything more than a fourth.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Stanglassman Says:
April 14th, 2023 at 11:47 am
To be fair to White the Cowboys playoff game might have been his worse game as a Buc. Interesting he says he good in coverage cause that was his knock his first few years.
^^^^^^^
Did you watch the Ravens and Niners vs. the Bucs games last year? He was awful in those games, too.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:11 pm
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ONLY READ THE HEADLINE …
Devin didn’t get thrown out of a actual bar.
They are talking about the line of scrimmage as “the bar”. Devin gets wiped out routinely by pulling OL. They are talking specifically about a play against Dallas where the a C/G took Devin to the sideline. It was a red zone run that went for a TD. It was super ugly.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:12 pm
You can’t keep giving multimillion dollar contracts to all defensive players and let thr offense just run rag tag. Vea 17k, Davis 15k, Dean 13k then next in line White and Winfield. Its going to have to end somewhere. Look at the Chiefs they are always in the playoffs and have won a couple of superbowls they pay Mahomes a big salary and a couple of other players then they draft players let them run out their rookie contracts and then start over. I don’t see how thats do hard to do.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:14 pm
You can’t keep giving multimillion dollar contracts to all defensive players and let thr offense just run rag tag. Vea 17k, Davis 15k, Dean 13k then next in line White and Winfield. Its going to have to end somewhere. Look at the Chiefs they are always in the playoffs and have won a couple of superbowls they pay Mahomes a big salary and a couple of other players then they draft players let them run out their rookie contracts and then start over. I don’t see how thats so hard to do.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Look, White is a very good linebacker, just not a great one. For someone so fast how can he not cover better? It’s a mystery to me. Also, if the DL fails to keep the hats off of him he doesn’t fare so well. He misses an awful lot of tackles for a linebacker. If he plays with better consistency he can get about $15 million a year I’d never pay an inside LB more than that unless he got a lot of sacks like he did a while back.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:27 pm
We have quite a few huge bills coming up next year. Maybe tag and trade him.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:30 pm
White reminds me a lot of another LB from LSU named Kwon Alexander that was just a good LB but not great. Whites not even worth the money he is getting this year to be honest.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:30 pm
the more I learn about Trenton Simpson, the more I think he will be perfect for us…go watch his pro day interview….
April 14th, 2023 at 1:36 pm
“very good in coverage”
———-
LOL! Fake news. No reason to even read anything else this idiot has to say.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
trade him –get some good picks
April 14th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
Joe I DEMAND a raise!
Fact: I am the best commenter on this site.
Fact: My margin -to-margin speed reading is unparalleled.
Pewter report has made me a generous offer but I’ll give JBF the
home town discount of a 1000% raise.
Please let me know your decision before last post today.
I DESERVE this!
April 14th, 2023 at 1:46 pm
IF the Bucs’ GM can draft a replacement and get decent compensation for White then he may do a trade. But he has all the leverage so is under no pressure to do it.
If White sits out in 2023 he’ll be in the exact same situation for the following season with the BUCs controlling his rights. And if he plays for the Bucs in 2023 he better play as well as he is able if he wants to get paid the big bucks.
White has shown flashes of greatness including during the playoffs in the championship season but hasn’t shown consistency during his time with the team. If it was Wirfs or Winfield demanding a new contract I believe Licht WOULD honor their request if there was any way he could. He will do all he can to keep those guys happy as they ARE great and consistently so.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:48 pm
Dwight Schrute Says:
April 14th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
Joe I DEMAND a raise!
—————————————————–
LOL, if Joe doesn’t meet your demand maybe threaten to sit out the 2023 season and see if that helps.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:49 pm
White’s value is as a pass rusher pure and simple. He can be blocked in the running game but if he gets a lane he can get to the quarterback faster than anyone on the Bucs’ team.
His tackling technique has to change. He goes high and uses his arms instead of lowering the head and wrapping the runner up. Many of is tackles are just him bouncing into a runner and knocking him down or grabbing around the pads and tossing him down.
Good prospect but needs to be on a different team in a different role. Nothing like a traditional middle linebacker at all.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:55 pm
Contrary to popular belief, White is good in coverage, he just doesn’t cover the man he is supposed to..lol. All jokes aside White does have good coverage skills, he lacks discipline and that is why his coverage skills look bad. When he plays disciplined he is damn good. He wants to do everyone else’s job instead of his own.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:57 pm
All that being said he has an inflated ego and as far as I am concerned trade him if he doesn’t want to be here. This is how locker room cancers start.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:57 pm
Joe in MI.
I’m not defending him. He is too inconsistent to pay him a huge contract. He athletic enough to take that next step. Will he do it this year? That’s what the Bucs are waiting to see. I think he showed some improvement in coverage in 2020 seemed to regress in 2022. I get why fans are upset with his disloyalty. The Bucs would be lucky to get a 4th round pick for him. If he moves on next year they’ll get a 3rd round (most likely) comp pick.
April 14th, 2023 at 2:45 pm
Very good in pass coverage?!?! Joe, did you miss quote him and forget the word not??? Only coverage that’s looked good from White was his pick in the Super Bowl. Other than that, he usually gets beat up pretty good trying to play pass coverage.
April 14th, 2023 at 2:48 pm
So….why COULDN’T he move to edge?
April 14th, 2023 at 2:50 pm
Dwight Schrute —
You owe me the beer you just made me spray. ROTFLMAO that was hilarious.
April 14th, 2023 at 2:51 pm
Redeemer – Siberia is too good for the Diva. You nailed it.
April 14th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
He still has a lot of potential, but maybe he’s asking way too much because of a pro bowl and a Super Bowl run. That’s an agent in your ear telling you you’re one of the top in the league… When he’s not the top on his team quite honestly.
Unless a team offers a first round pick next year along with a third rounder, or good young player of need this year, I would not trade him. He is still learning and is very good.
April 14th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Bowlws and White will have that man to man thing. White will probably stay. But it would be great to get a 2nd and a 4th for him now.
April 14th, 2023 at 3:11 pm
I stopped ready after he’s good in coverage coming from the same gm who picked Christian ponder in top 10
April 14th, 2023 at 3:55 pm
Sounds like the draft capital to make trading him a slam dunk is not there. Still draft a linebacker while he plays out his 5th year option then he can go chase the bag he won’t get just like Winston
April 14th, 2023 at 5:02 pm
Cut your losses with the guy – get a low 2 or high 3 and call it a day.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:03 pm
Let’s trade back a few spots, land our tackle, and grab Trent Simpson in the second rd along with our edge rusher.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:04 pm
Maybe someone can get him a pacifier in the shape of a horsey. And a “my little pony” blanky. Spoiled biotch.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:12 pm
If a contending team looses a few starting linebackers they might offer a first rounder for next year.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:32 pm
He is easily blocked, and it not great in coverage. He is good at speed rushing the quarterback. Too many holes in his game to be considered Elite, and to be worth what he wants.
Trade Him !
April 14th, 2023 at 5:37 pm
Seems like offensive coordinators have started scheming for him.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:41 pm
Fred, a first next year would be great. We would have 2 firsts to make a play for a QB if we need to. Or a top edge or 2 very good offensive linemen. I like those possibilities. Getting rid of a disgruntled player is a bonus.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:42 pm
White will be a distraction until he’s not, meaning until he’s on another team. That’s why they should trade him during the draft. He won’t give 100% just like didn’t in the past and the fans have soured on him. He definitely shouldn’t be a captain and he’ll probably hold out anyway.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:47 pm
White is like JTS in that he could be great if he could get his head on straight. All the talent in the world but doesn’t know what to do with it.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:49 pm
White is like JTS in that he could be great if he could get his head on straight. All the talent in the world but doesn’t know what to do with it.
For some, the brain is just too hard to train.
April 14th, 2023 at 5:50 pm
And some people apparently can’t push a submit button properly!
April 14th, 2023 at 6:09 pm
Devin White has opened a can of worms.
And he’s having a hard time putting them back in, lol
April 14th, 2023 at 6:35 pm
Allbuccedup … ‘You can’t keep giving multimillion dollar contracts to all defensive players and let the offense just run rag tag. Vea 17k, Davis 15k, Dean 13k then next in line White and Winfield. Its going to have to end somewhere’.
The Bucs’ defense has historically been underpaid in comparison to our offense, and they’ve performed quite a bit better on the field than their NFL rankings in terms of CAP percentage.
o 2020: Offense – $104.6 mil (51.2% of CAP) – NFL Rank: #5; Defense – $79.8 mil (39.1%) – NFL Rank: #14; Special Teams – $4.1 mil (2.0%) – NFL Rank: #22.
o 2021: Offense – $92.0 mil (50.5% of CAP) – NFL Rank: #5; Defense – $67.9 mil (37.3%) – NFL Rank: #20; Special Teams – $7.2 mil (2.0%) – NFL Rank: #4.
o 2022: Offense – $104.6 mil (51.2% of CAP) – NFL Rank: #13; Defense – $79.8 mil (39.1%) – NFL Rank: #15; Special Teams – $4.1 mil (3.9%) – NFL Rank: #12.
You’re right in the bottom line IMO; it ‘has to end somewhere’. Most teams are paying just a handful of players exorbitant salaries that are negatively impacting team composition. Especially depth.
April 14th, 2023 at 6:48 pm
The Bucs have to have a dancing partner to trade white. It just might be that most clubs know he’s not worth a first round pick and that is probably what the Bucs are wanting to trade him. Hopefully someone comes up with what the Bucs want and get rid of his sorry butt.
April 14th, 2023 at 7:04 pm
just get rid of him before the trade deadline…
a team will be desperate after injury and with playoff contention…
he will have to play hard and play well after slacking often last season if he wants to up his contract value moving forward anyway…
very often a player who has extreme success early in his career, fizzles out quicker than others…
look at the sf giants from 2010 to 2014…3 titles in 5 years…and their little core of superstars all washed out ultra fast after that…buster posey, cain, lincicum, etc…
it happens more often than you realize
April 14th, 2023 at 7:09 pm
Worst game as a Buc. Go back and watch the Lions game of 2021. He was awful. Fifth string preseason camp meat awful.
April 14th, 2023 at 7:11 pm
also white is doing this because the bucs are desperate at the LB position in the near future…
lvd is soon out of here no matter what…
shaq is a huge huge question mark…and at his salary even more questions…
stuard and britt didn’t turn into what they thought they potentially could be…
minter will never play again…
signing nelson and nassib says an awful lot actually…
the cubbard is bare and white is trying to back the bucs into a corner – but they are capped out and he really hasn’t shown up for a lot of games – let’s not even get into the mental aspect….or as they say above the neck…
i think you’ve gotta see how the season goes…
does he play like lawrence taylor at an mvp rate?…then you rethink everything at that moment…
or trade him off to a desperate trade partner for say a 3rd rounder
April 14th, 2023 at 7:26 pm
@Joe long time reader third time poster…..
I see Budda Baker wants a trade. How about a swap of White for Baker and we draft a new ILB in the top 3 rounds?? Not sure of the draft availability but looks like the salary/cap swap overall might fit.
April 14th, 2023 at 7:37 pm
I’d like somebody with better credentials than Spielman (perhaps Dick Butkus or Mike Webster) to grade this film of Devin White’s highlights and splash plays since he joined the boxand tell me he’s not worth at least 100 million dollars in today’s NFL market
Devin White Buc Highlights and Splash plays reel
April 14th, 2023 at 7:43 pm
It’s a shame this late in FA he can’t just move on and accept the 11 mil this season. Play lights out and then negotiate. This move has malcontent all over it. If I’m the Bucs because of salary cap restraints I’d ignore his request to be traded. If he doesn’t report then let him go the whole season out of football and collect nada. If he does decide to play and intentionally tanks send him home and file a grievance against him to keep from have to pay him a salary. Same goes if he becomes a huge distraction. Unless these diva players who can’t seem to honor their contacts stop and GM’s put their foot down this will get worse as more and more players will buck the system.
April 14th, 2023 at 7:49 pm
Just No
April 14th, 2023 at 7:50 pm
Just No
Just look at highlight film – pathetic!
April 14th, 2023 at 8:04 pm
BucDaWorld Says:
April 14th, 2023 at 1:55 pm
Contrary to popular belief, White is good in coverage, he just doesn’t cover the man he is supposed to..lol. All jokes aside White does have good coverage skills, he lacks discipline and that is why his coverage skills look bad.
————
I’m not a White basher by any means, I think he’s an ALL-PRO interior pass rusher, and that’s how the Bucs used him in year 2 and why he was an ALL-PRO and he helped to win a SB, he played a big part in that. Then, in 2021, all the corners kept getting injured and the Bucs were forced to play a bunch of zone defense, so they had to change things up, and while I still think they should have figured out how to use him right, I at least understood why he wasn’t rushing as much. But, last year, there was no excuse except for Bowles went full coward, and just stopped blitzing as much as he used to, because the Bucs got burned to end that Rams game.
When White is just rushing up the middle, he causes chaos. When he’s pack pedaling, he’s not very good (although I wouldn’t say he’s bad, but below average).
When you have a special talent who excels at something, then use them that way. Don’t tell Tom Brady to become a scrambling QB, and don’t tell a guy like White to become the next David, that’s just not who he is. That’s also, I believe, why he’s been frustrated. He showed what he could do, and the Bucs haven’t used him that way. Reminds me of David, who early on, was an exceptional edge rusher, then Lovie Smith got here and made him a coverage LB. Now David can do everything well, but David should be a 1st ballot HOFer. Just because White isn’t David, doesn’t mean he’s a bust, like a lot of the retards in the comments think.
April 14th, 2023 at 8:07 pm
Budda Baker just requested a trade from the Cardinals. Trade White to Arizona for Budda Baker. Budda was one of the ones that got away.
April 14th, 2023 at 8:13 pm
Good thing he didn’t watch the tape of the Ravens game. The whole country saw him get annihilated by their center.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:01 pm
rod nailed it…
white is an incredible up the middle pass rusher and is grossly underutilized in that manner…
sometimes when things are working to his advantage he looks like he can easily get 2 sacks a game…he’s that dangerous up the middle…
why bowles didn’t let him acrew 12-15 sacks last year is beyond…
if used correctly with a healthy secondary he can challenge for the league sack title on any given season…
him averaging 1 sack per game…equaling 16…is not unfathomable…
but if he becomes a detriment to the team, trade him before the deadline for a 3rd….
in a dream scenario we get a 2nd rounder
April 15th, 2023 at 12:31 am
Hey adam, you wrote
“why bowles didn’t let him acrew 12-15 sacks last year is beyond…”
The second word of your question is the answer.
The soon to be 5 season in a row loser.
April 15th, 2023 at 1:54 am
Relax guys,
I think what Spielman meant was Devin looks good with an OL covered all over him, draped all over him. cloaked all over him, dressed all over him, wrapped all over him, donned all over him.
Devin White missed Suh more than anyone, cuz our front guys covered a lot of Devin’s weaknesses. Devin got exposed for the fraud he is.
April 15th, 2023 at 4:50 am
Trade Devin White for Budda Baker.
Problem solved.
Devin White would hate that place lol.
April 15th, 2023 at 6:59 am
Fred McNeil had an interesting comment. Given DW’s speed he should be a great coverage linebacker. Hasn’t turned out that way for some reason.
April 15th, 2023 at 7:56 am
Devin’s horse is smarter than him. That’s the problem with this dude. He’s dumb. Probably has an 80 IQ. Need at least 100 for the NFL. I estimate the Joes to be 120+ for some context.
April 15th, 2023 at 9:18 am
Move him. He doesn’t want to be here. In a leadership role that’s cancerous.
April 15th, 2023 at 11:46 am
“Good in coverage” says the tape watcher??
Me: *checks stats* Ah yes, it says here that Devin White surrendered a 120.5 passer rating when targeted last season by opposing QBs. Yikes.
April 15th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
Simple Jack had a higher IQ than Diva. His was reported to be 5.
April 15th, 2023 at 2:31 pm
The headline made me think of comedian Ron White and one of his best bits. Getting “thrown out of a bar in. New York City.”
Too bad this turned out to be far less entertaining.
April 15th, 2023 at 6:25 pm
Trade Devin to NE & let them deal with his horrible pass coverage. Especially in that division. Then we’d see Bill throw alot more stuff.😀
April 15th, 2023 at 8:26 pm
Trade White and the 29th pick to detroit for the 9th pick.
Then draft Carter .
April 16th, 2023 at 11:02 pm
Am I the only one who thinks White should may be an OLB where he could rush the passer more and use his speed? He seems to be more like a straight ahead player not a float around or point of attack player.