FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons wide receiver Roddy White was frank about what the team needs to do to forge a turnaround.
Here’s what he had to say on Thursday:
Q: How are you all going to get this season turned around?
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
A: The guys that have been here the longest have to lead and have to lead by example. We have to bring (the young guys) along and show them how to win football games. We just have to do a better job of that. The seven or eight of us that have been around here as long as we've been around here, we just have to point our team in the right direction. We have to be more vocal and those guys have to step up and helps us lead the charge.
Q: How do you all keep the offense moving?
A: We just have to stay ahead of the chains. We've kind of dug ourselves a hole just getting behind the chains. When you come off a break everybody does an evaluation of the first eight games of the season. When you look at our statistics, it's hard to play from behind the chains. We've had a whole lot more third-and-10s or longer than we've had in the last three or four years. We have to fix that problem and just get ourselves ahead of the chains. Give ourselves an opportunity to just be successful on third down so that we can stay on the field.
Q: Can the rushing attack help if you’ll used it a little more?
A: Yes it can. In a lot of different areas it can. Most of the time we just have to go out there and execute plays. I just think we're not executing. One or two guys are off on certain plays. We just need 11 guys on every play executing the play and we'll be successful.
Q: How does the group deal with the drops?
A: I feel like that guys have been dinged up and not practicing as much. It's different when you get in the game and the game speed is a whole lot different. You can say that's some of the blame for it, but we just got to hold onto the ball and do what we're supposed to do as an offense. We've been doing that coming off the bye week all of us have been out there practicing every day. Just going out there and executing. We know what we have to do. We're going to get it done.
Q: Does the new practice schedule help you all out?
A: (Coach Mike Smith) has always changed the schedule about halfway through the year to try to get us more rest. It's not going to be anything (different) from what we've been doing around here. We did the same thing last year and the year before that. The later it is in the season, guys get a little bit more tire so he gives us more time off the field and there is just more mental work than physical.
Q: Do the guys in this locker room feel that they can turn this season around?
A: Yes, we feel as if we can. Nobody has blown away our division as of today. We've got a chance to get ourselves back in the race. We just have to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time and go out there and execute. We could be right there at the end. We just basically can depend on our leaders to go out there and get our guys going and actually show the young guys how to win football games. We haven't closed out football games. We do have a young team, but the older guys around here have won a lot of ball games. We have to show the young guys how to win them.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Q: What’s been up with the fourth quarter and the team being outscored 80-7 since the first Tampa Bay game?
A: We just have to execute down the stretch. That's been our biggest thing. In the fourth quarters, we've been leading in certain games. We've been down two scores or more in certain games so it's been difficult for us. We are having our fourth quarter woes. We have to fix that quarter. Around here we've been pretty successful in the fourth quarter and we haven't figured it out. Coming off the bye week, usually when we come off the bye week we come in here with a different attitude and we kind of go on these runs. We are going to need a big run for these next eight games.
Q: Are you all expecting Tampa Bay’s best shot?
A: Absolutely. Anytime a team goes out there and kind of lays an egg or gets embarrassed, they come out here with a chip on their shoulders and want to go out there and play hard. We are going to expect those guys to be fired up and ready to play. Plus, they are playing at home.
Q: They have Gerald McCoy back. What are you expecting from the Tampa Bay defense?
A: He's one of the better defensive tackles in the league, if not the best defensive tackle in the league. So, he's going to be what he is. He's a
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
game wrecker. He’s going to make his plays, but we’ve got to game plan to keep him out of the backfield. We have to put double teams…on him, try to keep him out of the way and keep him off of the quarterback. He’s a great player so he’s going to make plays in the game. That’s just who he is. We just have to balance that out and continue to do what we do and stay on task.
Q: Does this team lack leadership?
A: I don't think we lack leadership. It's just frustrating when you don't finish games and things like that. Everybody knows that our team is young and things like that and that we're inexperience at certain positions that are important on this team. It's a tough task. But the guys at the wide receiver position, we've got to carry some of the guys on the (offensive) line. At the quarterback position, we've got to carry some of the guys at the running back position. It's just got to be that way. It's got to be that way on defense, too. We have to carry each other to the finish line. We'll be fine. Once we get this thing turned around and get everything going, then things will change.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Pressure on Ryan to lead Falcons revival
Falcons don't make the grade at mid-season mark
Staggering Falcons still alive in awful NFC South
GAME STORY: Lions rally to beat Falcons 22-21
Matt Ryan believes he cost the Falcons the game
Falcons' quoteboard after 22-21 loss to the Lions
Next for Falcons: Buccaneers on Nov. 9
London looks good too good for NFL to pass up
MARK BRADLEY: The Falcons abject failure was a failure of coaching
MARK BRADLEY: On a Global Stage, one of the worst-ever Falcons losses
About the Author
