If the Atlanta Falcons are worried about the recent comments from Roddy White, they certainly are not showing it. The receiver made some unwanted headlines when he told ESPN.com that he was unhappy with his role in the offense and was looking to get more touches on the ball. After trade rumors came pouring in, White back tracked on what he said while the coaching staff is confident everything is fine with the franchise leader.
White was the topic of conversation Wednesday. According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, White was not practice due to a personal matter while everyone grew concerned it was because of his interest in getting traded. Head coach Dan Quinn addressed the matter on Wednesday and simply said that he and White would chat and that all would be cleared up moving forward.
"We've got a really good relationship and an easy conversation between us,'' Quinn said, via ESPN.com. "I wouldn't say a point of emphasis. We've got great respect for Roddy and all the unique things that he brings to our team. But we don't generally go into this or that to make it happen. He's somebody that we think the world of and think a ton of. The [opportunities] will be there, although they weren't in some of the games. We certainly think that they will be moving forward.''
White told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he was not disgruntled and simply wanted to catch passes. White has two catch-less games on the season, something that he certainly did not expect. Right now, the offense is going through Julio Jones while Leonard Hankerson and Devonta Freeman make an impact in the passing game. Quarterback Matt Ryan told the media that he expects White to be a big part of the offensive plan moving forward as White hopes chances begin to come up.
"For me, at the end of the day, I want to catch passes," White said, via ESPN.com. "I'm not out here just f---ing around just to sit around to just block f---ing people all day. It's not what I want to do."
The Falcons are not going to force the ball to White just because of his quotes. Ryan will be smart with the distribution. The team is preparing to play Washington this Sunday and a weaker secondary could help the receiver get involved. The Falcons are also getting Tevin Coleman and Jacob Tamme back into the mix so it will be interesting to see how White is working into the offense this week.
