Roddy White's knee may be drained this season, but he isn't worried

There's going to be plenty of debate about Roddy White's role in the offense in the weeks and months ahead, but one thing is not up for debate: Roddy White is a tough dude who is also awesome.

Vaughn McClure chatted with Roddy about his knee, which was drained last offseason, drained again in June, and may well be drained again during the season. White's not interested in having surgery, he tells McClure, and draining the knee is the fastest way to keep it functioning without electing to go under the knife.

"If I get my knee drained on a Monday, I can practice on Wednesday,'' White said. "It's not an issue where I'm going to miss a game because it's such a small issue. I'm not worried about it -- not at all.''

Whether Roddy's knee flares up and causes him issues is for the future to determine, but as long as this remains relatively minor, you won't see him missing any game time. Roddy's less reliant on his speed than he used to be, so even if the knee slows him down a little bit, he can still be a productive part of the offense. You'd be a fool to bet against him finishing in the top three on the team for targets, even if the team is using him differently these days than they did in his prime.

And while I caught a little flak for predicting Roddy might be behind Leonard Hankerson on the depth chart—a thought I stand by—it's not worth worrying about. As long as he can still run and has his rapport with Matt Ryan, he'll be a key part of the passing game, and I doubt that changes much in 2015.

The article finishes up with this terrific quote that gets to the heart of why I like Roddy White, who absolutely should finish his career in Atlanta, regardless of his role going forward.

"This will be my 11th season, and literally the NFL doesn't owe me nothing. I've made a lot of money. I've made a lot of great relationships with teammates and coaches. I love that about the league. There are good people around this league. I'm just loving my time here, and the Atlanta Falcons have been very good to me."

What are your expectations for Roddy in 2015?