Cincinnati Bengals safety Marvin White was a little-known player coming out of TCU when the team selected him in the third round of the 2007 draft. With one year under his belt, NFL teams will quickly learn what the hard-hitting safety is all about this season.
White made a name for himself as a rookie playing in a limited role on defense and started three games. Now the second-year man is looking to become the enforcer in the team's secondary as the likely starter opposite veteran safety Dexter Jackson.
"I have to be patient and just wait for my opportunity and take advantage of it,"
White said. "I was kind of down because I didn't get to play at the beginning of the season, but when I finally got my chance I showed them what I can do. Hopefully, I can carry that over to this season and gain a little more confidence from the coaches so they'll give me a shot to be out there and show them what I can do."
White brings a physical presence and leadership. He's relentless and willing to sacrifice his body to make a play. White has developed a reputation for laying bone-crushing licks on opponents. His biggest hit can be seen on YouTube as the Great White Hit. Bottom line: White is a player who will bring his A-game every day.
Expectations are high and things should be much different for the young safety this year than they were last season when he was still trying to grasp what was going on around him.
"Last year, I didn't know what to expect,"
White said. "Things were going so fast and so quick. Being out there, trying to make plays and all excited, kind of burned a lot of energy out of me. Now I'm a lot more comfortable and know what's going on. It's a big difference."
White and the team's defense had a good showing during OTAs and minicamp. The safety told me the defense is making a smooth transition to the new coaching philosophy.
"Everything is going pretty good learning a new defense,"
he said. "It's a lot of carryover from last year, but it's just different terminology. I think we have been picking up the scheme so far and that's what coach wants. Everything has been running smooth thus far. It's great."
White said the new coaching staff is more demanding about technique and wants the players on defense to be more vocal and communicate better on the field. "They are expecting a lot more out of us this year,"
he said.
White and Jackson would make for a nice safety tandem.
