Desmond Ridder says he hears all the noise from the doubters and critics.
Joe Patrick joined "The Morning Shift" and spoke about media outlets and talking heads loudly wondering about the Atlanta Falcons quarterback even though nobody is exactly sure what Ridder is capable of at this point in time.
“Yeah, I have a TV in my house, so I do see that sometimes," Ridder told assembled media on Monday. "And yeah, you know it puts a chip on my shoulder. But you know at the end of the day like I said I can control what I can control. I know at the end of the day I'm gonna go out here and work, and go out here and be the best player I can be not only for myself but for my team as well.”
Right away Mike Johnson calls it a “beautiful answer."
“He is a second-year player coming off a rookie year with a ton of questions, and all of a sudden he’s been handed the keys to the Cadillac," said the former Falcons offensive lineman. "But his first response is 'yeah, i’ve got a TV in my house.' Like don’t you love that? That’s such a vet move I feel like.”
Beau Morgan believes Ridder knows that every single national sports outlet has been doubting and criticizing him.
“What’s funny about it to me is that he, by saying I’ve got a TV in my house acknowledges that every major sports network or outlet has been talking about," said Morgan. "They're going with Desmond Ridder, who is Desmond Ridder?
“A lot of people will say 'oh he’s got rabbit ears, see there’s a difference, there’s a difference in hearing people doubt you.'”
Beau finishes his thought by suggesting what might be propelling Ridder.
“I think if it was something different about him if they were you know maybe knocking something that he couldn’t control," said Morgan. "But they’re basically saying he’s not good enough, and all that’s doing is making that chip bigger.”
Johnson loves the moxie from Ridder.
“Having that chip on your shoulder is a good thing," Johnson said. "I think if you’re Desmond Ridder for the most part you just block it all out. Just go around it, say hey I’ve got a TV at my house, I hear it, and move on. Just keep going and that’s exactly what he did.”
Ridder is doing exactly what you would want to see from a young player, a leader, and a starting quarterback. Even though he sees and hears the criticism, he’s not letting it affect him. He’s just letting it fuel him, and by this time next year Ridder might be receiving a lot of praise and apologies.
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