NFL wide receivers are known for being divas.
It’s not a universal rule, but if there were to a diva-per-capita statistic in the NFL, receivers would take the cake.
Drake London, though, appears to be different.
The Atlanta Falcons‘ star wideout, their clear-cut No. 1 WR, seems to understand the bigger picture better than many of the league’s famous wideouts.
The diva behavior is always a bit odd, of course, because football in general does such a good job of aligning everyone toward one goal. The team becomes more important than the individual.
For receivers, though, the individual often wins. Take A.J. Brown, for example, who basically threw one extended fit last season and finally got himself traded away from the Philadelphia Eagles (to the New England Patriots) this offseason.
The idea of a diva wide receiver goes back decades.
London doesn’t subscribe to that behavior.
Drake London’s Feelings
London had a chance on Wednesday to file a complaint.
He was asked during a media session how he felt about his lack of targets in Week 1. After all, London was targeted just four times by Cooper Rush, and he caught two of them. The Falcons also gave London a carry in the ground game.
London, though, wasn’t thinking about that.
“I could care less about the targets,” London told reporters. “We should have won that game.”
The Falcons, as you likely know, lost Week 1 to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-13 on Sunday.
Atlanta’s offense did have two missed field goals that could’ve changed the game, but for the most part, they struggled to get going — and they gave the Steelers a defensive touchdown on a T.J. Watt takeaway and return to the end zone.
London added this lament in speaking with media: “If we capitalized on a lot of stuff, flags, things like that, TDs, almost house calls.”
One clip was circulating of tight end Kyle Pitts being open deep but being greatly underthrown by Rush.
Pitts had an even tougher day than London. That was his only target, and he didn’t catch it.
Drake London Unusual Behavior
It’s good for the Falcons that London feels this way, because this season promises to continue having some quarterback drama.
Injuries are still a problem, and then you get the various talents and matchups week-to-week, and it can be hard to know how a wide receiver is really going to do.
No one questions London’s talent, which is part of why it can be frustrating if the quarterbacks don’t live up to their potential.
London, though, isn’t concerned about his numbers. He’s concerned about the scoreboard.
And coming from a wide receiver, that’s quite uplifting.
Falcons’ Drake London Proves He’s Different Than Other NFL Receivers