What Arthur Smith stated about becoming a quarterback after the loss to Carolina in Week 15
During his Monday afternoon news conference, Arthur Smith did not pick a starting quarterback. The Falcons head coach told the local media that he had talked to the quarterbacks before the meeting.
He also said that the Falcons haven’t decided what they’ll perform with the quarterback situation going forward.
Smith said, “The choice is not final.” “We’re continuing to push through that.” Smith said that he was going to “circle back to these guys” and that the Falcons needed to “make the best decision for their team.”
Did the head coach think about Logan Woodside and a quarterback who was outside the structure as a possible starter for this Sunday’s game? Because Smith said “no,” the choice will be among Ridder and Heinicke.
Heinicke hurt his leg in the Falcons’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, so Ridder filled in for him for the rest of the fourth quarter. During this time, Smith said that the Falcons weren’t going to play “musical chairs” with the QB spot.
It was agreed that Ridder would play the rest of the season for the Falcons when they decided to bring him back after the bye week.
After the Falcons lost 9–7 in Charlotte, N.C., this past Sunday, the subject changed, and Smith said, “nothing is set to stone.”
When it came to passing, Ridder was 12 for 20 with 152 yards and one score in Charlotte. But Ridder’s late interception changed the game and set up the Panthers’ game-winning drive.
He said he was “trying too much” when asked about the turnover after the game. He said he should have tossed the ball away as well as kept it and pulled up a yard to live through another down.
Scott Bair wrote about the game afterward that Ridder has lost 10 fumbles and picks this year, including five in the red zone. This season, he has also lost the ball twice inside the Falcons’ 20-yard line.
We saw Heinicke play in a total of four games this season. He completed 55.4 percent of his passes, threw for 498 yards, scored three touchdowns, and picked off one pass.
In the Falcons’ loss to the Cardinals in Week 10, Heinicke played the last few minutes of the fourth quarter within his place. Smith stated that the Falcons do not wish to play “musical chairs” with the QB position at this time.
They chose to go again with Reed after the bye week because they thought he would finish the year well for the Falcons. Last Sunday, the Falcons lost 9–7 in Charlotte, N.C., and the story changed. Smith said, “Nothing is thrown away.”
Arthur Smith might not have a job after the Atlanta Falcons blew a lead and lost to the NFL’s worst team on Sunday. Eight days ago, the Georgia Falcons were the only team in their division to be in first place.
The Falcons lost the game to the Carolina Panthers (9–7) in the last second on an Eddy Pineiro field goal, which was both unfortunate and embarrassing.
The loss took them out of the three-way tie over first place in the NFC South in New Orleans and Tampa Bay.
But losing back-to-back games to division rivals Carolina and Tampa Bay has put the Falcons in a tough spot—one game behind the Saints and Buccaneers with three games left.
The Falcons are 6-8 this season after going 7-10 in each of Smith’s first two seasons. This has led to rumors that chairman Arthur Blank will fire Smith if the team doesn’t make the playoffs.
“When you lose, things happen, so these are normal questions, right?” Smith said at a news conference after the game. “Okay, that’s NFL 101. “Your job is to win games.”
He said, “Nothing like the State of the Union” when asked if he knew what would happen to him. You do your best at work every day. After that, we only work on getting better and winning games.
This season, three NFL coaches were already fired: the Panthers’ Frank Reich, the Raiders’ Josh McDaniels, and the Chargers’ Brandon Staley.
Smith said he’s very sure of himself and won’t give surrender to his team. Smith told them, “Your job is to win some games and make the playoffs.” “That chance is still open to us.”