It’s been nearly two months since Atlanta Falcons players had a beer party with head coach Arthur Smith.
However, that could change, according to sports analyst Pat McAfee, as the team makes the switch from Marcus Mariota to rookie Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback.
“They haven’t had beers with the boys in the locker room in a long time,” McAfee said during a segment on the Pat McAfee Show following Ian Rapoport’s report of QB swap on December 8th. “What’s that all about? Well, Desmond Ridder is bringing it back.”
Desmond Ridder has been named the starting QB for the Atlanta Falcons
“Desmond Ridder will be starting for the Atlanta Falcons. Cincinnati’s quarterback for 22 years over there with Luke Fickell,” he joked considering Ridder looks older than most rookies. “A man who grew and developed and matured and had super success in college. And I think he’s shown some great flashes as an NFL quarterback.”
Other NFL Analysts React to the Falcons’ Decision
McAfee wasn’t the only one to share his reaction with a large audience.
Several other analysts took to Twitter to chime in.
“Desmond Ridder absolutely wowed evaluators in the draft process. Absolutely crushed interviews I was told. Including the ones he had with the Falcons. Not overly talented, but the complete package. Smart, athletic enough, leader, makes players around him better,” wrote NFL Network’s James Palmer.
Ridder gets his first start against their biggest NFC South rival New Orleans Saints. If he wins that one, he could charm his way into fans’ hearts for eternity.
“I don’t know how Desmond Ridder will look over these final four games, but it was past time for the Falcons to make the switch. He’s got a really tough debut against the archrival Saints next week, but also an opportunity to immediately endear himself to the fanbase,” The Falcoholic’s Kevin Knight said on Twitter.
Is Ridder the Future of Atlanta?
It’s also been reported that Desmond Ridder as the next face of Atlanta is to be determined through how well he performs over these last four games.
“Said they may start him now to placate fans. Also said that starting him now doesn’t mean that he’s their future or that they wanted to. Stand by all 3. They will be in the starting QB market next year and had to make a QB change. Ridder was next up,” NFL analyst Cam Marino reported via Twitter.
The Falcholic’s Will McFadden chimed in with a tweet: “This is the right call. Marcus Mariota surpassed every expectation I had for him, but at 5-8 and with Year 3 an important one for this regime, it’s time to see what Desmond Ridder can do on Sundays. Can we all refrain from defining Ridder’s career based on these 4 games, though?”
While Robert Griffin III simply tweeted, “Desmond Ridder SZN.”
The Falcons, who are still in the playoff hunt, have lost four of their last five games with Marcus Mariota as QB1. After losing a pivotal matchup to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, Atlanta believed it was time.
Others thought it took way too long to make the switch.
“Desmond Ridder, OB1….. Let’s go! *Lizzo Voice* ABOUT DAMN TIME 😂,” former Falcons running back Jamal Andersen tweeted.
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Pat McAfee, NFL Twitter Reacts to Falcons’ QB Switch