Trading for White, who has met with head coach Dan Quinn about the situation, won’t be easy.
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“It was a really clear demonstration of our toughness, of our grit and of our mindset to finish the game”, Quinn said. That’s what we live for. Fantasy owners were disappointed by Ryan’s numbers, but anyone who started the red-hot Freeman against a solid Redskins run defense that was surrendering 3.9 yards per carry coming into today’s game was rewarded in a big way.
Earlier this week, cornerback Will Blackmon stood by his locker and continued to remain calm when asked about the lack of defensive turnovers, and specifically, interceptions, that the Redskins had struggled in creating over their first four games of the season. He also caught seven passes for 44 yards.
The Falcons are stacked at the wide receiver position, and Julio Jones leads them as the top target.
He picked the pass at midfield easily but wasn’t finished, running back across it and evading tacklers for 28 more yards. It was Ryan’s worst passing rated game since he had a 48.6 in Week 2 against Cincinnati last season. At this point, he’s on pace for 52 balls thrown in his direction – by far a career low. The Falcons beat Tampa Bay 13-10 on December. 14, 2009 when he had a 57.5 passer rating. “I’m just happy we got out with (a win)”. “The defense is still a work in progress, but we are seeing gradual improvements”.
With a depleted secondary due to injuries to corners Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall, the loss masked a strong resiliency from the backups (Blackmon) and rookies (Jarrett) and saw its veterans step up when they needed, limiting Falcons receivers to just nine catches, and preventing the big play. The Falcons were throwing passes to Nick Williams before White.
Jones said Thursday he believes White’s criticism of his role in the offense was taken out of context. He’s clearly not the same productive player he’s been in the past and the thought of cutting salary – and potentially receiving a draft pick – may be too much for the Falcons to pass on.
The change of fortune occurred on the Falcons’ first offensive drive.
There were cheers of “Roddy, Roddy, Roddy”.
Jones, Leonard Hankerson, Freeman and tight end Jacob Tamme have more catches than White.
He caught eight passes for 94 yards.
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He entered the game with eight catches for 108 yards, but has won favor with Ryan as a pro’s pro.
