FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — If you took nothing away from Desmond Ridder’s first media availability, the Falcons’ starting quarterbacks take a step back and take this: The Falcons were never spoon-fed. Never, not once, was he treated like a rookie quarterback who wouldn’t see the field in his first year. Never, not once, did they shake his hand.
They gave him everything—every play, every call, every progression, every control—in Arthur Smith’s offensive playbook. He got everything. The Falcons coach pushed him, though Marcus Mariota, who led the practice squad offense through the first 13 weeks of the season, retained his starting quarterback role.
The Falcons were always – all the time – pushing Ridder.
“From the day he got here coach (Arthur) Smith pushed him. Coach (Dave) Ragone pushed him. I pushed him,” quarterbacks coach Charles London said. “Everything to not be like a beginner. To prepare for this moment.”
And there’s your answer to why they did that: The Falcons knew this day was coming.
One day soon, Ridder would start with the Falcons. To figure out how the organization moves forward at the quarterback position, they needed to see what Rider could and couldn’t do. That process started the moment he became a Falcon.
“I’m ready for it,” Rider said Wednesday. “I’ve been preparing for this. They didn’t want to kid me.”
What does that look like realistically, though, when Ridder isn’t taking assets in an actual regular season game?
It all boils down to mental repetitions.
“It’s about the game plan, how the 12-year vet, the eight-year vet, would do whatever it is,” Ridder said. “Not putting on a wristband, (but) memorizing every play call, every tackle, every check, every cadence, treating it like I’ve been in the league for eight years (even though) I’ve been in the league for six months.”
When asked four or five weeks ago if he was ready for this moment, Ridder was honest that he didn’t know if he was “completely ready” to be a linebacker at that point.
“I think I’m fully prepared, fully ready now,” he said. “I’m ready to go, ready to execute.”
Smith and London agreed. Both said if Ridder wasn’t ready, if they didn’t have confidence in his performance and progress behind him, they wouldn’t have put him on the field against the New Orleans Saints.
They both feel that way because they saw Ridder’s “accelerated growth” over the last month of the season, according to Smith. This growth was most noticeable when Ridder could manage it mentally.
“You see the command (of the offense),” London said of Ridder. “I’ll give him a play after practice and he’s spitting before I’m done, and that’s what you like to see. You like to see that growth. You know he’s mastered the plan and you know how it feels. The plan, and you’ve got to be able to walk with confidence.” .
And Ridder does. So much so that the Falcons have no need to shrink the playbook when he’s in the middle.
Of course, some calls can be tweaked or changed, but that’s based on Ridder’s strengths, not his inability to handle a particular play. London said that’s an advantage for this offense.
“I don’t think we have to cut anything short,” the quarterbacks coach said. “We don’t feel that way.”
So what does this week look like for Ridder as the starter?
Well, London and Ridder were adamant that that doesn’t change much. The only change, Ridder said, was that extra cameras pointed to the Falcons’ quarterback facing the media for the first time.
London said it was important for the Falcons to keep this week as normal as possible for Ridder. Sure, he has some extra media duties on his plate, but everything else? It’s almost the same.
Ridder stuck to his routine for London, noting that he saw the newest quarterback at the facility at 6 a.m. Wednesday, the same time as usual.
And Rider said he can stick to the same routine because he’s been preparing like a starter for the past 16 weeks. Now it’s him. So why change anything?
“This is my dream job. This is what I wanted to do,” Rider said. “The only difference between last week and this week is the 13 cameras.”
“Coming this week, I haven’t changed anything.”
There is one thing, however, that this Falcons team wants to change as they come off the bye week. They need to get back to winning ways. That, Rider said, not being given command of the offense should be the spark that ignites this locker room.
Rider said he’s not a “stats guy,” never having been as a four-year starter in Cincinnati.
What he was, though, was a guy who won… a lot.
The Falcons could use a win right now, especially against crosstown rival New Orleans on Sunday.
What Atlanta doesn’t need is Ridder trying to play the hero on Sunday. He has to do what he is known for, which is just finding a way to win.
“I think mentally, it’s there. I think physically, it’s there,” London concluded. “I don’t think the moment will be too big for him.”
A close-up of raindrops as Atlanta Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge #12 heads to practice on December 14, 2022 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Shanna Lockwood/© 2022 Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder #4 and quarterback Logan Woodside #6 in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons tight end Anthony Firkser #86 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Cameron Batson #16 during practice on December 14, 2022 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier #25 during practice in Flowery Branch, Georgia on December 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons tight end Tucker Fisk #43 and tight end Parker Hesse #46 in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Matt Hennessy #61 during practice Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder #4 and quarterback Logan Woodside #6 in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Troy Andersen #44 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Detail view of raindrops as Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford #37 drives to practice in Flowery Branch, Georgia, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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The outside of Atlanta Falcons linebacker Arnold Ebiketie #47 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Desmond Ridder #4 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons defensive end Jalen Dalton #79 and defensive lineman Timmy Horne #93 during practice Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Ryan Neuzil #64 and offensive lineman Drew Dalman #67 of the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter #9 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London #5 and safety Jovante Moffatt #20 in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons running back Caleb Huntley #42 in Flowery Branch, Georgia on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus #17 during practice on December 14, 2022 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier #25 and Cordarrelle Patterson #84 in Flowery Branch, Georgia on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Logan Woodside #6 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder #4 during practice in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Shanna Lockwood/© 2022 Atlanta Falcons
