4 Reasons sports media hasn't treated Desmond Ridder fairly this off-season

4. Atlanta is an easy target

Since their infamous Super Bowl appearance the Falcons have been given very little respect. This is understandable when you blow a historic Super Bowl lead and become the doormat of the NFC, however, it is time to adjust expectations and how Atlanta is talked about.

It is far more interesting for those outside Atlanta to hear about Atlanta's lack of care when it comes to winning or another 28-3 joke than actually taking the time to research and consider what Fontenot and Arthur Smith have been building.

Tearing down Atlanta is easy based on the poor decisions of the previous regime and blown leads. It is far easier to dismiss Desmond Ridder and the Falcons rather than doing the work to consider the potential and what they are building or could be now on the right side of a rebuild.

In a weak NFC playing in the worst division in football, the bar is low for the Falcons and the off-season improvements have been ignored in favor of discussing Lamar Jackson or what Arthur Smith said in a pre-draft interview.

Ignoring Desmond Ridder allows for more interesting stories of quarterbacks Atlanta could chase (Kyler Murray or Ryan Tannehill are the latest) or why they don't care about winning. The Falcons are a far more skilled team than they were a year ago with a far easier schedule and a quarterback capable of completing basic passes. Ignore the Falcons and Desmond Ridder at your own risk this is clearly a team tired of being underrated and getting ready to surprise a lot of people in 2023.