Roddy White apologizes to the fans on Twitter
Roddy White reacts to making a first down catch after returning to the game. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons wide receiver Roddy White apologized to the fans via his twitter.com account on Sunday.
He wrote, “I want to apologize to all the falcon fans for our horrible performance last night it was not good and I’m sorry”
White turned in one of the best season in NFL history.
He led the league with 115 catches and set a new franchise mark for most catches in a season.
But after the game, he was terribly disappointed.
“You always think about your legacy and you’re judged by what you do in the postseason,” said White, who caught six passes for 57 yards. “I haven’t done anything yet. So we have to prepare ourselves for next year.”
The four turnovers jolted the offense out of sync.
“They came up with crucial turnovers when they needed them and they kept us out of the end zone,” White said. “After they got ahead, they kind of came after us a little bit. They blitzed us. We really couldn’t do anything. We had to throw the ball in the flats and things like that”
–D. Orlando Ledbetter
Get instant updates on Twitter at AJCFalcons and you can join the Facebook Fan page at AJC Falcons.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
262 comments Add your comment
CJ
January 17th, 2011
1:58 pm
Anybody else follow Roddy on Twitter and notice that he was in Miami last weekend? I mean, couldn’t that have waited until after the season?
Greg Moundine
January 17th, 2011
1:59 pm
Falcons 11, if we keep trying to win with class and not a mixture of meaness/class, we will never bring Super Bowl to Atlanta. The NFL will only by awarding a game to be played in Atlanta. We need T.O.
Falcon Fan
January 17th, 2011
2:01 pm
Wait till next year is getting old……………..
Travis McGee
January 17th, 2011
2:02 pm
A. Rogers had so much time in the pocket, I swear I saw him with a Chick-fil-a sandwich in his hand waiting for an open receiver.
jw
January 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
As much as it is going to hurt – please don’t bring in a bunch of has been (TO and RMOSS) – the team has finally turned the corner – use the draft, get those guys out of free agency that fit the mold of the organization and don’t bring in anymore trash.
As hard as Saturday night was to sit through and watch – the team is doing it right – it will take some time, I want them to be consistently in the hunt, not a 8 or 10 year cycle of making a run at it. We’re almost there – don’t mess it up with cancers from other teams. Use the draft and work long term to wanting folks to STAY with us instead of bolting when stardom hits!
Great season – bad ending – but anything less than a Super Bowl appearance wouldn’t do any good. I like that way of thinking! It’s been a long time since the Atlanta Falcons are mentioned with the words SUPER BOWL in the same breath. I like that!
Big Dude
January 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
Roddy, you’re O.K. In my opion it was poor preparation on both sides of the line.
Underestimated GB and overestimated themselves. Hope Smitty learned from this and will listen to T.D. on how to improve the team for next season.
One more time, “Wait till next year”!
cheese heads owned us
January 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
Seems ironic that Roddy is apologizing when Matt Ryan and the defense should be the ones who do.
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
AJ Green would look good in the black and red. However I think the Falcons will address the defensive side of the ball first.
Cowboys
January 17th, 2011
2:09 pm
@ give me a break @ c from marrieta There has been 45 superbowls and i have 5 rings and the falcons have none. I can deal with a bad season every once in while but hey do you remember that beat down we put on your falcons in Dallas, or how bout in the dome a couple years ago are how bout danny white in 80 . you guys just started celebrating back to back winning sasons its superbowl or bust in dallas not a lil divsion champ.
Dumbo
January 17th, 2011
2:11 pm
Remember the old adage…”You win as a team and you lose as team” thats why it’s called a team sport. Keep your heads up Falcons!
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:12 pm
Cowboys….you are right the cowboys have been SO close to a superbowl over the past couple of years. If you think Jason Garrett and Romo will get you there….keep dreamin!
Packer Fan
January 17th, 2011
2:12 pm
I have lived in Atl for 10yrs. I’ve always had one motto…As long as the Falcons are not playing the Packers, I will always support them. NEVER AGAIN. A 13-3 record turned the Falcon fans into the most obnoxious fans in the NFL. I am talking bout on the net, the sports bars and even the strangers on the street. You all talked more mess this season than the Steelers & they have 6 rings. All the whinning football fans had to deal with from Atl
National media doesn’t recongnize us
NFL channel show us no love
No one pick us to go all the way
media is not giving our defense their props….blah blah blah
There were too many close games that the Falcons should have lost and their were too many close games the Packers should have won. The big difference is the Packers went their entire season without their pro bowl tight end & their running back.
How far would the Falcons have gone without Turner & Gonzalez??? Bottom line is the Packers is a much better team and national professionals recognized the obvious.
Oh, Falcons D can’t go 1 on 1 with Packer receivers. We have too many weapons.
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:14 pm
Packer Fan….Without Turner and Gonzalez? That is like saying how far would the Packers have gotten without Rogers? No point.
Dumbo
January 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
To all the losers puttin’ down the Falcons and fans…get a life or is your’s so small you’ve got penis envy!
falcon since 1978
January 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
Roddy, you didn’t need to apologize. I know you are hurting as much as we are. Our championship “dance” was postponed until Indianapolis, 2012. I see us making some big moves in the offseason. Our core is fine. Abraham, Babineaux, Beirmann, Spoon, Lofton, Nicholas, Moore, DeCoud, Grimes, and Robinson all return next year. We will survive. I see another 12 to 14 win season and we get GB in Atlanta…..was the 48th point necessary? I’m worried we’ve sen the last of Finneran and Gonzalez, but Palmer and Peele are back. Rise UP for 2011
joe
January 17th, 2011
2:16 pm
just get a few good draft picks to solidify the team and they should be right back in it next year…hope Tony comes back at TE.
Cowboys
January 17th, 2011
2:19 pm
@GW we seen what mike smith and matty choke job ryan has done in two playoff chances 0-2. If ii am correct tony romo and jason garretts coached offense beat your falcons with matty ryan as the qb
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:22 pm
Cowboys were ranked what at the end of the season? NFC South Champions? WHAT?
Sorry you are still living in the Aikman, Smith and Irvin days…..long gone.
Dumbo
January 17th, 2011
2:22 pm
Cowboys….heard Tony Homo & Garrett are planning their own little Broke Back Mountain!!!!!!!!!!
CJ
January 17th, 2011
2:23 pm
Who Dat say the have a Superbowl ring? Not the Falcons but the Saints do!!! LOL
Tweets that mention Roddy White apologizes to the fans on Twitter | Atlanta Falcons -- Topsy.com
January 17th, 2011
2:23 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kia. Kia said: RT @AJCFalcons: Roddy White apologizes to the fans on Twitter http://bit.ly/gkqNKk [...]
Dukester
January 17th, 2011
2:26 pm
No worries Roddy I know you are a average receiver drafted in the 1st round for what I dont know. Yes you have great padded stats for catches the last couple of years because your QB arm is too weak to go deep. But hey he helped you fool the falcons into giving you 50 million so more power to you. Well see you next year.
jay daniels
January 17th, 2011
2:27 pm
Falcons were overrated all year. Plain and simple.
Cowboys
January 17th, 2011
2:27 pm
@ CJ nice one the falcon fans talk all that trash and has never one a superbowl dont nody celebrate division champs. the difference between superbowl ring holders and division champs watches
CJ
January 17th, 2011
2:29 pm
That’s right the Who Dat nation has a beautiful Superbowl Championship banner hanging in our dome and the pigeons have none!!!! LMAO!!!
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:29 pm
Cowboys…..that is ok. If you like living in the past.
Outdoor Man
January 17th, 2011
2:31 pm
Thanks Roddy. You had a great season – this game was not your fault. I have been watching the Falcons since 1980 and this was a very disappointing loss. Maybe the most disappointing. There are some things we have to fix. Number 1: the secondary has only been good over the last two years when Brian Williams has been in there. Sorry Demitroff but your draft choices in the secondary have not panned out. Please go out and get a real corner. On offense we need to upgrade at receiver and we have needed to upgrade at receiver for several years and guess what Harry Douglas is not the answer. I like Matt Ryan, but he needs better receivers for games like Saturday. Are their any plans to go after Oakland’s top corner!
Cowboys
January 17th, 2011
2:34 pm
@ George W have you seen the dr. phil superbowl commercial lets see which side are you sitting on
Ted
January 17th, 2011
2:34 pm
I think it’s hilarious that he’ll be watching the rest of the playoffs and superbowl from home.
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:35 pm
Actually no i have not.
SeenThisB4
January 17th, 2011
2:39 pm
Roddy: In Japan, when someone loses face the way your falcan’t team does, they go a lot further to apologize than to hit the twitter. Man up and do what they would do…..
Tweets that mention Roddy White apologizes to the fans on Twitter | Atlanta Falcons -- Topsy.com
January 17th, 2011
2:40 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Twitorum. Twitorum said: #twitter Roddy White apologizes to the fans on Twitter – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) http://dlvr.it/DWTJk [...]
Cowboys
January 17th, 2011
2:41 pm
@ George W go to you tube and tell me what you think
Cowboys Blow
January 17th, 2011
2:42 pm
Cowboys, stop living in the past. Your team hasn’t done a thing in a long time. You didn’t even make the playoffs. The Cowboys are has beens and a joke, period. No one cares about Jerry’s world except morons like you.
Cowboys
January 17th, 2011
2:48 pm
what past do the falcons have i think none. its not like you guys have done anything lately neither so your owner wants to be like jerry so bad. He wants a new stadium but he can afford one the dome might as well fall in like in minnesota lol
Ted
January 17th, 2011
2:50 pm
Roddy White is a trash talker…the biggest one of all of the Falcants–and he got exactly what he deserved. The “homer” sportswriters like you and all of the others on AJC and the local crappy sports stations are the only ones who picked the Falcants to win. They got WHIPPED. That’s what the fans get for talking all kinds of trash!!! HAHA
George W
January 17th, 2011
2:50 pm
Cowboys…haha you are right. Lets be more like Jerry…sink all of our money into a dome (which we dont need) and not invest that money into the team. haha you are hilarious!
tspeck
January 17th, 2011
2:51 pm
Thanks, Roddy. I was looking forward to a Falcons Super Bowl and was truly crushed Saturday night. But, your apology takes the sting out a little bit. Win as a team, lose as a team!
Hamad Meander
January 17th, 2011
2:58 pm
Roddy – thank you for your concern. It’s refreshing to see a professional athlete admit when he didn’t play well and promise to do better in the future. I remember one Atlanta Brave that thought he never threw a bad pitch……when the batter knocked it out of the park.
I have respect for Roddy White and wish him more success in the future with the Falcons.
Grover Cleveland
January 17th, 2011
3:00 pm
From the first mini camp until the 2011 season begins, the playoff game against the Packers should be running 24/7 on all TV monitors at the Falcons offices at Flowery Branch.
The Joker
January 17th, 2011
3:01 pm
Roddy,
Let’s be honest, you are not the one who should be apologizing, the defense, Matt Ryan, the Coaching Staff are the one’s who need to apologize. I agree with Falcon Fan, the whole ” Wait till next year” talk is really getting old, in fact, it was really old about twenty years ago. While I (along with others) continue to be upset about Saturday night’s game, we can only be optimistic and hope that we do not take another ten year plunge after this debacle. It is also very funny how other teams(fans) come here and down the organization, sure we don’t have a pretty rap sheet, but an individual must look at the issue for what it is…
1) We (the city of Atlanta) has lacked professional sports culture because of the foundation(losing culture) that has been built into our organization by so many previously and current owners here…i.e. The Atlanta Spirit Group, Rankin Smith…Not trying to make excuses, just state facts, organizations such as green bay packers will always have a great tradition of winning because there isn’t anything to do there but demand that the owners develop a winning team….
2) We need a ‘Beastly’ mentality, as Fans we are sometimes too laid back with a classy team, we need (like someone already mentioned) some ugly,massive, mean, cold-hearted players(particularly on defense…the lineman), let’s face it, it all starts at the lines, defense and offense, we have some aggression but we are undersized to a certain degree, especially in the interior defensive line(this might explain why we lack so much pass rush).
3) Jenkins has showed that he can be a great #2 receiver, the biggest problem is that Ryan seemed to overlook him a lot, I like Ryan, I really do, but he must develop more arm strength and stop ‘eying Roddy and Gonzalez’ every critical down, this is what led to that interception for that TD at the end of the first half.
4) We need a speedy,versatile back in the draft, someone like Trent Richardson comes to mind, we need to move Baker to Right Tackle and find a true left Tackle, I thought we had one of the best overall linebacker cores in the league, but we need more speed, not sure what to say about the corners but I thought they were fair overall, I particularly liked Grimes but life is unfair and realistically his height hurts him and hurts the team at times.
5) Last but not least, I already said that the coaching staff needs to be the one’s apologizing, our conservative play calls have worked for most of the season for the most part, but film and recent experiences should have gave us hints that this mentality was only going to work for so long, especially against a team that had previously seen us already once in the season already, why didn’t the game plan consist of more no-huddles? Why not have an offensive game plan similar to the one that they had had against Baltimore? Everyone(literally) knew what was coming, we showed that we were going to attempt to run it down the packers throats but when that has been talk all week as to being our overall game plan, and we turn around and do exactly just that, it takes away any element of surprise. We need to spread the field out better and incorporate more screen plays, draws, deep routes, etc.
Well, (*sighing*) I guess we will (once again) have to wait and see what happens next year, GO FALCONS!!!!
Al B.
January 17th, 2011
3:01 pm
First time commenter. Here goes.
Not hearing much about the “odd” playoff seedings. Falcons would have been better off being the #2 seed. Should go by records each round if they are going to insist on giving Division winners home games. Still would have had to play Packers at some point, of course.
Need to improve pass rush. Teach linemen to get in passing lanes and at least get hands up to knock passes down (see TCU). Also, blitzers don’t need to try to KILL the QB. The QB is likely going to move at last second so they need to “target” to the side – if QB doesn’t move you will still get him/no ARM tackles.
Offense needs more variety…very predictable. I can “guess” 90% of plays when ball is almost snapped. Should have kicked field goal or thrown long with 10 sec. to go in half!!!
All in all. Good season. A little over-rated, but somebody has to be. Remember not even in playoffs last year. Honestly think the team was REALLY looking forward to a rematch with Saints and not able to get as fired up. Actually never got offensive rhythm v. Pack due to a couple of GOOD things.. long KO Return and short field due to Fumble by Packers earrly. Was good to score, obviously, but didn’t get to set up some things from the playbook for later, plus the Defense was on the Field a long time and they normally are not.
ATL Fan
January 17th, 2011
3:04 pm
I sure am glad that I am complaining about losing in the playoffs. Beats complaining about not getting to the playoffs.
Season Ticket Holder
January 17th, 2011
3:05 pm
Mularkey and Van Gorder were coaching not to lose and not coaching to win. The falcons were out coached on offense and defense. The falcons must step up their game plans to compete at the top level.
FACTS
January 17th, 2011
3:05 pm
I find it very strange that a so-called defensive background coach, Mike Smith, has had 3 years to build a solid core on that side of the ball. Yet they still play a bend but don’t break type of strategy, look at John Harbaugh & Rex Ryan. 2 good young QBs yet they rely on aggressive defense
Squiggly
January 17th, 2011
3:06 pm
PMC you are so correct. They are going to waste Ryans talent just like they do Bartkowski’s.
Joey
January 17th, 2011
3:07 pm
Maybe White and Co will be next to apologize for their pathetic game plan.
Run, run, pass on 3rd and 8.
Etc.
Etc.
Still Barfing Chunks
January 17th, 2011
3:08 pm
Who was that team? I think they where all wearing a Ray Buchannon neck choker Sat—sick, words can not describe this embarrasing mess—-shades of the faux braves ONE & DONE—hey put up another flag in the dome for winning the division and p’ing it all away horribly
Cowboys Blow
January 17th, 2011
3:12 pm
Cowboys, why would Arthur Blank want to be like Jerry Jones? Blank is a nice man with class, while Jones is a egotystical maniac who gets a face lift every two years. The Falcons won their division thus year. What did you presious Cowboys do? NOTHING!
MR.true fan
January 17th, 2011
3:13 pm
the falcons need to cut harry douglass trade jason snelling for a second round pick dont resighne brian the other wr he is washed up the good buy system have kept him around for years recommended?the need to sighn harvy daul back but let the other offensive line go we need to go afther the top 2 defenseive players the best shut down cornor and charles johson its time blank need to open the check book up we need moss or to we don need no harry douglass or washed up brain