Rachaad White: Being Drilled To Finish Every Practice Play Is New To Me
August 9th, 2023
Rachaad White
An odd and possibly stunning take from Buccaneers running back Rachaad White this afternoon.
White loves being interviewed, so it was no surprise that he was one of the Bucs featured on SiriusXM NFL Radio during its annual training camp visit to One Buc Palace.
Co-host Jim Miller, the former Bears, Bucs and Patriots quarterback, told White that he’s friends with his new running backs coach Skip Peete. (Miller called him “Skippy.”)
White was asked what Peete is drilling into him and the reply had Joe hitting the rewind button.
“The biggest thing we’ve been focusing on right now in practice is just a lot of finishing, regardless of [if] you’ve been wrapped up or whatever it is,” White said of his work with Peete. “You know, like you trip or you fall, just get up and finish hard and things like that, which has been different for me in the past. I don’t know. I’ve been more like realistic, but he was just like, ‘You know, you gotta look at the outcome of it, the conditioning of it.’ And [he’s] helping me get a more open view about that.”
In the pattycake, softball world of modern NFL training camp, tackling is outlawed by most teams. Bucco Bruce Arians once called it “Camp Cupcake.” So it makes sense that running backs easily might fall into bad habits of not battling through the whistle.
It’s way too easy to pull up early when a defensive player is pretending to tackle you.
It seems former Bucs running backs coach Todd McNair, fired in January, didn’t work with White and other Tampa Bay backs to overcome the inclination to play a little softer in practice.
Peete is having none of that, per White, and ordering running backs to finish whether the play is dead or not.
Joe likes the emphasis. It can only help. The old adage, “you play how you practice,” still has a place in the sports landscape.
August 9th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Its good to know the players are getting coached up. There wasn’t much of that during the “lost decade”
August 9th, 2023 at 7:07 pm
That may have something to do with the yards after contact stats
August 9th, 2023 at 7:22 pm
Concerning quote.
August 9th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Brought back memories of Beast Mode’s playoff run against the Saints. That was a thing of beauty.
August 9th, 2023 at 7:40 pm
Football as we knew it is D-E-A-D.
August 9th, 2023 at 8:43 pm
I was a kid in Wisconsin when Lombardi was head coach. The seasons were shorter. The team rosters were smaller. And some bad asses played both offense and defense. Now the starters are privileged, rarely play past the first quarter in preseason. I would be surprised if Baker and Trask play more than a first half if even that much. 2nd half will be 3 and 4th stringers at most if not all positions. Now with longer seasons, no sense in risking your best players in preseason. That means it gets really sloppy as the game progresses. Win or loose is not real important. Evaluating your talent, both starters and backups is all that really matters. Back in the old days the starters played a lot longer and there were fewer new guys to evaluate. Also there were a lot fewer teams and more talent available for each team. Back in the early 60’s most players didn’t make much more than a skilled laborer.
August 9th, 2023 at 8:47 pm
I’m having visions of the Muscle Hamster biting the ball and running through end zone…
August 9th, 2023 at 9:02 pm
Think if they really want to pound the rock the Bucs need a serious big blocking FB. Do they even exist anymore? Our TE’s can’t run block.
August 9th, 2023 at 9:50 pm
Buc4ever – Ko Kief
August 10th, 2023 at 1:11 am
ON A RANDOM NOTE…
I live in Scottsdale, AZ now and was in Costco a couple days ago… met a nice older guy that’s a big ASU supporter. I told him I was a big Bucs fan and we’re looking forward to seeing what Rachaad White can do this season as the primary back. He immediately smiled and said Arians was a close friend of his and White has a lot of talent. Thought that was pretty cool.
August 10th, 2023 at 1:14 am
None of our RB’s are starting quality backs our run game is going to suck unless KV or one of the rookies surprises.
August 10th, 2023 at 4:34 am
So essentially, Rachaad and possibly his entire generation have never been properly coached. And apparently never thought about the single most important thing a running back must do. Which is finish the hell out of every damned play.
August 10th, 2023 at 5:03 am
Maybe that explains the little shoving matches? Defense can’t tackle but the RB can run full speed into them? Crazy huh? Camp Cupcake indeed Joe. No wonder the defense looks like crap tackling.
Thanks to Roger/the owners and the NFLPA.
Go Bucs!
August 10th, 2023 at 7:35 am
And that’s why I can’t call none of these players today regardless of position goats and that include Tom Brady.
August 10th, 2023 at 12:27 pm
Warrick Dunn didn’t ‘finish’ every play, he balled himself up into a ball to make sure he didn’t get killed. Because of that, he played a very long time.