4 games isn’t enough to know if Desmond Ridder is THE GUY

This may be the start of a new era for the Atlanta Falcons with their rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder starting his first game in the NFL.

One thing that is guaranteed is that fans will bury him if he plays bad or jump on the bandwagon if he tears it up. However, he will only be playing in four games—unless the Falcons somehow make the playoffs—and four games will not be enough to know how his career will play out.

Stay cautiously optimistic about Desmond Ridder’s future over the remaining 4 games

Desmond Ridder may be the next franchise quarterback for the Falcons, or he may not be, but either way, it will take more than four games to determine if he is or not. There are many examples out there of quarterbacks who started every game of their rookie season—something Ridder will not be doing—and were awful, only to develop into some of the best ever.

Do a simple search on Google of rookie quarterbacks and you will find names like Eli and Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, and John Elway. All of their careers ended with at least one Super Bowl.

They were able to start more games than Ridder will. The more games you play, the more you can settle in. The Falcons’ rookie quarterback will not have that luxury.

Also Read: Five Falcons who have offered nothing to the team.

You can even point out Kenny Pickett this year. In his first game (or half-game) he threw a bunch of interceptions. Now you take a look at what Steelers fans are saying about him and it is optimism. The Falcons got to see him firsthand.

There is no way to stop all the overreactions—all of us are guilty of it—but just try to remember that he is a rookie that is being thrown out on the field for the first time against a bunch of players who have played in a bunch of games.