ATLANTA – One might think catching the first touchdown pass of an NFL career would spark some type of overly excited reaction … right? Not for Falcons rookie receiver Calvin Ridley, because that's not his personality.
Ridley is cool, calm and collected at all times, so it's no surprise his response when asked if he was still amped from the catch was the following:
"Nah, not really," Ridley said. "It's over with, I'm on to the next [one]. Looking forward to another opportunity."
Perhaps it's the fact that he came from the University of Alabama and was coached by Nick Saban, who has a history of getting his players ready for the big stage, or maybe it's just the personality he was born with.
Either way, he's about as polished as a rookie can be, and his teammates have noticed.
"C-Rid always looks good," receiver Marvin Hall said. "He has a motor. I'm so excited for him and it's just the beginning of something special. He's very humble, he acts like he's been here before."
Although he doesn't spend as much time with Ridley as Hall does, linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who competes against him in practice on a daily basis, shared a similar sentiment.
"It's hard to say he's a rookie," Campbell said of Ridley. "He came in really polished, he looked like a vet from the beginning."
Ridley finished the night with three catches for 49 yards. His longest reception was 36 yards on a dime thrown by quarterback Matt Ryan, which had fans jumping out of their seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
There's a number of things Ridley does well, but his speed and ability to get in and out of breaks are possibly his greatest assets at this point.
Just ask Campbell, who sees it every day at practice.
"He has a ridiculous stride, he covers a lot of ground really quick," Campbell said. "He's a mismatch problem. We have a really good receiving corps. On almost any other receiving corps in the league, he'd definitely be a No. 1 receiver. He's going to be able create mismatches and dominate."
