FLOWERY BRANCH — At least one person is not stunned that former Collins Hill High standout Taylor Heinicke is about to start at quarterback for the Falcons.
Heinicke was named the starter by the team Wednesday. The Falcons (4-4) are set to host the Minnesota Vikings (4-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes- Benz Stadium.
“Not surprised,” Heinicke’s high school coach Kevin Reach told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “I’ll be honest with you. I always felt that if the situation was right, just from when I had him, I always felt like he was a special kid.”
In 2010, Heinicke tossed 44 touchdown passes and threw for 4,218 yards for the Eagles, leading them to Georgia’s Class 5A semifinals.
“As far as his work ethic, his film work, he’s really smart,” said Reach, who’s currently the coach at Monroe Area High School. “He always seemed to make things happen. It wasn’t like a fluke thing. He was always prepared. He always just seem to make things happen.”
Heinicke’s dad, Brett Heinicke, had contacted Reach before he attended Collins Hill to see if he could get a look at the playbook. Heinicke simulated being Michael Box, who went on to play at Connecticut, for two seasons before taking over for the Eagles.
“When he left, I’m not a judge of who is going to be a NFL quarterback or not, but he was the best that I’ve ever had,” Reach said. “I always felt like, if he was given the opportunity, that I felt he could play in the NFL.”
Heinicke, who’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, was not heavily recruited.
“He was undersized,” Reach said. “There weren’t a lot of callers coming around. He ended up throwing, set the state passing record that year. He was high school All-American.”
Heinicke signed with Old Dominion, then of the Colonial Athletic Association, an FCS conference.
“They were the first ones to offer him,” Reach said. “He was kind of a little ol’ guy. ... Someone had given them a video and they liked it. They came and talked with him and sure enough, he ended up at Old Dominion.”
When other suitors came in late, Heinicke stayed committed to Old Dominion.
“He’s kind of loyal like that,” Reach said. “He ended up setting all the records up there. Sure enough, he goes to Old Dominion, and he doesn’t get drafted after the career he had.”
Heinicke, who once passed for 730 yards in a game at Old Dominion, signed with the Vikings, but bounced around the NFL until he got a start with the Panthers.
Heinicke made a big impression around the league when he took over for Washington’s Alex Smith in 2020 and started a playoff game. He’s come off the bench in each of the past two seasons.
On Wednesday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith named Heinicke the starter for the Minnesota game.
“Before I was named a starter, I already had 15 people coming, so when I checked the phone. I’m sure it’s going to be bad,” Heinicke said. “I might tell them just to buy their own tickets.”
After signing with the Falcons, Heinicke just tried to blend in with his new team.
“It’s a new team and a new offense I’ve been learning since OTAs and, of course, new guys,” Heinicke said. “So whether it’s the cadence, different play-actions, everything is different. Again, it’s all the hard work I’ve been doing since OTAs that I feel comfortable with this moment. It’s definitely different from other times, but I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Heinicke believes he’ll be ready for the Vikings and their blitz-happy defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“We work hard in that quarterback (meeting) room. (Offensive coordinator Dave Ragone), he gets after it as well,” Heinicke said. “They make sure we’re on top of our stuff. So, it’s a good thing.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Ridder has started 12 games for the Falcons, eight games this season.
“It’s tough, it is,” Heinicke said. “There’s no beating around the bush there. Again, I kind of went through this last year with Carson (Wentz). The difference between Carson and Desmond is Carson had been in the league for a long time. This is kind of new for Des.”
Ridder is doing well and speaking up in the meetings. He’s remained engaged.
“He’s helping me out any way he can,” Heinicke said. “To see that from a young guy, it’s really cool. Just speaks to his character. Again, we’re still pushing each other.”
Heinicke had been working with the scout team to help the defense get prepared. He has to adjust to the speed of the first-string receivers.
“The biggest thing is just feeling people’s speeds and how they run routes,” Heinicke said. “I haven’t got a lot of reps with Kyle (Pitts) or Drake (London) or Van (Jefferson). Trying to get those reps with them and understanding their speed, how they run routes and how they see things. It’s the biggest thing, but conceptually I feel good with everything.”
Heinicke was proclaimed the starter just for this week. A week from Sunday, the Falcons play at Arizona and then have a bye week. When they return, they’ll have seven games to play.
If Heinicke wins the next two games, it will be hard to give the ball back to Ridder before the Falcons host New Orleans on Nov. 26.
“I really don’t think about it,” Heinicke said when asked if he wanted to be named the permanent starter. “I try to be as present as I can be. Again, the biggest goal and task for me is try to go out there and get this win.
Trailing 14-3 at halftime against the Titans, the Falcons turned to Heinicke. He led the Falcons to scores on four of six possessions. It was the most points scored in a half by the Falcons this season. The previous high was 17 points in the second half against Carolina in the season opener.
“I feel like I played pretty well,” Heinicke said. “We came up a little short there, but I was happy with the way I played. There are some things to clean up, but again I’ve been in this position the last two years. I’ve seen it all.”
The Falcons felt the energy when Heinicke was in the game.
“We got some things going, but it was a too little, too late,” Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews said. “Let’s build off of that and find a way to sustain that for four quarters and get a win. That’s our mindset this week.”
Running back Bijan Robinson scored the first rushing touchdown of his career with Heinicke in the game.
“Obviously, we want to be as efficient as we can,” Robinson said. “We want to complete balls. Complete passes. Make sure we know what we are doing in the run game so that we can help Taylor out.”
The Falcons average 17.3 points per game, which ranks 28th in the league.
“It felt good to move the ball down the field and score those touchdowns,” Robinson said. “Obviously, you wanted one more to win the game. It was a small glimpse of some exciting stuff that happened in that game against the Titans.”
Reach believes that the Falcons are going to have a tough time getting Heinicke out of the lineup.
“He’s always been an underdog,” Reach said. “I’m just glad to see him get the due he deserves. He’s a great player. His cerebral part of the game is very good.”
Credit: Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com
Credit: Josh D. Weiss
Credit: Josh D. Weiss
The Bow Tie Chronicles
About the Author
