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About the Author: Matt Matera
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Pewter Report’s Bucs Camp Diaries, a popular training camp feature on PewterReport.com, returns in 2022. We are fortunate to have two really good players to profile in veteran defensive end Pat O’Connor and rookie running back Rachaad White, the Bucs’ third-round pick.
O’Connor will offer up his perspective of Todd Bowles’ defense and special teams. White will take readers through the experience of rookie life in his first training camp in Tampa Bay in the Bucs offense. Look for O’Connor and White’s Bucs Camp Diaries each week throughout training camp and the preseason.
White is assured of making the team, but he doesn’t just want to be a backup. He has his sights set on being the Bucs’ starting running back. Tampa Bay signed Leonard Fournette to a three-year, $21-million contract, so that might not happen during his rookie season. But White could move past Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard on the depth chart and claim the RB2 spot this year with a great camp and preseason. White is an elusive runner with great hands and will prove to be a weapon on all three downs for the Bucs in 2022.
Making Plays, Being A Ballplayer
By Rachaad White as told to Matt Matera
For me it was just fun playing in my first NFL preseason game. Just waiting to get that moment to soak it all in and kind of see how it was going to go. It was just fun. I was just blessed to get back out there and continue to play the game I love. Just keep going, especially with a great group of guys that we have in undrafted players and rookies and guys like that. We’ve put in a lot of work since rookie mini-camp and things like that, training off the side, so to go out there and share it with those group of guys, it was amazing.
Key Third Down Conversion On The First Catch
Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
On my first catch I had to chip the guy just to buy Kyle [Trask] more time. It was kind of just playing ball. My coach tells me that all the time – Todd McNair and Byron [Leftwich] and the whole coaching staff talked about just making plays and being a ballplayer. That was just one of the moments, just playing, having fun and being a ballplayer, chipping the guy and turning around so Kyle can have enough time to get the ball off. Just playing catch and doing what I do.
Experience Returning Kickoffs
Returning kicks was cool, it was different. Kind of a work in progress for me. I haven’t played kickoff since freshman year, sophomore year of high school, so the technique that I am being taught, I wasn’t taught that in high school. It’s a work in progress, but I’m just trying to make sure I give a lot of effort in everything that I do no matter what. Bring a lot of juice and everything to help the team win.
You just kind of know beforehand. Here at practice when we work on kickoff, I’d be doing it and taking a couple of reps here and there. Coach likes my size. Obviously the backfield’s crowded so you got to earn your way any way you can.
Not Much Trash Talk On Either Side
I don’t talk much trash – I just do my thing. Just play hard, run hard – everything I do, I do hard. Make it be felt and make it be known – make my presence known out there. I don’t really talk a lot of stuff, honestly – unless you come at me first. The Dolphins, they weren’t really talking stuff. Everybody was just playing ball, having fun and things like that.
Shoutout To The Older Guys For Paving The Way For Us
That was pretty cool to see Ke’Shawn [Vaughn’s] touchdown. You got the older guys in my room, seeing how they do things, how they go about things on the sideline. You just pick up and take notes on all kinds of things that they do. It was a great opportunity for us to get a lot of reps, game-type reps regardless of its preseason or however it went. Getting our first experience just to see guys. There are a bunch of young undrafted receivers trying to make a way to stay in this league.
Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
It was great to see [Jerreth] Sterns and [Kaylon] Geiger and DT (Deven Thompkins) and Kam Brown. And you’ve got the young tight ends, Ko [Kieft] blocked his butt off. You’ve got Cade [Otton], J.J. [Howland], you see the group of guys and everybody’s putting up the work. That’s just tremendous too. Shout out to the older guys for paving the way for us and teaching us how to be professionals.
Firsthand Witness To Ko Kieft’s Pancake Blocks
What I’ve seen from Ko is just straight – you know, he’s a dog – you know he’s going to give it their all. That’s what I see in Ko. You really appreciate guys like that because you got something in common. You see a guy working his butt off, pancaking guys in the National Football League regardless of who it was, it doesn’t matter. Not a lot of guys do that still. It was great to see a bunch of guys go out there and let it all hang out. Have fun and play. Don’t worry about making mistakes and things like that and that’s what I’ve seen from a bunch of us.
One Day At A Time Before Traveling To The Titans
I’m just enjoying the process, I’m excited just to go up there to Nashville when we leave and I’ll take it one step at a time. I’m going to knock the rust 0ff today and handle tomorrow, and then go up there and just do what the coaches teach me as well as just being myself.
At the end of the day, it’s no disrespect. It’s just all football. It’s a game you’ve been playing your whole life and all you’re doing with these coaches is they’re just teaching you, giving you more knowledge in order for you to put in your toolbox in order to help make the game slow down for you. Just teaching things they knew because most of the coaches played in the league at a high level. I’m just having fun with it every day.
