Rookie wide receiver DeAndrew White has been one of the stars of the San Francisco 49ers offseason, and that meant media time on Monday. White answered a variety of questions, transcribed below, but the ballsiest, funniest part of the press conference came at the end.
You can check it out on the Vine above. If you can't get the video or audio, as White was preparing to leave the podium, someone yelled out, "Did you have to take a cut in pay to come from Alabama?" White responded with "Ahh, no" and then laughed a little bit. There is some audio from the press conference, and it lasted longer than the video option available. On that, you hear someone say "Dammmn" and "Shoooooot".
For 49ers fans this is not the most important aspect of the interview, but man if it wasn't the funniest. I recognized the voice of the questioner, but don't know exactly who it is. I can't tell where exactly this falls between funny and dick-ish. What do you think?
White had a chance to touch on a lot of other topics, including working on special teams, coming into the league as an undrafted free agent, and what he brings to the 49ers. He suggested there were offers of more money from other teams, but he felt the 49ers offered the best chance for him to earn a roster spot. He is off to a strong start in training camp, and with the team donning pads on Tuesday, we'll get a better handle on where things stand. For now, here's the full transcript.
On if he has a chip on his shoulder for not getting draft:
"I would say so. I use it as motivation. Some teams pass me up, but everything happens for a reason. So I use it as motivation, I wouldn't say that I'm mad at everyone, but I'm ready."
On difficulty of draft day:
Of course it was heart-breaking. I had my whole family there at my house, excited and ready for the draft. I thought I would get drafted, but at the same time, you never know. So I just took it each step at a time.
Impressions of NFL camp:
I love it. The 49ers program has been great to me. Great leaders in front of me. I take each player, each one of me teammates helping out a little bit more. Coach Tomsula does a great job, so I couldn't ask for better at this place.
On what he brings to the team:
I believe I'm a playmaker, a competitor. That's what I do, I love to compete. I don't care if it's who can tie his shoe the fastest. I'm competing like that. I think I bring that competitive spirit, great plays, a deep threat. Just my game. My whole game, my whole package is what I bring.
On Amari Cooper being in Bay Area, too:
We've been in touch, we connected while he was in Oakland, while I was down here, right before OTAs. He came to see me. We still have a great relationship. My little brother, Amari Cooper, been together three years. He's a great competitor too. We made each other better at Alabama, and what a coincidence, both in the Bay.
On why he chose 49ers as UDFA:
The 49ers have a great program, a great history. I just looked for the best opportunity, and I thought the 49ers gave me the best opportunity to showcase my talent.
On if other teams offered more money:
I really wasn't thinking about that side. Money's great, but money's not everything. I just knew that the best chance for me to play, the best chance for me to have the opportunity to make the team. There are other teams of course out there, with more money or less money. It was just all teams, different things. I picked the 49ers as the best fit for me.
On feedback from coaches on his performance thus far:
It's great. The coaches are treating me great, they treat everybody great around here. It's not really a big difference, are you doing good or you get treated better. We just doing what we're supposed to do, ain't nothing special. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do out there on the field and my play speaks for itself.
On how many teams contacted him after the draft:
I can't give you a number. It was a lot. My phone didn't stop ringing. I had plenty of opportunities to go anywhere else, but I'm glad I chose here.
On who he spoke with at 49ers:
I spoke with both special teams coaches, receivers coaches. I spoke to a lot of the coaches, and they helped me make my decision, reassured me that I'd have a good opportunity here.
On deep speed returning from [2012] ACL injury:
My whole thing was getting back healthy, you know, injury after injury. I couldn't do anything about that ... everybody is entitled to their opinion. I just played my game all the time. If they thought something different when I played my game at that time, then they thought something different.
On how he hurt his knee:
My foot got stuck in the ground blocking. I stopped blocking and my knee just twisted, and it just popped. Next thing they told me, ACL. That was a while back, now I'm healthy as I can be, fully ready to go, ready to compete.
On being able to block since injury:
Yea. That really wasn't my concern after the ACL. I believe it's a mental thing. I think your pride hurts way worse than your knee hurts when you hurt yourself like that. Once you get over that mental stage, I can't do this, I can't do this, I might hurt it again, you're right back to normal.
On if he considered transferring to get more of an opportunity:
I never think about that. When I was at Alabama I just played my role, and in terms of Coach Saban and his coaching staff, I did what I had to do. I never thought about, oh maybe I should go somewhere else because I was there, so there was no point in thinking about it.
On putting on pads and what challenges it brings with corners:
It gives them a bigger target to it. When they're trying to jam you, they need more stuff to eat. I mean, t-shirt and jersey are kind of slippery, so I look forward to it. I love putting the pads on and playing the actual game of football with pads. 7-on-7 without pads, that's great with receivers and DBs. But with pads on, it's the real thing.
On the benefits for the corners of physicality in pads:
I just rely on my quickness and my technique that the coaches up here teach me. I just rely on what I've been doing. I've been playing football my whole life. Pads isn't anything new to me. I just want to play football.
On relationship with former Alabama teammate Dial:
That's my boy. We both came from Bama, that's my boy when he was at Bama. He's like a big brother to me. When I got here, he welcomed me, he kinda tried to show me the way. I couldn't ask for a better relationship. That's a great teammate to have and a great leader. I can't really complain about that. That's my boy.
On if Dial did any recruiting of him after the draft:
No, I wouldn't say he did any recruiting because he didn't know what was going on, just like anybody else didn't know. I got here, and he was happy and I was happy. So we just took the best of it.
On past experience with special teams:
I love special teams. I did special teams in college. I did gunner and kick returner, and stuff like that. It's natural. It's another job for me. I take pride in special teams.
On what he likes most about it:
The competitiveness. I like, the gunner, you're taking on 2-on-1. Kick returner, you gotta use your speed and I just love the competitiveness. You know, football. I love everything about football, and that's my passion. And it's what I do, so I can't complain.