Arthur Smith Feels Desmond Ridder Can Handle QB1 Role
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Smith has no intention of pursuing quarterback Lamar Jackson because he believes in Desmond Ridder.
Desmond Ridder was drafted in the 2022 draft and was handed the reins towards the end of the season. He completed 63.4% of his passes for 708 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
Not spectacular numbers, but Desmond Ridder proved he could find ways to win under pressure, according to Arthur Smith.
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“He won a lot of games in college and helped Luke Fickell at Cincinnati really change the whole culture of that program,” said Arthur Smith.
â€And I certainly think that experience, you start that many games coming in helps, we certainly saw that early on as we threw everything we could at him. And he was impressive, and we felt that he was ready to take over at that time of the season, and I thought he did a nice job. Cool, collected under pressure.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to operate on critical third downs, fourth downs, two-minute situations, and I thought he’d done that pretty well. And certainly there’s a lot of things we all can continue to improve, but we’ve got a lot of faith in him.”
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“You know, the belief becomes so much more transactional,” Smith explained. “I mean look at the people that are willing to make trades, and they happen quick now, and I think any time any player, it’s our job to understand the markets that’s going on, and who’s available, who’s not, do they fit, and there’s a lot of things that go into it.Â
With those transactions, where you’re willing to spend in the salary cap, and there’s great debates, certainly makes your shows more interesting, and that’s great for the league, but at the end of the day you’ve got to do what you think is best for your team and what you’re building and how it fits into that puzzle.â€
