After practice Wednesday, Rachaad White reflected on his big moment against the Saints and echoed being nothing but gratefulness for gaining the trust of the coaching staff and seeing his teammates happy. That just goes to show you what kind of rookie White is.
While he is a special talent on the field, he also displays the maturity one would expect of a veteran off of it. Deflecting the praise from himself and commenting on the reaction from the sidelines demonstrates just how much he is a team player and someone on pace for a fruitful career in the NFL.
‘For Me, It Was More About The Reaction And Emotion Of My Teammates’
In the past few weeks, White has shown that his level of play is that of a starting-caliber running back. He showed it in spurts up through Week 9 but finally put it all together in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks in Munich, Germany, on national (and international) television.
Although his big highlight from that contest was a viral stiff arm on a 29-yard run that earned him some hardware, he put together his first career game of over 100 rushing yards that day, gaining 105 yards on 22 carries. He followed that performance up with 109 yards from scrimmage (64 rushing, 45 receiving) against the Cleveland Browns before his game-winning touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in Week 13.
His catch with :03 seconds left put the Bucs at 6-6 and with some breathing room in what has been a lackluster NFC South. What it also did was give him a chance to shine in another nationally televised game and have an interview on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt afterward. Talking on Wednesday, White acknowledged what it meant for him.
“Just to have that moment, for me, my family, for the team, man it just meant a lot, honestly,” White said. “For Coach [Bowles], TB [Tom Brady], and Coach Leftwich to call my name and put me in there on a play we have been practicing all week, to earn and gain that trust from them, and for me to just be in the right spot and doing my job and Tom finding me and being able to make a play for us to win the game, it meant a lot.
“For me, it was more about the reaction and emotion of my teammates; that’s what you play this game for. To see your guys like that be so happy, so excited, so ecstatic, and just be happy for one another.”
White Gave The Team A Needed Energy Boost
It was evident just how much energy the guys on the team had on the field following that moment. Quarterback Tom Brady went from having his head down on the sideline for most of the contest to jumping and hugging offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and being elated in his postgame press conference.
The atmosphere in Raymond James Stadium on Monday night was reminiscent of the team’s comeback win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9. The way White sees it, the team believed they would win, and it showed them what they had been capable of doing all along.
“For the team, it means a lot man, especially with what we have been dealing with all season,” White said. “Just trying to put it together, trying to figure this thing out, to go back-to-back drives and score, we haven’t done that in I don’t know since when, to actually put the ball in the end zone.
“It just felt great. It let us kind of get that feeling of more of what we can accomplish and what we can do when we are all locked in and we all believe, because there is a lot of belief on the sideline.
“We believe that the defense is going to do its job, and we know that we are going to get another chance in order to do ours. That’s what a lot of guys on offense were preaching; we believed we were going to win. Just to see that belief and confidence in everybody coming together as one was amazing.”
He Has Grown Is Gaining The Trust of ‘All The Vets’
What also has been amazing is just how much White has grown within the offense as he has gotten more comfortable in the league. Right guard Shaq Mason gushed about what the team has seen in him since training camp.
White has been consistent in his work and growing every day in Tampa Bay. “I’ve just been learning, understanding, just kind of taking a step back and doing little things to kind of slow the game down for myself,” White added. “To understand how to do my job and when to do it and what to do, what not to do.
“Over the weeks, just getting that confidence and gaining that trust like you said of teammates, is just consistency. Putting the work in day in and day out at the practice field. Just gaining TB’s trust, Mike [Evans], all the vets you know, Coach [Bowles] as well. They trust in guys to believe in me, to be able to come to me about anything, come to me for a play that we ran, things like that. The consistency and work that you put in every week and every day.”
For White, his rookie year has taken off in recent weeks. He has shined in two big nationally televised games, putting his talent on display. While he deserves much praise, there are still five big regular-season games left on the schedule. For the Bucs to maintain their reign in the division, they’ll need him to continue his strong stretch of play.
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