Roddy White strongly disagreed with Kyle Shanahan’s playcalling
By Greg Patuto
Former Falcons wide receiver Roddy White had a lot to say about the way Kyle Shanahan handled the final minutes of the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LI was one for the books and one the people of Atlanta will be losing sleep over for a long time. And not just them, former players as well.
Roddy White was a member of the Falcons for 11 seasons. During that time, he compiled over 10,000 yards and scored 63 touchdowns. The only accomplishment left off his legacy is a Super Bowl.
White was not in Atlanta this year because he and Kyle Shanahan did not see eye-to-eye on the offense. The Falcon great could not accept that he was not seeing as many targets as he usually did. Well, after the Falcons 34-28 meltdown loss almost two weeks ago, White was not shy in speaking against his former offensive coordinator.
“I’m glad I wasn’t a part of that team because I probably literally would’ve fought him,” White said on the “We Never Played the Game” podcast.
There is no doubt that Shanahan should have run the ball at the end of the game when a field goal would have given the Falcons an 11-point lead. After Julio Jones made a catch that would have been one of the best in Super Bowl history, the game should have been over according to White.
“I was like, ‘That’s it. Game’s over. We’re going to have a parade. I’m going to fly back to Georgia. We’re going to have fun,’” White said.
Instead of having a parade that could have torn down the city of Atlanta, they now have the memory of a game that will forever haunt them. This would have been the first Super Bowl championship in Falcons history.
“You destroyed a dream for a city,” White said. “It’s bigger than me. The city of Atlanta needed that championship and you had it. Arthur Blank needed that championship and he deserved to win that game, with everything he’s been through. It was finally our time to win and it just hurt me that we didn’t get it done.”
It is unfair to put the blame solely on Kyle Shanahan, there were many factors. Head coach Dan Quinn has to take control down the stretch and tell Shanahan to run the ball. MVP quarterback Matt Ryan has to throw the ball away before taking that sack.
Next: 5 best free agent fits for DeSean Jackson
While Shanahan did not make the right calls, he was the guy who led that offense to over 500 points this past season. Now the head coach of the 49ers, Shanahan has new duties to focus on and the Falcons have to find a way to bounce back after this loss with a new OC.