Matt Riggins

I owe Bryce Young an apology. And not one of those fake apologies where I spend the next three paragraphs explaining why I was actually right. No excuses. No qualifiers. No “but.” This is about accountability. Bryce Young, I was a hater. Not a skeptic. Not a concerned observer. Not somebody who simply needed to see more development. A HATER. I doubted you. I questioned you. I laughed. I made jokes. I watched you struggle and treated every bad game like another piece of evidence being submitted to the court. Every sack was confirmation. Every missed throw strengthened my agenda. Every rough performance had me sitting comfortably on my couch thinking, “See? I told y’all.” I was unfamiliar with your game. And somehow, despite all of that, you kept showing up. You took the criticism. You took the jokes. You took the memes. You took people calling you a bust before your career even had a chance to breathe. People questioned your size, your arm, your confidence, your future, and whether you even belonged as a starting quarterback in this league. And through it all, you just kept playing football. But what makes this apology especially painful is what you have done to my Atlanta Falcons. Bryce, why us? Why is it that whenever you see that Falcons logo, you suddenly transform? Why do you look across the line of scrimmage, see Atlanta, and decide that today is the day you’re going to remind everybody why you were the No. 1 overall pick? I have spent entirely too much time disrespecting a man who apparently wakes up on Falcons week with vengeance in his heart. At some point, I have to accept reality. Maybe the problem was me. Maybe I was so committed to the agenda that I stopped watching the quarterback in front of me. Maybe I confused early-career struggles with a permanent ceiling. Maybe I saw the mistakes and ignored the flashes. Maybe I decided what Bryce Young was before Bryce Young had the opportunity to show us what he could become. For that, Bryce, I apologize. I apologize for every joke. I apologize for every time I saw Carolina on the schedule and felt comfortable. I apologize for every time I said, “It’s Bryce Young, man.” I apologize for every interception I celebrated like it proved my scouting ability. I apologize for every good throw I dismissed as a fluke. I apologize for moving the goalposts when you played well. Most importantly, I apologize for believing the Atlanta Falcons would finally put an end to this foolishness. You have humbled me. You have forced me to sit here, look inward, and confront something no football fan ever wants to confront: I may have been pushing an agenda that the film could no longer support. I cannot undo what I said. I cannot erase the tweets. I cannot take back the slander. All I can do is stand before you today, hat in hand, agenda in ruins, and acknowledge the quarterback you have become. Bryce Young… I was wrong. I doubted you. I disrespected you. I underestimated you. And you responded in the most painful way imaginable: You made me watch you do it against my team. Again. And again. And again. So from the bottom of my heart: I am sorry, Bryce Young. I was not familiar with your game. Please stop beating the Falcons.

INJURY REPORT: @hornets vs POR 2/28 No Injuries To Report

Trying something new this sports season, decided to give high school wrestling a try. Had my first two matches last night. Came away with 2 pins in my first 2 career matches. Yes - I'm raw and have a lot to improve on, but I'm enjoying the process. #HWPO @RaginRidgeFB @HRHSrecruits @coachBGentry @PrepRedzoneNC @MattRiggins49

End of my Senior season highlights My Stats: 1018 Total yards, 11 Total TD’s @coachBGentry @MattRiggins49 hudl.com/v/2T8nwn

Luke Untereker, 2029 varsity, 397 yards,25 rec,4 tds ⁦@Hickory_RidgeFB⁩ ⁦@coachBGentry⁩ hudl.com/v/2T9Cxq

Check out my highlights from weeks 9 & 10. Played exclusively at Center final 6 games this season. 6-3, 273lbs. @coachBGentry @MattRiggins49 @coachMBloom @finisholacademy @RaginRidgeFB @HRHSrecruits @whelms21 @pepman704 @PrepRedzoneNC

Junior season highlights Games 7 & 8. I've transitioned to Center these last 4 games after playing tackle & guard earlier in the season. hudl.com/v/2T1Cee #hudl @coachBGentry @MattRiggins49 @finisholacademy @coachMBloom @PrepRedzoneNC @RaginRidgeFB @HRHSrecruits @whelms21 @EPassinoNFHS