Falcons set to officially begin Ridder Era

Published 2:00 pm Thursday, September 7, 2023

Falcons’ fans should have a cautious sense of optimism as the new NFL season kicks off September 10th against the Carolina Panthers. The past two seasons under the regime of head coach Arthur Smith could best be described as “lackluster.” The Falcons have posted a record of 14 wins and 20 losses under Coach Smith. There were certainly flashes of excitement, but in typical Falcons’ fashion, the team struggled to finish games. In fact, the Falcons were 5-8 in one-score games last season. Atlanta hopes to put that history behind them with an exciting core of young players. 

Last season saw the rise and fall of Marcus Mariota. Mariota had previously worked with Arthur Smith when he was with the Tennessee Titans. Although his NFL career never matched the success of his Heisman days at Oregon, he was given a precious commodity: another chance as a starting quarterback in the NFL. After a 5-8 record, Mariota was replaced by rookie third round pick Desmond Ridder. Mariota soon left the team and now finds himself as a backup in Philadelphia behind the electric Jalen Hurts. 

Ridder was given QB1 status for the team’s final four games and was 2-2 in that span. Many fans felt that Mariota was given too long of a leash and that Ridder should have been given a chance sooner. Regardless of the timing, Arthur Smith clearly saw enough good things from the former Cincinnati Bearcat to stick with him. The Falcons did not select a QB in the 2023 draft despite a high draft pick and a plethora of promising quarterback talent available. 

However, the Falcons may be able to accept average play from the quarterback position if the run game is as dominant as expected. Atlanta relied heavily on their RBs in the past few seasons with the resurgence of Cordarrelle Patterson and last year’s unexpected production from rookie Tyler Algier. The RB Room added a huge weapon this off-season by drafting Texas Longhorn star Bijan Robinson. The Falcons put a lot of faith in the young running back by selecting him eighth overall – an unusually high pick for a running back. Robinson has the resume to back up the hype with 41 total touchdowns over 3 seasons in his college career.

There are, as with any team, plenty of question marks surrounding this group. An obvious one is the lack of depth at wide receiver. Many casual fans may only recognize one wide receiver, Drake London, on the 53 man roster.  After London, there aren’t many other electric playmakers from the receiving group. Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson may need to have big years to compensate for this deficit. 

Another and maybe more pressing matter is the apparent lack of ability to win close games. The Falcons are notably skilled at blowing leads. It is probably the thing that they are able to do with the most consistency. The sad reality is that Falcons fans can never feel good about a game going into the fourth quarter, no matter the score. If Arthur Smith is going to lead his team to the playoffs, they must find a way to change that narrative. 

The NFC South does not have a clear favorite this year and the crown is completely up for grabs. If Ridder can make the routine plays and avoid mistakes, then the Falcons have as good of a chance as any to win the division. But the Dirty Birds have even higher hopes than just squeezing into the postseason. Always consistent kicker Younghoe Koo was certainly optimistic when asked about the team’s goals and expectations for the season. Koo was clear that the playoffs were just the beginning stating “we want to win, get into the playoffs. That’s the first step into getting into the championship and then the Superbowl.” Although the Braves and Bulldogs’ recent championships have helped to alleviate the pain of the Atlanta/Georgia playoff curse, 28-3 will not be forgotten until the Falcons find that elusive Super Bowl win. 

—Michael Lerzo is a special contributor to The Union-Recorder.