While Roddy White did not see his current streak of 129 starts come to an end, the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver was a non-factor in the team's loss to the New Orleans Saints. White was still feeling the aftermath of a high ankle sprain suffered in the preseason. As a result, the rest of the passing attack suffered by the lack of impact from White.
The Falcons could possibly have the best receiving corps in the league when everyone is healthy. White, Julio Jones, Harry Douglas and Tony Gonzalez create one scary group, but when one player is unhealthy it throws the entire dynamic off.
White was primarily a decoy on Sunday, recording just two catches for 19 yards. Atlanta attempted to create a smokescreen by putting White out on the field, but his ankle injury fooled no one. That of course increased the attention around Jones and Gonzalez, leaving No. 3 Douglas as the primary target.
"I wasn't my usual self. But you go out there and play as much as possible and try to help your team win. But it will be maybe a few more weeks before I can go out there and be myself. But no excuses. We just came up short today." White said, via the Ledger-Enquirer. "We had a package going in. They wanted me in certain areas to do certain things so that they couldn't just bracket guys. That's what we did."
White was not pleased with the 17-point offensive showing. He blamed most of that on self-harm. The Falcons offensive line struggled heavily throughout the entire game as the Saints defensive front overmatched Atlanta. The line featuring a heavy amount of inexperience gave up three sacks while being hampered by penalties. New starters like Lamar Holmes failed to protect Matt Ryan most of the game.
"We (shot) ourselves in the foot on a lot of drives," White said. "We had penalties. We had things called back and drives stalled. We got off to such a good start, but then we kept doing things wrong. But when you're that bad and you still have a chance to win the game ... Our defense played a hell of a game. They give us an opportunity and came up big when we needed it most. Kudos to our defense. We on offense, with the players we have, have to win this game."
That Falcons were also missing secondary star Asante Samuel who sat out the game. That proved less of a loss than White. While the defense gave up a few crucial big passing plays, they were able limit the Saints on a number of drives. It is uncertain what kind of action White will see in Week 2, but the Falcons will be hoping he can return healthier than Sunday.
