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Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder will get his first start on Sunday, December 18 against the New Orleans Saints.
It’s going to be a very hostile environment as both teams are not only NFC south rivals but Atlanta is still in the playoff hunt and New Orleans would love to knock them out.
According to Falcons’ offensive coordinator Dave Ragone, Ridder has the tools to compete, however, Sunday’s rivalry matchup will be a team effort.
“We know the challenge — New Orleans has done a great job regardless of your experience as a quarterback,” Ragone said. “They play so well on defense, it’s going to take all 11 guys being on the same page, communicating in a loud environment, and making sure we come out with confidence and intent that we’re going to execute at a high level.”
Ridder Has Prepped Hard Behind the Scenes
Ridder told reporters earlier in the week that he had been working hard behind the scenes all season long.
He shared how he had prepared mentally and had spent much of the season memorizing plays and learning the different routes. He also spent a lot of time asking the offensive line a lot of questions.
Still, the unknown can be scary, especially in a hostile environment like the one coming up Sunday. But while nobody outside the organization knows what to expect from Ridder on Sunday, the Falcons have been preparing him for this moment and are confident.
“There’s a dual mandate,” Ragone explained. “It was not only to make sure he got himself ready mentally and physically as much as he could but also it was to help the starter. Well, now being the starter, he’s already fulfilled part of that mandate, which was getting himself ready to play. Now, it’s just going out there and physically executing on Sunday.”
Respect Works Both Ways
Ridder has gotten himself this far, but the gritty work isn’t over just yet, in fact, it’s just getting started. He’ll now have to earn the trust of his teammates.
“Now, it’s about going out there and having his teammates feel how he leads, how he is in the huddle, what his command’s like, what he talks about now in certain routes that he likes and certain aspects of the plays,” Ragone said.
But it takes two to tango––or in this case 11––and they will need to earn Ridder’s trust as well.
“The one thing in general, because again, he’s one of 11, and I know there’s a lot of spotlight on the quarterback spot I understand that,” Ragone continued. “But, the reality is, the other 10 guys, regardless of what personnel we bring out there, they have the same responsibility and accountability as he will. That’s to do their job.
“So, in order for Desmond to do his job right when that ball snaps, just like they’ll count on him, he’ll count on them to do their job. This is not, we’ll see if he can do this or he can do that. This is a collective team effort.”
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