It was Atlanta Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot‘s turn to shed some light on how the team was progressing as the Dirty Birds and their fans look forward to the new season.
Walking into the press meeting with two boxes of cookies for attendees, he spoke about everything from Desmond Ridder to how the upper office steers the whole team to future success.
About Ridder, he said the quarterback had shown early potential in his first four games last season, and this played a role in the decision to keep him as the team’s starting QB. “One thing we saw early on with Desmond is the professional he was and the maturity at an early stage in his career last year,” Fontenot said. “He showed growth and improvement in every game.” He elaborated that they like how Ridder responded to adversity and was willing to improve and converse with teammates.
Fontenot said he and Head Coach Arthur Smith evaluate Ridder’s performance by watching films of him daily.
“True professional” was how he referred to Ridder. He also credited Djian Robinson for his handling of himself on the field and off.
He said that the players are learning to be competitive and focus on winning. “We have a lot of confidence in our team,” was his response to a question on where he thought the Falcons could place in the NFC South division race this coming season. “We just have to focus on every challenge in front of us.”
Fontenot said he did not believe there was a “ceiling” on how far the team could go.
Fontenot said that the Falcons are in a marathon and not a sprint when it comes to questions about how the team has improved since his and Coach Smith’s arrival three years ago. He said the team had to progress despite setbacks. “You have a plan you have a blueprint but you always have to adapt and adjust and pivot,” he said.
Getting to the 53-man roster was the next large focus for the team. He said although he likes the team how it is currently, the Falcons’ front office is always looking for new talent and seeing where the roster can be improved.
Fontenot commented on the outpouring of fan support that was visible on social media. “That was unreal,” he said “We appreciate our fans so much that’s why we work so hard because they deserve to have a winning season and a sustained winner.”