Roddy White talks take turn for worse

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH — The tone of Roddy White’s negotiations with the Falcons has taken a turn for the worse.

“I’m a little bit disappointed with the direction that the negotiations are going at this point,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Wednesday. “It’s one of those situations where both parties are digging in and feel strongly about their case.”

There were discussions Tuesday that went well into the evening.

White, who is under contract for the 2009 season, wants a contract in the financial neighborhood of Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who recently signed a four-year $40 million deal. The Falcons apparently are not willing to go that high.

Before Tuesday’s talks, Dimitroff thought things were going well and was hopeful that White would be in camp soon. Now, the Falcons are considering withdrawing their offer and asking White to play for the $2.28 million he’s set to receive for the 2009 season.

Since the owners opted out of the collective bargaining agreement, 2010 could become an uncapped year and White could end up being a restricted free agent, meaning he wouldn’t hit the open market until after the 2011 season.

“We want Roddy to be here for a long, long time,” Dimitroff said. “But there comes a point in training camp where it is a disadvantage to Roddy himself. Our thought is that soon enough, we’ll have to move forward and re-address this at the end of the season.”

When asked Wednesday how the talks went, White’s agent Jonathan Feinsod said “no comment.”

Jacket doing well

Defensive tackle Vance Walker, a seventh-round pick from Georgia Tech, has impressed coach Mike Smith.

“When we did our due diligence, we thought that Vance was a guy to play in the league,” Smith said. “Up until this point, he’s done well.”

Smith and Tech coach Paul Johnson are buddies, and Johnson likely gave Walker a good reference.

SEC connections

● When the Falcons worked on their goal-line offense Wednesday, the trotted out their “Bulldog” set. D.J. Shockley was at quarterback with Verron Haynes at fullback and Thomas Brown at running back, all former Georgia Bulldogs players.

● First-round pick Peria Jerry compared the SEC to his first few days in NFL training camp. “It’s more technique involved, and the game speed is a whole lot quicker,” Jerry said. “You’ve got linemen who are just as quick as you are.”