Falcons 13, Bengals 13
Q. Having such a versatile collection of talent, were you excited about what you can do with that? What did you learn about them?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, I'm very thrilled. Obviously that's why Mr. Blank and Mr. Terry and Coach Art, that's why they bring these guys in. It's about play-makers around me, just be able to let them go play and get the ball in their hands.
It was great as far as being able to go out there. I took what the defense gave me. One easy one to Mack, to Kyle, whatever it may be, one on one to Drake. Whatever they're going to give me, I'm going to take.
It was great to see everyone go out there. We obviously have some things to clean up pre-snap wise and post-snap, but it was great to see.
Q. If you take the pick out of it, you were moving the ball efficiently. Is that what you like to see?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, I definitely wouldn't say that first drive was efficient at all, especially when you're going up 10, back 5, up 10, back 5. That's probably not the quickest way to the end zone.
For us, it's just about cleaning that up. Just about coming in next week more locked in than we were, being able to clean it up and get better.
Q. What did you think of No. 7?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, obviously Bijan, he showed up a couple times. Obviously handed it to him. We got that one right there. That probably would have been a touchdown before they called a challenge on it.
Back there, he said he felt comfortable. He's out there doing what he does. Just get the ball in his hands and let him go.
Q. What did you see on the pick?
DESMOND RIDDER: In this game, it's all about controlling what you can control. There I thought it was man coverage. That was the route we wanted to work, a little whip route on it. Once I let the ball go, then it was out of my hands. Obviously the ref didn't make the call. That's something we've got to live with.
Like I said, the penalties in that drive, we probably shouldn't have got to that situation. Probably already should have had the points on the board, sitting on the bench. For us, there's a lot of things we can go back and clean up on that first drive where that result doesn't happen.
Q. (No microphone.)
DESMOND RIDDER: I mean, honestly we just got to lock in. There's nothing else to it. Whether it's communication, whether it's pre-snap, whether it's cadence, on me, on the O-line, wide receiver, doesn't matter. All 11 guys have to be locked in when we go out there to play. That's something we got to do better.
Q. How did it feel from an individual perspective to be out there for the first time since January?
DESMOND RIDDER: It felt great. All smiles on my face just to be able to go out there and play the game I love to play, play with the guys I love to play it with. It's great not to be able to go out there and beat your defense, beat up someone else's. It was fun for not only myself but everybody to go out there and play.
Q. You got better over the last couple of months.
DESMOND RIDDER: Thank you (smiling).
Q. But do you feel a sense of improvement from a January start to now?
DESMOND RIDDER: Oh, yeah, 100%. But physically and mentally, just being locked in on the game plan, being comfortable with that, being ready to go. When you get out there on the field, it makes things a lot easier.
For me, it's just about going in next week. Now this game plan is wiped, get a whole new one tomorrow and be ready to go.
Q. How do you think that Taylor did? What kind of an asset has he been?
DESMOND RIDDER: Taylor has been a great guy for me. Both Taylor and Logan. Both guys have been able to come in, Logan the last four games, Taylor this off-season. We've been nothing but great to each other, bouncing off ideas to each other, being able to work off each other.
When you talk about competition, obviously there's only one person that can play this position on the field at one time. So we know in this job, in this profession, every job is a competition.
But, look, what we like to call it is a healthy competition. No one is rooting each other down or rooting each other up, whatever it may be, but rather building everyone up together. Like we say, iron sharpens iron. It's going to make all three of us better.
Q. There were a couple times where you escaped to your right. You're reading the rush. That's kind of dictating your movement. Do you feel like you're more dangerous when you get out into that open space?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, I feel like whether it's me or anyone else that has the ball in their hands, if you get outside the pocket, it puts pressure on the defense. It makes the defense have to either think pass or run from the quarterback position.
They might come up on me and think it's run, think I'm running, then dump it off to receiver, or they think I'm passing and drop all the way back and I take off running.
That's something that has been God given to me, to be able to get out and use my legs. That's something that obviously I've always worked on. Now it's just about keeping your eyes up downfield, seeing what play there is to be made.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports