EXCLUSIVE: Matt Ryan notches biggest win of young career
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) passes in the first quarter against the Saints. Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — The victory over the Saints has to be the biggest of Matt Ryan’s young career.
In 2008, he had the big win at home over the Chicago Bears, when the team pulled it out in the final 12 seconds. There was also the big win at Green Bay his rookie season.
Last season, the Falcons beat the New York Jets on the road. They went on to reach the AFC championship game.
In an AJC exclusive, Ryan talked about some of the key plays and how he was going to sleep well, dreaming about that 19-play drive:
MATT RYAN, quarterback
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE TEAM: “I definitely speaks to the character of the guys on our football team. We continue to fight and play hard. But that’s kind of been our M.O. for the last couple of years. We continue to battle regardless of what is going on out there. When you do that, it gives yourself a chance.”
ON GONZALEZ AND RODDY: “Just reading it out. That’s the biggest thing. Early on, the ball kind of found Tony and he was huge on the first touchdown drive. Later on, Roddy started to get some catches. We kind of spread the ball around to the backs as well. I thought we did a good job offensively of taking what they gave us all day and we were able to put some points in doing that.”
ON THE 19-PLAY DRIVE: “That was a great drive and it ate up a lot of clock in the second quarter. 10:38. With that said, I’m going to sleep pretty good tonight as a result of the 19 play drive.”
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317 comments Add your comment
SeenThisB4
September 27th, 2010
11:24 am
“Ok my bad I thought I read Ryan had the higher QB rating for the game. Sorry for the miss info. Oh well the rating that truly mattered is 27-24.”
Being apologetic about your own lack of mastery of reading comprehension, is what is really weak.
GEAUX SAINTS! OUR TIME!!
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:24 am
Who Dat aint Dat no more.
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:27 am
Being apologetic about your own lack of mastery of reading comprehension, is what is really weak.
BWAA HA HA HA HA!!!!! We still won 27-24.
Again like I said continue on Seen looking like an IDIOT!!! Keep on posting buddy we are loving it!!!
Remember Seen….one and done aint NO FUN!! Ya’ll really thought the next Pats dynasty was going to be the AINTS!!
Silly little aints fans.
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:30 am
27-24 numbers that Seen will be seeing all week.
DD795
September 27th, 2010
11:35 am
Von Ryans Express
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:37 am
@ Seen……GEAUX SAINTS! OUR TIME!!
You are right Seen, time to step down from the clouds back to were your team belongs last or 2nd to last in the NFC standings. You’re right by saying “OUR TIME.”
Ben Ben Right
September 27th, 2010
11:39 am
Who Dat say dat Saints be One and Done?
Everbody say dat.
Zoomie
September 27th, 2010
11:40 am
Good win; now it’s time to move on. The 49ers will be in town looking for retribution for the beatdown we put on them last year. As seen in Monday Night Football against the Saints, the 49ers have the ability to bring the wood. Falcons beware.
SeenThisB4 should take a cue from his brethren HiramSaint and Breesus and make himself scarce. The whining and ad hominems are quite undignified. Is this what to expect from a division rival’s fans? To paraphrase the immortal words of Dennis Green: they may just be who we thought they were.
SAINTS LSU
September 27th, 2010
11:41 am
@ Truth i agree with you 1& 10 @ the falcons 10 yard line & you bring in a kicker that was dump & the ball was not in the middle of the field you get a TD if not then you call on the kicker Brees miss lance moore in the endzone in the 4 quater with 55 seconds left the better team won on yesterday its gonna be saints falcons NFC champions
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
11:42 am
B4 you are obviously a chump. Last week it was a bunch of bluster about how “forced turnovers” are not luck, blah blah blah.
Now that a real team has decidely kicked your heros in the rump it’s all luck.
BS. Saints are yesteday’s news. Now it’s the 49ers. Hopefully, the Saints hang around until week 15 so we can officially eliminate their carcass from the post season.
YOUR TIME IS UP!!!! GEAUX HOME!!!!!!
Keith
September 27th, 2010
11:44 am
Agreed. Brees had more yardage cause he had to – they weren’t getting a lot on the run (as opposed to the Falcons who were a balanced attack).
And Brees’ 2 INTs were at critical times when the Saints were driving. So Ryan’s 0 turnovers makes up for the smaller ydage amount. And Ryan scored the TD when it mattered most!
GO FALCONS
Von
September 27th, 2010
11:45 am
I was quite impressed by the Falcons. Great team win beating my Saints…but that’s ok. there’s lots of football left but it lets us know the Falcons are for real and we’d better get better at stopping the run. Kicker will be fine. he missed it and it’s part of the game. Although it took their best game and overtime to win it, they did. Congrats Falcon fans. See ya’ll in December.
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
11:47 am
Normally the Falcons beat the Saints once a year sending the Saints into a spiral of mediocrity.
2009 it didn’t happen. Welcome back to normality.
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:47 am
LSU. A Saints/Falcons NFC championship game would be awsome. If that happens I hope we have home field advantage. That Superdome is LOUD. Look I’ve been picking at Seen because of the crap we’ve heard for months now. If the dude wants to talk smack that’s fine just don’t come on the board after or win and act like the Falcons won on a fluke. That game was a hard fought battle with it possibly going the other way. Great nerve destroying game. Loved it!
Golden Talons
September 27th, 2010
11:48 am
You can argue QB stats all you want – but this is THE NFL.
Key Game Stat:
Falcons – 202 yards rushing
Saints – 43 yards rushing
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
11:49 am
We told you:
1. Relying on “forced takeaways” is stupid. and
2. Dependance on stipping the ball from Turner and Snelling is stupid.
I expected better from Payton and Williams. I know the Saints posters here are stupid but….
Never mind…stupid
O. G. Falcon Fan
September 27th, 2010
11:51 am
B/4 your team has had to struggle so far this season. Vikings and 49ers could have easily won those games. I think your offense is fine but your defense will let you down this season. You won’t get the large number of turnovers from last year and if they continue to go for the strip instead of tackling it will be a long season. As great as your offense is, they don’t play defense. Maybe you guys should slow it down and try and run more. I think your defense would appreciate the break
SeenThisB4
September 27th, 2010
11:53 am
truth: I am out.
By the way, congratulations. You guys did win it, fair and square. I do however, enjoy the smack! I’ll be back soon enough, I won’t be far. I enjoy bad mouthing the falcants too much to stay away.
Good luck with the rest of your season, but get ready to have your tails handed to you on MNF.
GEAUX SAINTS! OUR TIME!!
ATL Observer
September 27th, 2010
11:54 am
Anyone who would argue Brees outplayed Ryan in this game doesn’t know the game of football.
Was Ryan spectacular? No. Did the Falcons run it a lot? Sure. Did Brees put up more yardage. Yes, he did.
But Ryan protected the ball (no turnovers to Brees’ 2). He made big throws when he had to (even the deep bomb throw wasn’t a bad throw, it was a little slip caused by the defense and even then, Douglas very much still nearly got there….sure, Ryan could have underthrown it a bit…and risked an interception…he put it where only Douglas could get it and he got bumped a tad short). And the Falcons got the W.
And no, no one’s annointing anyone a HOFer here….we’re just saying it’s a helluva win.
O. G. Falcon Fan
September 27th, 2010
11:54 am
truth, a NFC championship game would never happen. They would have to play each other before it came to that. You would never have a NFC championship game with 2 teams from the same division
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:55 am
O.G. You would think the great Sean (let me sleep with a trophy like a little kid) Payton would figure that out.
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
11:56 am
The Falcons got really “lucky” when they ran the ball down NO’s throat, for the game winning score.
Paddy O
September 27th, 2010
11:57 am
Make no mistake, I have always liked Brees – thought the Chargers made a huge mistake; I also was happy for the Saints after decades of gross ineptitude. But yesterday, watching the Falcons methodically march down the field, with the Field General making minimal mistakes if any, i thought out loud to myself: WE ARE GOOD. We could have won the STeelers game, the lord of football shined brightly on us after Hartley shanked that kick – up to the kick itself, I was sure we lost. We need MUCH better special teams play – the Decoud calf bounce was a fluke, but was goes around comes around. WE ARE GOOD!!!. Next year, we do need a CJ Spiller type running back, and another big receiver – hopefully, Tony G will play another 2 or 3 years!!
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
11:58 am
I don’t think that’s true OG. It can happen mathematically plus the rules avoid inter-division games at the wild card level at least.
truth
September 27th, 2010
11:58 am
Are you sure O.G.?
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
12:00 pm
What about Drew Brees’ numbers? The dude is 7-2 against the Falcons.
Last time he lost he put up 398. Don’t we WANT him having big numbers?
truth
September 27th, 2010
12:01 pm
See you soon Seen. Oh a aints win at the Ga Dome……aint gonna happen. Try worring about the Panthers…….ah nevermind ya’ll will destroy the panties.
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
12:01 pm
Please explain O.G.?
SeenThisB4
September 27th, 2010
12:04 pm
By the way, Yes, you can have two teams from the same division in the conference championship. The pairings are determined by seeding, not divisonal associations.
I guess I do have to come back and continue to teach these mentally deficient falcant fans.
GEAUX SAINTS! OUR TIME!!
Jessie Tuggle
September 27th, 2010
12:07 pm
Seen This! It was luck we screwed up our kick off coverage on your first possession. It was luck we didn’t get points on Drew’s first interception. It was luck we didn’t score on our last possession in the 4th quarter to go ahead and put a dagger in you’lls throat. And it was luck Ryan didn’t hit Harry Douglas on our first crack in overtime on that deep route. Just admit it dude you lost. All of it is part of the game. As Herm Edwards says that’s why you play the game. We came to your house and defeated you fair and square. Be a Man and take your medicine like a man. 45 minutes of posseission to 22 now that’s not luck that a good old fashioned NFC South #$% whoopping.
JT
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
12:08 pm
SeenDisB4……..At least your saints have the moral victory of knowing that they played a hard fought game, and almost won, in a contest with a better(and the best) team, in their division.
Falcon Jim
September 27th, 2010
12:11 pm
Yeah, O.G. Please explain. You may be correct, but it doesn’t seem right.
(With due respect…………..just asking.)
wind, rain, oil, FALCONS
September 27th, 2010
12:15 pm
Although the final score doesn’t reflect it, the Falcons controlled this game. This was a good ol’ fashioned arse beating, by a much more physical football team. Tony G, was great, Matty Ice looked good, and our backs ran hard all day. Great job upfront by the big uglies. If our defense improves just a little, this team can be dangerous.
It’s funny that an Aint’s fan talks about luck. Hell that’s all they are, lucky. Except of course for that small thunderstorm they had a few years back. Oh well, karma’s a bitch.
Falcon Jim
September 27th, 2010
12:17 pm
Seen, if you are back. Man, you are SO delusional. How many times have you said “luck” on this blog? 100?
B.S., B.S. !
Luck was about evenly distributed between the two teams. Now you will come back and say something mean and stupid about me. That’s O.K. because I KNOW what I saw yesterday. I basically saw the Falcons kick the crap out of the Taints, The game shouldn’t have been as close as it was.
F.J.
Sgt. Joe Friday#714
September 27th, 2010
12:17 pm
Go Falcons!
PreyDawg
September 27th, 2010
12:17 pm
@ChopBuster and Sid…Give em hell boys…Love it!!
PMC
September 27th, 2010
12:21 pm
Got lucky? He was MONEY on 3rd down. Gregg Williams game planned for Tony Gonzalez and got freaking TORCHED!!!
Lucky? Breezus and all his holiness threw 2 BAD picks. Ryan… 0 Turnovers. 2 TD’s… MUCH BETTER GAME.
You take your lucky comments and go smoke your drugs with your head coach.
Sgt. Joe Friday#714
September 27th, 2010
12:24 pm
Just the facts ma’am.
The Falcons were given the opportunity, and they rammed the ball down the saints throat, for the WIN.
The saints were given the opportunity to steal yet, another game, they choked and LOST.
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
12:26 pm
How about that “lucky” power run by Ryan for a 3rd down conversion.
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
12:28 pm
SeenDisB4………Would you call the Falcon victory “apropos”?
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
12:31 pm
I guess she be GEAUXOON. Can’t take the heat?
Chop Buster
September 27th, 2010
12:38 pm
PreyDawg, they consistently talk garbage everyday on our blogs and now can’t stand that the “luck” finally went in our favor. How many times has our kicker missed winning field goals for us last year? These guys are probably kids/teenagers because any mature adult would accept their loss and move on.
truth
September 27th, 2010
12:40 pm
Ryan was money on 4th down convertions as well.
GO Falcons and GEAUX a boot up Sean Paytons gludamus maxamus!! (sp)
Harvin
September 27th, 2010
12:41 pm
The Saints party is over.
dean
September 27th, 2010
12:41 pm
Since it is now after 12pm on the day after a game, for me, it’s on to the next one.
Falcons: Please work on SPECIAL TEAMS play.
Section 108
September 27th, 2010
12:47 pm
The Aints’ defense has just been exposed on film for all to see. Like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, so too goes the rest of the Aints season. When you finally hit the bottom depths of the NFC South this year, please tell Carolina we said Wadup.
RISE UP FALCONS!!!! YEAH CMON!
truth
September 27th, 2010
12:47 pm
Good point dean. Agree, special teams need to step up. Since Smith has been at the helm I can’t think of a game they over looked. The 9ers wont be any different. I’m sure no one is talking aints at the Branch but I’m sure game film was ready by the time the team got back to Atlanta last night.
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
12:49 pm
Yeah, the Falcons spotted the saints 7 points on that return, and still win it.
GO FALCONS!
Bring on the 49ers, and get some more revenge for all those games, back in the day, when the Falcons had the misfortune of being in the same division with them.
Chop Buster
September 27th, 2010
12:53 pm
SF just fired their OC!!! Singletary is desperate for a win. This ought to be interesting this coming Sunday.
Peter
September 27th, 2010
1:01 pm
I think we got lucky with the missed field goal……but that said we have gotten unlucky a lot as well……we have seen quite a few games go bad because of missed field goals over the years.
I like the win because of the tough environment we played in, and kept hanging around.
I like the play of the defense especially…………I believe if the Defense gets better, we are a true contender.
Anyone who follows the sport knows good or bad can happen any given Sunday !