Roddy White Needs to Sit Out vs. Rams.

Aug 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) on the sidelines in the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Georgia Dome. The Bengals won 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Roddy White only had two catches for 19 yards in last Sunday’s matchup with the Saints.  White was able to keep is crazy long streak without missing a game which is ridiculously long for a highly injury-prone position such as wide receiver.  I applaud you, Roddy.  But this isn’t about silly streaks and personal goals.  This is about being the ultimate team member and doing what it takes to win the Super Bowl.

I would like to credit White for being a very tough player, but he is not superman.  Anyone that watches the playoff game last year in Washington knows what potentially happens when you play an already injured player.

To the point, the Atlanta Falcons need Roddy White.  They need him for the entire season.  The schedule gets considerably more difficult down the stretch and Atlanta needs to make sure that Roddy is there in full health to burn Richard Sherman for another touchdown halfway through the season.

Roddy Playing last week may have hurt the chances of winning more than helped it.  The Obvious Idea was to draw coverage so Julio was more open, but it didn’t take long for New Orleans to realize the Roddy wasn’t playing like he should.  Should the Falcons had put in Drew Davis in place of Roddy, perhaps the Saints would have focused on Julio much more often allowing for Davis and Douglas to step up even more.

I believe that Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, Harry Douglas, and Drew Davis is enough to beat the Rams in the passing game so long as they set the run game with Steven Jackson. What Atlanta can’t do is have Roddy further injured when they take on the New England Patriots.

My advice to Roddy and the Falcons staff:  Sit the game.  Take some time and rest that ankle.  Trust your team, they can get it done.  You’ll be big in a couple weeks, but stay healthy now.  As Atlanta Falcons fans, no one is going to harass you for missing this coming game and no one is going to lose sleep over it.  Just. Relax.