Flowery Branch — Falcons wide receiver Roddy White is feeling it right now. He doesn't catch passes. He snatches them. Defensive backs are going to feel him too — a stiff arm or some lip after he makes a play is how he's been inflicting most of his damage this preseason.

Confidence is a beautiful thing.

"I know I can make plays," White said.

Now he does.

Fresh off a breakthrough season — 83 catches, 1,202 yards and six touchdowns — White is Atlanta's main receiving threat. He is arguably its top offensive option.

White calls for the football while running routes, much like the youngster in sandlot games screaming, "I'm open." He's learned that a fluid stride sometimes works better at shaking free from a defender than a head fake.

But is he really ready?

Last season, the Falcons' offense was among the worst in the NFL. Somebody had to do something. The running game barely existed and the team went through quarterbacks like its gone through coaches the last few years.

White was about the only constant.

"I hope he understands that a lot of people have caught 75, 80 ball for one year," wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie said. "It's the guys who consistently catch 75, 80 balls year in and year out. Those are the special guys. He's got to get that in his mind."

White said he does.

"I'm still paying my dues," White said. "There are a lot of people ahead of me right now. I have a lot of ground to gain. I have to compete and work hard all the time in practices and in games. Those guys [Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss] have made Pro Bowls. I haven't made any. I have to work to get where they are and I have to help my team win."

Though White is one of the most jovial players on the team — he can talk trash with the best of them — humility is also part of his DNA.

It wasn't long ago when the 2005 first-round draft pick was considered a flop. He dropped passes. Then he dropped more. He had 29 catches as a rookie and added just one more catch to his season total in 2006.

A lack of confidence can be a destructive thing.

"When I first came here, I was a really confident guy but I couldn't put everything together," said White, who added he occasionally reflects on his tough times. "I think I finally figured it out."

Vikings wide receivers coach George Stewart, who coached White in his first two seasons with the Falcons, said White's maturity has allowed him to begin to reach his potential.

"When Roddy came into the league, he was young, fun-loving, immature to a degree," Stewart said. "Now, he's a man. It's his show. I respect him so much because he had that big drop against New Orleans in the Georgia Dome his second year and everybody booed him, ganged up on him.

"He could have quit, but he stayed the course and got better from that. To see where he is now speaks volumes."

White showed enough last season that defenses probably will give him a little extra attention this season. Without a proven sidekick — Michael Jenkins and Laurent Robinson are battling for the No. 2 job — White is going to have to work harder to find open spaces in double coverage.

In addition, head coach Mike Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey want to run the ball. When pass plays are called, the scheme is set to spread the wealth, Mularkey said.

"Based on how they're playing us, Roddy's going to get plenty of balls," Mularkey said. "The way the offense is set up he's in a position that calls for it. But I'm not going to try to force it to Roddy because it would disrupt the rhythm of this offense. There are also some other guys who can do some things."

With other options and likely added defensive attention, White is still too valuable a threat to be diminished. His ability to catch a short pass, break tackles and turn it into a first down, or to make the tough catch across the middle and go deep are tools that could allow him to be great, Robiskie said.

"The guy I saw competing for the ball, wanting the ball, when I watched film when I got here is there," said Robiskie, in his first season with the Falcons. "He got a taste of success — a little success — last year. He wants it. You can see it. He wants more. He sees the big picture now. He wants to get in there with the big boys."