Falcons receiver Roddy White has had plenty of injuries since he entered the NFL as one of the few non-busts in round one of the 2005 draft. And White has never missed a regular-season game.
The Falcons don’t expect that streak of 128 straight appearances to end in Week One of the 2013 season, when they face the Saints in New Orleans.
Via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, G.M. Thomas Dimitroff said Wednesday that the team hopes White will be available for the September 8 game. Coach Mike Smith has been more direct; per Ledbetter, Smith said White will be available for Week One.
Smith also disputed a report that White’s sprained ankle is of the “high” variety, which typically is more serious than a normal ankle sprain.
If White can’t play, veteran Harry Douglas and up-and-comer Drew Davis, undrafted out of Oregon in 2012, will get more opportunities. But it would be a major surprise, based on White’s history, if he doesn’t play.