WATCH: Matt Ryan says 'it was cool to have Roddy White' back the day he exceeded 50,000 passing yards
ATLANTA -- There haven't been very many great days for the Atlanta Falcons this season, but Sunday was an exception.
The Falcons blew out their division rival, the Carolina Panthers, for the second time this season, 40-20, but it was a day for individual achievements too. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 313 yards, which moved him into the 50,000-passing yards club for his career.
Then at halftime, former Falcons wideout Roddy White received his induction into the team's Ring of Honor. During his postgame press conference, Ryan spoke glowingly about how great it was to have White back with the organization the same day he reached an individual milestone.
"I'm obviously very proud of that, going over 50,000 career passing yards," Ryan said. "I'm fortunate that (I did it) on a day that we honor Roddy White. It was cool to have him back because he was such a huge part of my career."
Ryan also stressed that winning the game also made the day special.
White played 11 seasons in the NFL, all of which were with the Falcons. In his career, he produced 808 catches, 10,863 receiving yards and 63 touchdowns.
His best seasons came at the beginning of Ryan's career. White posted his first 1,000-yard season during his third year in 2007, and then when the Falcons drafted Ryan the following spring, White made his first Pro Bowl in 2008.
In Ryan's first four seasons, White made the Pro Bowl each year and earned an All-Pro nomination in 2010. From 2008-11, he posted 388 receptions for 5,220 yards and 36 touchdowns. In 2010, White led the league with 115 receptions.
White recorded his last 1,000-yard season in 2012, which gave him six straight seasons with 1,000 yards. That's a mark that Julio Jones actually just tied by going over the 1,000-yard mark for the 2019 season against the Panthers on Sunday.
