Roddy White on the Saints? Don’t laugh, but one website thinks it should happen
By John Hendrix
Ex-Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White is one of the most hated New Orleans Saints adversaries in the modern-day era of football.
So, would you ever entertain the idea of him joining the black and gold? We certainly wouldn’t, but Alex Hoegler of Cover32 recently suggested that the New Orleans Saints should sign Roddy White. Here’s what he had to say:
"The long-time Falcon will be 35-years-old in November and is clearly on his last legs, but 43 receptions for 506 yards and a touchdown are not bad stats by any mean. They’re just considerably low from the man who hit 1,000 yards every year from 2007-2012.White may not put up big numbers with the Saints, but he could be a huge weapon in helping the Saints learn the Falcons playbook better when the two teams face each other in 2016. Both teams look evenly matched on paper, and the Saints need every advantage they can get."
Respectfully, I think there’s going to be some common disagreement. The nice and quick summary of this long-term rivalry is that New Orleans Saints fans hate the Atlanta Falcons, and vice versa. Roddy White has absolutely helped escalate the hatred with his big mouth.
2010 is where things took off after White took a personal jab on Twitter at the city of New Orleans after the team’s Super Bowl win.
“The grace of god gave them tht championship so that city wouldn fall apart now and now they they hot shit in my chad voice child please.”
Obviously, the tweet (which is how it was actually spelled by the way) was deleted and White regretted his actions, but the damage had been done (and once it’s on the internet rule). Saints fans who lost everything including family close to them only to have a nation rally around them to turn it into something positive could never and still never look past that statement.
In 2012, White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I don’t like nothing about the Saints. The colors. The city. Nothing.” He even appeared on NFL Network to talk more trash on the Saints. The two teams would clash, as the then undefeated Falcons suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Saints in November. Even then, White stubbornly didn’t give credit where it was due.
"“It doesn’t say much about us about us,” he said. “I think we had opportunities today. It’s not like they came out here and just … I feel like we kind of gave it away. We just gave it to them.”"
It may have took a while, but White did some growing up. In 2015, White changed his tune and stated that he made amends with Saints fans. “Absolutely, I love those people, man,” White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He added that he couldn’t wait to have fun with those guys (Saints fans).
In 22 career games against the Saints dating back to 2005, White has 86 receptions, 1,293 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns. The Falcons were also 7-15 during that stretch, which was mainly highlighted a 13-3 run by the Saints from 2006-2013. Atlanta swept New Orleans in 2014, but the Saints returned the favor in 2015.
How do Saints fans feel about Roddy White? Visit this popular site, Saints Report, which is a forum style message board area that fans should check out. Two specific threads to see:
Based on this, it’s hard to ever imagine any realm in which the team would turn to Roddy White. I’m sure Saints fans could come up with many comical suggestions before they got to that point. In reality, veteran Vincent Brown heading to injured reserve may have sparked this, but it would seem answers are better found elsewhere over White.