TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE: 'I come from hard times, and I don't want to go back'

[elroy16]

 

Two part article by Jay Skurski going into where he came from and Shaq's motivation.

 

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In Shreveport, the first thing you learn about White is that nobody calls him Tre’Davious. His father, David White, bears a striking resemblance to Shaquille O’Neal, so he went by “Shaq” in the neighborhood. Tre’Davious was “Baby Shaq,” but now that he’s made it to the NFL, the “Shaq” moniker has been inherited.

 

White grew up in a house with his older half-brother on his mom’s side, LeGregory, as well as younger brother Da’Vonta and younger sister La’Daijah. The three boys shared a room, while La’Daijah and their mother, LaShawnita, got the other bedrooms. The family moved frequently, and there were times they didn't have money for the water bill. Because LaShawnita worked overnights at the Horseshoe Casino in neighboring Bossier City, the kids would often spend nights at Ruffins' home.

 

The family’s routine must have been discovered, because one night while their house sat empty, it was robbed.

 

“We had to move out of that house because it was broken into several times,” White said as he slowed down to get a good look at the property at 1749 Adler Road. “We had just got a PlayStation 2. We thought that was the best thing ever. My mom, she worked her butt off to get us that, and probably a month after Christmas, our house got broken into, and it was gone.”

 

 

http://buffalonews.com/2018/06/08/tredavious-white-reflects-on-journey-from-a-forlorn-field-in-louisiana-to-the-nfl/

 

Quote

Almost a decade later, Tre’Davious White still gets worked up.

 

A straight-A student throughout elementary and middle school, he maintained that lofty status through his first two high school report cards. But when the third nine-week grading period arrived home, there it was – a B in world geography.

 

“I was devastated,” White said. “That showed me nothing’s given. You can’t get complacent. I was mad the whole day ­– I’m still mad about it – but it motivated me to continue to work.”

.

“We’d tell him, ‘Shaq, you need to slow down,' ” said Evans, who spent two years as White’s defensive back coach, and one year each as offensive and defensive coordinator. “It was always, ‘Nah coach, I’ve got to go get it.’ That’s what set him apart, was his determination. He was determined to make it out. He was always the playful, goofy kid. A lot of times in practice, you'd think he was joking around, but he was always still observing everything you said.”

 

http://buffalonews.com/2018/06/10/tredavious-white-bills-shreveport-lsu/

 

I really enjoy these pieces and reading about where players come from. A lot of them are heartbreaking because it makes you think about all the horrible things so many kids go through. I love hearing about them going back and working really hard to encourage kids to work hard in school and on the field. 

 

 

[C.Biscuit97]

Dude has the right attitude and is a great pick so far (people loved Darby before his 2nd year too).  That said if Allen doesn’t become a franchise guy, and either Mahomes or Watson do, it will be tough to live down.

[Royale with Cheese]

I support one of my company's plants in Shreveport and there's not much out there.  It's big oil companies and nothing so there is a huge gap in the workforce.  

[Soda Popinski]

Kid is a fighter, everything I needed to know about him i learned on the play Gronk hit him illegally on.  He fought tooth and nail with a guy who's got to have 130lbs on him and held his own.   And did it well.   He'll fight like that every play and he's got more than enough physical gifts to be a pro bowl CB. 

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, Soda Popinski said:

Kid is a fighter, everything I needed to know about him i learned on the play Gronk hit him illegally on.  He fought tooth and nail with a guy who's got to have 130lbs on him and held his own.   And did it well.   He'll fight like that every play and he's got more than enough physical gifts to be a pro bowl CB. 

 

He held him all day.  Then he paid for it.

[Soda Popinski]

Just now, Gugny said:

 

He held him all day.  Then he paid for it.

Pffttt please, Gronk pushes off every single play.   He got a dose of his own and had a temper tantrum.  

 

all the best CBs in the league are grabby.  The trick is to get away with it. 

[Gugny]

Just now, Soda Popinski said:

Pffttt please, Gronk pushes off every single play.   He got a dose of his own and had a temper tantrum.  

 

all the best CBs in the league are grabby.  The trick is to get away with it. 

 

I was just messing around.  But yeah ... holding him is the only way to contain that beast and White did a hell of a job.

[bigdogtim]

He did pay for it Gugny, but he was wise enough not to give Gronk his change back.

[Soda Popinski]

Just now, Gugny said:

 

I was just messing around.  But yeah ... holding him is the only way to contain that beast and White did a hell of a job.

I know, and you were correct.  He was holding him all game long.   I want guys who are going to stretch the rules all the way, the best players do.   We see Pats olinemen getting away with holding all game long.   And there's an art form to getting away with it.  Tre seems to have the gift.    

 

heck Seattle's LOB commits PI just about every single pass play and they get called for it a ton.  But if you do it every time, the refs won't call it every time. 

[Gugny]

3 minutes ago, Soda Popinski said:

I know, and you were correct.  He was holding him all game long.   I want guys who are going to stretch the rules all the way, the best players do.   We see Pats olinemen getting away with holding all game long.   And there's an art form to getting away with it.  Tre seems to have the gift.    

 

heck Seattle's LOB commits PI just about every single pass play and they get called for it a ton.  But if you do it every time, the refs won't call it every time. 

 

It's smart football.  Get away with what you can get away with.  But if you get caught, you better be able to make up for it.

[Augie]

9 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

He held him all day.  Then he paid for it.

 

This is true....

8 minutes ago, Soda Popinski said:

Pffttt please, Gronk pushes off every single play.   He got a dose of his own and had a temper tantrum.  

 

all the best CBs in the league are grabby.  The trick is to get away with it. 

 

....and this is true.

[RoyBatty is alive]

25 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I support one of my company's plants in Shreveport and there's not much out there.  It's big oil companies and nothing so there is a huge gap in the workforce.  

You are correct, Shreveport is a dump but across the river Bossier City is worse. and most of them are Cowboy fans. I visited a company there once and they brought me to what they said was the best food in the city, the freakin Casino and it was not, repeat not good.

[elroy16]

2 minutes ago, Soda Popinski said:

I know, and you were correct.  He was holding him all game long.   I want guys who are going to stretch the rules all the way, the best players do.   We see Pats olinemen getting away with holding all game long.   And there's an art form to getting away with it.  Tre seems to have the gift.    

 

heck Seattle's LOB commits PI just about every single pass play and they get called for it a ton.  But if you do it every time, the refs won't call it every time. 

 

 

White is always in control on the field. When I watch Gilmore, there are times he seems like he's just barely keeping it together while playing coverage, while White looks like he's always calm and collected. I think it's easier to get away with a little grab here and there if it doesn't look like you're using that tug to stay with a receiver.

 

Here's an example. Gilmore makes a nice play on the ball, but at the top of the route it looks like he almost falls back and is totally out of the play. 

 

 

 

I used Gilmore as an example because it felt like he was called for illegal contact all too frequently. 

[Soda Popinski]

I cannot wait to see Edmunds out there.   If he has half as good a season as Tre did as a rookie, our defense is going to be legit. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

Te White WAS the reason we won the Atlanta game, without him we don't make the playoffs in my opinion.  All those veterans standing around and it is the rookie that has the smarts to pick up the ball for an easy TD.

 

Also what also stands out about Tre is I believe he is the first kid in his family to graduate college and he easily could have entered the draft a year earlier and didn't, stayed to earn his degree at LSU. Quality guy.

[Royale with Cheese]

3 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

You are correct, Shreveport is a dump but across the river Bossier City is worse. and most of them are Cowboy fans. I visited a company there once and they brought me to what they said was the best food in the city, the freakin Casino and it was not, repeat not good.

 

My Manager used to support the plant out there and when he went to lunch, he ordered a taco salad because it was the only thing not fried on the menu.  

When he finally got it, it was a plate full of cool ranch Doritos with canned chili served on top.  No other toppings like lettuce, tomato, cheese, japs, onions etc....

 

He didn't stop by a gas station, this was actually a cafe.

[elroy16]

1 minute ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Te White WAS the reason we won the Atlanta game, without him we don't make the playoffs in my opinion.  All those veterans standing around and it is the rookie that has the smarts to pick up the ball for an easy TD.

 

Also what also stands out about Tre is I believe he is the first kid in his family to graduate college and he easily could have entered the draft a year earlier and didn't, stayed to earn his degree at LSU. Quality guy.

 

 

You're absolutely right.

 

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Although he could have been a first-round draft pick after his junior season, he returned to school to become the first of his seven siblings to graduate college.

 

I'm not sure how many siblings are older or younger, regardless, he's a great example of a kid that really gets it. 

[Soda Popinski]

Just now, Royale with Cheese said:

 

My Manager used to support the plant out there and when he went to lunch, he ordered a taco salad because it was the only thing not fried on the menu.  

When he finally got it, it was a plate full of cool ranch Doritos with canned chili served on top.  No other toppings like lettuce, tomato, cheese, japs, onions etc....

 

He didn't stop by a gas station, this was actually a cafe.

What a waste, chili Cheese Fritos would have been my go to in that recipe 

[Happy]

Something tells me that Tre' White won't have to go back.  He'll get paid in a few short years just based off last season.  Can't wait to see more of him and watch him turn into a shut down corner.

[Royale with Cheese]

My two favorite players are the team are LSU guys....Tre and Kyle.  Maybe I should become a Tiger fan?

[Kirby Jackson]

14 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

My two favorite players are the team are LSU guys....Tre and Kyle.  Maybe I should become a Tiger fan?

I’ve extended and open invitation to come down for any LSU game that you guys want. It is INSANE. They do play UGA the day before the Bills Texans. It’s only about 3 - 3.5 hours from there. They also have home games with Ole Miss, Miss. St. and Alabama this year. 

[FLFan]

To me, Tre is a perfect example of what McD is preaching about the kind of guys he wants on his football team.  High character factor, and very skilled.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  White is an example of the effect of that combination on the team.  We have had talented players with little to no character, and we see what that produces.  

[CajunBillsBacker]

22 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

My two favorite players are the team are LSU guys....Tre and Kyle.  Maybe I should become a Tiger fan?

Learn to spell “go” as “Geaux” and you’ll fit right in with us!

[Kelly the Dog]

As if there weren't enough good reasons to root for this guy.

[billsredneck1]

I've listened to or try to, all the player interviews on the radio and it seems like every one of them has humble roots and an outstanding story. These guys...mcbeane are really  blowing me away with the guys they're finding and bringing in. They are building a dynasty right in front of our eyes. I haven't been this excited in over 20 years. I'm loving it!

[Charlottebillsfan2]

Lets hope we keep finding guys like him. I'd like nothing more then to see him on this team for 10 years. 

[NewEra]

He’s seriously the leagues best kept secret. 

[Royale with Cheese]

1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I’ve extended and open invitation to come down for any LSU game that you guys want. It is INSANE. They do play UGA the day before the Bills Texans. It’s only about 3 - 3.5 hours from there. They also have home games with Ole Miss, Miss. St. and Alabama this year. 

 

I’ll wear my Tre White Bills jersey

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

11 minutes ago, NewEra said:

He’s seriously the leagues best kept secret. 

 

 

...and it certainly was a head scratcher when a TBD pundit proposed trading him to move up in 2018 draft......SMH.........

[Royale with Cheese]

2 hours ago, CajunBillsBacker said:

Learn to spell “go” as “Geaux” and you’ll fit right in with us!

 

I played LSU in baseball my senior year and it was pretty crazy.  We were a mid major and the game still sold out...you guys love baseball.

 

I played LF and got heckled the whole game.  They read my bio online so they knew a lot about me so they accurately heckled me.

 

We got slaughtered and after the game, the fans invited us to their bbq in the parking lot.  They fed us great food before our long bus trip back....pretty awesome.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Royale with Cheese

[KW95 - JA17]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

He held him all day.  Then he paid for it.

 

Preston Brown and Jerry Hughes had White's back.

 

 

[BuffaloMatt]

I love seeing this. The small minded, the privileged and those who are blessed with opportunity don't get it. Baby Shaq or whatever the F you want to call him saw a way out. I'm certain that football is his platform but his greatness will be what he wants to do once he is free. 

[Sky Diver]

4 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I’ve extended and open invitation to come down for any LSU game that you guys want. It is INSANE. They do play UGA the day before the Bills Texans. It’s only about 3 - 3.5 hours from there. They also have home games with Ole Miss, Miss. St. and Alabama this year. 

 

I went to the Arkansas vs LSU game last year. It was my first visit to Death Valley. I went to the LSU vs Alabama game the Saturday before.

[Kirby Jackson]

7 minutes ago, Sky Diver said:

 

I went to the Arkansas vs LSU game last year. It was my first visit to Death Valley. I went to the LSU vs Alabama game the Saturday before.

I don’t think that I was there for Arkansas but might have been. I went to LSU-Auburn, and Auburn-Alabama last year. That was my first Iron Bowl and it was pretty incredible. 

[Gugny]

2 hours ago, KW95 said:

 

Preston Brown and Jerry Hughes had White's back.

 

 

 

Yeah.  They had front row seats to looking at his back.

[Mr. WEO]

Man, couldn't even afford their own nicknames.....

[FappyTheClown]

 

[Buffalo716]

21 hours ago, elroy16 said:

 

 

White is always in control on the field. When I watch Gilmore, there are times he seems like he's just barely keeping it together while playing coverage, while White looks like he's always calm and collected. I think it's easier to get away with a little grab here and there if it doesn't look like you're using that tug to stay with a receiver.

 

Here's an example. Gilmore makes a nice play on the ball, but at the top of the route it looks like he almost falls back and is totally out of the play. 

 

 

 

I used Gilmore as an example because it felt like he was called for illegal contact all too frequently. 

 

To be Fairbanks Gilmore stumbles backwards at The top of the route because the WR extends his hands and gives him a slightl push off

 

looks nothing bad in slow mode but it definitely pushed him off his mark

[Hapless Bills Fan]

22 hours ago, Soda Popinski said:

I know, and you were correct.  He was holding him all game long.   I want guys who are going to stretch the rules all the way, the best players do.   We see Pats olinemen getting away with holding all game long.   And there's an art form to getting away with it.  Tre seems to have the gift.   

 

I thought it was telling (and funny) that when Benjamin got his penalty for pushing off in the Jax playoff game, Romo was not "yep, that's a penalty"

Romo instead was "he pushed off high, that's why they called it.  Benjamin, you got to push off low on that kind of a play."

[elroy16]

39 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

To be Fairbanks Gilmore stumbles backwards at The top of the route because the WR extends his hands and gives him a slightl push off

 

looks nothing bad in slow mode but it definitely pushed him off his mark

 

 

Good point, I missed that.

 

I was looking for another example and saw this one.

 

 

 

I don't miss him looking for someone else to blame. Whether it was someone else's fault or not, it just looks bad.