The Falcons are in Miami Gardens for joint practices with the Dolphins leading up to their preseason contest on Friday. Tuesday was the first, and it provided several notable stories.
Atlanta’s defensive front apparently dominated their counterparts, and A.J. Terrell looked the part of an elite cornerback, even to those covering the opposing team. Clark Phillips III also avoided serious injury. However, this story comes from after practice.
Xavien Howard was asked what he thought of the Falcons’ quarterback, Desmond Ridder, to which he responded, “Ridder? I’m sorry?”
Here’s the entire conversation from ProFootballNetwork:
What do you think of Ridder?
“Ridder? I’m sorry?”
The quarterback, Desmond Ridder.
“Oh, I don’t know who that is. I’m sorry. What number?”
Nine.
“Oh, it was cool. I don’t know their names. I wasn’t looking at film. It wasn’t like I was studying them. Happy to go against them, but they did, OK. They did a good job.”
It honestly feels like Howard doesn’t know who Desmond Ridder is, which some Falcons fans may find hard to believe, but it makes it that much more funny to me.
Desmond Ridder isn’t some household name, and Falcons fans need to come to grips with that. He might be the league’s least known starting quarterback, but fans of teams suffer from self-centered bias, where they think the NFL solar system revolves around their city.
Ridder was a two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year at Cincinnati, but mid-round draft picks don’t exactly sell newspapers, especially to established veterans like Xavien Howard.
It shouldn’t keep Ridder or Falcons fans up at night. The former third-round pick has every opportunity to change the narrative surrounding himself and the team. However, there won’t be much of a grace period. The Falcons have a playoff-caliber roster, and Ridder likely has 17 games to prove he’s capable of being a franchise quarterback.
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Photographer: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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