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Maturation Process Has Changed White

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By ROY CUMMINGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 13, 2007

Updated: 12/13/2007 12:15 am

TAMPA - The Bucs' schedule is littered with teams that gave up on Greg White. Every one probably wishes it would have exercised a little more patience with the defensive end.

Truth be known, sticking with White early in his pro career would have required lots of patience.

When he first came to the NFL five years ago, White says he simply wasn't ready physically and mentally.

"It was new to me, and I was a little overwhelmed by it," White said. "Plus, I was doing the rookie thing, partying a little too much. I just wasn't a great pro guy when I got here."

You wouldn't have known it watching White play the Saints in an exhibition game his rookie year. In his first NFL game, he recorded four sacks and two forced fumbles.

White remembers the game as if it were yesterday. Hard to forget games like that, he said. He also remembers the Texans' response a couple of weeks later.

"They cut me," he said. "But in their defense, as far as practicing and stuff goes, I wasn't really where they wanted me to be. They just said, 'We don't have time to develop you.'"

It wasn't the last time White heard that answer. The Bucs told him pretty much the same thing later that year. During the next few years, so did the Redskins, Saints, Titans, Falcons and Bears.

It wasn't until 2006, when he caught on with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League, that someone in pro football finally agreed to invest some time in developing Greg White.

By then, of course, White had developed a little bit himself. He'd matured physically. More importantly, he'd matured mentally. Being broke and having to support a son and a daughter will do that to you.

It will make you do things you'd rather not do, such as working in a syrup factory or as a pizza delivery man in the summer so you can still make ends meet while you chase your dream in the fall and winter.

"I delivered water, too, and worked at Best Buy," White said. "I did anything I could really to make money, because I had two kids to support and I was broke and in debt."

He was hungry, too, so he arrived in Orlando for that stint with the Predators a different person. By the time he showed up at the Bucs training camp last summer, he was really different.

"I was more appreciative," White said. "I mean, at one point, I thought I had it made. Then I hit bottom. So I definitely came here with a much greater appreciation for where I am."

White's position coach, Larry Coyer, has noticed. He says the White he sees now is even more mature and more focused than the White he saw near the end of training camp.

"I sense that he's a different man mentally," Coyer said. "I really believe that. But that's where you have to get to. You have to realize that this is hard work."

White does seem to realize that. At least twice a week he is devoting an extra half-hour or more to his conditioning and weight training. The results, Coyer says, are noticeable on the field.

Coyer said White is playing with more leverage, the result of his improved technique, and that his improved conditioning is allowing him to stay fresher and stronger longer.

Clearly White's hard work is reaping impressive rewards. He leads the Bucs in sacks with 8.5 and in forced fumbles with six, and it's not just the Bucs who have taken notice.

After last week's game at Houston, White's rival for the day, 10-year veteran left tackle Ephraim Salaam, stopped White and told him he believes he ought to be starting.

White's not so sure. He's a confident player, but his battle to get to this league has humbled him. Besides, after what he has been through, he is happy just for the chance to play.

"There was a time when there were too many doors closing and not enough opening up for me," White said. "I got to a point where I felt like maybe this isn't for me.

"So to come back from that and be where I am now, I just have a different appreciation for everything. That's what's different about me now. I'm just more appreciative of the opportunity I have."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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