FLOWERY BRANCH — Every minicamp clip comes with a caveat – there’s no pads, no contact, not “real football,” as Falcons coach Arthur Smith put it.
“It’s a glorified passing camp now, regardless of how you look at it,” offensive coordinator Dave Ragone said.
However, there’s an overall theme coming out of Falcons training camp – their quarterback may be a work in progress, but coaches are happy with what they’re seeing from Desmond Ridder.
“We’re very, very pleased with Des and the way he goes about his business and handles himself,” Smith said.
Ridder, who started the final four games of the 2022 season, has shown steady improvement both throughout his rookie season and into his first offseason. His passer rating increased in all four appearances, culminating in back-to-back wins to end the season. He officially was named the Falcons’ starter in March.
Throughout the offseason and the first two days of mandatory minicamp, coaches have done what they can to simulate game situations for Ridder, looking to apply pressure in an environment without the wins and losses consequences of a 17-game season. That goes for the entire roster, yet for the Falcons, with a second-year player at football’s most important position, applying that pressure is even more important.
Ragone and others have looked to minimize the spotlight on Ridder, deflecting questions about him to reflect on the entire offense. But the coaches understand his importance.
“Ultimately, the quarterback has to play the point guard position,” Ragone said. “That’s part of it, but he also has to be able to be in sync with the guys he’s out there with so that it looks like, ‘All right, I know why he broke that run off. I know why the protection check was made. I know why the run check was made.’ That allows everybody else to play faster.”
Before it started raining at practice Wednesday, Ridder struggled with accuracy against several Falcons first teamers. He completed several short passes, but deeper passes were often too high for receivers to hold onto. Instead of putting stock in individual results, Ragone is looking for progress, especially on the basics.
“When you’re around really good players or you study really good players, not just in football, they always say, ‘In critical situations, I go back to my fundamentals,’” Ragone said. “You can’t get bored with your fundamentals. So for us, especially the quarterback spot, it’s everyday. ... Therefore, when everything’s chaotic around you, you rely back on your fundamentals.”
Ridder is taking that to heart. On Tuesday, he said he was focused on getting “1% better every single day,“ and the majority of that is in the basics. He mentioned his leadership, his drop, understanding the game plan, and checks at the line of scrimmage as specifics.
“(We’re) just coming out here and trying to be as clean as we can,” Ridder said.
Wide receiver Drake London has seen progress. London also listed a number of things his quarterback has improved in, referencing his leadership, poise, and accuracy.
“It’s just being comfortable in the position and understanding your whereabouts on the field,” London said. “Once you know that, you can play quicker, you can play smarter, you can play faster.”
Ridder is not the only young offensive weapon the Falcons are excited about, but by nature of his position, he is the central piece. The team can sense its own talent. London described “hype in the locker room,” partially around the Cincinnati product.
“I think we sense what we can do as an offense,” London said. “And I think we sense what we can do as a team in general.”
London and others are excited, and with the firepower he described, there’s reason for it. Those around the Falcons are optimistic about Ridder. However, the minicamp caveat still exists.
“There’s certain things (on offense) that we want to definitely look at, get an idea of what things fit us,” Ragone said, “but we’re not going to get a true evaluation until training camp.”
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