Atlanta Falcons: It’s Time For Matt Ryan To Show the NFL

Matthew Thomas Ryan-“Matty Ice” —- It’s time to Show the NFL

The Atlanta Falcons did a lot to improve in the off-season, and most fans are talking about the improved defense, Tevin Coleman, and the exciting new pass rushers in Vic Beasley and Adrian Clayborn.

But no one is talking about the player behind it all. Without this player, words such as “playoffs” and “bounce-back season” wouldn’t even be in the picture for the Falcons. The team is getting enough publicity, but it seems like the player that deserves more credit isn’t getting any

Matt Ryan threw for over 4,600 yards and 28 TD’s in 2014-2015, yet isn’t considered even a top 10 quarterback in the NFL

Why is Matt Ryan so underrated?

Ryan has been The Rock for the Falcons. Through the highs and the lows of the franchise, from 2008, he has been the franchise player, the leader, and the future for the team.

Yet, he barely gets any credit for his work.

Ryan was not even mentioned as a top 10 QB in the widely accredited “Top 100 Players in the NFL,” instead falling short at 11.

Elliot Harrison, who is dubbed as the “Official QB Ranker,” didn’t even mention Ryan in his top 10 QB’s in the NFL, and even put Alex Smith on the list by the way.

Dave Dameshek and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com also had Ryan falling short of the top 10.

Here are some numbers on Matty Ice:

PASSING

Year

Team

G

Att

Comp

Pct

Att/G

Yds

Avg

Yds/G

TD

TD%

Int

Int%

Lng

20+

40+

Sck

SckY

Rate

2014

16

628

415

66.1

39.2

4,694

7.5

293.4

28

4.5

14

2.2

79

60

8

31

205

93.9

2013

16

651

439

67.4

40.7

4,515

6.9

282.2

26

4.0

17

2.6

81T

44

9

44

298

89.6

2012

16

615

422

68.6

38.4

4,719

7.7

294.9

32

5.2

14

2.3

80T

46

10

28

210

99.1

2011

16

566

347

61.3

35.4

4,177

7.4

261.1

29

5.1

12

2.1

80T

55

10

26

173

92.2

2010

16

571

357

62.5

35.7

3,705

6.5

231.6

28

4.9

9

1.6

46

32

6

23

158

91.0

2009

14

451

263

58.3

32.2

2,916

6.5

208.3

22

4.9

14

3.1

90T

31

4

19

92

80.9

2008

16

434

265

61.1

27.1

3,440

7.9

215.0

16

3.7

11

2.5

70T

45

9

17

104

87.7

TOTAL

110

3,916

2,508

64.0

35.6

28,166

7.2

256.1

181

4.6

91

2.3

90

313

56

188

1,240

91.1

Ryan threw for 4,694 yards and 28 TD’s last year. The numbers are there and they always will be for a QB like Ryan. But the Atlanta Falcons and their fans better get used to this fact:

Matt Ryan will always be dubbed as a mediocre QB, until he wins the Super Bowl. The numbers are there, and have been for the past four years. It’s time for the Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan to show the NFL.

Next: Can Falcons sweep the NFC East?