Roddy White Lighting It Up: The League's Top Receiver Has Falcons in First Place

At 5-2 and alone atop the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons have a lot to feel good about heading into the bye week.

The Falcons are averaging 233.4 yards per game through the air, good for 14th in the league. And although Matt Ryan’s resurgence is largely to blame, Roddy White’s career pace is certainly noteworthy.

White is on pace for career-highs in every major statistical category. Through seven games, his 54 catches for 747 yards and 106.7 yards per game average are not only far and away his best career totals through seven games, they’re all tops in the NFL. Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts is the only other receiver in the league averaging over 100 yards per contest at 100.3.

His five touchdowns are also tied for fifth in the league.

White was a first-round selection by the Falcons in 2005 (27th overall) out of UAB. Having posted three consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons from 2007-09, it appears White is on pace to not only surpass those past totals—he is on pace to crack the top five on the all-time single-season receiving yards list.

His 1,707.2-yard pace would jump him past Torry Holt’s 2003 output of 1,696, just behind Marvin Harrison’s 2002 total of 1,722.

Additionally, White’s 5,436 career yards currently ranks fourth in Falcons’ history. Should he maintain his current pace, he would pass Andre Rison (5,633) and Alfred Jenkins (6,267) by season's end, as his 6,396 yards would be second-best to Terance Mathis’ Falcons record of 7,349 career yards.

Certainly, a 100-plus-yard per game average is difficult to maintain. However, through seven games, White has emerged among the NFL’s elite at the wide receiver position, and will likely finish with a career year in 2010 even if he does slow down a bit.

The Falcons head into the bye week in Week 8 and return in Week 9 to host the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Georgia Dome at 1 p.m. EDT.

This article can also be found at www.footballnewsnow.com.