Mid-Week Quick-Slant – 2nd Year QBs, DT Strength, and Dome Wishes

Ryan’s Second Year Comparison

Is Ryan in a Slump? (Curtis Compton/AJC)

Much has certainly been made of the somewhat down year that Matt Ryan has been having this year, many may call it a slump. His touchdowns are up (13 to 9 at this point last year), but so are his interceptions (10 to 5 through 8 games last year). In general, Ryan is almost exactly on pace to match his mark in terms of yardage. Many factors may be at play this year. The Falcons certainly have played a much tougher schedule to date (Lions, Chiefs, Raiders of last year were replaced by the Patriots and Cowboys), times of being sacked is surprisingly the exact same as this time last year (10), and there have been a few that may not entirely been his fault (Jenkins tipped pass in Chicago, Vilma’s excellent tipped pass play in New Orleans, etc). Excuses aside though, Ryan doesn’t “look” the same as he did last year. He doesn’t seem to have the same poise and confidence he had a year ago, and many fans have wondered if the Tony Gonzalez addition may have actually hurt Ryan’s development, instead of helping it. And as crazy as it may sound at first, Ryan does seem to be looking for Gonzo in spite of White, Jenkins, and Co. A look at some other quarterbacks and their first two years may help shed some light:

Quarterback

Games Played – Completion % – Pass Yards – TDs – Ints – QB Rating

John Elway

11 games – 47.5% – 1663 yds – 7 TDs – 14 Ints – 54.

15 games – 56.3% – 2598 yds – 18 TDs – 15 Ints – 76.8

Joe Montana

15 games – 64.5% – 1795 yds – 15 TDs – 9 Ints –

16 games – 63.7% – 3565 yds – 19 TDs – 12 Ints – 88.4

(sat rookie year)

Peyton Manning

16 games – 56.7% – 3,739 yds – 26 TDs – 28 Ints – 71.2

16 games – 62.1% – 4135 yds – 26 TDs – 15 Ints – 90.7

Tom Brady

15 games – 63.9% – 2843 yds – 18 TDs – 12 Ints – 86.5

16 games – 62.1% – 3764 yds – 28 TDs – 14 Ints – 85.7

(sat rookie year)

Drew Brees

16 games – 60.8% – 3,284 yds -17 TDs – 16 Ints – 76.9

11 games – 57.6% – 2,108 yds – 11 TDs – 15 Ints – 67.5

(sat rookie year)

Brett Favre

15 game – 64.1% – 3,227 – 18 TDs -13 Ints – 85.3

16 games – 60.9% -3,303 – 19 TDs – 24 Ints – 72.2

(sat rookie year)

Matt Ryan

16 games – 61.1% – 3,440 yds – 16 TDs – 11 Ints – 87.7

8 games – 60.7% – 1,784 yds – 13 TDs – 10 Ints – 82.2

Defensive Tackle a Future of Strength?

One of the biggest question marks coming into the season was the lack of strength and depth at defensive tackle. When Grady Jackson left, it left a big hole both figuratively and literally in the Falcons defensive line. The drafting of Peria Jerry was an immediate upgrade, but he was sidelined for the year in game two against Carolina. Trey Lewis didn’t make an early impact, Thomas Johnson leapt from anonymity to starting, and some thought that the Falcons may be looking DT early again in next year’s draft. That may have changed as of recent. The Falcons are shutting down some of the most potent of rushing attacks and, although the stats may not say it, they are holding some of the best backs or tandems pretty well under wraps (Ronnie Brown-Ricky Williams, Deangelo Williams-Jonathan Stewart, Matt Forte, Barber-Jones-Choice, and Bush-Bell-Thomas). The move of Jamaal Anderson has been a win-win and has helped in the running game. Babineaux showed what he can do on any given Sunday with his 2.5 sack effort, Vance Walker is putting his stamp on this team with his toughness and quickness, Trey Lewis is getting back up to speed, and that’s not even including 1st round draft pick Peria Jerry coming back from injury next year. Certainly always room for improvement and ranking 24th in rush defense seems pretty terrible, but the cupboard seems way more stocked for the future than recent years.

Dome Wishes

More single gameday parking availability?

Better place to tailgate and get revved up for the game for Marta riders?

Better food or more choices on concessions (The Varsity in the Dome anyone?)

More lounges like the Jack Daniels lounge or easier access to places like the Miller Lite lounge?

NFL.com Power Rankings

Cool deal over at NFL.com, where it lets you rank all 32 teams in terms of who’s best from week to week. Experts pick: Falcons #9 and Community pick: Falcons #12. Check it out: http://fanrankings.nfl.com/

Big game upcoming against the Panthers in Carolina on Sunday. Better not even think about getting caught looking ahead to the road game in New York. The Cats aren’t having the best of years, but they are showing much improvement and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is always a tough place to play. Enjoy the mid-week musings and hopefully it’ll get to Friday (or Sunday in our case).

Your Turn

-Ryan in 2nd Year: Slump or Normal Progression?

-What’s your opinion on biggest difference between rookie and sophomore campaigns?

-Tougher opponents or Ryan’s got a case of the “happy feet?”

-How do you like the DT strength and depth?

-All set at DT or need to look for another in the draft?

-What would enhance your Falcons gameday experience?

-What can the Terror Dome add to make Sundays more enjoyable?

-Nervous about Panther game in Carolina?

Check out our AJC Fellow Fan Bloggers:

Leo Willingham on Florida A&M’s rankings

Bill King on Junkyard Blawg’s Fan of the Week

Chris Boggs on Georgia Tech’s Awesome Coach

Rawhide on Thrashers Bounce Back Win Against the Blues

Big Ray on the Hawks Great Start