Atlanta's Roddy White Fires back after Seattle's Richard Sherman's "Top 100" Comments

Off-season? What off-season? We still may be three months away from the start of the 2013 regular season, but that doesn't mean the Richard Sherman trash-talking takes a break. No, he continues to take shots at opposing wide receivers.

Roddy White got in on the action when he made an appearance on NFL Network yesterday.

For the past couple of off-seasons, the Network has passed the time by putting together a Top 100 players list (which is supposedly voted on by the players themselves, but we have yet to see proof of that). Every day new players are brought on to discuss the list, and what they think of where these guys should be placed within the list of 100 players.

White, who just completed his sixth 1,000-yard season and is Matt Ryan's go-to target in Atlanta, came in at No. 39. Surprisingly low, if you ask me. There are still seven wide receivers left on the list, and White should be at least top five within his position. With the up-and-coming speedster Julio Jones receiving a lot of attention lately, White is left with the scraps and had a down-season––in the eyes of some––last year. Yet the four-time Pro Bowler still caught 92 passes for 1,351 yards and 7 TDs.

In a taped segment that aired during the most recent episode of the "Top 100 Players of 2013," Sherman, the Seattle Seahawks' All-Pro cornerback, said that White "doesn't even deserve a place on the list."

Yes, he actually said that with a straight face. The lengthy 6'3"/195 pound corner has certainly enjoyed his time in the spotlight, which he's spent running his mouth. Don't get me wrong, he's a great corner and probably top three in the game today (at his position). But didn't he just finish only his second season in the league? He hasn't earned the right to talk the way he does yet, and the White/Jones combo ran circles around him in the NFC Divisional round victory.

I am thoroughly enjoying the back-and-forth jawing between the two, because it surely gives us great entertainment when there aren't games to be played yet. But White owned Sherman in this debacle. When asked on NFLN about what Sherman said, White had the perfect response:

"I'm not going to come out and say he shouldn't be a Top 100 player because he should be a Top 100 player, but he talks too much."

Not only did he take a stance and be the bigger man, but he even added a little jab of his own afterwards, saying:

"He has talked himself into a place where he has to play some really good football this year. I have no problem when he says I'm not that good or I can't do this or I can't do that. But I know the rest of the players in this league know what I can do, and that's why I'm higher on this list than he is."

Rant over.

Checkmate, Richard Sherman. Roddy White wins again. Anyone remember this (see video below)?

Lets see if Sherman comes back with another response after White's zinger on NFLN. It almost feels like the two are in mid-season form, doesn't it?

Note: We do not own the above image and video. No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes courtesy of NFL.com

Pro Bowl: Entertainment Solely for the Players

The AFC/NFC Pro Bowl will be played tonight, at 7 P.M. (Eastern Time), in Honolulu, HI. Each year the league struggles to gain viewers for the NFL's version of the all-star game. In fact, this year they are trying something new in an attempt to gain those extra viewers.

They have decided that, since so many players and fans have Twitter pages to entertain themselves and others, they will provide each sideline with a computer set-up with Twitter so that players can tweet while sitting on the sidelines doing nothing.

Personally I think this is a great idea since players aren't allowed to do so during the regular season and playoffs, why not add this dimension to a game that means absolutely nothing. Fans complain about the Pro Bowl being boring each year–and I agree to some extent. But what they don't understand is this game isn't made for the fans.

It's for the players.

Puzzling statement, I know. But I think it's 100% true. While these players have jobs to keep fans and the common people entertained, the 16-game regular season is tough on these multi-millionaires. Five-plus months of non-stop travel, practicing, attending meetings and basically beating the crap out of their bodies in order to bring the very best entertainment each Sunday or Monday.

Ever wonder why the Pro Bowl is in Hawaii? Well, me too. And I have a couple of different theories as to why it's played in Honolulu: 1. Hawaii doesn't experience much NFL action, so this gives them a shot at seeing the all-star players in motion (well, sort of) and 2. It's a perfect vacation spot.

When I say vacation, I mean for the players. Sure, they can take their friends and families on vacation anywhere they want during the off-season, but this is the league's way of rewarding the players that worked so hard over the course of the season. Players have a ball with this Hawaii trip, and often take their entire families and enjoy precious family time.

I think I may be one of the few NFL fans out there that actually sits down and watches the Pro Bowl every single year. And instead of complaining about how boring it may be, or that the players don't even attempt to make an effort to block field goals and extra points, I try to let the players enjoy this one. I mean, just look, these players are enjoying each other's company and on a mini-vacation all at the same time.

I actually don't mind that the Super Bowl teams do not participate, and that many players drop out of the game due to injury. This gives the un-noticed players, and players who were snubbed, get an opportunity to participate and take his family on vacation. There's 43 first-timers in this year's game, giving us plenty of new faces to watch.

Let's just let the players enjoy themselves in Hawaii, please. If you don't like the Pro Bowl, no one is making you watch it, so why complain about it? The Pro Bowl truly has no meaning, and if you think about it, isn't that the fun part about it for the players?

Thank you,

--An annoyed NFL supporter

Photo credit

Tony G. and Roddy White: found on sbnation.com

Roddy vs. Alex: Falcons Receiver Calls out Niners Quarterback

With little progress on labor negotiations as of late, small things such as Roddy White's controversial tweets make headline news in the NFL world.

For those on the outside of the media Twitter "loop," the Atlanta Falcons All-Pro wideout tweeted about the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. His tweets, as shown below, upset many fans. Though he apologized for his comments in a later tweet, that doesn't take away from what he said about him:

"Why is the 49ers wasting their time with alex smith they need to move on better yet try to get luck next year would be good for them.....2 coaches have been fired for tht mans performance"

Excuse the spelling and grammar mistakes, those were his exact words.

I really could care less that he is calling out another player, even if it is on twitter and not to his face. In his apology tweet he said he doesn't have anything against Smith and that he's a great guy.

That's not why I brought this to attention. I brought it to attention because I kind of happen to agree with White in a way. In his five seasons in San Francisco, Smith has thrown 51 touchdowns, 53 interceptions and posted a career QB rating of 72.1.

No matter how you look at it Smith has highly under-achieved, especially for a No. 1 overall draft pick. The Green Bay Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers that same year (2005) and he wasn't picked until the 24th pick. What has he accomplished? Oh, just a Super Bowl MVP. No big deal, Aaron.

The Niners haven't had a winning season since they made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2001 and 2002. The franchise is now on its fourth head coach during the Smith era (includes 2010 interim coach Jim Tomsula), and have just hired yet another offensive coordinator under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

What the Niners need is a fresh start, which is why Harbaugh was hired. If they want to continue the "fresh start" trend, not bringing Smith back would be a smart thing to do. The only reason I can see why they would do this is because they are planning on, like White points out in his tweet, drafting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck in next year's draft.

All I have to say is hopefully Harbaugh lasts long enough to see that happen in San Fran.

Photo found on digitalbusstop.com

Thursday Night Football (On NFL Network) Kicks off with Heavyweight Matchup

Aside from the first week of the season in which the Vikings and Saints kicked off the season on a Thursday night, tonight is the first of several Thursday night games that will be aired on NFL Network.

The matchup between the two conferences' top teams, Baltimore Ravens (6-2; first in AFC North) and Atlanta Falcons (6-2; first in NFC South), has been anticipated for a while now. Matt Ryan vs. Joe Flacco, two third-year quarterbacks whose careers have gotten off to a quick start and have great weapons at their disposal on the offensive side of the ball. Both offenses are very similar. Baltimore has a great run game combination of the short, quick Ray Rice and the red zone presence of Willis McGahee while Atlanta has the explosive Michael Turner, a TD machine.

Baltimore clearly has the defensive advantage with Ed Reed roaming the defensive secondary. Reed, in his two games this season, has three interceptions and one forced fumble. I wouldn't expect anything less than a INT or two tonight, despite playing against the elite Matt Ryan and Roddy White.

Baltimore also has the coaching advantage with coach John Harbaugh, who is 26-14 in his third season in Baltimore. But, I think one of the biggest reasons why I have picked Baltimore to beat Atlanta tonight is because of the fact that Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White (ankle) is listed as questionable. Yes, it's very likely that he will still play, but nonetheless he will not be 100% no matter what he tells the press. Because of this, Atlanta's pass game will be exposed and Baltimore's defense is likely to take advantage of this.

Prediction: Baltimore 28, Atlanta 24

Photo Credit

Willis McGahee: AP Photo/Nick Wass