Desmond Ridder wants to be the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback this season. It would be concerning if that wasn’t his goal.
But at the same time, he’s ready to learn all he can from the Atlanta Falcons’ veteran signal-caller.
With Matt Ryan now a member of the Indianapolis Colts, the Falcons addressed the quarterback position by signing Marcus Mariota in free agency. They then shored it up by drafting Ridder out of Cincinnati in the third round last month.
Ridder has been considered something of a project with tantalizing upside, and learning under Mariota isn’t the worst thing. But in an ideal world, he would grow comfortably into the NFL and, at the very least, push Mariota during training camp.
Appearing Tuesday on 92.9 The Game’s “Andy and Randy”, Ridder shed light on how he plans to learn from Mariota, despite having that competitive fire.
“It’s been great, and I think it will continue to be great," Ridder said of his relationship with Mariota. "We’re both competitors, and at the end of the day we both want a healthy competition, and I think that’s what we look at it as. Obviously, I’m the younger guy, he’s the vet, so I’m looking up to him – whether that’s pre-practice routine, whether that’s maintaining your arm care, I’m going to him asking questions. And then we’re just making each other better every single day both on the field and off the field. Like I said, he’s got a lot more experience on me as far as when it comes to the NFL, so I’m just taking it in like a sponge, gaining in all the information that I can to be the best player I can be."
So, yes, Ridder has high respect for Mariota. But he does want to be the starter though, right?
“Yes sir. At the end of the day, I’m going to put my best foot forward, and if they give it to Marcus they give it Marcus, if they give it to me they give it to me," Ridder responded. "I’m going to do whatever my role is for this team to make the team better at the end of the day, so whatever that role is I’m all for it.”
Mariota will have the edge on the gig going into camp, but it would be premature to say he has a stranglehold on it. That said, Ridder seems intent on fusing the desire to learn from a seasoned pro while also making sure Mariota's spot in the driver’s seat of the Falcons offense isn’t too comfortable.
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