NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Here’s what Falcons coach Desmond Ridder had to say after the 28-23 loss to the Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium:
Explain me through what was going on with protocols. “I went through the concussion (protocol), got cleared. Everything with that went good. But these coaches know what it’s like, sort of like parents, because we’re with them so much and so much time, and they just felt I was a little off. And so obviously, Taylor (Heinicke) went out there, did what he needed to do, and they rolled with it.”
Do you feel like you were a little bit off? Did you feel off? “No. Like I said, there were a couple of plays that got mixed up and there’s obviously things that we can clean up and be better at. Like I said, Taylor (Heinicke)’s job is to be able to step up just like anyone else’s job. In which, we had plenty of guys that had to step up and come in and make plays and which they did.”
I missed the beginning part of that where you said you were off. Was that the concussion protocol thing or is that just you feeling off? “No, I didn’t say I was off. I said I cleared concussion through medical and everything. And I said the coaches, they’re with us the most time out of anybody else. And they just felt, I was a little off. Sometimes they can just see it.”
When did that happen? When did you get hurt? Or what was the play that led them to evaluate you? “I don’t know what the exact play was, but like I said, they just felt they saw it and felt something was off.”
So, you didn’t feel anything? You didn’t go to them? “No.”
Do you feel at this point, with the way that you played the last three weeks, that you still are the starter here? Like, how do you evaluate where you think you are right now, considering how Taylor (Heinicke) played also. ”Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day obviously Taylor (Heinicke) came in and did great, did the job, got moving, and put points on the board. At the end of the day, it’s a game of being able to come out and execute. Like you, said the past couple weeks have been tough as far as the execution part of it. Like I said, there’s a lot of things in all games that we can clean up and be better at. And we’ll go back to work on Monday and look at it.”
