Roddy White is talking crazy.
As a star wide receiver, we've been conditioned to expect players in his position to view the offense as merely a mechanism to display his wondrous talent. Running plays and passes to other receivers are only necessary when said wideout is a) too exhausted from carrying his team or b) using the restroom.
But consider White an outlier. In his opinion, he needs to see the ball less for the Atlanta Falcons' offense to get better.
"I know that sounds crazy, but we've got other guys out there that can play," White said over the weekend, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Julio (Jones) is going to be a big part of the offense this year. Harry (Douglas) is going to do wonders in the slot. We have to maximize our talent and get the ball in everyone's hands."
"There will be a lot of wide receivers out there, tight ends and things like that," White said. "We're going to try to get the ball to the backs in the screen game. We are going to try to get it in everybody's hands."
Koetter plans to ease the workload of running back Michael Turner. That's a smart move, considering the 30-year-old back has had more than 300 carries in three of the past four seasons. It also makes sense to try to get the ball into the hands of Jones, the wideout Atlanta paid dearly to secure in the 2011 NFL Draft.
UPDATE: White took to Twitter to set the record straight, saying he does, in fact, want the ball in his hands.