Todd Bowles expects big things from Devin White in 2022: ‘He is our tone-setter’
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Todd Bowles is taking over as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after having served previously as the team’s defensive coordinator.
So, he’s worked a lot with former LSU LB Devin White, who has been a tackling machine since joining the team back in 2019.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Bowles said he hopes to see even more from White, perhaps going back to the form he showed in 2021 when the Bucs won the Super Bowl (via JoeBucsFan.com):
“I think he had a good year [in 2021]. I don’t think he had the Super Bowl year, but he still had a very good year. I think we had a lot of injuries that ravaged, that we asked him to be more of a vocal leader, as far as pointing and lining people up more than we did making plays to hide up some of the weaknesses that we had,” Bowles began. “He still had a very good year.
“In the second year, you become better mentally. I think there was a cross between his mental and his physical play. And then he started hearing the noise trying to make a play; that’s when he would make a mistake. I think he’s aged and matured a year. He’s come back with a great mental approach to the ballgame. He’s gotten a lot better at almost everything that was almost a minus for him last year.
“But he is our tone-setter. He’s one of those guys that you have to let be a football player. I’m not saying he’s Ray Lewis or Mike Singletary, but he’s one of those guys that’s very confident in his ability. And he’s very good at what he does and you have to let him play. And I think we’re getting back to that more – letting him play but understanding where he has to be at certain times.”
In 3 years, White has racked up 359 tackles, 15 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries (2 for a touchdown) and 1 interception.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
