Stop disrespecting Matt Ryan, one of the greatest Falcons to ever play

It is tough to find a quarterback like Matt Ryan who is top of the league and yet gets disrespected by everyone, even his own fans in his own city.

Matt Ryan is the greatest quarterback the Atlanta Falcons have ever seen. Overall, he’s one of the greatest Falcons to ever play.

It’s tiring to see the Atlanta Falcons fan base continue to bash Matt Ryan for illogical reasons. Fans look past the incompetence of Dirk Koetter’s play-calling and how awful the offensive line is.

All the while, having no run game whatsoever.

No, the Atlanta Falcons did not overpay Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan signed a new contract with the Atlanta Falcons coming at the tail end of pretty solid year for Ryan and the Falcons. One year removed from both an MVP win and a Super Bowl appearance, why would Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons not give Matt Ryan the contract he rightfully deserves and in line with the current quarterback market.

At the time, Matt Ryan was the highest-paid player in NFL history. That has since been passed by numerous players and will continue to rise.

To make it simpler, the NFL QB market dictated his pay. Nothing more.

The Atlanta Falcons offensive line simply sucks

Matt Ryan sits atop the league in times sacked (38), however, he should be passed by Winston or Murray at weekends end. Ryan has one less game than them, so the fact that he is even competing for the number one spot is absurd.

He missed his first game since 2010 due to the offensive line falling apart and he got injured.

Within a five day span (Tampa to New Orleans), Matt Ryan has been sacked a total of 15 times. It is entirely inexcusable for a pocket quarterback to be sacked that many times.

On Thanksgiving night, Matt Ryan was sacked nine times. Out of the nine times, Ryan was sacked, six of those sacks were with four or fewer rushers up against five or more blockers.

The other three sacks saw five rushers against six and seven blockers.

The argument can’t be made that he doesn’t pick up the blitz when there is no blitz to pick up. There were always more than enough guys blocking to protect Ryan. They simply just couldn’t hold for Ryan to let the ball go.

A three-man rush got past a five-man offensive line. They should be ashamed.

However, it apparently makes sense to blame Matt Ryan because he isn’t a mobile quarterback or should throw it away.

Atlanta fans were spoiled by having Michael Vick, who wasn’t even good, and now they must have a running quarterback or else he’s trash in their eyes.

Matt Ryan was sacked in less than 2.7 seconds six times.

No quarterback is going to throw the ball away once 2 seconds is up. That’s such an ignorant argument to make against Matt Ryan.

Mobile quarterbacks are amongst the most sacked quarterbacks in the league. This is mainly because they use their running ability to keep plays alive in the backfield. This is also because mobile quarterbacks have some of the highest averages intended air yardage per play.

Both Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson are close behind Ryan in sacks and both players average 9.6 yards or higher per pass attempt. Ryan averages 8.4.

A mobile quarterback simply would fail in Atlanta, so stop asking for one. The top three teams in the NFL are run by non-mobile quarterbacks. The perception of mobile quarterbacks and reality are completely different.

Ryan even bailed from the pocket late in the game to try and make a play but fumbled as a result. You can’t fault a guy for trying to make a play when his supporting system is nonexistent.

When you’re playing with a depleted passing attack, don’t call plays that favor routes to develop past five yards.

That lies in the hands of Dirk Koetter’s incompetence to set this offense up to succeed.

I guess Saints fans want to get rid of Brees?

For comparison, Drew Brees would average the lowest intended yardage per attempt if he didn’t miss time due to injury. Currently, Teddy Bridgewater has the lowest intended yardage per attempt. Both at 6.5 and 6.2.

Both Brees and Bridgewater passed for less than five yards a completed pass.

When the Atlanta Falcons and Saints squared off in New Orleans in Week 10, Brees was sacked a total of six times. Brees even held onto the ball longer than Matt Ryan.

• Sack 1: 3.37 seconds with a five-man rush against seven blockers
• Sack 2: 3.08 seconds with a four-man rush against five blockers
• Sack 3: 4.18 seconds with a five-man rush against seven blockers
• Sack 4: 5.75 seconds with a three-man rush against five blockers
• Sack 5: 2.41 seconds with a four-man rush against five blockers
• Sack 6: 2.68 seconds with a four-man rush against five blockers

I am very positive no one will be calling for Brees to leave the team because he was sacked while holding the ball for almost six seconds.

Especially when their offense is designed for short – quick passes.

How does Drew Brees, 40 years old, get a “pass” over Matt Ryan?

Playcalling.

In Week 10, Brees was 6/11 when passing beyond 10 yards. In addition, nine passes were completed behind the line of scrimmage. For Week 13, Brees only completed two passes beyond ten yards. His lone touchdown pass was completed four yards behind the line of scrimmage.

In the same Week 10 matchup, leading receiver Michael Thomas only had four of his 13 catches beyond 10 yards. One was even behind the line of scrimmage.

During the Week 13 Thanksgiving night game, Thomas only had five of his six catches from five yards or less.

People want Matt Ryan to throw the ball quicker, well the Atlanta Falcons need the right play-caller to allow for this to happen.

The play calling by Dirk Koetter does not match up with the skillsets we have on offense. This line can’t hold opposing defenses to allow for deeper passing options.

Matt Ryan is our quarterback of the future

Like it or not, Matt Ryan still has another contract to sign in Atlanta. In today’s NFL, the quarterback age has risen significantly.

• Tom Brady – 42
• Aaron Rodgers – 35
• Ben Roethlisberger – 37
• Philip Rivers – 37
• Drew Brees – 40
• Matt Ryan – 34

Matt Ryan is younger than all of those and everyone on that list can play well into their 40s. So expect Matt Ryan to be around for a while, and expect him to still put up league-leading numbers.

Hall of fame

Whether you’re a Matt Ryan hater or not, he is going to the hall of fame. Going into the Week 14 matchup against Carolina, Ryan sits just 44 yards shy of the 50,000-yard mark.

After he hits that mark, the chase for Drew Brees begins.

The way things currently sit, Matt Ryan would need at least six full seasons to surpass Brees. With his recent average of 287.3 yards per game, depending on when Drew Brees finally retires, Ryan would possibly need 100 or more games (which is actually doable seeing as to how old quarterbacks are playing now).

Matt Ryan’s chase for Brees could be longer than 100 games or less depending on the next head coach.

Give the Atlanta Falcons a coach that caters to the offensive side of the ball and this team could be instant super bowl contenders.