Matt Ryan is becoming an ‘elite’ QB, Smith says
Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan (2) throws a pass against the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011. AP
FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons coach Mike Smith believes that fourth-year quarterback Matt Ryan, who became the second quarterback in team history to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, has reached elite status among NFL quarterbacks.
“His maturation process continues to accelerate and he’s becoming, in my mind, one of the elite quarterbacks in this league,” Smith said.
Ryan needs 73 yards passing against Tampa Bay on Sunday to break the franchise’s record for most yards passing in a season.
Ryan, who has passed for 4,071 yards, is set to break the record of Jeff George, who passed for 4,143 yards in 1995.
“That’d be a great honor and an individual honor for Matt,” Smith said. “But again, all those individual honors take a bunch of other guys. There are guys that have got to catch the ball and guys that have got to block. But Matt’s had a very good season.”
Ryan passed for a career-high 373 yards in the 45-16 loss to New Orleans on Monday night. He also tied his career highs with 32 completions and 52 pass attempts.
Ryan already has surpassed George in one category. He has passed for more than 300 yards six times this season, breaking George’s old record of four 300-yard games in 1995.
However, the Falcons are just 2-4 this when Ryan throws for more than 300 yards. He has thrown for more than 300 in wins over Tennessee (316) and Carolina (320) and in losses to Chicago (329), Tampa Bay (330) and New Orleans twice (351 and 373).
Ryan, who went to the Pro Bowl after guiding the Falcons to the NFC South title last season, has completed 339 of 557 passes and is within striking distance of his records of 357 completions and 571 attempts that he set last season.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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124 comments Add your comment
#1SaintsFan
December 31st, 2011
7:21 pm
Mannnnnnn..yall r killing me ELITE??? MATT RYAN???????? REALLLY?????
If I was Authur Blank, Smitty would be fired, just for saying some dumb $h** like that!!!
Mr. SaintsFan Jr.
December 31st, 2011
8:38 pm
Matt Ryan has shown flashes, he is a very good quarter back. I like his size, tall,nice arm in certain instances. I haven’t got a chance to see MR the entire season, but the few games I saw he had some nice throws and drives. The QB we call elite are guys who have won on a cosistent basis and have won games either when they needed them or there was something riding on them. I will give MR another 2 years and he should be right up there.
Mike Smith must be High
December 31st, 2011
9:29 pm
Ryan is far from that, with that wimpy arm of his!!
Goodgod
December 31st, 2011
11:53 pm
Rookie Cam Newton is elite, he has improved his franchise over 500% in the win category from last year. Against winning teams he has held his own and shattered just about every rookie records there was including “elite” ryan’s. melty looked real “elite” against chicago, the texans and the saints twice in all those one sided losses. until melty can win against the big boys in his own division, the falcons will watch a lot of superbowls from the confort of there homes like the rest of us. in our own division the top qb are drew brees, cam newton and then the rest. that real telling when melty passes for a lot of yards we usually lose. shouldn’t that be the other way around. another thing we won’t win a lot of games with the td production we get. against the saints we scored one td last week no wonder we can’t beat the good teams we can’t find the end zone. as we get medicore, the panthers are getting stronger and the saints are so far ahead it ain’t funny. don’t worry, with elite ryan in charge we’re at least feel like winners in pro-per-ganda world or in the mushroom buzz our coach is in.
Goodgod
January 1st, 2012
12:49 am
see the attached article which ranks quarterback yards production. number one is cam newton and elite ryan is like number twenty. http://courtsideanalyst.wordpress.com/page/2/
Saints R.E.A.M.
January 1st, 2012
8:36 am
ELITE???? UH….YEAH ….RIGHT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Edh7AfT2g
Mister.Earl
January 1st, 2012
9:49 am
GodGood – brilliant piece of writing.
The word elite is reserved for QBs who can will their teams to wins against elite teams. ryan’s resume is lacking in that regard.
Brees is elite. Cam Newton will be elite once he gets a tight end and someone reliable besides Steve Smith
cowdogit
January 1st, 2012
9:54 am
The falcons offense is way to complicated, no offenseive lineman can protect a quarterback when the defense knows when he’s going to pass.
Mixxo
January 1st, 2012
10:26 am
lol@ “elite.”
The Falcons’ season ended last week vs. N.O.
Cannot beat good teams. Bottom line.
Saints R.E.A.M.
January 1st, 2012
10:32 am
Are the Falcons with their “Elite” QB the easiest team to beat in the NFC playoffs????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Edh7AfT2g
‘Nuff Said…..LOL.
Brick Head O Reilly
January 1st, 2012
11:31 am
Playoffs might bring out the best this year in Matty Ice. No one expects crap from his leadership this year so the pressure is off him this year.
Not a Falcon fan
January 1st, 2012
1:08 pm
Matty Ice-Cold is an “elite” QB. That’s about as funny as the falCANTS winning a Super Bowl !!!!! Falcon dreamland !!!!!!!!
Jim
January 1st, 2012
1:47 pm
ESPN posted the lowest completion percentage this season on passes over 20 yards.
Ponder. 17.6%
Gabbert. 18.8%
Ryan. 23.3%
Sanchez. 23.8%
Ryan was no better than two rookie QB’s throwing deep. Hmmm?
Bobo is Not the Problem
January 1st, 2012
2:27 pm
Elite in his own mind.
Little Tommy Brady gets blocked after his interception and the blocker is flagged for “unnecessarily driving THE QUARTERBACK into the ground.” One, no one drove Brady into the ground. Two, it was a fair block. Three, are there separate rules for blocking the quarterback?
ASSININE.
BIG JIM
January 1st, 2012
3:10 pm
matt will be a elite QB just keep working and watching film so the falcons lost there fullback obe why not put a O linemen in the back field to set the edge for turner on short yardage the bears did it with willams perry the falcons can do it with a O LINEMAN…..
FalconRed
January 1st, 2012
4:14 pm
Maybe the headline should be “Ryan has ‘potential’ to be an elite qb”. I think the Falcon fans (myself included) are showing their frustration in these posts because the team, along with Ryan, has the potential to be so much more than they are showing on the field. The Saints just showed us that the Falcons are more comparable to the Panthers than the Saints…
Taylor
January 1st, 2012
5:18 pm
Feels good beating up on a terrible team doesn’t it? Falcons new years resolution : avoid the saints in the playoffs
ln29576
January 1st, 2012
5:50 pm
Question, wonder why the Falaints are not pulling their QB against the
BUC’s like they wanted the Saints to do against them last week.?
Falcon Nut
January 1st, 2012
9:11 pm
Watching this game tonight between the Giants and Cowboys makes me think that Ryan may very well get his first playoff win next week. Neither one of these teams will make the Super Bowl, and the 2 playoff games that Ryan has lost were to the NFC teams that went to the Super Bowl that year, 2008 season to Arizona, and 2010 season to Green Bay. Ryan may well be the most intelligent quarterback in football, but he lacks in physical ability to at least 10 NFL quarterbacks. However, I do agree, he is “Becoming” an elite QB. Prove me right next week, Matt!
Ichabod
January 1st, 2012
11:33 pm
Eli Manning / Cruz looked smoking in the 4th qtr.
Ryan rules!
January 1st, 2012
11:57 pm
with that huge blowout win over tampa, the falcons are back! Ryan—proved he is one of the top 3 QBs in the league–his game is on fire!!! Atl upsets New york in round 1–bet the house! ryan will light up the scoreboard!!!
DR. FALCON
January 2nd, 2012
1:17 am
MATT RYAN IS ALREADY ELITE! HE HAS TIED H.O.F. QB’S DAN MARINO AND JOHN ELWAY FOR MOST WINS IN THE 1ST 4 YEARS IN A CAREER! HE IS 2ND IN FRANCHISE HISTORY FOR CAREER TD PASSES! HE IS THE 1ST FALCONS QB TO TAKE HIS TEAM TO BACK TO BACK PLAYOFF APPEARANCES! FOR THIS FRANCHISE, THAT IS SAYING A LOT!
RMikel58
January 2nd, 2012
11:01 am
Tone it down alittle Mike………………………top 10 maybe! We dont want teams to know we have an elite QB in our midst. That’ll get him hurt quicker than saying the Giants are soft and sissys. Pass who’s record?
George’s record?
Youre kidding right? I mean back in those day’s Atlanta’s primary function was the run. Give me a 1500 yard rusher and i’ll agree he is an elite RB but not a QB.
Matty like you and everything but son youre nowhere elite yet, maybe with your children but not football fans in atlanta. Mike’s sounding like a politician and lobbying for you to move up from #10 to #9 it seems.
Maybe if you were the Drew Brees/Aaron Rogers proto-type then i’d put you up there but not now.
Youre a stay in the pocket QB which rarely scrambles to get yards.
A high proficiency QB doesnt rate you ELITE, throwing like Joe Montana with 50 yard precision passes, hard to sack without falling down when you hear footsteps, showing a tough mental attitude when you get knocked down or blitzed.
Any QB can pass 5/10 yards down the field and look great. The aforementioned is what makes you elite and proven. Numbers dont mean nothing unless you show youre eliteness against very good football teams and you have done that yet.
God forbid if Ryan starts to think he’s elite.
SupaG
January 3rd, 2012
8:56 am
I think that Matt Ryan is a good quarterback that can take a lot of good hits. Until he wins a playoff game and plays consistently against good teams he will not be thought of as an elite quarterback. He can start by beating the New York football Giants!!!