Matt Ryan will earn more respect from leaving the Atlanta Falcons

Those who didn’t watch the Atlanta Falcons every week and simply looked at the box score understandably fail to grasp the impact Matt Ryan still has as a quarterback. Ryan is coming off of a season where the veteran managed only 3,968-passing yards and 20-touchdowns to 12-interceptions.

What those numbers fail to tell you is how often Ryan managed to complete a pass in an imploding pocket or how rare it was for Ryan to find a receiver he could count on. Atlanta gave Ryan the least he has had to work with in his career last season and the veteran found a way to will the Falcons to seven wins despite what was an underwhelming roster.

Ryan’s accomplishments are often underrated due to the team he has played for over the last three seasons.  Matt Ryan is rarely included in the top-ten quarterback discussion being left out in favor of quarterbacks with far less success in the regular season or the playoffs.

Matt Ryan hasn’t had the roster around him to remind the league just how great he is capable of being. At his best Ryan is a top-ten quarterback who will lead any above-average roster to the playoffs and give them a chance. That is exactly what he has in Indy with a team and front office set up to support him and allow him to remind the league just how great he is.

The Falcons have a lot of culpability in how underrated Ryan has been due to the roster they put around him the last two seasons. Despite having limited cap space Atlanta watched affordable upgrades in the trade and free-agent market land with other teams expecting Ryan to do what he always has and elevate the roster around him.

Leaving Atlanta will be a defining decision in Ryan’s legacy one that gives the quarterback the chance to change the narrative surrounding him and push his career back into relevance reminding the league he is still one of the best in the game.