Falcons' Desmond Ridder refuses to play 'in fear' of being benched
Through the first half of Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Desmond Ridder completed only nine of his 14 pass attempts for 73 yards. He was also picked off twice on back-to-back passes and one of those was returned for a touchdown. Fans were calling for the Falcons to bench Ridder for […]
Through the first half of Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Desmond Ridder completed only nine of his 14 pass attempts for 73 yards.
He was also picked off twice on back-to-back passes and one of those was returned for a touchdown.
Fans were calling for the Falcons to bench Ridder for backup Taylor Heinicke by halftime and even one of his teammates showed signs of frustration.
As for Ridder, the thought of being benched did not cross his mind.
"No. That's playing in fear," Ridder said in Wednesday's presser when asked if he thought he would be benched at any point in Sunday's loss, "and that's not something I want to do or would advise anyone to do is to play in fear, or to play like someone's looking over your back."
After the half, Ridder came out and immediately led a scoring drive, which gave the Falcons a glimpse of hope. He finished the second half completing 10 of his 17 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
So, Ridder did come out looking better, but it still wasn't enough to beat the Jaguars.
"For me, it's just about going out there," Ridder said, "playing every play as a new play and going out there trying to play the play as best as you can, try to get the best result out of each play, and not play with that fear. When you start to play with that fear you start to second guess things, and you kind of look at it…
"When you get into that game of oh, is he going to bench me? Oh, is he going to do this? That's when you start to get into a lot of crappy play and a lot of fear."
In four games so far this season, Ridder has thrown for 744 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also added 47 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown and two lost fumbles. The Falcons are 2-2 with Ridder under center.
For now, head coach Arthur Smith has no plans to bench Ridder, who currently has a 77.6 passer rating and ranks 28th across the league.
"Desmond Ridder is still Atlanta's starter," Smith made that extra clear on Monday.
Next up, fearless Ridder and Co. will look to rebound from two brutal losses as they take on the Houston Texans at home in Week 5.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith ‘didn’t consider’ benching Desmond Ridder vs. Jags
Desmond Ridder threw two interceptions in the first half.
