All-Falcons Monday (Take II): Now White needs to prove it
Hey, Roddy! What's it feel like to be really, really rich? (Curtis Compton/compton@ajc.com)
(Welcome back to All-Falcon Monday! This morning I had a post on Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Later this afternoon I’ll file something on defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder – the real key to this season’s win total. And now . . . Roddy White, who just completed his first practice since his holdout. And a simple poll for you: Do you believe he’ll live up to the contract?)
FLOWERY BRANCH — Given his identity two years ago — a fizzled first-round draft pick with questionable work habits and excess of thumbs — Roddy White has made a remarkable transition into the elite group of NFL wide receivers.
Now the question is whether he can stay there.
Loading ...“No pressure,” White said this morning after his first practice, when asked if he felt he needed to live up to his new six-year, $50 million contract.
White’s a good kid. He’s the type that doesn’t lead you to believe he’ll let the money go to his head. That says a lot, especially given his position breeds prima donnas.
But proving he can play to the level of his contract will be a challenge. When an athlete’s salary skyrockets, so does the expectation level. So does pressure.
If White thought he heard boos before when he dropped a pass, imagine what he’ll hear at $8.3 million per season.
“I Just have to do what I’ve been doing the last two years — go out there, be consistent, make plays and set up scores,” White said. “The rest will take care of itself. I can’t go out there and say, ‘I have to catch 90 balls. I have to catch 100 balls.’ When you do stuff like that, you’ll be pressing. I don’t want to press. I just want to relax and play.”
Only four NFL receivers will make more than White this season.
If he can relax and play with that as a backdrop, it will be a step forward.
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139 comments Add your comment
Cow
August 10th, 2009
11:43 am
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
SouthsideFalcon
August 10th, 2009
11:47 am
Finaaly we got him back in camp now I can rest at night knowing all of the peices are in place on the offense(except Harry Douglass). Lets get the D tightned up and get the divison and then the playoffs
Denver Bird
August 10th, 2009
11:48 am
dude couldn’t catch a cold for 2+ years – he sure didn’t seem to “feel any pressure” back then either..
Clayton
August 10th, 2009
11:49 am
One thing we need to remember too is if his production does drop we need to look at all the other offensive weapons that will be taking touches away from him. Norwood is supposed to be more involved along with Tony Gonzalez. Plus Jenkins will prob get more passes his way because of all the att paid to White and Gonzo.
TheManMike
August 10th, 2009
11:51 am
It is GREAT to know he’s back in there. I think the fans will need a little time to move past the hold out aggression but it will happen.
Now, with the addition of Booker (Whom i think was an excellent pick up) i think we are even better in the air.
BRING ON THE VAN GORDER STORY……..Love any news on our birds…
Sonny Clusters
August 10th, 2009
11:52 am
We was thinking that’s a lot of money but we wouldn’t want to catch a ball and get hit like some of those receivers get hit. If we was going to do it though the $8.5 million would make it more pleasant. We was also wondering if anybody ever knocked Arthur Blank down over there on the sidelines like that. We was remembering when that happened to some coaches standing over there and they went right down and it was hard to get up. Of course, sitting on a horse would make that less likely. They is so many things to blog about it sure is good of Jeff to keep this thing going today with all these Falcons blogs. We wasn’t so high on football until we got to liking Arthur Blank from Jeff’s blogs.
Jamaal=Bust
August 10th, 2009
11:54 am
Clayton that is true. I don’t expect Turner to get as many carries this season, nor White to have the % of balls thrown either. He’ll get 1,000+ yards again I believe but the TD’s will prolly come to Gonzo and Jenkins and the vets. White still has to work on his red zone game. But it’s nice to finally have the kid in camp, hopefully no Anderson jinx!
Daniel Bell
August 10th, 2009
11:54 am
I’m not worried about the number of passes coming his way, as long as he catches the damned thing when they do.
pd
August 10th, 2009
11:57 am
Thats a lot more money than I was expecting.
I expected $20m over 4 years.
FreeMikeVick
August 10th, 2009
11:58 am
If Vick were still on the team, Roddy would have caught 40 TD passes last year….Even then, Blank would still try to short change the Roddy…..
FALCONS SORRY
August 10th, 2009
12:00 pm
JEFF SHULTZ! YOU DONT NEED TO BE CALLING RODDY WHITE NO KID! HE IS A MAN! A MAN THAT WILL MAKE MORE MONEY IN THIS ONE SEASON THAN YOU WILL MAKE IN YOUR WHOLE CAREER AT THE AJC OR MANY OF THE HATERS ON HERE WILL EVER MAKE DOING ANYTHING! HE DONT HAVE TO PROVE HIM SELF TO YOU OR ANYBODY ELSE EXCEPT THE PEOPLE THAT SIGN HIS PAY CHECK! YOU NEED TO SHOW HIM SOME RESPECT BECAUSE HE EARNED IT BY WORKING HARD IN LIFE TO MAKE SOMETHING OF HIM SELF! MAYBE YOU ARE NOT JEALUSS OF THE MONEY! MAYBE YOU ARE UPSET BECAUSE HE IS STILL YOUNG BETTER LOOKING AND GOT SO MUCH MORE HAIR ON HIS HEAD WHERE IT COUNTS! DO NOT LET THESE HATERS TEAR YOU DOWN RODDY! YOU ARE NOW GETTING PAID WHAT YOU DESERVE AND YOU WILL BE MAKING EVEN MORE MONEY WHEN THE AJC IS COMING UP TO YOU TO KISS YOUR SUPPER BOWL RING IN MIAMI COME JANUARY! TAKE US WITH YOU TO DISNEY WORLD RODDY!
Mac
August 10th, 2009
12:02 pm
I think he’s played to that level for two years, so there’s really no reason to do anything but keep doing what he’s done. Right?
The Big Maru
August 10th, 2009
12:03 pm
SUPPER BOWL?
Are we talking about Roddy White or Grady Jackson?
Pi$$onaDawg
August 10th, 2009
12:03 pm
Vick without going to jail would not throw 40 TD pass in his entire career. Too much money for nothing.
marcus
August 10th, 2009
12:06 pm
white should be compensated and hopefully he will honor and live up to the demands of his contract. the nfl’s bargaining system opens the door for players like white to hold out. why is it that a rookies should make more money than establisehd players anyway. the nba may not be perfect in their “one and done rule” but they got it right in regards to salaries. players should earn their money at the next level. the nba took lumps over the years, doling out huge bonuses and salaries to players who had premium college careers. but the fact is; success in college, does not automatically translate to stellar nba/nfl, or mlb careers. will the roddy white’s of professional sports honor their contracts? probably not! what incentive do they have?
slick
August 10th, 2009
12:08 pm
Sorry PD, but that what the Falcons are paying Jenkins. You can’t expect your #1 WR to catch twice as many balls for twice as many yards as your #2 WR and make the same money.
Jay
August 10th, 2009
12:10 pm
I think the Falcons overpaid for White. He isnt the 5th best receiver in the Nfl. I would take Fitzgerald, Steve Smith, Moss, Reggie Wayne, Burress (once he can play again), Jennings, Andre Johnson, myabe Bolden, and before last year you could also make the case for Ocho Cinco and Roy Williams.
Good news about football contracts is that they are usually back-loaded and not all of the money is guaranteed. So if need be we can get out of this deal.
SKYROCK
August 10th, 2009
12:10 pm
@ FreeMikeVick
YOU NEED DRUG REHAB!!!
Nfl | All Days Long
August 10th, 2009
12:11 pm
[...] All-Falcon Monday (Take II): Now White needs to prove it Atlanta Journal Constitution Only four NFL receivers will make more than White this season. If he can relax and play with that as a backdrop, it will be a step forward. See all stories on this topic [...]
Reid Adair
August 10th, 2009
12:19 pm
Roddy White will be fine. He showed his potential in 2007 and 2008 once the Falcons had a quarterback (or three, as was the case in ‘07) who was able to run a passing game.
Better late than never. After his back-to-back 1,200 yard-plus season (first time in Falcons HISTORY that has been done by a receiver), Dimitroff should have had an extension as an off-season priority.
B. Daytona Bronzebest
August 10th, 2009
12:23 pm
Roddy White better live up to his contract. I mean, Coach Smith kicked Harry Douglas in the knee… I mean, Douglas was unfortunately injured… so White needs to step up…
J
August 10th, 2009
12:24 pm
Hey roddy, roddy, hey roddy, hey roddy, roddy hey roddy!!!!!!!!!!!
J
August 10th, 2009
12:25 pm
roddy is to matt, what plax was to eli.
Powder Springs Jacket
August 10th, 2009
12:30 pm
I think that Roddy White needs to give about 25% of his new contract money to Matt Ryan…really, if it was Byron Leftwich, Kyle Boller, Chris Simms, Vince Young or any other mediocre QB throwing him the ball, I seriously doubt if he would have accumulated the stats he did last year.
nhe
August 10th, 2009
12:30 pm
pd………4 yrs/20mil is Michael Jenkin’s contract…………why did you expect Roddy would settle for that?
Sonny – were you absent in school when they taught tenses?
Alex H.
August 10th, 2009
12:31 pm
Jeff…great article as usual and look forward the the VanGorder blog. I think Roddy will live up to the contract. Five days and counting until “toe meets leather” as the great Al Ciraldo would say. Go Falcons!
Jeff Schultz
August 10th, 2009
12:31 pm
TheManMike — VanGorder on the way (after I eat something).
Reid — I think TD/Falcs knew this was coming. But the other side of the table had to be a little more realistic about what he was going to get. (See: not $10 mill)
J — Hopefully Roddy won’t shoot himself.
Singletary
August 10th, 2009
12:32 pm
Clayton is right. RW shouldn’t be expected to be more than a balanced offense needs (assuming our defense steps up.) However, now that he’s been paid “up front” a lot of guaranteed $$$, I do expect him to 1/ work triple time for the rest of camp to catch up, and 2/ contort his body to reel in anything within his wing- and leap-span. And no, this is NOT an underhanded jibe about the Denver game. He already “manned up” about that one. If he’d pulled that one in with toes dragging, he’d be considered super-human, (Rice-like?). No hard feelings, RW, I’m looking forward to that next backflip in the end zone.
Tiwas
August 10th, 2009
12:42 pm
Great to have RW in camp. Holdouts in final year of contract is typical for elite players so there wasn’t a real concern he wouldn’t get the contract extension. This showed me he wanted to be here because he could have played without an extension, had a great season, and signed elsewhere next year. I hope the OL continues to improve an allow Matt Ryan time to throw downfield. I still think we need another big back in camp to take some pressure off Mike Turner. Where’s Duckett?
some sense
August 10th, 2009
12:43 pm
Probably just fannin’ the flames, but can somebody, anybody pour a shovel full of dirt on the illiterate, imbecilic FALCONS SORRY.
Cow
August 10th, 2009
12:44 pm
MOO!!
Geo
August 10th, 2009
12:44 pm
Roddy is back! Barring any injuries, I believe this Falcons offense will be on of the most productive in the history of the franchise.
Matt Ryan – 3500+ yds & 25+ TDs
Roddy White – 1300+ yds & 10+ TDs
Tony Gonzales – 1000+ yds & 8+ TDs
Michael Turner – 1400+ yds & 15 TDs
Go Falcons!
Reality
August 10th, 2009
12:45 pm
Cow is more intelligent, articulate, and capable of better reasoning and cogent thoughts than that retard Falcons Sorry.
Chris
August 10th, 2009
12:47 pm
Powder Springs Jacket – Do you remember 2007? I know we try and forget about that circus of a year, but Roddy put up pretty similar numbers with people like Leftwich, Harrington, and Redman. I put all 3 of them behind most of the people that you named.
Roddy White definitely has already proven he is worth this money with his last 2 years of play. I just hope that he can keep it up for 6 years.
Khao$
August 10th, 2009
12:48 pm
Powder Springs Jacket, Byron Leftwich was one of the three quarterbacks that threw to Roddy White when he had his first 1000 yard season. And Chris Redmon…and Joey Harrington. So yes, he did deal with mediocre quarterback play before Matty Ice came on board and he put up major numbers.
Sam
August 10th, 2009
12:53 pm
When someone brings up Mike Vick, all I can wonder is how they have time to man the drive-through and post to a blog at the same time? It’s like if I told my children that Paris Hilton is role model. It would just show the world how dumb I am.
Herschel Talker
August 10th, 2009
12:53 pm
Pi$$onaDawg likes men
MiltonDawg
August 10th, 2009
1:04 pm
Well Roddy finally got what he wanted after his pouting fest. Now, live up to it and remember what happened to the 98′ Jamal Anderson. Will insurance cover our loss if he’s injured at all?
mitch
August 10th, 2009
1:05 pm
Falcons Sorry–that’s the dang truth.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 10th, 2009
1:05 pm
Herschel Talker likes girls! He wears their panties and sits at their table when the Men are out back at the Bar-B-Que having a beer. How is that Appletini HERschel?
GO DAWGS
August 10th, 2009
1:10 pm
Falcons Sorry is retarded and has a man crush on Vick
Marie
August 10th, 2009
1:11 pm
Hey Falcons Sorry,
If the Falcons are such a sorry organization then how the heck will Roddy be celebrating a Super Bowl win in Miami next year with the AJC (Jeff and Mark) kissing his ring? Falcons Sorry you got some splaining to do??? Keep it coming dude, keep it coming.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
August 10th, 2009
1:24 pm
GO DAWGS, calling Falcons Sorry is an insult to retarded people everywhere.
We overpaid White cause the dude has an orangish-yellow 300 with a mural of a falcon painted on it. He couldn’t get rid of that thing. That should have been worth 1 million per in negotiations.
Sonny Clusters
August 10th, 2009
1:24 pm
We was noticing that this blog is more personal than one about baseball except they talk underpants. We was always wondering why they did that and asked Jeff once but he just ignored it and we was thinking it must be hard to come up with 3 blogs everyday and not talk underpants in there somewhere. We was not sure Jeff could pull it off with 3 Falcons blogs today but we is working on the 2nd one now. Jeff was always our favorite writer when we was playing ball together back in school and nothing has changed except Jeff (check out that picture). We was wondering if Arthur Blank will be coming back to the blog soon.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
August 10th, 2009
1:27 pm
And I agree with COW
SirReal
August 10th, 2009
1:28 pm
I like the fact that we can move on now. I’m salivating to see what the offense is gonna do.
Sidenote: is anyone else concerned that Brent Grimes is the only player in the secondary that keeps getting spotlighted. Nothing against Grimey but…
Falcon57
August 10th, 2009
1:35 pm
Well I’m glad Roddy’s back in the fold!! I’m sure the rest of the team is as well. As far as his production goes, first off I truly hope he works on the dropped passes but even with the addition of TG I still think he’ll have close to as many overall yards as this past season. He probably won’t have as many receptions with TG in the fold but will get more YAC due to the opposing defenses not being able to double team him as often. So, approx same yards receiving with less touches. Sounds fine to me!!! Can’t wait!!!!
Cow
August 10th, 2009
1:36 pm
MOOOOOOOOOOO MOOOOOOOOOO MOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Jeff Schultz
August 10th, 2009
1:41 pm
So I just came back from lunch. Saw Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and Michael Turner sitting at one table. I considered putting a ball on the table, just to see who would grab it first.
Hunter
August 10th, 2009
1:42 pm
BANG!! BANG!!
That stupid cow is now ready for the butcher.