LONG: My Take on Every Ridder Throw

[falcndave]

Bullet point summary is two posts below. 

First Possession

1^st and 10—Called play. They told him to throw it no matter what. The receiver never threatened to get past the one-on-one defender, so Ridder’s only hope would have been a back shoulder throw. Verdict: It was a scripted play. He didn’t see the opportunity to make it work (back shoulder). Certainly not his fault, just not a play he made happen.

3^rd and 9—Tucked the ball before he had to, felt pressure way before it was there and assumed the standing fetal position. The hit never came so he moved out to his right. Verdict: Heard footsteps in the pocket and added a  poor decision to attempt a completion, the defender was the only player with a shot at the catch.

Second Possession

2^nd and 2—This showed we need more playmakers. When the play is a designed rollout, the receiver must win because the QB is only working with half the field. OZ didn’t win, but he was bailed out to a PI call that had little to do with the incompletion. Verdict: We’ll need to add skill for any QB we put back there.

2^nd and 11 (H49)—Shanny style PA, QB’s back to the defense. Good set, decision, and throw on the deep ball. OZ didn’t come close to winning although he was a half-step past the defender when Ridder released the ball. Verdict: The throw and decision were fine, but the receiver let the defender run past him and cut him off from the throw. Need speed!

3^rd and 11 (H49)—Ugly pass on an attempt to check down to CP. Verdict: CP sat down, and Ridder expected him to keep moving, but the pass was not going to be completed anyway.

Summary of first two drives: We are trailing 14-0 and look lost in the passing game. There is plenty of blame to spread around, but no encouraging signs from Ridder.

Third Possession

2^nd and 12 (V37)—Pistol  with Shanny style PA action to a designed middle screen. This is a “Let’s get him a completion” call. Verdict: Nice job selling the deep play action and good timing and touch on the screen. Easy peasy, but he got it done. 

3^rd and 6 (V42)—Shotgun snap, London found the soft spot in the middle between the two LBs and Ridder hit him in stride with a  well-timed throw. Verdict: Well executed by everyone. 

1^st and 10 (H46)—Traditional PA, deep drop, no seemed to check two receivers and then pulled the ball and ran for 7. Looking at the all-22, there were three receivers I could see in patterns and none of them had any separation.  

3^rd and 3 (H39)—Shotgun snap, nice dump across the LOS to Drake in tight coverage. Verdict: Well thrown ball. 

2^nd and 6 (H23)—Shot gun RPO look. Pulled the ball back from CP, rolled right and found London who snared the ball with one hand and pulled it in despite tight coverage. Verdict: Ball was out in front, but the coverage with tight, so I’m calling it good placement. 

1^st and 10 (H14)—Shotgun snap. Simple dump off to CP. He’ll only get half a point here, as this is a lateral and little more than an extended handoff for seven yards. I wonder if they messed up and scored it a completion? It was clearly backwards almost a full yard. 

2^nd and 3 (H7)—Pistol formation, almost a 98-yard pick 6. Verdict. Telegraphed the throw to OZ from the snap and never saw the lurking DB.  

3^rd and 3 (H7)—Shotgun formation. The Falcons basically run the same action on both sides of the field. Ridder’s first read is left. Nothing there, he tucks and runs. Had he looked right, he had both OZ on the same middle dump he had hit London on twice and #25 breaking free into the flat. Verdict: He did have time for a second read,  but he got nervous and took off. 

Summary of 3^rd possession: Compared to the first two possessions, it was a work of art. However, the realist would have to annoyingly point out there were no throws deeper than seven yards, one of the positive plays was mostly on London, and there was a turnover worthy play that could have taken our 3 off the board and added an extra 6 for NO. That didn’t happen. Therefore, nice drive for Ridder.

I felt like this was also a coaching adjustment. The first two drives we simply were going to throw deep off play action. With NO showing tight coverage on the outside and neither receiver coming close to winning, the calls shifted to more of a WCO, ball possession, approach. The first two drives were Kyle Shanahan. The 3^rd drive was George Seifert.

 

Fourth Possession

2^nd and 6 (V19)—PA pass, targets London perfectly on a crossing pattern 11 yard downfield. Defender breaks it up as ball arrives. Verdict: Good throw, better defense.

3^rd and 6 (V19)—Multiple WR formation, pressure arrives quickly and chases Ridder out of the pocket. He scrambles right for a few yards. Verdict: Need to check all-22 to see if he had anything or not.

Fifth Possession (3:18 remaining 2^nd quarter, starting at V2!)

2^nd and 3 (V21)—Play action pass deep over the middle. Ill-advised throw. For the second time, Taylor drops an INT that was delivered to his palms. Verdict: Clearly a turnover worthy decision and throw.

1^st and 10 (V28)—Screen pass to Allgeier on the left side. The defender simply sheds the OL block and drops Allgeier for a loss of a few. Verdict: Poorly blocked and well read by the D.

2^nd and 13 (V25)—Ridder took the shot gun snap, set to throw, then just took off up the middle. Hard to tell if this was a designed delayed QB draw, or if Ridder just saw something that made him abandon the pocket early. Verdict: Need to see the all-22.

1^st and 10 (V40)—Quick WR screen to London out wide. 8-yard gain. Verdict: This may have been an “automatic” check due to the off coverage, but it worked. Every NFL QB and backup makes this throw.

2^nd and 2 (V48)—4WR set (1 was a TE in the slot), all were running short verticals/hooks, and all were well covered. Ridder took the dump off to the RB leaking out into the flat for 5 yards. Verdict: Every NFL QB and backup makes this throw, so no problem but not a plus play.

1^st and 10 (H47)—Shotgun snap. Ridder pumps but holds the ball, then gets chased out of the pocket to the left.  Verdict: Need to watch the all-22.

2^nd and 10 (H47)—Shotgun snap. Ridder had some time, but no WR won quickly. He eventually tries a throw deep to the left sideline. OZ was well covered, and the throw was high and off his hands. Verdict: Not a great throw in terms of accuracy, but he did show the arm strength to throw the deep out breaking routes or comebacks.

3^rd and 10 (H47)—Shotgun snap. Ridder didn’t appear to have much open. He hung in the collapsing pocket and tried to hit Firkser, but his arm was hit as he delivered, and the ball fluttered a bit high and off TE’s hands. It would have been short of the line to gain. Verdict: Pressure was the biggest problem on the play.

Summary of Fifth Possession: Ridder gets high marks from me on the intangibles of leading the team off its own goal line in the closing stages of the half. However, the annoying realist in me must report that is the end of the good news. He got the ultimate support from the run game as his team took over at their 2, but he didn’t have to drop back to pass until Allgeier had smashed the ball out to the 21 on three straight runs. His short possession throws were completed in a situation where NO was playing soft. However, all his deeper throws (past the LOS) that challenged the coverage were incomplete. Once ATL approached mid-field, NO changed to more of a pressure package and the drive came to a screeching halt. Not Ridder’s fault he was pressured, but he was…and it worked.

Sixth Possession (Start of 3^rd Quarter)

1^st and 10 (v25)—PA fake and boot to the right. His target was London, but he was bracketed high and low. Ridder tried to force the ball in. Taylor again fails to catch a ball targeted at his palms. Verdict: Third turnover worthy decision and throw. Third time Taylor showed why he is a DB and not a WR.

Summary of Sixth Possession: It was the Tyler Allgeier show. No QB required. After the throw to London, it was a hold lot of Allgeier and CP. I’m noticing a trend to keep the ball out of Ridder’s hands in the red zones (both his own and the opponents) so far in this game.

Seventh Possession (3:30 left 3^rd Quarter. Drive starting at V14. Note: I omitted a couple of drop backs that turned into scrambles instead of throws.)

2^nd and 7 (V17)—Deep shot to London on the left sideline. As has been the pattern, none of our WRs are beating Taylor on the deep sideline routes. I can forgive London, as speed isn’t his calling card. Verdict: A perfect through could have led to a completion as London did have Taylor at least on his back hip (with no separation). The ball fell about two yards beyond a diving London. I like that he is taking shots, and this is the first deep pass where accuracy was at least half responsible for the incompletion.

2^nd and 7 (V4)—Ridder hangs in the pocket nicely to allow London to break open over the middle. Nice strike about eight yards downfield with a defender bearing down on him at release. One of Ridder’s deeper completions so far. Verdict: Probably Ridders best individual effort of the day so far. He timed the throw perfectly and stood in the pocket like a champ. It wouldn’t call this a “flash,” but it is the closest thing to a flash I’ve seen from him today.

2^nd and 15 (V47)—Screen pass to CP that was just all kinds of dead from the start. Loss of a few. Verdict: Not much to evaluate Ridder on. The defense just blew this play up.

3^rd and 15 (V47)—Shotgun snap. Same exact call and formation as the 2^nd and 2 (V48) play in the Fifth Possession section above. This time Ridder targets the TE and gets nothing but a defender swatting the ball down. The best choice would have been the same as before, check it down to Allgeier leaking out into the flat. Verdict: This was a bad call that gave Ridder no options to gain a first down. All 4 receivers went 7 yards and sat down in front of defenders. Ridder did miss the best of the bad options, the checkdown to the RB.

Further Rant: This play was not designed to make the line to gain. If you are not going to try for it, why not just hand off the ball? That deflection could have gone anywhere and completing it gains you nothing.

Summary of Seventh Possession: Ridder made his best throw of the game on 2^nd and 7. AS makes his worst play call of the season on 3^rd and 15. I have a great idea guys. Its 3^rd and 15 here. Lets space out four receivers evenly across the field, and have all four of them go out seven yards and sit down. Yeah, that should work.

Eight Possession: (11:07 to go in the 4^th Quarter starting a H32!)

Summary of Eight Possession: Only one pass play was called on this short TD drive. It was a designed rollout and Ridder scrambled for a few. Ridder did convert a 3^rd and 2 on a designed QB run (Read Option). The trend of keeping the ball out of Ridder’s hand in the redzone continues. I am pretty sure they just were not going to let the rookie make a mistake he’ll think about too much in game 1.

Ninth Possession (around 6 to go in the fourth. Falcons start at their own 10 (V10))

2^nd and 7 (V13)—Quick throw to Avery a few yards downfield. The Safety closed quickly and stopped him about 2 yards short of a first down. Verdict: Ordinary throw and catch. They did let Ridder throw in his own redzone. Things are looking up.

1^st and 10 (V20)—Patterson runs a slant or in-breaking route and Ridder hits him 11 yards down field and in the middle of the field. All or Ridders successful throws more than five yards have been to the middle of the field as best I can recall. Verdict: Well-timed throw and well-placed ball. Nothing extraordinary, but I’ve seen others miss this throw.

1^st and 10 (V45)—Pistol formation, PA pass 15 yards deep over the middle. It seemed to be targeting London, but it was nowhere close to anyone. Verdict: Inaccurate throw. Ridder was upset about something, but the all-22 doesn’t really show that any of the receivers sat down on him or anything.

3^rd and 5 (50)—Shotgun formation, empty backfield, Ridder tried to hit Firkser about 15 yard down field on an in-breaking route. It is possible the ball was touched at the LOS and the TE was well covered. Verdict: Tough throw to complete and lots of arms in the middle of the field where most of Ridder’s balls are heading. I didn’t see any better options on the all-22.

4^th and 5 (50)—Everyone knows this play. Ridder makes a great throw in traffic and hits London in stride. London later fumbles it away. The play would have set the Falcons up in FG position and a chance to tie or win. Verdict: One of two very nice throws that Ridder had on the day, and in a money situation. This play was the only “flash” I saw in the whole game, but it just wasn’t to be.

Summary of Ninth Possession: This drive was very much like the last drive of the first half. It started off with promise but fizzled out before that promise could be realized. None of us know what would have happened if London held on to the ball on 4^th down. Most likely we run for another first down and kick a FG to send it to OT. It would have been fun to find out.  

[octoslash]

Totally agree.   That's long.

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Jk...that's some well-reviewed and rational analysis in my opinion. 

[falcndave]

Summary Points:

1) We need more talent at WR, especially in the form of speed.

2) The offensive play calling protected Ridder in game one. Only two drop backs inside his own 20, and I don't think he had any inside the redzone. 

3) Ridder was most effective in the middle of the field.

4) Ridder was not very accurate on deep or outside passes.

5) Three turnover worthy plays vs. two very nice passes is not a good ratio, but it is only week one for him. There is plenty more time for a better evaluation. 

[falcndave]

3 minutes ago, octoslash said:

Totally agree.   That's long.

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Jk...that's some well-reviewed and rational analysis in my opinion. 

Well, I didn't do it to share on TATF. I help a friend with DFS analysis. I just shared it to show that I am actually aware of his good plays!

[BigDawgMania]

13 minutes ago, falcndave said:

 

4) Ridder was not very accurate on deep or outside passes.

 

It would help to have WRs that can get separation too 

[MarkMc44]

Just curious, how do you know they told him to throw that first pass to CP “no matter what”?

GO FALCONS !!!!

[falcndave]

1 minute ago, ROMERO said:

It would help to have WRs that can get separation too 

Scroll up to point one in the summary, and you'll find the specifics in the play by play. 

[falcndave]

Just now, MarkMc44 said:

Just curious, how do you know they told him to throw that first pass to CP “no matter what”?

GO FALCONS !!!!

It is the only explaination. CP was covered like he had grandmas quilt thrown over him. 

[MarkMc44]

3 minutes ago, falcndave said:

It is the only explaination. CP was covered like he had grandmas quilt thrown over him. 

Double coverage too, but Coach Ragone disagrees. Peace to you Good Sir!

GO FALCONS!!!!

[A Dog Named Brian]

About what I expected from his first outing. However, I give him a little bit of a bump because of how often NO was in man coverage, when executed properly that’s tough for ANY QB to play against. 

[MarkMc44]

14 minutes ago, A Dog Named Brian said:

About what I expected from his first outing. However, I give him a little bit of a bump because of how often NO was in man coverage, when executed properly that’s tough for ANY QB to play against. 

CP is an explosive athlete who is certainly capable of beating man coverage. He just didn’t in this instance. On to the next play.

GO FALCONS!!!!

[Killing Floor]

Nice. 
 

All of the first half newbie freak outs could have been scheduled on final drives in any of the 3 games we played that were large margin finals. Like what Shanny did with Purdy. So when his number got called it wasn’t his first snap in a game. 

[SwampyMux12]

FWIW, PFF credited Ridder with 2 turnover worthy throws. I keep hearing 3, so maybe 1 of them was on the WR?

[Spongebob]

Were any bad throws on Ridder?

[falcndave]

2 hours ago, SwampyMux12 said:

FWIW, PFF credited Ridder with 2 turnover worthy throws. I keep hearing 3, so maybe 1 of them was on the WR?

Sometimes PFF gives the credit to the defender. Its a judgement call that I wouldn't debate with anyone. On all three that I called turnover worthy plays, there was no point where the targeted recevier was open. All were forced throws and all were on Taylor's hands at some point. 

[falcndave]

40 minutes ago, Spongebob said:

Were any bad throws on Ridder?

The tree plays that Taylor got his hands on were all pretty blatently forced passes. Ridder was throwing short so often that Taylor was just rolling the dice and jamming everything up.

I think he's going to be a great NFL CB. We tried to beat him deep twice early, and he just schooled OZ on a play where OZ was past him on our 2nd possession. When a DB knows you can't run away from him, he feels free to take chances. 

Most of the incompletions were either poor throws or throws into tight coverage. Most of the completions were short easy throws within 5 yards of the LOS. I think his longest completed pass of the day may have been his last throw to London. As I recall it was caught 11 or 12 yards downfield. He had two throws that I identified as very good and another 3 or 4 that were average or better NFL stuff. 

[SwampyMux12]

7 minutes ago, falcndave said:

Sometimes PFF gives the credit to the defender. Its a judgement call that I wouldn't debate with anyone. On all three that I called turnover worthy plays, there was no point where the targeted recevier was open. All were forced throws and all were on Taylor's hands at some point. 

Fair enough... I thought receivers in general really struggled to get open and when they did, DR was a little late with some throws or had some misreads. Take the called back pick on the sideline... If London runs that harder and DR throws it a little earlier it's likely a completion. At the same time he had a TE dragging behind that was open as well. I thought a big part of his struggles on Sunday was being too locked in on London.

[falcndave]

Just now, SwampyMux12 said:

Fair enough... I thought receivers in general really struggled to get open and when they did, DR was a little late with some throws or had some misreads. Take the called back pick on the sideline... If London runs that harder and DR throws it a little earlier it's likely a completion. At the same time he had a TE dragging behind that was open as well. I thought a big part of his struggles on Sunday was being too locked in on London.

I agree. London has to be Ridder's biggest fan at this point! On the WRs, I'm not even sure OZ is right physically. I remember him being a lot quicker than he looked at any point during this game. We are going to need to add some speed at that position. 

[Falcon Freddie]

On November 10, 1991, Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Brett Favre came onto the field at RFK Stadium late in the 4th quarter to replace starting QB Billy Joe Tolliver (who himself was subbing for injured QB Chris Miller.) By that point in the game, Tolliver was 14 of 31 in passes, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 5 sacks, and the Redskins were up 49-17. With the game a lost cause, coach Jerry Glanville decided to see what Favre could do against some real pressure.

Favre took the snap and dropped back. With the pocket collapsing, Favre threw a pass toward wide receiver Mike Pritchard. The football slipped through Pritchard’s hands and into the arms of linebacker Andre Collins, playing four yards back. Collins bobbled the ball, controlled it, and sprinted 15 yards for the Pick-6.

Favre's next series started with 47 seconds left in the game. After two passing plays (both incompletes), one running play and with eight seconds left, Favre threw a 55-yard Hail Mary that was picked off. In his illustrious debut as a passing QB (in an earlier game that season, Favre appeared for one series where he handed the ball off three times for a three-and-out) Brett Favre's statistics was 0 for 4, two interceptions. Favre never played again for the Falcons and was famously traded to the Packers at the end of the season.

Favre's stats improved later.

[Snafu]

10 hours ago, falcndave said:

First Possession

1^st and 10—Called play. They told him to throw it no matter what. The receiver never threatened to get past the one-on-one defender, so Ridder’s only hope would have been a back shoulder throw. Verdict: It was a scripted play. He didn’t see the opportunity to make it work (back shoulder). Certainly not his fault, just not a play he made happen.

3^rd and 9—Tucked the ball before he had to, felt pressure way before it was there and assumed the standing fetal position. The hit never came so he moved out to his right. Verdict: Heard footsteps in the pocket and added a  poor decision to attempt a completion, the defender was the only player with a shot at the catch.

 

 

What really Happened: He stood in the pocket. A gigantic run lane opened. He tucked the ball and took off to take advantage of the run lane. Lindstrom stepped into the run lane causing ridder to run into his back. He then rolled right and threw to Pruitt in tight coverage. The ball hit Pruitt in both hands, but he couldn't make the catch.

[Monolith2001]

Hats off to @falcndave for the the lengthy and well-thought out post.   That said I had tempered expectations and it wasn't terrible but he has a long way to go.   Sharing a video I saw that kind of shows he's got some things to clean up.

 

[etherdome]

Falcndave, that was great!  Thank you.  If you do that sort of analysis for a friend, can you continue to post it here?  I am curious to see if Ridder improves. 

Thank you, again. 

[falcndave]

6 hours ago, Snafu said:

 

What really Happened: He stood in the pocket. A gigantic run lane opened. He tucked the ball and took off to take advantage of the run lane. Lindstrom stepped into the run lane causing ridder to run into his back. He then rolled right and threw to Pruitt in tight coverage. The ball hit Pruitt in both hands, but he couldn't make the catch.

The play you described did happen. It was not this play. This was the 2nd or 3rd offensive snap. In this one, he literally balled up in the pocket before contact. The middle did not open up. He had to move out to his right. He tried to complete the pass to the sideline. The defender had position the whole time.