After sitting out the last three games due to hamstring and ankle injuries, Roddy White believes he will be playing on Sunday as the Atlanta Falcons take on the Seattle Seahawks. The wide receiver is desperately needed as the Falcons offense continues to struggle with consistency due to injuries. White has practiced most of this week and while he was limited, both he and head coach Mike Smith are optimistic of a return.
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be out there Sunday,'' White said, via the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "You know, I wanted to get out there and have a full week of practice before I actually played in a game. This was the first full week that I'm going through. I'll be ready to play.''
The Falcons sit at 2-6 on the season and are in desperate need of a win just to lift the spirits of the team a little bit. Tight end Tony Gonzalez is excited about the potential return of White, calling it a breath of fresh air to the offense. After Julio Jones was lost for the season with a foot injury, Gonzalez has been the leading receiver for the team, getting double covered every game. He is sure that White will have some rust but will overcome that quickly.
White has been working overtime to get healthy, noting that he feels like a much more improved player than where he was at the beginning of the year.
"How I felt at the beginning of the season and right now is totally different," White said. "I've been doing a lot of work inside the weight room and outside, getting myself ready to go. It's going to be a battle out there. I'm excited. I just want to get back out there on the field and play."
White's return comes at an interesting time. The Falcons are facing the Seattle Seahawks team that they eliminated last year in the postseason. But, the matchup also lights fire under the feud the receiver and cornerback Richard Sherman have with one another.
The two players have made headlines going back and forth with one another. Sherman said White was not a very good player and did not deserve a sport on the Top 100 Players of 2013 list put together by the NFL Network. White returned the favor saying the only reason Sherman is considered elite is because he ran his mouth too much. The Falcons receiver referred to Sherman as a "front-runner" who only speaks when the Seahawks are winning.
Despite the war of words that took place over the offseason, White stresses that his return has nothing to do with that.
"I just don't circle games on the calendar,'' White said. "Every game that I play, that's the one that is circled throughout the season. There's no particular game that I go out there harder than any other one that I play. We're playing the Seattle Seahawks. They are the best team in NFC right now. We'll be nice and hyped to get a chance to knock these guys off.''
White is smart not to trash talk considering the Seahawks are poised for the postseason while the Falcons are looking like a top-5 draft pick is in their future. However, the two are both tremendous talents and if White is at full strength, the matchup should have fireworks.