On The Fly: Falcons QBs Getting Valuable Training

Both veteran Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ritter are expected to receive a crash course in making quick decisions while facing adversity throughout Atlanta Falcons training camp.

Games are said to be won in the trenches. Defense may win championships. Still, the majority of eyes in football fandom are typically on the quarterback.

For the first time since 2008, the Atlanta Falcons will begin 2022 with a new starting quarterback. Former Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota signed a two-year contract with the Falcons at the end of March, and is expected to be the starter to begin the upcoming season. The team also drafted former Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

As the de facto starter, Mariota will be tasked with running a young, but potentially talented offense. However, Ridder’s slide to Atlanta in the third round kickstarted speculation that the rookie may compete for the top spot. However, the post-Draft comments made by head coach Arthur Smith indicate that Mariota will, indeed, be the Falcons’ starter…at least at the beginning.

“We’ve added competition certainly,” Smith recently told The Athletic. “Marcus [Mariota] being the veteran gives us a chance going forward. As with any position on this team, the best player is going to play, but obviously, Marcus being the vet, that’s the way it’ll start out.”

Though many see Ridder as a potential candidate to become Atlanta’s quarterback of the future, Mariota’s veteran leadership has seemingly earned him the upper hand heading into training camp. After all, the ability of a quarterback to think on his feet at a pro level is a trait which Smith not only admires but also will notably coach during camp.

“You try to build those [situations] in because you don’t want to sit there and call a timeout every time,” Smith said. “That’s their job to fix things at times, too.”

Quarterbacks coach Charles London echoed Smith’s sentiments, describing a quarterback’s ability to find success in spontaneity as ‘rescuing themselves and rescuing the team.’

“We talk to the guys a lot at the [quarterback] position that they have to learn to rescue themselves and rescue the team,” London said. “During a game day, we’re not out there helping them. They have to rescue themselves and get the guys in the right spot. They’ve gotta know what to do. They’ve gotta point (the offense) in the right direction. It’s part of the job of being a quarterback to try to point them in that direction.”

Despite the loss of receiver Calvin Ridley to suspension, Mariota and Ridder likely will have strong expectations in their respective first seasons with Atlanta. In addition to dual-threat offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson (who re-signed with the team in the offseason) years, the Falcons’ offense will lead heavily on the production of tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie wideout Drake London, whom the team selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Still, the practical training both Mariota and Ridder will receive in training camp and beyond will ultimately lay the foundation for their future success. Despite the emphasis on athleticism in the game’s current form, there is still much to be said for enhancing the cerebral skills necessary to be a complete quarterback. Though Atlanta is likely to struggle in 2022, both Mariota and Ridder will be battle tested by the time the Falcons’ first regular-season snaps are taken.