Falcons Training Camp Recap: Drake London Stars, Desmond Ridder Throws INT

Desmond Ridder's day started well but ended with an interception - although his overall showing was solid. But it was Drake London who looked like the star of the day.

FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Atlanta Falcons' second padded practice of training camp took place Tuesday at the IBM Performance Center.

The session lasted roughly 15 minutes longer than the day before, with Falcons coach Arthur Smith noting he wanted to ramp up with pads coming on the first time Monday.

Offensively, quarterback Desmond Ridder had a better second showing in pads, largely impressing with his ball placement from the start, but many of his attempts remained underneath.

Ridder's best pass of the day - and week, thus far - came on a back shoulder ball to Penny Hart, who adjusted and finished for what would've been close to, if not officially, being a touchdown.

Desmond Ridder with a TD pass to Penny Hart. Nice back shoulder throw. Highly impressed with Ridder today. pic.twitter.com/1APjou8ZMw

— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) August 1, 2023

Ridder's session ended with an interception to safety Richie Grant, but there appeared to be miscommunication between he and receiver Josh Ali - plus, Grant made a stellar play on the ball.

Moving forward, the Falcons will be searching for more explosiveness from the passing attack - but it seems, for now, as if Smith is content keeping things in the short to intermediate game.

It was something of an up-and-down day for backup signal caller Taylor Heinicke, who missed a few passes but also had some tight window completions, one of which came on the sideline to receiver Drake London, capped off by a nice toe-tap catch.

Third-string quarterback Logan Woodside had the best two-minute drill of the trio, but the offense ran out of time when Hart ran into the endzone after a completion to celebrate rather than getting on the ball. Woodside slammed his helmet in frustration but later acknowledged the entire offense needed to be cleaner.

That's particularly true for rookie running back Bijan Robinson, who had his first hiccups of camp on Tuesday in the form of two fumbles. In one instance, Robinson didn't appear to be expecting the ball, and in the other, outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie made a nice play to knock it loose.

Robinson, even with the fumbles, has been extremely impressive during his first training camp, seemingly making highlight plays each day and drawing praise from Smith for his work both on and off the field.

"Pretty damn pleased with Bijan so far," Smith said.

Elsewhere on the offense, London continued to star, with his toe-tap catch simply one of a number of grabs that he made look exceptionally easy. He had quite a few good battles with corner A.J. Terrell, with the two largely matching one another punch for punch. Apart from Terrell, few, if any, other corners have been able to hang with London.

Other receivers who've impressed include Mack Hollins and Frank Darby, who Smith said is facing a "big camp" for his future before raving about his energy and authenticity in the locker room.

Cordarrelle Patterson also continued his solid week, beating linebacker Troy Andersen in one-on-ones and springing other big plays while working at both running back and receiver, with Smith declaring that Patterson can "play anywhere" on the offense.

"You certainly feel CP out there," Smith said. "He’s a unique football player. I’m happy he’s here and I’ve loved coaching him.”

The Falcons' offensive line had a solid showing in front of Ridder on the day, and veterans Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary both dished praise on rookie left guard Matthew Bergeron, noting his natural talent and willingness to learn.

The Falcons will be back at IBM Performance Center on Wednesday for the third consecutive day of padded practice, this one tipped to be two hours, the longest of the week, while both Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot will meet with reporters.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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