Good news for Atlanta Falcons: He is back again

Falcons assistant Dwayne Ledford is excited to return in a stronger position.

FLOWER BRANCH — Former coach Arthur Smith was sacked, leaving members of his staff in coaching limbo.

Dwayne Ledford’s success as an offensive line coach had been acknowledged throughout the NFL, and the Giants wanted to interview him. The Falcons denied the proposal to ensure that Ledford would be accessible to the next coach.

After Raheem Morris was hired head coach, Ledford was retained and named run-game coordinator/offensive line.

D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq., is the newspaper’s award-winning Atlanta Falcons beat writer, having joined the staff in 2003. Every day, D. Orlando aims to bring insight on the Falcons and the NFL. He enjoys providing insight into the team, coaching changes, offseason business decisions, the draft, and games.

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Bijan Robinson outshines top choice Bryce Young as Falcons defeat Panthers 24-10.

ATLANTA (AP)— The No. 8 pick stole the limelight from the first pick in the NFL draft.

Bijan Robinson caught a touchdown pass in his debut and set up another with a long run, giving the Atlanta rookie instant bragging rights over Carolina’s Bryce Young as the Falcons opened the season with a 24-10 victory over Carolina on Sunday.

Young was intercepted twice by Jessie Bates and did not complete a ball longer than 14 yards, which is not what the Panthers expected from the former Alabama star after trading up to grab him at No. 1.

Robinson, whose lofty pick by the Falcons defied some who believe running backs aren’t worth a first-round pick, demonstrated his versatility by taking a swing pass for an 11-yard score.

He also ran 21 yards to set up Atlanta’s go-ahead touchdown, Tyler Allgeier’s 3-yard run in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

“This was a really fun first game for me,” Robinson added. “I just can’t wait to showcase what we’ve got going down the line.”

With less than five minutes remaining, Allgeier clinched the game with another three-yard touchdown run.

It was a tough day for both offenses, both led by a young quarterback with a lot to show.

Desmond Ridder, who started the final four games of his rookie season to prepare for his first full season as Atlanta’s quarterback, was sacked four times and finished 15 of 18 for 116 yards.

It was an even worse appearance for Young, whose Heisman Trophy-winning college career spurred the Panthers to deal a large package, including receiver D.J. Moore, to make him the first of three quarterbacks taken in the first four rounds of the draft.

“I did a poor job of taking care of the ball and managing certain situations,” he remarked. “I’m going to try to grow and learn from this.”

One of his few highlights came in the second quarter, when he connected with Hayden Hurst for his first career touchdown on a 4-yard scoring play, tying the game 7-7 at halftime.

Hurst celebrated by hurling the ball high into the seats, ostensibly depriving Young of a prized possession. After the game, Young hinted that plans were being made to retrieve the ball from whoever had caught it.

“That was not where my focus was at,” he told me. “We have a great group of guys for things like that.”

Young wanted two other balls back.

He was intercepted on two virtually similar throws across the center, each of which failed to detect Bates lurking in the vicinity. Young also had a botched exchange, had a delay of game penalty, and was fired twice.

He finished 20 of 38 for 146 yards, falling short of being the first quarterback since David Carr in 2002 to win his starting debut after being taken first overall. The last 15 quarterbacks who received that honor are now 0-14-1 in their debut starts.

Adam Thielen, one of the receivers brought in by Carolina to fill the vacuum left by Moore’s trade, said one loss will not shake the team’s confidence in Young.

“We have so much faith and trust in him,” Thelien explained.

Robinson’s first NFL touchdown was memorable, set up by Bates’ first interception, which gave Atlanta the ball at the Panthers’ 17.

Taking a short ball from Ridder, the youngster tricked off linebacker Frankie Luvu before smashing through.