We’ve talked loads recently about how the Bucs have many gamers of their secondary who’re in contract years. What will likely be an enormous matter of dialogue a 12 months from now could be star linebacker Devin White coming into the final season of his deal.
PewterReport.com initially reported the information that the Bucs had been selecting up White’s fifth-year possibility. The formal announcement took place two weeks in the past. With the choice picked up, the 2019 No. 5 total decide is now beneath contract for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
White made his first Professional Bowl a season in the past, however that doesn’t inform the entire story of his play. It felt extra like a down 12 months for White, who recorded 128 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three.5 sacks in 17 video games. That’s a lot decrease than his 2020 season totals of 140 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9 sacks and two compelled fumbles in 15 contests.
The true difficulty was that White relied too closely on attempting to make the splash play. It might get him out of place when he was too aggressive, and on a number of events, he would crash into his personal participant. Different occasions he was sluggish to come back off blocks, particularly later within the season.
As Bucs followers hope that he can enhance this 12 months, White could have a brand new coach in his ear. Former linebackers coach Mike Caldwell took the defensive coordinator job in Jacksonville, so Larry Foote strikes from outdoors linebackers coach to co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, the place he naturally performed within the NFL.
Earlier this week, Foote gave his evaluation on White heading into the season.
“Properly, it’s the NBA playoffs. Generally in basketball, you hear, ‘Let the sport come to you,’” Foote mentioned. “Enjoying linebacker, typically you wish to make extra performs and that may get you in bother typically. He’s simply acquired to relax. I all the time remind him, ‘You’ve acquired the products.’ He’s not a sluggish linebacker like I used to be. He’s going to make his performs, he’s simply acquired to belief the protection. Generally, you may need a quiet sport – it is perhaps a few video games. You’ve acquired to stay to the method. He’s going to make his performs. You simply keep wholesome and play 17 video games – you’re going to make a ton of performs.”
One factor that we’ve discovered about Foote as a coach through the years is that he’s fairly blunt with each the media and his gamers. In terms of motivation, Foote can provide White a singular perspective on the sport that not everybody has. He’s eager about the long-term way forward for White’s NFL profession.
“I can provide him a coach standpoint and I can provide him an ex-player standpoint,” Foote mentioned. “So far as – the contract is arising. No matter you bought to do to encourage him, however I threw that in his ear slightly bit. You see the wage cap and stuff like that and what linebackers are getting, so I throw that in his ear slightly bit. You wish to maintain getting higher and he’s a man that wishes to go down and be nice and desires to get a gold jacket someday – you realize the bodily traits are there, so he’s acquired to do it upstairs.”
Watch all of Foote’s feedback about White right here:
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