Injuries continue to plague the Atlanta Falcons this season as yet another crucial starter has been ruled out for a game. After losing two key defensive players in the preseason and Julio Jones for the year, Asante Samuel, Sam Baker, Steven Jackson and Roddy White have all been limited. Now with White out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the spotlight will be on Harry Douglas to step up.
White will miss his first career game after being hampered by both ankle and hamstring injuries. This will be the first game in 133 starts that White has missed, breaking his impressive streak. The four-time Pro Bowler was unable to practice all week after suffering a setback during the bye week. With Jones also out, this is a huge blow to the Atlanta offense.
White had been struggling with injuries all season. He suffered a high ankle sprain back in the preseason limiting his production all year. Normally one of the Falcons' top players, White was sixth on the receiving list this season with just 14 catches for 129 yards.
With Jones and White gone, the Falcons are not going to sell out and rely simply on the run game. Jackson has also been ruled out for his fourth-straight game, leaving Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter plans on running more no-huddle plays and attack with speed.
"No-huddle is a big part of our package," Koetter said, via Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We are fully committed to it. Obviously, when you take experienced guys out, you can't ask inexperienced guys to (do it) . . . you can't do as many things. Roddy, Matt (Ryan) and Julio have been together so long that they can just use hand signals. It builds on its own."
Even with fresh faces in the huddle, the plan will remain the same. With that, veteran Douglas becomes a crucial leader along with tight end Tony Gonzalez. Douglas has been a relied No. 3 receiver for the past two years. So far this year, Douglas has 219 yards off 16 catches and 27 targets. He becomes more important than ever.
Head coach Mike Smith is confident Douglas can rise to the occasion. He plans on rotating the receiver around. Douglas is normally a slot receiver, but Smith is stressing versatility with the offense.
"I think as a coaching staff, we've got to put everybody in the best position," Smith said. "Obviously, I think we'll see some multiplicity in what we want to do with our wide receivers. This is a unique situation that we're dealing with right now. You've got to be multiple. And that's what we'll try to do."