The Atlanta Falcons fell one win short of advancing to the Super Bowl last season. Or as Roddy White remembers it, 11 yards short.
Appearing on the ESPN shoutfest "First Take" on Wednesday, White explained the sky-high expectations the Falcons face in 2013.
"We know it's now Super Bowl or bust," White said, via ESPN.com. "Anything short of that is not a good season for us right now."
Later, White was asked to give his list of the top-five NFL teams entering the new season. He listed the Seattle Seahawks -- who the Falcons narrowly defeated in the playoffs -- as the NFL's fifth-best team. This led to shouting. He then counted off the Denver Broncos (No. 4), New England Patriots (3), San Francisco 49ers (2) and -- his top team -- the Atlanta Falcons.
This led to more shouting.
White was reminded that the 49ers beat the Falcons at the Georgia Dome in the NFC Championship Game, erasing a 17-0 deficit to do so.
"I don't think that can happen this year," White said.
White isn't telling us anything new. The Falcons finally got over the hump of winning a playoff game in the Matt Ryan era. Now, the only place to go is the Super Bowl. Anything else will be perceived as failure.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
