The Atlanta Falcons had the opportunity to pursue a different quarterback in the offseason, but they made it clear that they were comfortable with the direction they had taken.
Sophomore QB Desmond Ridder was given the nod to lead the post-Matt Ryan era, but the early returns haven’t been encouraging.
Granted that the sample size in his rookie season wasn’t big, his play in his first full year as a starter has earned him plenty of backlash as well.
And with the Falcons failing to score more than seven points in their past two games, Ridder has been at the eye of the storm, but he couldn’t care less about the naysayers (via ProFootballTalk):
“For me, I don’t let the outside noise kind of affect me,” Ridder said. “I just know what I have to do every single day and that’s to improve. We talk a lot about here of the growth mindset, and for myself that’s coming in watching the film — like I said, I had eight hours to watch it on the plane, watched it twice over there, so it’s just about coming in here and getting better every single day. Not only myself but every other guy on this team getting better, so we can improve as a team.”
Desmond Ridder: I don’t let the outside noise affect me. https://t.co/qze02s5Szi
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 5, 2023
Ridder completed just 19 of 31 passes for 191 yards, a touchdown, and two picks plus a lost fumble in Sunday’s clash vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Even so, HC Arthur Smith stood by him and showed him support by stating that his job was never in jeopardy, nor would it be for the remainder of the season.
The Falcons signed Taylor Heinicke to be his backup, and given his experience in the league and the fact that he fared better than Carson Wentz last season with the Washington Commanders, some believe he would be a better option for the team right now.
And if they continue to struggle this mightily, they might have no choice but to give him a look.
On top of that, they need to get Drake London and Kyle Pitts more involved in the game plan, and that’s up to coaching, not Ridder.
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