NFL talent evaluators want to see accuracy, strong footwork, & a tight spiral on the ball (in addition to several other factors) when evaluating quarterback prospects. Now, you would think that throwing with a tight spiral isn’t nearly as important as throwing with fundamentals (accuracy & footwork) is when it comes to QB success. This fascinating video from Insider pours some cold water on that theory, as these three components work together in tandem to create consistently catchable passes.
New “roof cam” footage posted on the Atlanta Falcons YouTube channel shows that QB Desmond Ridder consistently fails to meet these basic quarterback standards, even in his season highlights where the team is trying to showcase him at his best. Ridder’s issue is that his fundamentals are so inconsistent that his receivers often have to bail him out by adjusting to off-target passes in the middle of their routes. Drake London does a great job of doing this, as we saw this past weekend when he made this incredible play on an awful deep ball that should have been intercepted. Unfortunately, Ridder has just one Drake London to throw to on this Falcons team…
Inaccuracy
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote analysis on Desmond Ridder as a draft prospect. Zierlein’s findings on Ridder noted that his accuracy and ball placement need work, and that getting the ball to NFL targets accurately and safely is not a given for him. We see an example of his inaccuracy at work here at 4:01 in the roof camera video. This is a pass that could’ve easily gone for a touchdown, but instead the receiver attempts to make an acrobatic adjustment to the ball as it sails well out of bounds.
Sloppy footwork
Lance Zierlein claims that Ridder has consistently repeatable footwork & good mechanics, but I’m going to present evidence to the contrary of his expert opinion. Let’s begin at 3:57 here, where we have a clear view of Desmond Ridder’s footwork. Throwing off his back foot here led to a wobbly (albeit completed) pass to London. The Falcons QB1 throws off his back foot again at 4:10, but this time with a much better spiral & placement where only the receiver could get his hands on the ball. Finally, here’s an instance of Ridder forcefully trying to throw the ball to Mack Hollins despite faulty mechanics on a successful trick play against the Packers.
Wobbly spiral
My biggest concern regarding Desmond Ridder is his lack of a tight football spiral. This was my main takeaway upon watching the roof cam video for the first time in that I noticed that the Falcons starter doesn’t always throw the ball with any spiral. There are several instances where this can be seen, including here, here, and here. His receivers aren’t always able to track the ball well in the air as a result of this weakness in his game, and they frequently have to adjust their routes to account for wobbly passes that aren’t always in the best locations for them to make the catches.
Closing thoughts
Desmond Ridder is clearly not the solution the Falcons should be looking for at QB. Accuracy, strong footwork, and a tight spiral on the football aren’t areas of strength in his game, and in fact you could say that they are some of his biggest weaknesses. He also turns the ball over at an alarming rate, as he has 15 total turnovers in comparison to 14 total touchdowns in 13 games as the Falcons starter this season. Total all of these things together, and it becomes crystal clear that the Falcons should be desperately searching for a new man under center in the 2024 offseason.
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