Practice Stylez far from perfect

Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris loves to compare defensive end Stylez G. White to one player.

White does not necessarily remind Morris of active NFL players such as Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney, Atlanta's John Abraham, Houston's Mario Williams or Minnesota's Jared Allen. Morris has never compared White to former NFL greats Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Michael Strahan or Deacon Jones.

When Morris talks about White, he talks about practice.

Not the games White loves, but practice.

Not the games White plays like they were his last, but practice.

If White does not make any big plays tonight against Jacksonville in Tampa Bay's third preseason game, you can bet Morris will talk about practice.

"Stylez is my Allen Iverson, and he's not going to change," Morris said. "He's gotten better. He's gotten better the last couple of days and practiced (better) throughout training camp than he has in the past, but he is Allen Iverson."

Morris gave White that label last season because of his practice habits.

White, 31, has been known to pace himself during practices, to the frustration of his coaches. While they have worked hard to push his buttons, White does not always leave everything out on the practice field.

In fact, ESPN reporter Pat Yasinkas recently labeled White the "Biggest Disappointment" of Tampa Bay's training camp because of his practice habits and his lack of leadership skills.

"It's never acceptable, and he's gotten better, but like I tell him every day, we're going to tolerate him until we can replace him," Morris said.

White has heard Morris' criticisms for more than a year and he has tried to brush them off. Morris has jokingly threatened to send him back to Best Buy or the Arena Football League, both are employers on White's resume.

Although Morris is sometimes joking, White admits he has been bothered at times by his coach's criticism, and he thinks it is unwarranted.

"It's completely overblown. Completely overblown," White said. "I do pretty good at practice. I'm just trying to get back in game shape."

White may only show up on game days, but Bucs defensive line coach Todd Wash is not overly concerned about his player's practice habits.

"We haven't seen that in a game. If we saw him cruising in the game, obviously we would have some issues, but we don't," Wash said. "His practice habits have gotten better. Now, are they to the level we want them? No. We're never satisfied with anybody. He has gotten better. There is no question about that.

"We had a conversation last week and I said, 'Hey, you are our right defensive end. You got to start putting it on tape.'"

White has not stood out statistically in two preseason games, recording only two solo tackles and two assists with no sacks despite significant first-half playing time. It is not the productivity Tampa Bay envisioned when it traded Gaines Adams to Chicago last season and made White a starter.

Despite the slow start, Wash is confident White will step up.

"We have to challenge him at times because he sometimes cruises a little bit," Wash said. "At the same time, to put me at ease as a position coach, and obviously for him, it is important to put it on tape.

"He played a lot better against Kansas City. Kansas City came in with a good game plan. They were three-stepping us all the way through the first half and we didn't have a lot of opportunities there. They were cutting him at the line of scrimmage on all their three steps and max protections, but we're seeing some flashes."

White may not flash in practice, but his hope is to shine bright this season.

His goal is to have 16 sacks, one a game, and make the Pro Bowl. White has 18.5 sacks, 35 tackles and eight forced fumbles over the past three seasons. He is in the final year of his contract, and he hopes to be rewarded after the season.

Morris does not have any problems speaking about White's goals. Just do not talk about practice.

"He shows up in the game and makes big-time plays on third down when it's called upon, and he's got to continue to do that. That's got to be his calling card," Morris said. "That's what has got to make him stick. That's what's going to make him his best self, but every day we have to put a foot up his butt because he's Allen Iverson. That's exactly who he is."

Reporter Anwar Richardson can be reached at