Flick's Falcons Mailbag Part 1: Ridder vs. Heinicke
The Atlanta Falcons are less than a week away from officially kicking off the preseason, as they'll travel to Hard Rock Stadium for a road game against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 11, which is set to be preceded by a pair of joint practices.
It's the first time the Falcons will line up against another team since the season ended on Jan. 8, and things are vastly different, marked by an active free agency period and productive draft class that have helped take expectations to a new level.
There's plenty of intrigue surrounding Atlanta's performance in Miami, especially considering the promising early returns from camp - which is largely what we're here to talk about.
You all asked, we've answered: here's Part 1 of 3 for this week's mailbag.
In your eyes, did you see anything with your time at camp that seems like it still needs improvement? Obviously, you can always get better, but was there a standout? - @g_IANnettino
The first thing that comes to mind is Atlanta's deep passing game. Starting quarterback Desmond Ridder hit a few shots on Saturday and backup Taylor Heinicke found Frank Darby for a 50-yard touchdown on Wednesday, but otherwise, it's largely been checkdown city for the Falcons' signal callers.
This is something Smith has been asked about it and is largely unconcerned over, which should lower outside doubts; nonetheless, it's something to monitor throughout the preseason and the rest of camp.
There were a few other areas that seemed a bit troublesome, most notably on special teams, where Younghoe Koo missed several kicks and the punt protection unit seemed to have a few rough days earlier in the week.
But ultimately, none of the big issues at hand are fatal or unfixable, which is certainly a positive and reflects well on the versatile approach taken by Smith and Fontenot in regard to roster building.
In training camp so far, how would you say Ridder is doing? And from what you’ve seen so far from practice, what can you expect out of the Falcons this year? - @JeremiahCopel19
The best way to describe Ridder's camp is solid albeit unspectacular; there haven't been very many "wow" throws, but he's put a number of passes right on the money, especially in the red zone.
In team drills, efficiency has been the name of Ridder's game, but at the cost of explosiveness - his completion percentage would likely come out high, but he hasn't taken very many shots.
It's important to note, however, that Ridder's teammates and coaches continue to stress confidence in him, and to be completely clear, he's done nothing to sound off alarms for thus far.
As far as team expectations, one clear takeaway is that Atlanta's run defense, which ranked No. 23 league-wide last season at 130 rushing yards allowed per game, should be drastically improved.
The Falcons' offense was the league's third-best a season ago and should be just as good as this year, but the running game hasn't really gotten going since pads came on.
There's a lot of confidence flowing from coaches and players alike; a sense of loose, energy-filled optimism that hasn't always been there in year's past. As such, expectations should be high - how high? Who knows ... but a two- or three-win improvement doesn't feel impossible at all.
I know Ridder is starter, but how close is the competition between him and Heinicke in camp? Are we seeing 1A and 1B or is Heinicke a step or two behind? - @FalconsATL1990
In short, there have been days where Heinicke impressed more than Ridder - he's been more aggressive, all the while throwing fewer interceptions, and he's made a few eye-catching throws.
That said, it's not exactly a "competition," as the Falcons are fully committed to Ridder from the top-down and training camp can do little to change that.
The biggest takeaway in regard to the quarterback spot should be that if Heinicke is forced into action, the difference in play between he and Ridder isn't large and shouldn't affect the team's overall play for better or worse.
Really, camp affirmed a belief that was largely already held - the Falcons have two quarterbacks on the roster capable of winning games ... the question now becomes how far Ridder (or Heinicke, if needed) can take them come January.
(Arthur Smith) seems loose, practically giddy. Like a man who believes he’s about to unleash hell on his opponents but is trying hard to keep a straight face. Do you get that impression from his public comments? - @UncleOJ
This was all of the talk inside the media room - Smith is noticeably more free-flowing and jovial in his press conferences this year than last, in large part because of the positive energy coming from the locker room surrounding the belief that this year's Falcons can do something special.
Beyond that, Smith and Fontenot are quite pleased with how the offseason unfolded and have full support from owner Arthur Blank. This is their third year together, and the duo laid out a three-year plan for Blank upon being hired; they've worked up to this moment for the past 30 months and feel as if they've assembled a legitimate competitor.
So, that feeling of "giddy" has absolutely been recognized - and Smith expanded on his specific reasoning.
"It’s everything," Smith said. "It’s the kind of guys - we spend so much time together. It’s the people. That’s not just the kind of players we have, it’s everybody around the building. That’s what you feel. If you want to be really blunt going into year three, it feels like a real team around here in Flowery Branch.
"From every single department. Everybody’s going in the same direction, so it allows you to be open and honest. It’s in a good place."
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