While the Falcons picked up a key divisional win on Sunday after defeating the Buccaneers 16-13, the overall performance of quarterback Desmond Ridder was once again under scrutiny and for some, deservingly so as the second year quarterback fumbled the ball three times, causing the Falcons to turn the ball over to Tampa Bay. And while Ridder acknowledged that he has to play “cleaner” football, questions to whether or not Atlanta should still be willing to continue with Ridder at QB1.
On Monday on The Steakhouse with Steak Shapiro and Drew Butler, the two shared their thoughts on Ridder’s play as Shapiro admitted to calling for the Falcons’ signal caller to be benched following his turnovers, however Shapiro would take to social media to recant his previous statement on Ridder’s playing status and explained to Butler why he chose to do so. “Here’s the thing about Desmond Ridder, he can sling it a little bit. You saw it at the end of the game when he hit Kyle Pitts. He can also run it,” Shapiro said while expressing his pleasure in the play calling on Sunday in goal line situations.
However, Ridder’s turnovers in those situations also led Shapiro to believe that the quarterback was “singled handedly were taking your team out of it,” and with Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson and Drake London playing well on Sunday, Ridder’s struggles added to the hosts’ frustrations. “You’re doing all these things right and then your quarterback just keeps giving the ball back,” Shapiro said.
Click link above to hear Steak and Drew’s conversation in its entirety:
