Tackling Machine
May 6th, 2019
Lofty prediction.
One national publication cobbled together its top NFL writers to determine which rookie will shine most in a variety of categories. And this outfit decided to choose a Bucs rookie in one category.
No, no stiffs on the list. But in deciding who will lead the rookie class in tackles, the sophists at Bleacher Report chose Bucs rookie linebacker Devin White over Devin Bush.
LSU’s Devin White—a wildly athletic and rangy 6’0″, 237-pounder with a skill set tailor-made for today’s NFL—was widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the draft. …
Like Bush, White is a lock to both start and play all three downs as a rookie. And like Bush, he’s going to sail into the triple digits in tackles during his first NFL season.
Sadly, with the not-so-great defensive line now thinner with Bucs stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy having one foot out the door (we assume) and Jason Pierre-Paul banged up (until Joe sees him on a field, Joe is worried as hell), White will have to fight harder to shed blockers to rack up tackles.
And with the secondary weak and full of rookies (again), White is going to have to be Superman to carry this defense to respectability.
Big expectations for the fella and even bigger tasks.
May 6th, 2019 at 3:07 pm
Real question is can we get rid of these UGLY uniforms?
May 6th, 2019 at 3:11 pm
@lowercaseg
I was the first in my family about 40 years ago to buy a digital watch. Oh those digits! Big, bold, ugly digits.
Now what were you saying about the Bucs uniform again?
May 6th, 2019 at 3:24 pm
Yay for tackles 😒
May 6th, 2019 at 3:24 pm
@lowercaseg
Couldn’t agree more.
May 6th, 2019 at 3:31 pm
Many of us are happy with LVD’s tackling……he runs a 4.65 40…….Imagine White…..and his tackling prospects at 4.42……?
May 6th, 2019 at 3:38 pm
We signed a running back from Arians’ old crew back in Arizona via the Detroit Lions . I think his name’s Kerryn Washington (don’t quote me on the spelling). Go Bucs.
May 6th, 2019 at 3:47 pm
Can almost guarantee White or LVD will be blitzing up the middle behind Vea all day. We have many DBs now that are known for blitzing skills. Losing the basic 4-3 DT 31 year old McCoy to get $13 million back in the bank is fine by me. Of course with Beckwith’s situation, JPP scaring the hell outta every Bucs fan at the moment, but he also doesn’t show up for early voluntary practices every year, especially getting older. I think he’ll be just fine. No ambulance ride or hospital record released.
May 6th, 2019 at 3:50 pm
Devin White- Tackling Machine
Gerald Mccoy- Talking machine
May 6th, 2019 at 4:05 pm
@Tbbucs3
Very clever! Nicely done.
May 6th, 2019 at 4:08 pm
I’ve got a C note that the D line, the linebackers, and the defense as a whole are better this year without McCoy! Any takers?
May 6th, 2019 at 4:13 pm
Bucnjim … Would I win the C note if I bet you but McCoy showed up? just curious.
May 6th, 2019 at 4:15 pm
No but if we were last (and have been) the worst I could do is tie! Right?
May 6th, 2019 at 4:19 pm
Moderation? I only typed 10 words! Welcome to liberal America agree with me or you suck.
Welcome to America for all. This is Joe’s space, not yours. Joe filters all comments and reviews many to be sure people are behaving within reason and not attacking the host and others maliciously. Funny how a lot of people think that’s a constitutional violation. –Joe
May 6th, 2019 at 4:23 pm
@joe. why is it we start making excuses this early?
Get positive and save the excuses for January 2020
May 6th, 2019 at 4:30 pm
lowercaseg gets post of the day.
I have not bought a bucs shirt or jersey since the new Uniforms came out. Even told family not to buy me any over the holidays.
May 6th, 2019 at 4:33 pm
@Bucnjim
I count about 17 words.
But seriously, much of the time, people think they are getting censored here when the system just sometimes runs a little slow. I’ve learned patience…and my ‘moderated posts’ tend to show up within a few minutes.
Usually.
May 6th, 2019 at 4:36 pm
Good we got a good player…but we lost Beckwith and Kwon….slow your roll….trenches and no better than the end of last season….and they were not good then..
May 6th, 2019 at 4:40 pm
@Todd I don’t have a problem with the numbers. It’s the pattern of the jersey that looks like crap to me. Overall crap. If you have to force a fart then it’s most likely sh*t.
May 6th, 2019 at 4:46 pm
I agree with filtering hateful words, cursing or whatever guidelines are set. Criticizing players using facts and stats are neither! Yes it is your site but moderation just because I or some disagree with what others believe as fact is what I am referring to.
May 6th, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Yeah, we all should be worried. This team has a documented history of hiding injuries and/or flat-out lying when it comes to player health.
May 6th, 2019 at 5:07 pm
Bonzai,
Love your takes good or bad you bring some humor. I’ve been here since Barrett Ruud was the face of the Buccaneer organization. I’m only critical of players I feel don’t bring everything they have. I know this is acceptable to some but not to me!
May 6th, 2019 at 5:22 pm
FYI
Many times my posts are moderated only to be posted later…..none of them have been rejected for content…..I think it must be some sort of occasional glitch…..
It is frustrating because by the time my posts appear they are not timely to the discussion and are likely not noticed as much.
Not complaining, just explaining.
May 6th, 2019 at 5:22 pm
DROY
May 6th, 2019 at 5:25 pm
“… to be sure people are behaving within reason and not attacking the host and others maliciously. Funny how a lot of people think that’s a constitutional violation. -Joe”
Welcome to the ‘Age of Entitlement’ Joe. Haven’t you heard yet that our Congress has rewritten the Declaration of Independence to now read “Life, liberty and the pursuit of writing whatever you danged well please on the internet”. That’s apparently what comprises ‘happiness’ nowadays to many.
May 6th, 2019 at 5:26 pm
If Devin makes half the tackles Kwon missed, he’ll be Rookie of the Year!
May 6th, 2019 at 5:30 pm
tbbf- Nobody reads your posts anyway! LOL! 🙂
May 6th, 2019 at 5:39 pm
Defense,
Not an ounce of entitlement from me since I am old school. If you don’t like my opinion that’s fine! I don’t talk down to the Joe’s EVER! I do however disagree strongly with their take on Gerald McCoy. I use try to use humor to prove some points but these points are supported by facts that are undisputed.
May 6th, 2019 at 5:40 pm
He’ll be making a LOT of tackles as the defense will be on the field for the majority of the games.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Bucnjim … I’m seeing the same thing as TBBF on the moderated posts. Chances are it’s the way the algorithm is set to trip on certain phrases, use of quotes, other websites, etc. If you ran a website of this size, I’d bet that C-note that you’d probably be even more discriminating in regards to comments than Joe is.
And BTW, I’ve followed the Bucs since 1982 so I’ve seen Warren Sapp at his best … and at his worst I might add. I’ve seen GMC at his best … and yes, at his worst. Different eras, different teammates, different personalities, different skills/talents, etc, so comparisons IMO aren’t all that meaningful.
What I have concluded though is that the Bucs ‘over-used’ GMC throughout his career. Winning teams don’t ask 300 lb DTs to play 80-85% of the snaps in the trenches, especially here in Florida. I certainly couldn’t go 100% on every play when the temp on the field often rises well over 100 degrees, and neither could you I bet. That’s a ridiculous expectation. Just as ridiculous as the Bucs making GMC the ‘Face of the Defense’ simply because he was drafted in Rnd 1 & the rest of our defense stunk.
I don’t personally believe he’s worth $13 mil at this point in his career. But then again, I don’t personally believe that Jameis is worth $21 mil right now either. Or that Donovan is worth $12 mil or … yup, the list goes on. But I do believe that we’ll be a better TEAM this year with GMC than without him. Only time will tell though.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:08 pm
The way the NFL is heading, tackling will be obsolete. Soon it will be flag football.Excessive rule changes to protect the QBs over the years. Defenseless receivers are protected. You have to tackle a certain way with limited target areas.Instant replay for interference calls and no calls. The modern game totally favors the offense. Today’s game is meant to be played with a passive defense. The tough hard hitting defenses of the past eras are a distant memory. Even the great Bucs defenses of our glory years would be clobbered with tons of penalties and suspensions now. It’s a joke.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:33 pm
Tampabaybucfan
I’ve had the same experience randomly when posting.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:44 pm
LVD since 2012 is the only player (in the league) with at least 500 tackles,20 sacks,10 ints and 10 forced fumbles.. And now about to play along Devin White. C’mon man.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:48 pm
Bucsfanman Says:
May 6th, 2019 at 5:30 pm
tbbf- Nobody reads your posts anyway! LOL! 🙂
Not true….I read my posts….and I just love them.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:56 pm
And why say we have a weak secondary? With the talent infusion and Bowles, why would you assume the secondary will be weak? Weak take, in my opinion, until we see them in action. I guess the Raiders have a weak running game even though they just drafted Josh Jacobs.
May 6th, 2019 at 7:24 pm
White will have to fight harder to shed blockers to rack up tackles.
———————
Haven’t seen him do this very well on film or cover for that matter but I’m sure that now that he’s in the NFL he’ll be much better at it.
@bucnjim
You should make it a thousand, it’s a sure bet.
May 6th, 2019 at 7:27 pm
GMC wouldn’t have to be scrutinized so much if he’d just restructure his contract and agree to a rotational role. His level of play is no where near the amount of money he’s making. If he hits the open market it could actually be for less than if he restructured here. Licht would probably still overpay his market value. But GMC doesn’t want to be a team player, and do what’s best for the team. I think GMC would really like Devin.
May 6th, 2019 at 8:28 pm
JJV—
If I hated movies I wouldn’t watch.
If I hated boating I wouldn’t boat.
If I hated the NFL I …
You get the point … hopefully.
Today’s players are bigger and stronger than in the “old days” and, by consequence, they can inflict more damage on opponents during the tackling process. If you’re looking for broken bones or death in sporting events I suggest watching The Skydiving Channel. Rumor has it it’s “No Chute Monday.”
May 6th, 2019 at 9:12 pm
Pretty excited about the White pick, but Bucs should still end up with a top 3 pick after this season, so maybe we change the uniforms for when Tua comes next year to get a fresh look for a new future. Tua for 4-years for $30M should net the same win results as Winston for 4 years at $100M.
Then draft all D-line & O-line… and don’t forget the kicker!
May 6th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Jean Bruce doesn’t want Gerald here. Not at any price. It was his first order of business to get the old leader of this defense out and start over clean.
Do yourself a favor and forget that guy. He’s era is over. It was definitely a forgettable one highlighted by quitting efforts over the years.
May 6th, 2019 at 10:26 pm
Pretty sad to have a Devin White article but be talking about Gerald instead.
Buts that’s cool they aren’t doing anything anybody cares about in May. They are just going to work and preparing.
Once August hits and this defense gets to proove it’s worth they will get their dues. They will earn it the good old fashioned way.
May 7th, 2019 at 1:40 am
JA,
No chute monday…..I’m in.
Just to give you a heads up…The 2020 Special Olympic winter games is coming Jan 15th.
Bobsled is a must see…