Former Falcons receiver Roddy White, who was released last year, threw under the ol’ Greyhound one of the people who helped make the decision to release him.
White became the latest to pile the blame on former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan for the epic meltdown against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
Matt Ryan’s 27-yard pass to Julio Jones gave the Falcons a first down at the Patriots’ 22 with less than five minutes left. The Falcons had been up 28-3 and clung to a 28-20 lead.
“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 on the We Never Played The Game podcast with Jeff Schulz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Zach Klein of WSB TV, via Pro Football Talk.
Instead of three straight runs and a field goal, the Falcons ran the ball once and lost a yard. Then they dropped back to pass three straight times. A sack and a penalty pulled them out of field goal range. The Patriots eventually tied the game and won 34-28 in overtime.
“I’m glad I wasn’t a part of that team because I probably literally would’ve fought (Shanahan),” White said.
Any criticism White throws Shanahan’s way will have a little extra sauce since White was released by the team, but White almost makes Shanahan out to be an Atlanta sports villain.
“You destroyed a dream for a city,” White said.
The 35-year-old White didn’t play for any team in 2016 and his career is likely over. Even if it wasn’t, it’s a safe bet he wouldn’t be getting a call from San Francisco for his services.
