Atlanta Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Details 'Beneficial Reset' For QB Desmond Ridder

Desmond Ridder is, once again, the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. How did he handle his weeks on the bench?

The Atlanta Falcons have a new starting quarterback again, giving the reins of the offense back over to the original QB1 in Desmond Ridder. 

Ridder was benched after suffering an injury against the Tennessee Titans earlier this year, but his replacement in Taylor Heinicke suffered an injury of his own in the Falcons' last game against the Arizona Cardinals, opening the door for Ridder's return.

The young quarterback did well in his relief of Heinicke, and head coach Arthur Smith has opted to once again name him the team's starter.

"We'd assess everything coming off the bye, and Des did a nice job having to come back in that game and give us a chance," Smith said on Monday. "We've got a lot of confidence in Des and think that the last couple of weeks, he's handled really well. I think the reset will be beneficial for him.

"I think it can be very beneficial if you have the right people involved. A lot of that is knowing that none of us are perfect, but you have your reasons. They're not just emotional, knee-jerk reactions."

Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

It can be a difficult road emotionally when a quarterback loses his starting role, but Smith thinks Ridder has handled the change professionally. Can his time on the sidelines turn into a good thing for Atlanta in the rest of this season?

"I think he's done a really good job of that and taking advantage of what can be perceived as a major negative and trying to turn it into a positive," Smith said.

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The bottom line remains that if the Falcons want to turn their season around and challenge for a playoff spot, they need positive production at quarterback. Perhaps Ridder is the answer, but going back-and-forth between signal callers in the lead up to Thanksgiving is probably not what Atlanta had in mind when it broke from training camp.

The Falcons are coming off of a bye week, and they will return to action on Sunday when they host the New Orleans Saints in a pivotal NFC South matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on FOX.