Devin White’s Long Sackless Streak
October 24th, 2023
When Devin White was drafted, his elite blitzing ability was lauded.
And that turned into a devastating Bucs weapon in his first two seasons.
Now, White is riding a stunning 13-game sackless streak and he only has one quarterback hit this season.
What??
White is blitzing four or five times per game, a lesser rate than he was in his heyday but he’s still hunting quarterbacks.
Joe can’t call this streak a coincidence. Perhaps it’s all part of White becoming a good player that is no longer great. Or maybe defensive mastermind Todd Bowles needs to use White in different disguises and schemes?
Regardless, the Bucs need to break White loose from a relatively sluggish start to his season. Joe thinks blitzing White more could help.
The one quarterback hit for White this season really hits Joe in the gut. White has averaged one per game for much of his career.
October 24th, 2023 at 11:38 am
It’s good that we brought him on for another year, but his attitude and inconsistent play cannot justify making him a Buc for life, humble, diligent players like LVD should be prioritized.
October 24th, 2023 at 11:43 am
Outside of 1 Int he been invisible
October 24th, 2023 at 11:45 am
He can kiss his $100M contract demand, here or elsewhere, goodbye after this season. Should he be used to blitz more? Sure, anything’s better than having him in coverage. Just realize that’s probably going to mean more front 4 guys dropping in to coverage. You know, that amazing, winning technique Bowels loves. Any day now Vea is gonna pick off a pass in the flat and take it to the house.
October 24th, 2023 at 11:46 am
I think he’s playing injured again. Hasn’t been the same really since the Eagles game.
He has looked a lot slower and heavy footed since then too. They are sending LVD more too because of it.
Injuries happen and can impact play. But I will tell you that boneheaded play letting Allgier get behind him for a 46 yard play was very frustrating and demonstrated he is still undisciplined. If the Bucs lose Thursday I’m fine with trading him to get something back before he leaves in free agency.
October 24th, 2023 at 11:50 am
Honestly it might good to trade him ASAP, he’s wanted out of Tampa for a longtime, I don’t buy that he “shaped up” and magically loves this team again. I’m sure Tennessee/Giants would take him…we need an elite HB, with Lenny in the backfield our offense went from pretty good to downright dominant. Baker can’t succeed with no run game – no qb not named Tom Brady can!
October 24th, 2023 at 11:54 am
Might get a pretty good running back for him. Let Dennis play
October 24th, 2023 at 11:55 am
Speaking of White leaving in free agency maybe we should trade him. Does anybody want him is the real question.
October 24th, 2023 at 11:57 am
I’m ok with trading him, but does anybody want him?
October 24th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
When you win, everything is Rosey and the flowers are all in bloom. Lose and the monster strands attack in full force like the….Edge of Tomorrow. Whose next?
October 24th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Yup I think he’s still injured.
Our DEs / OLBs are simply not getting enough pressure.
Even most of our blitzes no longer get home.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:14 pm
Trade this bum
October 24th, 2023 at 12:23 pm
So he can’t cover, terrible at shedding blocks, tackles way too high, and he no longer generates sacks. So he does nothing a LB is supposed to do.
My worst fear is Bowles survives the chopping block by the skin of his teeth, and his first 2 priorities next season are signing White and Baker to big extensions.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:27 pm
take a 2nd rounder and a decent RB for him right now.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
You have what you have. Time to get rid of the dead wood & time to get rid of former greats. Time to rebuild. Bucs are paying for the Super Bowl under Brady. It is what it is! Go Bucs.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
A Bucs Fan … ‘I think he’s playing injured again. Hasn’t been the same really since the Eagles game. He has looked a lot slower and heavy footed since then too.”
Yea verily. Focused on him quite a bit Sunday & something is definitely wrong. Couldn’t shed blocks, poor acceleration, behind on far too many plays. I’m convinced too that he’s playing hurt.
Dennis & Britt are the only LBs currently on the roster besides LVD to take White’s spot, and I think Dennis is still hurt himself. Britt might be OK on S/Ts, but I wouldn’t want to see him on the field with this defense. I suspect this is a matter of a White at 75% is better than the alternatives. Bummer, because offenses will keep picking on him until he shows that he’s not the weak link. And right now he is.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:30 pm
Tony…Licht does the signing.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Obese clowns criticizing a elite athlete
October 24th, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Devin White PFF score – 47.4
That is almost as bad as Cody Mauch’s 43.2… lol.
The problem is Devin White is not a great NFL ILB. He isn’t even “good”.
No wonder he was pressing for a new deal so hard…
At least we were able to capitalize on his best three years he had in the league. He certainly helped us win that Super Bowl.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:43 pm
Pass rush is his strength. So naturally, they put him in coverage.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:45 pm
TonySoprano, no market for either at this point. But I have the third worry: Bowles scrapes by and comes back. The Atlanta loss at home is indefensible. Just like. Cleve, Pitt and Carolina last year.
But you know what? Bowles is on an 11 game tryout. Win 7 and he probably stays. Win 6, and he gets Dungied.
October 24th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
I always thought he would make a great edge. Rusher
October 24th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
I really like Devin’s attitude this season. Losing LVD will leave a leadership gap. We’ll need a leader on defense and MLB is the natural place to find one.
October 24th, 2023 at 1:15 pm
LVD Team Rankings
#1 in Tackles
#1 in TFL
#3 in Sacks (only JTS and Vea have more)
#4 in Passes Defended (only Win, CD, Zyon have more)
JUST WOW!!!
October 24th, 2023 at 1:31 pm
Yeah…I don’t buy it. White is good enough. The haters will hate, but we could have a lot worse. He does have an interception, which is better than a sack.
With LVD retiring, we need White.
Also, he’s running the defense this year.
October 24th, 2023 at 1:33 pm
Buc1987 Says
“Tony…Licht does the signing.”
Usually at the behest of the head coach.
October 24th, 2023 at 1:33 pm
45 isnt right this season. He is rallying to the ball, but he is normally the first one there. He is either injured or playing to not get injured. I dont feel he is playing up to the $11 million we pay him this season. I like the guy, but he seems to slowly regress from season to season. He is supposed to be shining in an defense and a HC that features him. LVD is putting him to shame.
October 24th, 2023 at 1:49 pm
First 3 games he played pretty good but the last 2 he’s been missing
October 24th, 2023 at 1:55 pm
White is not going to get as big of a contract as he wanted this coming offseason. His play and stats do reflect that of one of top linebackers in the NFL. He is good, but not great. He is preventing himself from being great. Let’s Go Bucs!!
October 24th, 2023 at 2:12 pm
The fact that Bowles cannot get D. White to play to his potential in his contract year speaks volumes for Bowles as a HC. Trade White, Evans and JTS and get picks for next year and hopefully the new coach.
October 24th, 2023 at 2:14 pm
DW giving up on covering to tackle QB when AWJ was bearing down on him and allowing the long reception to set up the game winning FG should be benched. He literally cost us the game by releasing the receiver he was covering
October 24th, 2023 at 2:22 pm
He should blitz every down because he can’t cover anyone and is frequently lost in coverage. Use him as Lawrence Taylor.
October 24th, 2023 at 2:26 pm
White should be blitzing 40 or 50 times a game, not 4 or 5.
The defense, overall, has been fine – but this defense was literally built to blitz and play man defense – and instead Bowles is playing a soft zone literally more than 90% of the time.
Things change in the NFL, and QBs from a generation ago would have destroyed these soft zone defenses – but for the moment, the zone defenses that went out of style a decade or more ago, are suddenly giving the current QBs some real issues.
In any case, White, Dean, Davis – none of them are being used correctly, and they’re all expensive. All of them have trade value as well – so if the Bucs get blown out on Thursday, Licht should start the rebuild early and get some picks for those players if you’re not going to use them correctly. Although I haven’t looked to see how trading Dean & Davis affects the cap, so it might not even be possible.
October 24th, 2023 at 2:33 pm
I would keep bringing back LVD on one year deals until he shows decline and let white go. No way would I pay White the 20 million a year he wants for the production he puts out. Wirfs and Winfield need to be paid before anyone else.
October 24th, 2023 at 2:34 pm
White has at times been great but clearly he IS injured now which is affecting his play. Hopefully it’s not an issue that will linger all season.
He WILL get paid big money in his next contract, either here in Tampa or elsewhere. It may not be the number he wants but he’ll be set for life. Not only does Licht know his value but every GM and DC in the NFL as well.
The Bucs would love to keep him around. But clearly they’ve got some painful decisions coming up soon. Everyone wants to get paid but the situation with the salary cap won’t enable them to keep everyone.
October 24th, 2023 at 2:40 pm
If White was used the way he should be used, and that is an all-attacking heat seeking missile, he’d easily justify a huge deal. But if all he’s asked to do is sit back and play soft zone – well, there’s literally no NFL LB that is going to get a big deal doing that.
Also for those complete dullards saying $20-million, like it’s outrageous. Get with it. You’re the same dopes that praised the Titans for trading AJ Brown saying no WR is worth $20-million a couple of years ago. Times change, salaries change, $20-million in 2024 is like $12m in 2020.
October 24th, 2023 at 3:29 pm
DW45 will not average $20M per on his next deal period. Times change my @, that would put him as the highest paid ILB in the league. Blows and get live may be the only ones who think he’s worth close to that. Will he get big money, will he be set for life? Obviously. But he won’t get $20M per, which is what he’s asking for. Yes Licht, GMs, and HCs know his value, and it ain’t 20. I’m prepared to eat crow on this one, but I’m not worried. Besides, there’s plenty of bad contracts in the league (Wilson, Carr, Murray, Gage, Barrett come to mind), one less on the Bucs is a win for us. If some idiot franchise wants to pay him $50M per, be my guest. But it won’t be a smart, contending team like the Eagles (who he was begging to come get him in the off-season).
October 24th, 2023 at 3:45 pm
@ Rod
$12M is still too much for a mediocre ILB.
Maybe he doesn’t fit well with how Bowles is using him.
Maybe he is playing injured…
Either way I would let him test free agency next off-season.
October 24th, 2023 at 4:09 pm
Looks like a foot injury.
October 24th, 2023 at 4:44 pm
Marine Buc – He’s a great attacking ILB with fantastic production when used that way. But yes, as a guy who is just tasked with playing a passive soft zone defense, no, he’s not worth $12m – literally no one would be if they were put in that position. David seemingly is being tasked with doing more – which is great since David is a HOF’er, but White is being completely wasted this year. I’m sort of shocked he isn’t throwing a fit, since Bowles is destroying his value.
White should be blitzing up the middle on nearly every play – when he does that he doesn’t just get sacks, he blows up the other teams running game. It’s just such a waste right now.
At the same time, Bowles will say this passive zone defense is working, and it is, mostly. It gives up tons of yards, but as the zone tightens up in the red zone, it comes to life. So that is a fair counter. But personally, I just hate seeing a special talent like that being completely wasted. Sort of how Davis is also being wasted right now.
Trade them, and Dean, if the cap allows for it – and get some picks. Bowles has killed the trade value of White, but I’m sure you can still get something for him.
October 24th, 2023 at 6:12 pm
@ Rod
I agree. Unfortunately I don’t see a trade happening. Our only hope is that our HC will start to utilize him properly…
October 24th, 2023 at 6:17 pm
When we drafted White I was hoping he’d be the next Ray Lewis. Turns out he plays more like Jerry Lewis!