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
doob
September 27th, 2010
1:03 pm
Yes crybabies…we get it. hartley missed the winning kick. if he’d hit it..they’d have won. But he didn’t. And like it or nor…the Falcons were in that game all the way. They weren’t blown out be the ESPN-crowned “unstoppable” Drew Brees/greatest offense in the NFL/Dominant defensive Gregg Williams scheme. The Birds stood toe to toe, took a punch…then gave a punch. Sure..your fighter wiffed on the knockout blow. But isn’t that how the game is played? You can blame “back luck/gris gris/mercury in retrograde all you want. but the falcons took the opportunity & closed the deal. The Aints are back. At least where this game is concerned.
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:09 pm
We actually lost yesterday if stupidity counted. It’s early and that’s why the birds aren’t being blown out. WE will win ten games. Guess what: Not good enough by a long shot. Not even a hail mary nor an immaculate reception can redeem this team. Sometimes it’s about intellegence and not talent.
And that’s a fact, Jackson Browne.
Charles Robertson
September 27th, 2010
1:10 pm
DLed, any follow up to the previous question about Ryan’s screaming at Switek? What was that all about?
Howie Long
September 27th, 2010
1:10 pm
The Falcons win the Super Bowl and Matt Ryan is MVP.
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:11 pm
Of course it’s the head coach’s fault. I hate him. He reminds me of the sandlot crybabies who ruined all my fun when I was ten and eleven years old playing neighborhood games. If I started showing off, the crybaby would take his football and go home.
I hated that.
Matty Fire??
September 27th, 2010
1:13 pm
Great work as always D Led. I have a question about something that has been largely uncovered. What was Matt so fired up about towards the end of the game? He was giving Svitek the business it seemed. So much so Smitty seemed to be coming over to mitigate, only to back off as though he agreed with the verbal assault on whomever the victim was. So my questions are two-fold:
1. Who and what was the cause of the Matty Ice meltdown?
2. With that kind of passion, can we expect to see more of it throughout the season from Matt?
It’s his team now and it was GREAT to see him step up and put his foot up the back end of teammates who were not performing to the high standard this year’s Falcons have set for themselves.
Rise Up. Settle down (its one game in a long season). Falcons for life.
Keep up the great work!
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:13 pm
Being a football savante, of course, I could save the Falcon’s season. But will Blank let me? Hell no, that might mean that the universe would have to admit that its been wrong about me all along.
That’s not gonna happen, my friends.
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:13 pm
Congrats on the win Falcon fans. Don’t get too high on yourselves though, all you may have done is unleash the beast that is the SB44 champion New Orleans Saints. Perhaps one day you can say that, but what’s more like to happen is your team follows this win up with 4 consecutive losses. See ya week 16.
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:15 pm
Mattyfire: the argument was over one of the cheerleaders, my friend. HAve you gotten a load of those birds? I’d argue over them too, and so would you. Football has always been about getting girls, as you know.
We must never forget.
Never.
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:17 pm
THe Saints are awesome. A sheer beauty to behold. THey’re not panicking.
The Saints are the defending SuperBowl Champions. What are the Falcons? Defending flag football also rans?
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:17 pm
P.S. It’s really hard to be an “ain’t” when you are an “are”. As in we “are” STILL the champs baby!!
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
1:17 pm
Somebody get tbone some new grapes…his are sour.
Move on boy.
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:18 pm
When the Saints go marching down the field, oh, I think they’ve got the bird’s number. Somethings are written in stone
No playoffs 4 birds
September 27th, 2010
1:20 pm
Y-y-yeah! The SaintsR daChamps! The Falcons COULD be, but we just don’t have the coaching.
Seems a shame.
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:21 pm
FrontRow, perhaps you didn’t hear me. There are no sour grapes here. We didn’t reach and miss, we reached and brought the Lombardi home. SB44 champs!!
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:21 pm
@tboneforever1. You wrote….
“Congrats on the win Falcon fans. Don’t get too high on yourselves though, all you may have done is unleash the beast that is the SB44 champion New Orleans Saints.”
It’s not us the aints have to worry about, it’s the team idiot. We can glote and brag all we want to. It’s the Falcons the aints BETTER be worried about.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:21 pm
@tboneforever1. You wrote….
“Congrats on the win Falcon fans. Don’t get too high on yourselves though, all you may have done is unleash the beast that is the SB44 champion New Orleans Saints.”
It’s not us the aints have to worry about, it’s the team idiot. We can glote and brag all we want to. It’s the Falcons the aints BETTER be worried about.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:22 pm
The Saints are the defending SuperBowl Champions…..ONE AND DONE AINT NO FUN!!!!
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:24 pm
tbone….you got a whole bushel of sour grapes.
Ford Falcon
September 27th, 2010
1:25 pm
Greeeeaaaat game. I did so much hollering that I had to have my muffler changed after the game.
Drew Brees' Colon
September 27th, 2010
1:26 pm
How long before the Aints fans move back to Nawlins? Talk about a trashy fan base!
GO FALCONS!!!
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:27 pm
Heck if the panties can get their running game in gear, the aints will be in for a long day come sunday.
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:28 pm
FYI fellas. We lost 3 games last year. Two in the division and one to a playoff team. Don’t believe your hype. The Falcons will NOT make the playoffs. Enjoy your victory because it’s all downhill for the dirty birds from here on out. Michael Turner will never finish the season standing up on his own. I know it and you know it.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:29 pm
After this year the aints will be the Milli Vanilli of football. Had one hit and almost a year later found out they were FAKE!!
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:29 pm
yea…that was lame. sorry.
Howie Long
September 27th, 2010
1:30 pm
No playoffs for Birds,
You really think a lot of yourself, don’t you. You are probably a scrawny little pimply-faced guy living in his mom’s basement. You have not impressed anyone. Don’t cry, just beat-it ! !
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:30 pm
Drew Brees’ Colon
“How long before the Aints fans move back to Nawlins? Talk about a trashy fan base!
GO FALCONS!!!”
FYI for you. Atlanta is not the only place with internet access. I know your city is full of narcissists but DANG!
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
1:31 pm
Milli VAnilli? LOL
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:31 pm
I know it and you know it. Correct tbone, we all know Atlanta won 27-24.
reckingball
September 27th, 2010
1:32 pm
hiramsaint……Why don’t you use just one name, instead on all of these different ones, that you have used in your last several posts?
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:33 pm
If HD hadn’t slipped on a pile of poo left over from Katrina he would had made that LONG PASS from a SO CALLED WEAK ARM QB. Paaaalleeeezzzz!
FrontRow
September 27th, 2010
1:34 pm
I’ll post again:
Normally the Falcons defeat the Saints at least once a year sending them into a spiral of mediocrity.
In did not happen in 2009. Welcome back to normalcy.
First order of business….fire the kicker. Second order, get stomped by the Panthers while licking your wounds.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:34 pm
No reckingball….its hiramAINT. lol!
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:36 pm
Saints you know it, yes you know its true, oh oh oh you lose!! Brought to you by Milli Vanilli.
Howie Long
September 27th, 2010
1:37 pm
Who is hiram posting as?
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:37 pm
FrontRow, so what you are saying is you have been pulling us down to your level? I knew there was a reason I hated the Falcons!!
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:37 pm
Not to mention HD was interfered with. However, some aints jerk fan called a ref from Wild Bill Buffalo Wings and tried to keep the came in overtime.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:38 pm
IDK Howie Long…..but dumba** comes to mind.
Drew Brees' Colon
September 27th, 2010
1:39 pm
Why were the bars so empty around the Sewer Dome after the game on Sunday?
O. G. Falcon Fan
September 27th, 2010
1:41 pm
To the people asking me if i am sure that there can not be a NFC championship game against interdivisional rivals the answere is no. I am not 100% sure of that answere, but in all the years of the NFL have u ever heard of that?? I would ay the answere is again no.
Howie Long
September 27th, 2010
1:41 pm
Truth…………WHAT ?
tboneforever1
September 27th, 2010
1:41 pm
“Why were the bars so empty around the Sewer Dome after the game on Sunday?”
We drink before the game, didn’t you hear?
Will
September 27th, 2010
1:41 pm
Vick will NEVER win a super bowl. He’s not smart enough. Ryan will win a super bowl.
O. G. Falcon Fan
September 27th, 2010
1:43 pm
Maybe D-led can answere the question.
Ryan on big win.
September 27th, 2010
1:43 pm
Okay, the owner didn’t kiss me like he used to smooch Vick when he did something good. He did whisper in my ear that he loved me.There was a good deal of consolation in that act. I was so moved that I told him he could take the last name of RYAN if he wanted to. I know the guy gets tired of everyone referring to him as Mr. BLANK.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:44 pm
Howie Long
September 27th, 2010
1:37 pm
Who is hiram posting as? IDK Howie Long…..but dumba** comes to mind.
Howie Long
September 27th, 2010
1:46 pm
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:48 pm
You asked who was hiram posting as? And I replied I Dont Know but dumba** comes to mind.
Manny
September 27th, 2010
1:49 pm
I’m hard on Ryan, but he did nothing but good things against the Saints. I don’t like to use the term “elite” as easily as a lot of people- and one big win doesn’t give a quarterback elite status in my book… but Ryan looked like an elite quarterback yesterday.
But before we alert the media, I would like to see elite play all season before I consider Matt Ryan an elite quarterback. And I would like to see it with a team that have the personnel to cover Gonzalez, because the game ball goes to Gonzo in my book.
truth
September 27th, 2010
1:51 pm
IDK……Roddy had some good catches. I give the ball to the entire team. Big team effort.