Flick's Forum: What to Make of Falcons QB Desmond Ridder's First Start

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder's NFL debut was full of highs and lows - but how should Atlanta feel about the young signal caller moving forward?

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder stood at the podium some 30 minutes after his first professional start.

Ridder, 23, said the emotions of the day hadn't fully processed, but he knew he was down because of the final result - a 21-18 Falcons loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The root of Ridder's frustration came not only from Atlanta's defeat, but the fact that he felt he played a significant part in it. The former Cincinnati Bearcat rated his debut performance somewhere between a C-minus and a D, noting positive execution from the offensive line and running game but believed the passing attack had to be better.

And, truthfully, he's not wrong ... and that's okay.

Ridder finished his first start - featuring his first professional snaps - 13 of 26 for 97 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers while accumulating 38 rushing yards on six attempts.

It's merely a building block for Ridder. Everybody starts somewhere, and this is it for the two-time American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

There were flashes, including the strike to fellow rookie Drake London on 4th and 5 before his unfortunate fumble, and also plenty of rookie moments, most notably some of the dropped interceptions by Saints defenders.

But lost in the final stat line is that Ridder progressively improved as the game went on - he "settled down," per coach Arthur Smith - and ultimately, his four-game run as Atlanta's starting quarterback should be marked primarily by progress, not his performance in the first game.

This is something Smith stressed to his young quarterback, who checked lots of the boxes set out for him entering the week.

"I told Desmond (on Saturday), whether he threw for 400 yards or threw for 100, it wasn't going to define his career," Smith said postgame. "There's a lot to learn from. The things that I saw him operate procedure wise, he had a lot of command. The next step is we've got to continue to find solutions and make more plays; we've got to get on the other side of this. Another close game, had our chances, didn't get it done though."

The Falcons made the switch to Ridder in order to "get over the hump" after losing four of their last five games, three of which were by one score. A three-point loss on debut "didn't get it done," as Smith said, but Ridder showed plenty of promise.

The game began about as poorly as it could've. Prior to kickoff, defensive coordinator Dean Pees was carted off the field after an incredibly rare incident in warmups. After seven minutes of game action, Atlanta trailed 14-0 and Caesars Superdome was coming to life.

Oh, and Ridder was still trying to find his groove, thanks in part to "aggressive" play calling from Smith that featured a downfield shot on the first play of the game rather than a high-percentage look to get confidence and comfortability up.

But, as Smith said, Ridder settled in - and a few minutes later, led his first professional scoring drive.

"After that first drive," said Ridder, of when his nerves calmed. "That first drive, you've got emotions, you've got everything going, you just want to get out there and be perfect and go down there, first drive, 75 yards, score a touchdown. Obviously, that's not how it went - we came back to the sideline and was like 'okay, deep breath, let's go back out there to work.'"

So, Ridder went to work ... which he noted was the realization of a life-long dream to start an NFL game. There were plays where he impressed with his instincts, and others where he made things happen with his legs. But there were also some moments where, in his words, his ball placement wasn't good enough, and where, once more in his words, he needed to give his receivers a chance.

The rollercoaster experience was largely expected, considering it had been three and a half months since his last competitive football game and he'd yet to see the field against a first-team NFL defense in game action.

And while the "Riddercoaster" on the field was present throughout, he didn't let it affect his attitude off it. One of the biggest things Smith set out to see was whether his young signal caller could handle everything operationally, and he did exactly that. On the sideline, he was a calm customer, someone the team rallied around, per Smith.

Self admittedly, the numbers and end result didn't meet Ridder's personal standard, but the intangible traits and in-game development he showed Smith will be incredibly valuable as the Falcons reflect on his four-game "prove it" trial run.

"I thought he was amped up early," Smith began. "We were aggressive early, there was a couple other things I thought he was pressing. But he did a nice job settling down; there was going to be something he was going to have to fight through. He's not scared of the moment - he's poised. It wasn't perfect, there's a lot of things that we've got to look at the tape, (but) I like what he's made up of. I think it says a lot about him."

Smith and Ridder both stressed the idea of "settling in" - but how?

One example used by Smith is Ridder's 14-yard completion over the middle to tight end MyCole Pruitt on the drive that ended in London's fumble. It was the same play Atlanta ran on its second series, but that time, Ridder overthrew a deep ball to Olamide Zaccheaus in one of those "just give him a chance!" moments.

But not with the game on the line. Ridder, progressing in-game, hit Pruitt for what was the first big play of the possession that, at one point, looked like had potential to be a game-winning drive on debut.

Four plays later, the Falcons offense was at midfield staring down that fateful 4th and 5. Ridder had missed on his last two passes but was facing what Smith dubbed a "have to have it" play - and the rookie delivered arguably his best pass of the day.

"I didn't see him flinch," Smith said.

Even after London fumbled, Ridder didn't flinch; he ran over to his minicamp roommate and summer throwing partner and walked off the field with him, keeping his head high.

London had seven catches for 70 yards in the game. He was a big reason why the Falcons even had a chance and will continue to be a big reason why they have chances to win moving forward.

And Ridder understands that.

It's this maturity, this wisdom, this "poise" that endeared him to the Falcons during the draft process and continues to win over teammates and coaches alike now. Smith knew most of this - but he also found out something very important about Ridder.

"I learned he's not scared of the moment," Smith said. "We'll continue to improve; it was his first start. I thought as he progressed, he settled down. Certainly, wasn't perfect, but I liked his poise at least."

And, really, that's what this is all about for Ridder and the Falcons organization moving forward. Can he be the long-term answer? Who knows. Does anybody know enough off of this one start? Absolutely not.

There are many, many questions, and still few answers ... but there are three more games to continue gathering answers, and it's ultimately how Ridder performs from here on out that will dictate whether he gets additional opportunities in 2023.

But if nothing else, Sunday's loss in New Orleans was beneficial in several ways. It provided a building block to improve on moving forward and proved that Ridder's wired to handle the mental challenges that come with playing quarterback at the highest level.

C-minuses and Ds won't be enough to keep the job long-term, but with a little bit of weekly tutoring, Ridder certainly seems to have the goods to hang around ... and that's truly what the Falcons wanted to see.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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