Scouting the League

Each week I will focus on two players that are performing above expectations this season. This week I will take a look at a pair of wideouts that are currently in the top 20 in receiving.


RODDY WHITE, Atlanta Falcons

White has emerged this season as the team’s leading wide receiver with 33 catches for 530 yards and a pair of touchdowns. White has averaged an impressive 16.1 yards per catch this season and has recorded at least one reception of 30+ yards in each of the last six games.

White, the former 1st round pick from UAB, entered 2007 with the label of bust after catching just 59 passes and three touchdowns over his first two seasons in the NFL. White never really meshed with Michael Vick and dropped a lot of passes in his rookie and sophomore seasons. Because of this many expected White to compete with rookie speedster Laurent Robinson for the third wide receiver spot this season behind Michael Jenkins and veteran Joe Horn. But Jenkins and Horn have been virtually invisible and Robinson has not earned enough playing time to be a factor.

As one would imagine with White’s lofty yards per catch average - he has a lot of speed. In fact, White ran a legit 4.4 in the 40-yard dash before the 2005 NFL Draft. White also has good size (6-0, 206) and runs well after the catch. The biggest problem with White has been suspect hands and his route running, but he has improved in both areas.

White has developed a nice rapport with quarterback Joey Harrington, but also played well when Byron Leftwich got his first start with the team on October 21. Leftwich left that game early with an ankle injury and is expected to miss a couple of weeks, opening the door again for Harrington. In the short term expect White to continue to put up strong numbers with the Falcons playing from behind and Harrington looking White’s way often. White should finish the year with around 1,250 yards, although his touchdown production will probably be on the low end at about six.

Long term the Falcons are a rebuilding team with no clear direction after the Vick fiasco. Coach Bobby Petrino was supposed to be an offensive guru, but Atlanta has scored the second fewest points in the league. It appears Atlanta will give Leftwich every opportunity to be its quarterback of the future, but the jury is still out on the big and fragile quarterback. White has always had the physical ability and is now starting to put everything together. However, it’s hard to predict White’s long term success because the Falcons are on the decline and their quarterback situation is in flux.

KEVIN CURTIS, Philadelphia Eagles

In his first seven games with Philadelphia, Curtis is on pace to establish a career high in receptions, yardage and touchdowns with 73, 1,330 and nine, respectively. Curtis had his best game as a pro on September 23 against Detroit when he scored three touchdowns and racked up 221 yards. Curtis, along with Roy Williams and Chad Johnson are the only players to go over 200 yards receiving in a game this season.

Curtis, who was drafted by St. Louis in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft, was used primarily in a reserve role with the Rams as Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce caught most of the balls. Curtis did manage to put together one very productive season when he started nine games and caught 60 passes for 801 yards with six touchdowns in 2005.

Curtis’ game is built on speed and quickness. He is also a dangerous runner in the open field and can accelerate into an extra gear. The knock on Curtis is his lack of size (6-0, 186) and strength. One would assume that Curtis’ small stature would prevent him from being a factor in the red zone. However, Curtis is second on the team to only Brian Westbrook in number of targets in the red zone with seven. And Curtis will mix it up with defensive backs and does a good job fighting for the ball.

Curtis has become one of Donovan McNabb’s favorite targets in the passing game and has supplanted Reggie Brown as the team’s top wideout. Despite the presence of Westbrook, the Eagles have always been a team that prefers the pass over the run, at least in the Andy Reid era. Because of this, Curtis should continue to post quality numbers in the immediate future. Look for Curtis to finish the season just slightly below his projected totals with about 70 receptions for 1,300 yards and seven touchdowns.

McNabb has somewhat fallen out favor in Philadelphia because of injuries and his age. The Eagles drafted Kevin Kolb from the University of Houston in the second round of this past year’s draft. The team feels he is their quarterback of the future and love his upside. While McNabb’s play has been steady this season, it is possible Kolb could contend for the starting job as early as next year. That appears to be a long shot, however, so those in keeper leagues that are thinking about retaining Curtis should not worry about the team’s quarterback situation. He should be a productive receiver for years to come.