Ridder can throw the deep ball, something that's been a trend this season

[TheRisen999]

Allow me to re-introduce myself

With the 74th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Falcons selected Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder. A four-year college starter, Ridder completed 810-of-1,304 attempts (62.1 percent) for 10,239 yards, a program-record 87 touchdowns and had 28 interceptions. He rushed for 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns in 50 games (49 starts) over four seasons (2018-21) at Cincinnati. He finished his collegiate career with the third-most wins by a quarterback in college football history (44), while finishing undefeated (26-0) at home. He also set a conference record for career total touchdowns with 115.

The 6-foot-4, 202-pound quarterback completed 251-of-387 attempts (64.9 percent) for 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 games (14 starts) as a senior in 2021, leading the Bearcats to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. A team captain, Ridder was named first-team All-ACC and the conference's Offensive Player of the Year for consecutive seasons in his final two years as a Bearcat.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ridder earned a 90.7 grade during his final collegiate season, improving 18 points from his 2021 grade. He showed his penchant for clutch performances by boasting the second-highest PFF grade among all FBS quarterbacks from Week 10 on during Cincinnati's run to the College Football Playoff.

A testament to his work ethic, Ridder improved in nearly every category charted by PFF, which included boosting his accurate pass rate by six percentage points over his final two seasons. He also improved his perfectly placed pass rate from 8.5 percent to 23.3 percent and showed that he was one of the top deep ball throwers in the nation by finishing the 2021 season ranking ninth in accurate pass rate and fourth in perfectly placed pass rate on throws of 10-or-more air yards.

"Ridder is a decisive and quick pocket-passer who has good enough arm talent to hit defenses over the top," PFF said in it 2022 Draft Guide. "While he's not much of a runner himself, his speed demands that he's accounted for."

Clocking a 4.52 40-yard dash at the Combine, Ridder confirmed the speed that he showed on tape. While he did most of his damage from the pocket in college, he possesses the speed to hurt defenses with his legs on scrambles and designed runs. He also recorded a rushing grade above 75.0 in each of his last three seasons at Cincinnati and posted 104 runs of 10 or more yards throughout his career. In other words, he's enough of a threat as a runner to make defenses respect option looks but he's also not afraid to stand in the pocket and deliver a pass while taking a hit.

It's easy to see why Ridder was appealing to the Falcons during the draft process. He posted an average depth of target of 10.6 yards and 8.6 yards per attempt in 2021 while ranking 10th in the nation in deep passing yards (1,118). This season, Atlanta has averaged 10.35 air yards per attempt and 7.4 yards per attempt. The Falcons haven't thrown the ball at a high volume due to their success on the ground but 130 of Atlanta's 300 pass attempts have been 10+ yards downfield.

According to PFF, Ridder ranked 12 in Big Time Throw percentage (6.6) and seventh in Turnover Worthy Play percentage (2.3). He earned an 88.7 passing grade and was particularly impressive on deep throws, garnering a 96.5 deep passing grade from PFF.

Ridder completed 64.6 percent of his passes in 2021 but his intermediate and deep accuracy stand out. According to The Ringer, he notched a 65.6 Pinpoint percentage, a measure of how often a quarterback puts the ball in a perfect position for his receiver to make a play. He boasted a pinpoint percentage above 60 percent when throwing to nearly every area of the field, including intermediate and deep throws. Ridder had the best catchable pass rate on throws of 10-19 yards (87.1 percent) and 20+ yards (84.5) among all of his 2022 Draft peers.

"Ridder's an experienced dual-threat passer with the tools to develop into a high-level pro starter," said The Ringer's Danny Kelly prior to the Draft. "He's one of the more refined and game-ready quarterbacks in this draft."

Ridder will lean on his perceived game readiness heading into New Orleans this weekend. Despite making his first start on the road in a hostile environment in Week 15 of his rookie season, the book on Ridder coming out of college was that his polish as a passer and his command of the pocket and huddle in college would quickly translate to the NFL. All those traits will be put to the test on Sunday.

Staying Ahead of the Chains

With Ridder making his first career start on Sunday, it will be important for Atlanta's offense to continue its success of staying ahead of the chains, as they have throughout the first three quarters of this season. Entering Week 15, the Falcons have gained at least four yards on 53.7 percent of first down-plays – the third-most in the NFL this season.

Much of that success on early downs has come from the offensive line firing off the ball and running backs getting upfield. Through 13 games, 128 of the Falcons 237 rushing attempts on first down have resulted in at least a four-yard gain. That equates to a league-leading 54.0 percent success rate on the ground on first down.

For reference, Atlanta finished 29th in the league in first-down rushing efficiency in 2021 and hasn't been in the top five in that category since 2006. We've mentioned it quite a bit this season, but the rushing attack has obviously taken a massive step forward in 2022.

Part of that step forward has been the emergence of fifth-round rookie running back Tyler Allgeier. Since November 1, Allgeier has averaged 5.96 yards per carry – the second-highest among running backs in the league over the span. Additionally, the rookie has averaged 4.09 yards gained after contact over the past six weeks, trailing only Joe Mixon (4.53). For reference, Josh Jacobs (3.55) ranks third, while Derrick Henry (3.45) ranks fourth.

In the first meeting, Atlanta's rushing attack tallied 201 yards on the ground. Cordarrelle Patterson ran for a then career-high 120 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, but Allgeier was inactive. The young rookie will get his first chance to make a mark in the rivalry this Sunday and can continue to make his way up the Falcons rookie rushing list as he needs 30 yards to surpass Jerious Norwood (633 in 2006) for the second-most rushing yards by a rookie in franchise history.

 

 

 

[Killing Floor]

Yup. He could show up drunk and play better than Mariota. We may win or lose but he will do better Sunday. 
Good luck Ridder. FTS

[VTCrunkler]

The deep ball has been a trend all season? How?

[gazoo]

1 hour ago, TheRisen999 said:

he was one of the top deep ball throwers in the nation by finishing the 2021 season ranking ninth in accurate pass rate and fourth in perfectly placed pass rate on throws of 10-or-more air yards.

The narratives of him having accuracy problems were grotesquely mischaracterized by people here. 

[Norwood all the way!]

1 hour ago, TheRisen999 said:

 The young rookie will get his first chance to make a mark in the rivalry this Sunday and can continue to make his way up the Falcons rookie rushing list as he needs 30 yards to surpass Jerious Norwood (633 in 2006) for the second-most rushing yards by a rookie in franchise history.

 

Hmm didn't know this. Allgeier doesn't get talked a lot about his productivity and what he's brought to the offense. 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Norwood all the way!

[NorthGaBoy]

41 minutes ago, VTCrunkler said:

The deep ball has been a trend all season? How?

It sounds like a real estate agent attempting to use the term "market correction".

[gazoo]

2 hours ago, TheRisen999 said:

"He's one of the more refined and game-ready quarterbacks in this draft."

This I pointed out countless times, Ridder has been ready. I understand all the “he’s improved a lot this last month” talk for AS, gotta cover his behind in case Ridder lights it up, but he’s been ready.

[DonDaLuvMaker]

14 minutes ago, gazoo said:

This I pointed out countless times, Ridder has been ready. I understand all the “he’s improved a lot this last month” talk for AS, gotta cover his behind in case Ridder lights it up, but he’s been ready.

 

From a pro ready and approach to the game aspect I think Ridder was the most ready QB in the draft. But he still needed time to study and learn AS's offense from the certain procedures down to the correct checks and audibles or what routes the receivers break off to based on coverages as plays are developing.

 

AS's offense has a lot to it even in the passing game, we just haven't been able to see it due to the limitations of Mariota.

[Herr Doktor]

It will be nice to actually SEE a true deep ball.  Conceivably.

[gazoo]

1 hour ago, DonDaLuvMaker said:

 

From a pro ready and approach to the game aspect I think Ridder was the most ready QB in the draft. But he still needed time to study and learn AS's offense from the certain procedures down to the correct checks and audibles or what routes the receivers break off to based on coverages as plays are developing.

 

AS's offense has a lot to it even in the passing game, we just haven't been able to see it due to the limitations of Mariota.

While all that is true, I believe he could have started after game 4 or 5 and been fine. I definitely feel he could have started by mid season and been fine. 

With the advantage of retrospect it’s clear to me we should have benched Mariota 6 games ago. I’m not beat8mg up AS, it was a tough call, but looking back it’s clear to me.

But here we are, I’m glad we get to see him getting 4 games in before next years training camp when I assume he’ll be our starter.

[Moist Words]

30 minutes ago, gazoo said:

While all that is true, I believe he could have started after game 4 or 5 and been fine. I definitely feel he could have started by mid season and been fine. 

But here we are, I’m glad we get to see him getting 4 games in before next years training camp when I assume he’ll be our starter.

God Almighty I hope Ridder isn't on the long list of dudes you have hyped up and been wrong about. I admire your complete lack of self awareness about doing this also.

 

 

 

 

But as TATF let us all pray/hope that Gazoo isn't doing a Jamaal Anderson or that tight end from a few years ago. 

 

 

 

For once in this God forsakens boards existence let Gazoo be right. 

[DonDaLuvMaker]

48 minutes ago, gazoo said:

While all that is true, I believe he could have started after game 4 or 5 and been fine. I definitely feel he could have started by mid season and been fine. 

With the advantage of retrospect it’s clear to me we should have benched Mariota 6 games ago. I’m not beat8mg up AS, it was a tough call, but looking back it’s clear to me.

But here we are, I’m glad we get to see him getting 4 games in before next years training camp when I assume he’ll be our starter.

 

Don't know, maybe he could have started but from what I got from the interviews of AS and Ridder that both didn't feel Ridder was ready or comfortable to start until recent weeks.

 

By saying he took a huge leap within the last month pretty much admits that they knew he wasn't truely ready until these recent weeks.

 

These last few weeks will serve him well in the long run. Especially that extra time gave him more confidence and a more relaxed approach to the game.

[FalconFanSince1969]

Something I never noticed that might point to why ridder didn't start.... Dude is 6'4'' but only 205? That's pretty dang thin to be that tall. Perhaps coaches were giving him time to be on a grown man workout plan and diet to bulk him up a bit so he doesn't get killed out there. Gotta remember, it's not always specifically about something football related. Conditioning is a huge part of this game. 

[Vandy]

12 hours ago, gazoo said:

While all that is true, I believe he could have started after game 4 or 5 and been fine. I definitely feel he could have started by mid season and been fine. 

With the advantage of retrospect it’s clear to me we should have benched Mariota 6 games ago. I’m not beat8mg up AS, it was a tough call, but looking back it’s clear to me.

But here we are, I’m glad we get to see him getting 4 games in before next years training camp when I assume he’ll be our starter.

This is the one area on this subject where we’ve sorta disagreed. I just don’t believe the coaches felt the kid was ready until now, and brought him along slowly always with the goal of moving him along so they could make the switch at the bye. 
 

Not saying you, but TAFT overall is a very impatient bunch. Good coaching in general but especially when it comes to a young QB is all about player development and not rushing players in before they are ready (see Jalen Mayfield disaster last year)  ….learning the complex playbook, correcting fundamental technique issues by going over and over repetitions in practice until it becomes ingrained in a player’s muscle memory, reviewing film and various game situations, etc etc etc. 

I personally feel it’s played out perfectly for Ridder, the coaching staff and most importantly the team. It would have been much more difficult internally from a team dynamics standpoint to have made the QB switch earlier in year when his predecessor and team were playing way above expectations until now as Mariota’s overall play regressed 2nd half of season.

[FalconAge]

35 minutes ago, FalconFanSince1969 said:

Something I never noticed that might point to why ridder didn't start.... Dude is 6'4'' but only 205? That's pretty dang thin to be that tall. Perhaps coaches were giving him time to be on a grown man workout plan and diet to bulk him up a bit so he doesn't get killed out there. Gotta remember, it's not always specifically about something football related. Conditioning is a huge part of this game. 

He was 6'3 211 at the combine but you see a couple of articles saying 6'4. He definitely looks to have filled out a little bit since the combine. He has an entire NFL offseason upcoming to bulk up a bit more. I honestly think he wouldn't suffer to sit around 220 or so to protect him when he takes a lick after those deep shots we will be chasing. (Aaron Rodgers is 225 at 6'2 for comparison)

[TheRisen999]

9 hours ago, VTCrunkler said:

The deep ball has been a trend all season? How?

I was thinking that too.. but they must’ve meant amongst the rookie QB’s who played this season.

[ItsJustMe]

9 hours ago, VTCrunkler said:

The deep ball has been a trend all season? How?

Chick's dig the deep ball. 

 

[TheRisen999]

2 hours ago, FalconFanSince1969 said:

Something I never noticed that might point to why ridder didn't start.... Dude is 6'4'' but only 205? That's pretty dang thin to be that tall. Perhaps coaches were giving him time to be on a grown man workout plan and diet to bulk him up a bit so he doesn't get killed out there. Gotta remember, it's not always specifically about something football related. Conditioning is a huge part of this game. 

That’s a good thought actually, one of my only concerns about Des was his weight and ability to take hits from NFL players. However, he’s been playing the game his entire life without his frame being an issue so I think he’ll be fine. He did look a little more solid in his presser so I’m sure they’ve had him in the weight room building his NFL body. Getting to be in an actual league strength and conditioning program will no doubt have helped him in the long run.

[papachaz]

9 hours ago, VTCrunkler said:

The deep ball has been a trend all season? How?

throwing it or connecting on it???

[The Don™]

Yeah his deep and intermediate ball is one of his strong suits. 

He does tend to be inaccurate on short throws early in games so I'll be looking out for that. Being his first NFL start, he'll be amped up naturally so hopefully he can settle in quickly. 

Hopefully AS has some easy routes for him early on. But just to troll people, I wouldn't be surprised he calls a bomb on his first throw. 

[etherdome]

8 hours ago, gazoo said:

While all that is true, I believe he could have started after game 4 or 5 and been fine. I definitely feel he could have started by mid season and been fine. 

With the advantage of retrospect it’s clear to me we should have benched Mariota 6 games ago. I’m not beat8mg up AS, it was a tough call, but looking back it’s clear to me.

But here we are, I’m glad we get to see him getting 4 games in before next years training camp when I assume he’ll be our starter.

If memory serves me, the OL was still having issues with pass protection in week 5.

I think the timing g is right.  Just my opinion

[Francis York Morgan]

10 hours ago, VTCrunkler said:

The deep ball has been a trend all season? How?

There have been a lot of deep shot attempts, just failure on Mariota's part to get it done.

[Flyin' In DC]

9 hours ago, Herr Doktor said:

It will be nice to actually SEE a true deep ball.  Conceivably.

Yep anyone can just chuck it up there but few have been close to completions this year. It will be nice to see the WRs actually have a shot a catching a few

[VTCrunkler]

35 minutes ago, Francis York Morgan said:

There have been a lot of deep shot attempts, just failure on Mariota's part to get it done.

Now this is a trend I can understand 

[VTCrunkler]

59 minutes ago, papachaz said:

throwing it or connecting on it???

Connecting. My deep ball these days is like only 25 yards or so. Ha