Atlanta Falcons Top 5 Positional Units in 2015
Oct 26, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws a pass against the Detroit Lions in the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2. Quarterbacks
This ranks here largely due to Matt Ryan. The Falcons are fortunate to have one of the league’s best passers, and he’s only just turned 30 years old.
Dec 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) looks on prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan, providing he stays healthy, will be the main man on this team for years to come. Matty Ice has everything you want from a quarterback — he’s accurate, smart and can make all the throws. It doesn’t harm to have one of the NFL’s premier receivers in Julio Jones, either.
No quarterback in the history of the NFL has completed more passes in their first seven years than Ryan. In those years, he’s amassed 28,166 yards and 181 touchdowns from his 2,508 completions.
Ryan has the perfect blend of physical tools and experience. He’s still young and won’t see his play decline for a number of years, but he has close to a decade of NFL experience under his belt, and that’s invaluable.
When it comes to mobility, he’s not Cam Newton or Russell Wilson, but he’s also not Peyton Manning. Ryan is no slouch running the football, and it’s something we could see more of in 2015.
Matty Ice has the tools around him to succeed; he just needs more help from his defense. As we’ve established, the pass rush and secondary should improve this year, and this will have a direct impact on the offense. The quicker the Falcons’ defense gets off the field, the better. The fewer points they concede, the less pressure Ryan faces to win games.
T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree backup Ryan, but hopefully we will only hear from them at the end of Falcons’ blowout victories or in Week 17 when the No. 1 seed is wrapped up. Overall, this unit is strong and remains one of the best parts of this Falcons’ roster.
Next: No. 1