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Roddy White: Being Phased Out of Falcons’ Offense?

By Jonathan Savitske

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Roddy White is the greatest wide receiver in the 50 year history of the Atlanta Falcons and one of the greatest players inthe history of the franchise, owning club records for most 1000 yard seasons, most receptions, and most receiving yards.

Last week against the New York Football Giants, Roddy White’s streak of 130 consecutive games with a reception was snapped, as the Falcons’ veteran did not have a single catch. The same happened during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, where Roddy White again did not record a reception (he had a 17 yard reception nullified by a penalty). Though the 33-year-old former UAB standout has his best years behind him and the emergence of Julio Jones has certainly diminished his work load, are the Atlanta Falcons phasing White out of the offense this season?

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That is a difficult question to answer because Roddy White brings so much to the Atlanta Falcons both on and off the field. He is a veteran presence in the locker room, and is still an effective route runner and weapon on offense. Of course with Julio Jones now the centerpiece of the Atlanta Falcons offense, it was expected that Roddy White’s numbers would diminish this season — but to be targeted once in two games? I don’t believe anyone could have expected that.

It was a given the Julio Jones would be QB Matt Ryan‘s favorite target this season, but unexpectedly WR Leonard Hankerson has become Ryan’s second favorite target three games into the season. I believed that with the injury to Devin Hester, Roddy White would be targeted even more in the absence of Hester, but has not been the case.

Matt Ryan has utilized the services of Leonard Hankerson, Jacob Tamme, Nick Williams, Levine Toilolo, Patrick DiMarco and Devonta Freeman more than he has Roddy White. That is surprising, and could indicate that something may be wrong with Roddy White that has been kept secret (perhaps an unknown injury).

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Another reason for Roddy White’s lack of involvement could be attributed to the zone blocking scheme that Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan has implemented this season. The offense now executes a more balanced attack, utilizing the ground game as well as other parts on offense.

Though Roddy White may be in the twilight of his career and hasn’t seen many balls go his way during the first 3 games of the 2015 season, I don’t believe that Dan Quinn and the Falcons are purposefully not targeting him. Football is a game of matchups, and if Jacob Tamme has a better chance of catching a ball than White, Ryan is going to pass it to him.

Roddy White is still a capable enough player even at 33-years-old to be a key cog in the Falcons offense this season. I’m sure over the course of the next few weeks, Roddy White will once again become more involved in the offense — and I’m sure he’s had a long talk with Matt Ryan about that.

Next: Atlanta Falcons Rally to Wrangle Cowboys, 39-28

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