FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Wide receiver Roddy White has no shortage of supporters.
The three-year veteran and 27th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft routinely gets cheers from the training-camp crowd, especially when he’s able to work his 208-pound frame through traffic and make a catch – a common occurrence this preseason.
He’s also getting some compliments from the coaching staff.
“I think he is very confident right now,” Head Coach Bobby Petrino said. “He has been making great catches and we have seen him go up and catch the ball. I think Roddy and Joey (Harrington) are starting to make a great connection. They are beginning to understand location as it pertains to where Roddy is going to be. We have to continue to do that with all of the receivers.
“I think that Roddy has a great deal of confidence right now. He is as fast as I have seen him since I’ve been here and he is doing an excellent job of keeping his weight down. He is very dedicated.”
White, who caught 30 passes for 506 yards last season, is putting pressure on himself – mentally and physically – to fit into the new offense.
“From the time they came in here they told me I needed to get my weight down to get in this offense because we do a lot of running,” he said. "I just needed to get my weight down and come in here the way they wanted me to. I picked up a little speed as I went down in weight.
“I think I’m doing all right. I can do better some days. I dropped a couple passes I should have caught (and) I made some good plays. I’m doing all right right now. I think I can step it up a little bit and continue to get better.”
WEATHER REPORT: The forecast on the front page of Tuesday’s Atlanta Journal Constitution said it best.
“VERY HOT”
The Falcons started their afternoon workout a little after 3 p.m. as the temperature climbed toward 96 degrees. The team’s weather station (which actually was sitting in the shade) reported a heat index of 101 degrees when practice broke around 5 p.m.
“It was hot,” White said. “We just fought through it. We got through. I thought the tempo was pretty good at practice. Coaches looked like they were pretty satisfied with our tempo and that was the big part of it.”
The team removed pads in the middle of practice, which gave some relief from the heat.
"It's tough," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "It's the dog days of camp. We've been here 11 days and we haven't played a preseason game yet... We're working hard and guys are fighting through it. We're getting better every day.
"We're getting to that point where we're looking forward to seeing another team."
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: The first preseason game is two days away – time for questions to surface about playing time and expectations.
Demorrio Williams may not play at New York, so Petrino said Stephen Nicholas and Travis Williams will get snaps at weak-side linebacker.
The coach also said Brooking and offensive lineman Kynan Forney, who have both taken some time off, will start.
Petrino said wide receiver Noriaki Kinoshita will likely get some reps Friday as well.
SWITCHEROO: The Falcons started the practice week with at least one noticeable change to everyone in attendance – uniforms.
Since the beginning of the offseason the team’s defense has worn white practice jerseys with red numerals. The offense donned red shirts with white numbers. The sides swapped Monday and will likely keep the look for the rest of training camp.
In preparation for Friday’s preseason game against the Jets, the Falcons also placed the primary logo on the side of the helmets. Before Monday the team had gone with black helmets with no decoration.
BLOOD DRIVE: The Falcons announced a partnership with the American Red Cross Monday afternoon that includes a blood drive during the month of August.
The drive kicks off Saturday Aug. 11. Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders will be on hand at six blood drive locations that day. Click here for details.
