Falcons Coach Dave Ragone Reveals How He Met Desmond Ridder
The Atlanta Falcons are officially ushering in the Desmond Ridder era, as he takes the field for the first time as the Week 1 starting quarterback for the franchise against the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers.
Ridder has plenty of support with him on the field, but also off of it, with coach Arthur Smith and offensive coordinator Dave Ragone helping him on the sidelines.
For Ragone, Ridder's start with him by his side is a part of a journey that started even before the Falcons quarterback was in college.
“That story goes back to a guy that I was close to at the time, which was his high school head coach," Ragone said. "This person had played in the NFL for a long period of time – a very good player. Been around some really good players, and he just in a roundabout way not knowing that our worlds would ever collide – in a roundabout way, would always make a case in point of ‘Man I think I’ve got something here in high school and it’ll be interesting to see where his career turns out.’ As fate has it, we end up in the same spot, not by design but ultimately, after all those years ago.”
Ragone, 43, went to college at Louisville, and spent five seasons in the NFL. Ridder went to high school in Louisville, while Ragone stayed connected to the area.
Ridder, now 24, has come a long way since his high school days, but the way his path has coincided with Ragone is a testament to how intertwined the football community can be.
Ridder, Ragone and the Falcons kick off the season against the Panthers at 1 p.m. on Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
