DVR ALERT: Matt Ryan on NFL Network’s Top 100
100813 Atlanta - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) loosens up for the exhibition season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Friday, August 13, 2010. (Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com)
BIRDLAND — Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who has led the team to the playoffs in two of his first three years in the league, will be featured in this Sunday’s episode of ‘The Top 100: Players of 2011′ at 8 p.m. Sunday on the NFL Network.
Ryan is ranked between 60-51 by his own peers in the 100-player countdown. Ryan case will be presented by former Falcons coach Jerry Glanville.
As a team, the Falcons have a total of five players ranked in the Top 100.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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78 comments Add your comment
Leeman Bennett
May 27th, 2011
10:09 am
Who are the other birds?
Northern Bird
May 27th, 2011
10:13 am
Roddy
Turner
Tony
5th: ?
Gritz Blitz
May 27th, 2011
10:20 am
Couldn’t Ryan’s case be made by somebody besides Jerry Glanville? This man was such a good talent evaluator that he traded away Brett Favre. I’ll be watching, but I wish someone else could have made this presentation. Falcon fans are still trying to forget the dark years of Jerry Glanville.
Dawglasville
May 27th, 2011
10:21 am
The owners and players have got to get back to the business of playing football. There will be a lot of excitement this year about the Birds.
hiramsaint
May 27th, 2011
10:21 am
based on what?
Logan
May 27th, 2011
10:22 am
John Abraham was ranked #69. So far he is the only Falcon to be ranked. I really thought Matty Ice would be ranked a little higher, but if you stop and think about it, there are a lot of good players in this league.
Rikus
May 27th, 2011
10:26 am
John Abraham (duh)
Rikus
May 27th, 2011
10:26 am
@Logan: Matty will be ranked higher in a year or two, after he wins his first Superbowl ring.
Davy Dmx
May 27th, 2011
10:43 am
My next list of Falcons is
1. Roddy White
2. Michael Turner
3. Tony Gonzalez
Davey Boy Smith
May 27th, 2011
10:56 am
I cannnot wait for the UFL season. Can’t wait to watch guys who actually care about football go out there and get after it, not a bunch of spoiled, whiny babies and their bosses.
An unintended consequence of the power play by the owners and players is that a UFL team or two, should they run things the right way, could elevate themselves to the point of having to be absorbed by the NFL.
Nick
May 27th, 2011
10:59 am
Haha, Davey, you obviously have no idea what you’re talking about. You probably never played football or were the undersized kid who always got picked on. These are the best of the best, they bring in money to those greedy owners who have also never played football, they just want the money (that the players earn).
BigTimeTechFan
May 27th, 2011
11:09 am
Hey D O Ledbetter,
What team has the most players on that list? my guess is is the Chargers?
Seen (Sean Peyton) This (allegedly take/distribute painkillers) B4
May 27th, 2011
11:22 am
Ryan is easily a top 12, borderline top 10 QB in this league as of right now. His ranking in this list is neither surprising nor undeserved.
rollo lawson
May 27th, 2011
11:26 am
MV 7, Top Ten!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 27th, 2011
11:29 am
I don’ t have the whole list. I will check into that. I would think Pittsburgh has more than S.D.
buckhead benny
May 27th, 2011
11:38 am
john abraham is number 5, turner, gonzalez, roddy white, matt ryan
elroy
May 27th, 2011
12:03 pm
assuming there is football this year, next years top 100 should include a couple of more players from defense(loften, babs(#95), spoon(#56), & moore could be worthy).
55
May 27th, 2011
12:14 pm
After having the best record in the NFC last season and getting blown out their first playoff game AT HOME don’t none of them deserve to be on no list but I guess strength of schedule goes a long way. WILL SEE THIS SEASON!!!!!!!
wd
May 27th, 2011
12:35 pm
Bet Grimes is on there
Ryan2White
May 27th, 2011
12:42 pm
Why would you write an article titled “Five Falcons among NFL’s top 100″ and only name 1 of them. This is almost as bad as the idiot that reported that we were interested in Chad Johnson. I guess the AJC will let anyone write a sports article regardless of it’s validity or worth.
kd
May 27th, 2011
12:53 pm
Because the full list hasn’t been released yet. Some idiot, huh?
Coach Johnson
May 27th, 2011
12:56 pm
You got to be kidding!
Rikus
May 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
@Davey Boy Smith: dude, you are too funny. “elevate themselves to the point of having to be absorbed by the NFL”??? Wow. Those are some nice rose-colored glasses.
@Nick: Jerry Richardson is the most prominent figure among the owners in the lockout, and he played in the NFL for several years.
SickOfStupid
May 27th, 2011
1:07 pm
Seriously?
1) Who pays the players salary? The Owners.
Who would NOT be making millions w/o the Owners (while the Owners STILL made billions)? The Players.
2) Who pays the salary of the coaches, trainers, scouts, support staff? The Owners.
3) Who pays rent/mortgage on the facilities? The Owners.
4) Who has smartly positioned the NFL as the elite league in the world? The Owners.
5) Who markets this league? The Owners.
6) Who takes on ALL the financial risk of the business? The Owners.
7) Who gets reimbursed (VERY well I might add) for making the Owners money? The Players.
Hmm…sounds a lot like my job, with lmore dollar signs involved. And you know what? If I told my boss he made too much and needed to share his salary with me I’d be fired in a heartbeat. If the players don’t like their cushy job then they can do like the rest of us and find NEW employment.
I MUS WRITE
May 27th, 2011
1:07 pm
Captain Check Down is overrated ………Period Good player not great. He may be the 3rd best qb in our division……… Brees, Ryan/Freeman,
The Real Falcon
May 27th, 2011
1:08 pm
Fortunately this list was voted on by the players.
So all the Abe haters can just chill.
Who do you think knows best, them or you?
The Real Falcon
May 27th, 2011
1:10 pm
I have not seen one owner take a hit yet.
Get over it. That’s like saying unions were never needed but you take all your vacation time and sick leave.
No unions none of that.
PACKERBACKER
May 27th, 2011
1:13 pm
Is he higher than Aaron Rodgers?
AngryFalcon
May 27th, 2011
1:15 pm
Is the the list for Top 100 in 2011??
If so, my guess : Top Five in 2011 = Abraham, Ryan, Turner, White, and Grimes. Sorry Tony.
Marcus
May 27th, 2011
1:21 pm
I concur with Angry Falcon: if we are talking the 2010 season in review (basically the top returning 100 in 2011) Grimes had a breakout year.
@SICKOFSTUPID
May 27th, 2011
1:47 pm
Actually, you, the fan pays a lot of that via merchandise, concessions, TV advertising, tickets, etc…
rollo lawson
May 27th, 2011
1:56 pm
Roddy White first five year avg. (Didn’t include his rookie year to make it fair): 80 rec. 1126 yards 5tds (Currently considered one of the best in the NFL)
Andre Rison 5 year avg. 84 rec. 1126 yards 11tds. During his time only Rice nd Sterling Sharpe compared. Maybe Andre Reed too.
Looks like Andre belongs to me
rollo lawson
May 27th, 2011
2:02 pm
wrong blog, sorry
Naah!
May 27th, 2011
2:08 pm
To SickOfStupid, I see your point, but “The Owners” should be substituted with “The Fans”
We’re the ones who pay for everything, but unfortunately they treat us the same way the government does, at the bottom of the chain.
Bret Favre
May 27th, 2011
2:11 pm
I should be the only name on the list. I am the 100 best players in the NFL, even when I have retired.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2011
2:20 pm
“And you know what? If I told my boss he made too much and needed to share his salary with me I’d be fired in a heartbeat. ”
Yeah, because there are thousands if not millions of people out there who can do your job. There are not thousands of people out there who can tackle a 230 pound man running at 4.3 40 speeds or who can throw perfectly accurate spirals to moving targets 70 yards away from them. People don’t buy cars because they are fans of the guy who works on the assembly line, and they don’t buy clothes because they are fans of the guy who picked the cotton, but they sure as hell do buy football tickets because they want to see the players. Good luck being an NFL owner and trying to sell tickets to come watch scrubs play. Comparing my job or yours to the job of an NFL player — or really to anyone else in the entertainment industry, or anyone who makes their money doing something unique — is nonsensical.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2011
2:21 pm
Also, I’m tired of hearing about all the “risk” the owners incur. The owners own franchises in a league that operates as a government-sanctioned monopoly. They have made arguably the least risky investment that can be made in this country. They are set to get paid $4 billion collectively by the TV networks this year for NOT playing football games. Yeah, some risk. Meanwhile the players get their heads beat in on every play and get Alzheimers by age 40, and I guess that’s not risky at all.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2011
2:25 pm
As for the blog topic, this “list” is clearly just a ploy by the NFL to distract football fans from the lockout ugliness, but with that being said, Grimes should be on the list.
bravos fan
May 27th, 2011
2:28 pm
The 5 falcons are 1. Ryan 2. Gonzolaz 3. Turner 4. White 5. Abraham or Lofton
FalconsFan
May 27th, 2011
3:19 pm
To those throwing out various other names that SHOULD be on the list, we’re talking about the top 6% of the players in the NFL. Now it’s pretty awesome that the Falcons have 5 out of the Top 100 players because that means on average an NFL team should have about 3.125 players per team on the list and the Falcons have 5.
That’s 5 players who are better than 94% of the NFL according to their peers, that’s pretty impressive. Ryan, White, Abe, Turner and Gonzo are ELITE by definition according to their peers.
DJ Sniper
May 27th, 2011
3:20 pm
Najeh, kudos for that first post. I always get a laugh out of people who frown upon the players for wanting the owners to open up their books. They’ll talk about how their own bosses would probably fire them for that request. People need to realize that pro sports operates on a much different level than jobs held by us regular working stiffs.
PMC
May 27th, 2011
3:26 pm
Kind of interested to see where this new “no union” “no CBA” idea is going to go.
I do wonder how that will work with the cartel.
papadawg
May 27th, 2011
3:55 pm
I’m getting closer to not caring if they have a pro season or not. I’ll use that high priced ticket money for something else. SICK & TIRED
Skram30082
May 27th, 2011
4:07 pm
Regarding the owners, don’t forget about REVENUE SHARING, which is another phrase for REDISTRIBUTION OF INCOME, which is also a characteristic of SOCIALISM.
Don’t forget that this is a LOCKOUT, not a strike. And it’s all because the OWNERS want more money.
Don’t forget that the OWNERS have been slow to act on the effects of concussions, and that when the first studies about concussions were conducted, OWNERS turned a deaf ear to the results.
If these things involved any other industry, the majority of people would be ready throw that industry under the bus.
There is NO WAY to compare the business of professional sports with any other business.
ernisTbass
May 27th, 2011
4:17 pm
why would Turner be on the list? The most over rated guy on the team, he is a dancer not a bruiser, the reason the Falcons have to settle for field goals. He is as big as the bus Bettis but can’t get the last two yards without a huge hole. Give him a head start and he can run over a DB but he can’t create a hole and finish the job.Great backs can run the clock out with a 4 point lead and 3-5 mins left in the game, Turner can’t do that. I like the guy but he is soft at the line. As for not buying a car because of the guy on the production line etc. true but without Henry Ford the production line wouldn’t be there. The players get paid plenty and without the investment made by the owners these guys would be selling insurance. Ask Tom Brady. As good as Brady is somebody has to provide the stage and the players sure as heck ain’t got the stage. Bye the way do the players chip in and pay the Ryan Leafs of the world???? Yeah the owners have no risk. The owners risk their personal fortunes and the players risk their health, neither one has too but both choose too and just like the production line the worker/player doesn’t have to work but if they choose too they work/ play by the factory / team owner’s rules. If you don’t like it start your own factory/ league. Until then shut up and work.
AlanFalcon
May 27th, 2011
5:51 pm
Who pays the owners? THE FANS
Jesse
May 27th, 2011
6:16 pm
Hey D O Ledbetter,
What team has the most players on that list? my guess is is the Chargers?
The Green Bay Packers lead the way with 7, the whole list so far has been a bloody joke.
$9,000.00 pin stripe suit
May 27th, 2011
6:43 pm
Every NFL team should have community ownership like the Green Bay Packers.
Enough with the used car salesman type owners, their greed is outrageous.
GT GRAD
May 27th, 2011
6:53 pm
Abraham, Matt Ryan, Roddy White and obviously Tony Gonzalez are no-brainers!
The 5th player is interesting………..I would think Omughelli is probably the best fullback in the entire NFL. If they overlooked him, maybe Todd McClure or Koenen made the list (you could make a strong case for all three of these players).
Fans who think Turner should be ranked in the Top 100 are delusional…….I will be completely shocked if he makes the list. He is slow and one dimensional; however, he has been marketed heavily by the Falcons, so he very well might make the list.
I am just glad the Falcons have 5 on the list and I hope the player/owners work out the legal stuff so we can all enjoy watching some NFL football soon!!
GT GRAD
May 27th, 2011
6:59 pm
I agree with the ernisTbass comments AND I really like this guys blog name………….my favorite Andy Griffith shows were the 4 episodes which featured Enis T. Bass!!
MountainDawg
May 27th, 2011
7:42 pm
The top of that list should be Manning, Brady & Brees with Urlacher in the top 10 as well. Wes Welker should be top 20…one of the best WRs in the league. Let’s not forget Madden 2012 cover(juggernaut) Peyton Hillis…he’s definitely a top 100 player.
TD has No clue
May 27th, 2011
7:43 pm
Hey Poop, if they don’t like their job they canalways flip burgers.
dawgforlife
May 28th, 2011
1:02 am
…I truly couldn’t care less about who the top 100 traitors to football are…and the owners are just as bad…I will cheer for the Falcons because they are from Atlanta and are my home team; however, I will never again be even the remotest fan of any player…add to that, Mr. Blank has lost all the respect I had for him. Also, if they mess up what football is..ie, abolish the draft or some other communistic thing like that…I will go to my grave hating them…I can’t wait til college football starts so the the money grubbing NFL can find out they are not the only game in town. For all Blanks letters to the fans, and Brees’ comments about the fiendish owners, it still boils down to one thing: neither players nor owners care one wit about us…and we have not forgotten…and we will not forget…bunch of money grubbing traitors.
The Truth
May 28th, 2011
9:06 am
To sickofstupid…
Could the owners do all the stuff you named without the players??? Who does the customer come to see, the player or the owner??? Can you find a better Qb than peyton if the players decided not play? Nope, but can we found more rich people to buy teams? Lol, absolutely… You are sick of stupid, so obviously you hate yourself.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 28th, 2011
10:09 am
FYI — The NFL Network didn’t reveal the other Falcons. Just gave us a heads up that they are coming. I guess so we can watch and push up their ratings. I’m not holding back.
Larry
May 28th, 2011
12:28 pm
Well said, Najeh!! I don’t believe the misinformed can dispute your reply!
Your daddy
May 28th, 2011
1:43 pm
To those who keep saying the players are greedy,you do realize that the owners and players both agreed to a contract a couple of years ago. It is the Owners who decided they did not like the deal and wanted more money therefore they backed out of the agreed upon deal and locked out the players. The players however have been training and preparing themselves to PLAY football this season while the owners continue to whine and complian about how the players have a “good deal”. It is the owners who are being greedy my friend. The workers aren’t asking their boss for more money, the boss is asking the worker to take a pay cut from a previously established deal and has basically told them you can’t come to work until you do so.
ueeediot
May 28th, 2011
4:05 pm
It is definitely not Ovie as the 5th. They have already said that there is only 1 FB in the list and its Vonta Leach, FB, Texans.
Grimes isnt on there either. That would just be silly. Granted the kid is playing out of his helmet, but top 60? doubtful. You will see Duanta on this list before Grimes.
Abraham #69
Ryan
Tony G will be a top 8 guy
Roddy White will be in the 40s
2008 First round draft (bust) Sam Baker? First Round draft choice Jamaal Anderson?(ha!), is it playmaker and game changer Harry Douglas (smirk), the rarely injured and extra speedy Jurious Norwood??
nope, it will be Turner the downhill pounder who destroys the defense in the 4th quarter.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2011/09000d5d81fc88c4/Top-100-Bonus-Matt-Ryan
Hobbler
May 28th, 2011
5:55 pm
Turner the Fat Burner is probably eating even more doughnuts than last year so will be two steps slower.
John
May 29th, 2011
3:45 am
Well if it is just for 2011, I would have to say the five would be.
1) Ryan
2) White
3) Turner
4) Grimes
5) Abraham
X
May 29th, 2011
12:37 pm
@SickofStupid…Thank you ,Thank you, i get tired of people saying that the players take all the risk, they are EMPLOYEES! Yea there is risk in their profession, but that’s every job, just go check on the job injuries in Ga. alone!
Brady DeLonjay
May 29th, 2011
12:48 pm
Matt Ryan Is A Beast! Falcons Have The Potental To Win Super Bowl!!!!
Brady DeLonjay
May 29th, 2011
12:51 pm
O Yeah.. Hobbler Nice Way To Talk About Yourself. Lets See Ur Butt On The Feild. And By The Way Hes Making Stacks Of $ So Y Does It Matter??
SeenThisB4
May 29th, 2011
2:32 pm
Then again, falcan’ts have as much potential of winning the Super Bowl next year as do the Carolina panthers — assumming there is a Super Bowl next year of course.
Billy
May 29th, 2011
4:36 pm
I think they said the Packers have the most players, 7
AIN'T NO FALCONS FAN
May 29th, 2011
9:58 pm
MATT RYAN SHOULD STAY RIGHT WHERE HE’S AT -UNDER 60. THAT’S A PLUS BECAUSE DUDE IS NOT IN TOP 10, 15, 25, 35, 45 FOR THAT MATTER. END OF STORY.
RO SAID SO
May 29th, 2011
10:02 pm
MATTY ICE IS A POO POO PANTS. GREEN BAY SLAUGHTERED THEM. CLEAN IT UP MATTY AND HE WILL RISE.
The Joker...
May 31st, 2011
11:16 am
“There are not thousands of people out there who can tackle a 230 pound man running at 4.3 40 speeds or who can throw perfectly accurate spirals to moving targets 70 yards away from them”
Great Point Najeh, but on the other hand, with practice, playing a sport isn’t very hard at all….nothing some weight training can fix.
Real American
May 31st, 2011
2:03 pm
Clearly The Joker was making a joke….GOOD ONE!
GTPhenom
May 31st, 2011
2:42 pm
Lol, first of all, it is the Steelers who have the most players on the list with seven people, they have hinted at it in multiple episodes. Secondly, the list is honestly a pretty big joke. For instance, Lamarr Woodley, perhaps one of the top OLBs in the game, was only 82. Heck, on the whole reaction show, they even said it was asinine for him to be so low. And Ryan at this high? Lol, that proves it further. Joe Flacoo, a QB with Playoff victories, and more wins than “matty ice” was only 89. Same stats, and yet Joe has more playoff success, but Matt is thirty spots higher? All I am saying is that just like with the media, it is a complete and utter popularity show
Truth no apology
May 31st, 2011
8:35 pm
And for all those who side with the owners. Its the players that make the league successful not the owners. Several NFL owners Jerry Jones and Arthur Blank were also AFL owners. The original AFL went bankrupt. If these guys were such geniuses why didn’t they turn the AFL into a flourishing league? They didn’t have the start power.
Truth no apology
May 31st, 2011
8:37 pm
I meant star power. Its almost like the music industry. The owners provide the medium for the public to see the talent. In the same sense the owners have no problems making money under the current agreement.
Falcons Chic
May 31st, 2011
10:52 pm
I’m doing the math: 32 teams, so each expects to get 3 guys in (except Seattle which will take its entire stadium.) So if we got 5, that is great. Wish it were more, but we are still building. Why the angst? I’m happy for any of our guys to receive kudos from their peers… even if Glanville leaves tix at the welcoming ceremony for Elvis. Wouldn’t it be a shin stopper if Brent Grimes got all five of Drew Brees’ votes for best player in the league? (Deservedly so, Mr. Vertical.) It might be Special Weems channeling his predecessors in amazing returns, NFL CRIBBS & HESTER. Keep it going, Falcs.
Tom
June 1st, 2011
10:42 am
Afrter knocking up that transgendered “Housewife” chick, can we assume Biermann’s nickname in the locker room is now “Biergoggles”?
DawginLex
June 1st, 2011
11:01 am
Hey DOL,
Still want to talk and defend Ohio State football?
How does that crow taste?
The last 10 years down the crapper. Who is the better program now-OSU or Georgia?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1ST ROUND PICK
June 1st, 2011
11:27 am
You the people pay me. But I earn every penny. To you I say THANK YOU!!!!!
1ST ROUND PICK
June 1st, 2011
11:43 am
If the owners are willing to open their books and allow us players to see the loses that they are reporting and then work out an agreement that is beneficial to all three sides, (Owners, Players, and Retired or Injured Players). We could possibly get this thing resolved before the season begins. You have to remember, all of the players on the teams aren’t millionaires. Those are the guys we are fighting for. Their health after the game matters to me. As well as their ability to continue to take care of their families.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
June 2nd, 2011
4:51 pm
DawginLex – Ummmm, 1 National Title, 0 National Title. That’s about all for now.