Bucky Irving Credits Success To Rachaad White
May 13th, 2025
Bonded.
The Bucs really like how the team is full of good dudes and the locker room seems stocked with guys who will help any teammate at a moment’s notice.
One guy Joe thinks seems to personify the team-first attitude is running back Rachaad White.
Let’s be real: White has been one of the more meh running backs in the league. He’s tough and he will gut it out but he never demonstrated he could be a good No. 1 back.
That’s why the Bucs drafted Bucky Irving.
It didn’t take long for Bucky to show he deserved the bulk of the carries. He led all rookies last year in rushing. Bucky, simply put, is a stud.
No one would have blamed White if he crawled in a shell and sulked. Bucky came in and took White’s carries. Who could blame White if he gave Bucky a cold shoulder or began to mope about not getting enough touches?
White did the exact opposite. He immediately became Bucky’s big brother the moment Bucky stepped foot in One Buc Palace. And last week, while appearing on “Up and Adams” with Kay Adams, Bucky made it clear he may not have succeeded without guidance from White.
“Oh, Rachaad White has meant everything to me,” Bucky said. “He’s been the guy since I got here.
“He took me in with open arms. Showed me the ropes. [Showed] how the NFL is going to treat me. He was showing me how runs may hit. Showing me protections. Him and Chase Edmonds.”
Joe could tell the way those guys were with each other in the locker room that both had grown tight. So Joe thinks White should get a lot of credit. He easily could have done what many veterans do when a player is drafted at their position: made it harder for him to settle in.
Not White. He took it upon himself to help Bucky ease into the NFL and grease the wheels for Bucky to succeed. And to take his starting job.
Rachaad White has been the ultimate vet for Bucky Irving during their time together in Tampa 💪
"He's meant everything to me. As soon as I got here he took me in with open arms."@heykayadams | @Buccaneers | @BuckyIrving pic.twitter.com/LjPun8GIv8
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 8, 2025
May 13th, 2025 at 7:17 am
This is the kind of professionalism you get when you draft the right players.
May 13th, 2025 at 7:33 am
White has been a solid back and has gotten better every year.
May 13th, 2025 at 7:40 am
Loving this! That is what the Bucs locker room is allo about with our players. True teamwork on and off the field. Go Bucs!
May 13th, 2025 at 8:21 am
I’ve said it before, White gets a bad rap because of his production
the first couple of years. But nobody was going to a top back
with the crappy patch work o-line.
May 13th, 2025 at 8:37 am
I’m reminded of an old Tank MacNamarra cartoon..If I even remember the name right.
May 13th, 2025 at 9:16 am
I’d completely forgotten about Edmonds, is he still part of the team?
May 13th, 2025 at 9:17 am
Tank McNamara… newspaper comic strip about a sports anchor. Just made fun of a lot of common things about news and sports in general. I remember reading that long ago.
Fred, we’re showing our age. LOL Pretty funny comic strip, though.
May 13th, 2025 at 9:18 am
Pretty sure they didn’t resign Edmonds after his injury. He was gettng a little long in the tooth for running back anyhow, barely got any carries as it was.
May 13th, 2025 at 9:32 am
The Falcon’s are playing in Spain this season, I remember what happened the last time a team coached by Raheem played in Europe…hopefully they’ll have the same results.
GO BUCS
May 13th, 2025 at 9:43 am
Beeej Says: “I’d completely forgotten about Edmonds, is he still part of the team?”
Good reminder! I had forgotten about him too.
May 13th, 2025 at 10:04 am
Deepest position on the team.
May 13th, 2025 at 10:26 am
You better believe that White is working his butt off this off season to take his job back. This is going to be a great position group this season!! Perhaps they can surpass Montgomery and Gibbs as the #1 backfield duo!
May 13th, 2025 at 10:29 am
And there are brain sturgeons who call for White to be traded because their Madden algorithm says they could get Trey Hendrickson for him. Mroons.
May 13th, 2025 at 10:47 am
It was malpractice by Liam Coen to put White in the doghouse late in the season and use a undersized rookie as a workhouse. Cost us in the playoffs.
Hopefully Grizzard isnt dumb enough to do that.
Bucky is a star, but you have to use him the right way.
May 13th, 2025 at 11:55 am
Bucky is the number one RB for a reason. He actually is a RB1 that has moves.
White has only one move, straight into the arms of a defender.
He can catch the ball very well for the position though and that is an asset.
My problem is all the fumbles. He’s just not reliable enough to justify keeping him.
I know Bucky has had a few fumbles, but his upside far outweighs the bad ones.
Not sure you can say the same thing for White.
May 13th, 2025 at 12:00 pm
I’m still a huge Rashad White fan.
He is huge. He has great hands. He scores a lot of TDs.
He is a good pass protector.
We are lucky to have Rashad White.
May 13th, 2025 at 1:27 pm
Teacherman. To your point — we drop back to pass more than we run the ball. Lots of running backs don’t play much because they can’t pass block.
White handles that part of the game with an A grade.
May 13th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
I agree. I do believe Grizz will be superior to Ole Red though 🤞🏼