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Pathon wasn't signed to be a return man. He hasn't returned a kickoff since 2001, and his lone year as a team's primary returner was a relatively average one.
Rossum's forte is definitely not kickoffs, but he's well above adequate. But he's better than Dwight is or ever was on kickoffs, and the numbers say so.
I'm not sure why Pathon was added, but I can be pretty sure it wasn't for return duties. I think if the Falcons wanted help on kickoffs they would've picked up Cobb. I think the reason why the team used Bryant instead of Cobb was because Bryant was better on ST coverage (which is why Bryant is still on the team). Well, Pathon doesn't have a lot of experiecne on ST coverage there, so I see the team signing him for the reason of offense.
Pathon has good speed, but he's not a pure burner. He can get downfield and is the type of receiver that I think could be a good fit in the slot for us. But he's inconsistent, drops too many passes, and has too many lapses. He's basically an undersized version of Dez White. Whenever teams in the past have relied on him to make something happen, he never has.
So this is a head-scratching move because if Dez is healthy, I see little that would indicate he would be higher than No. 4 on our depth chart, and if Dez is hurt for some time, Roddy will be the No. 3 guy until Pathon learns the offense. And by the time that happens, Roddy should be getting more accustomed and settled as the No. 3/No. 4 guy.
So we'll see how this one works out.
_________________ "Vincere scis, Hannibal, victoria uti nescis" -- Maharbal, 216 B.C.E.
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