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Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White took his lumps amid sub-par play of late, but quarterback Tom Brady recently showed the beleaguered starter a vote of confidence.
“It’s gonna take all of us. We got you,” Brady tweeted to White on Thursday, November 3.
White faced criticism after noticeably missing key plays against the Baltimore Ravens on October 28. His play notably hadn’t impressed of late either going into the game amid no sacks since Week 2 of the season.
Former Bucs star defensive tackle Warren Sapp highlighted how White blew a chance at tackling Ravens wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. White’s speed lacked in getting to Robinson as the Bucs defensive captain fell well short of Robinson, which Sapp showed and explained on Instagram.
“I want you all to watch this one,” Sapp said on the video. “Or better yet, I want you to watch the effort of the captain right here, No. 45. I want you to watch the captain. How do you show up with your defense on Monday morning with this type of effort? I’d ask for your ‘C’ off your chest. … Are you kidding me right now? What is that?”
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, who largely backed White in an October 28 press conference, didn’t rule out a lack of effort. Bowles acknowledged said it’s “a little bit of both” that and fatigue.
White Responds to Criticism, Observations
White, who wouldn’t talk with reporters on Wednesday, November 2, per Pewter Report, downplayed the incident in the media on Thursday, November 3. He went further on the defensive on social media after Greg Auman of The Athletic tweeted White’s comment to the press on the matter.
“I was on the far side of the field, on our sidelines, [in] coverage,” White told reporters on Thursday. “The play happened on their sidelines, and I took off running. Obviously I wasn’t running the fastest over there. My teammates know what’s going on.”
White later responded to Auman’s post.
“Let’s dead this Greg, the play happened bro, I play a lot of snaps & I’m in chase mode 24/7 I got a lil more fatigue than normal because of that long series! But I gotta be way better for my teammates and that’s what I meant by my teammates know. I apologized,” White wrote on Twitter.
White likewise reacted to Sapp’s Instagram when he talked with the media.
“I don’t [have any] response to that,” White said about Sapp’s take. “I mean, people that know football know what was going on.”
“Salute to [Sapp], he did a great job, he won a Super Bowl here and it’s freedom of speech — he can say what he wants to say, so respect to him,” White added.
White isn’t Done
Despite White’s struggles of late, he still plays at a high level in certain areas. White ranks second among off-ball linebackers according to Next Gen Stats. He has an overall score of 86 amid a tackling score of 86, coverage score of 69, and pass rush score of 96. He sits right behind No. 1 ranked-Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints.
“Devin is our starter,” Bowles told the media on October 28. “I didn’t see some loafing, I saw a play. You can point to anybody on this team when you say they weren’t playing well any week of the season. To pick on Devin is unnecessary.”
Brady echoed that sentiment about White, too.
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