Falcons' Desmond Ridder Talks 'Comforting' Support from Owner Arthur Blank

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder told reporters that it's "comforting" team owner Arthur Blank and others within the franchise feel that he's the team's quarterback of the future.

"That's comforting for me obviously knowing that Mr. Blank and everyone in the organization believes in me and my skill set," Ridder said, per ESPN's Michael Rothstein.

"At the end of the day, for myself, it's about putting a higher expectation than even what they have for myself and going out and trying to exceed that and be better."

On Tuesday, Blank offered his vote of confidence in the second-year pro.

"We feel pretty strongly that he's going to be our quarterback in the future," Blank said Tuesday. "And we gotta play games and we gotta see. But we feel good about him."

The Atlanta Falcons gave the keys of the offense to rookie quarterback late last season in place of veteran Marcus Mariota.

Ridder, a former University of Cincinnati star, enjoyed a solid and efficient start to his career by completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 708 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions over four games.

He plays for a run-heavy Falcons team that just had the most rush attempts (559) in football last year, so it's not as if Atlanta is going to ask him to carry the offense with his arm on a daily basis, especially with star rookie running back Bijan Robinson now aboard.

But the pieces are there for Ridder and the Falcons to find success. Three top-eight picks (Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London) are now aboard, and they are flanked by players such as running back Tyler Allgeier, who just eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in his rookie season.

We'll see how Ridder and the Falcons fare soon enough when they open the season on Sept. 10 versus the Carolina Panthers.