11:17 am October 20, 2009, by AJC Sports

We heard NBC’s Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth go on and on about what a great QB Chicago’s Jay Cutler is Sunday night.
We listened to Collinsworth say, straight up, in his pre-game comments about the Falcons, “I just don’t think they’re that good.”
We keep hearing about how Falcons QB Matt Ryan is no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning at his position.
We say only this: The Falcons at this point are 4-1. Sunday night, Matt Ryan’s team won the football game. Jay Cutler’s team didn’t.
YOU TELL US: Are you Team Matt or Team Ain’t All That? State your case why you’re pro-MR2 or not sold yet on the kid.
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230 comments Add your comment
jerry
October 21st, 2009
6:43 am
Shadyman: You are exactly right. When asked if the Falcons “had legs” he said “Yeah, I think they do.” I never heard him say a negative word about Ryan. The AJC was just trying to hit a nerve.
Maxx
October 21st, 2009
6:46 am
I’m pretty sure that when Collinsworth said, “…they’re not really that good”, he was talking about the Falcons Defense. He was proved wrong. If anything, I heard the announcers “going on and on” about how good Ryan was when we went into the no huddle and started moving the ball. Tony Dungy said he was a young Peyton Manning during halftime…
DJ
October 21st, 2009
6:53 am
I have no clue what CC said – I was in my seat razzing the Bears and their fans at 7:30. I suspect CC was playing to the much larger Chicago TV market after all he is a TV commentator and ratings mean everything in his business.
In Matty’s business winning means everything and bottom line, Matty and the Falcons took care of their business just as CC did. Nuf said.
Cece602
October 21st, 2009
7:08 am
I think Matt Ryan is doing an amazing job for the Falcons. Team Matt all the way!
noNeed2Compre
October 21st, 2009
7:21 am
Who cares if Ryan isn’t Brady or P. Manning? I don’t. Let’s focus on winning games and the record will speak for itself. Ryan is a very focused individual. That’s all what matters to win games. At the end of the day, the W always looks nicer than the L. Go Falcons.
Jeff Blauser
October 21st, 2009
8:26 am
Tony Dungy compared MR to a young Peyton Manning. He would know, if anyone. We won ugly – something good teams do.
papadawg
October 21st, 2009
8:35 am
I’m still a fan but I just don’t know how good these guys are. Sure they have a winning record but they got beat pretty good by the only decent team they have played. If Cutler was so great why did he miss so many open receivers.
AlternateReality
October 21st, 2009
8:51 am
Ryan is a very good quarterback already, but he is still young and has some flaws. It also appears that he has the intelligence and the proper attitude to overcome those flaws and to develop into a premier QB for years to come.
Cutler is a little like Brett Favre in his younger days, with a big arm and a tendency to make mistakes, but without Favre’s leadership abilities, his flair for the dramatic, and his pure enjoyment of playing the game.
JB
October 21st, 2009
8:56 am
Being compared to such names is your sophmore appearance lets you know what people really think of you. At 4-1 Matt’s getting it done and the critics know he has potential for greatness.
Dtruth
October 21st, 2009
9:05 am
Matt Ryan is doing a good job, from what we hear he works hard, studies a lot and follow the game plan as directed. He is the benefactor of a very good coach who know exactly what he want, is an excellent game planner and takes advantage of other teams weaknesses. The biggest reason Matt Ryan is doing well is Mike Smith. I have never seen a coach outside of Belacheat that get his team to employ a game plan with such discipline and focus. Look at how the Falcons have won during the Smith era: They jump on teams early taking advantage of weakness or Falcon strength and get the other team out of their game plan or comfort zone and control games in this manner. I am not a Ryan hater, I think he is a smooth operator and definitely an asset but don’t get it twisted, he is a product of a great scheme and coaching. I would say his greatest negative to date has been his missing open receivers for seemingly no reason on occasion. He has been very good to date and hopefully will continue.
GoJackets
October 21st, 2009
9:35 am
I can’t believe the AJC is printing this crap, He was referring to the DEFENSE ONLY, people don’t beleive evrything you read from this paper. I heard it myself and actually agreed with him, but they showed him and myself they can hang tuff. What the AJC said in this article is a complete lie.
Falcon Devil
October 21st, 2009
10:16 am
Anyone remember hearing Collinsworth talking about how Brent Grimes started over C Houston because of his size and play against the run? What an absolute moron, complete lie. Grimes is like 180 and 5′8, not exactly a run stuffer.
NikkiFree
October 21st, 2009
10:19 am
Ryan doesn’t even have two full seasons under his belt, but he’s supposed to ALREADY be better than Peyton Manning? Even the younger Manning wasn’t as good as the present day Manning!! I could care less about the talking heads.
Derrick
October 21st, 2009
10:33 am
Believe it or not there are commentators and analyst in sports that practice some or an extreme form of bias and Collinsworth is no exception.
Vick Supporter
October 21st, 2009
10:39 am
I would say that Ryan is overrated a little bit…..its the usually thing happening here….team wins and the QB gets all of the praise…especially here in ATL since The Great Mike Vick has departed from the team.
My analysis of Ryan:
Very Smart…high football IQ
He does try to lead
Accurate when not under pressure….a system QB who relies on timing and route running.
Very fortunate that his WRs matured at the right time. Had he been here in 2004-07 he may have had some trouble due to drops and WRs still in their development stage
Just above average arm strength….arms looks to get “tired” as the season progresses, balls tend to sail on him when he throws deep passes….looks like he has to “wind up his arm” to throw
Came at the right time when the organization hires the right FOOTBALL people to make personnell decisions…owner stepped out of the way and hired a no-nonsense coach that has instilled a positive, and winning environment.
PHIL
October 21st, 2009
10:42 am
I guess my TV played different things Sunday night. Collinsworth said didn’t think the DEFENSE was all that good. Looking at the first three games, neither do I. The last two have been nice,m but SF has zero offense. I am impressed by the way they have stopped the run the last two games when Carolina was just gashing them. The defensive backs aren’t too good and the best one just got hurt, so I still think the defense isn’t all that good. Lots of heart and lots of toughness, though. But that’s what my TV showed Collinsworth saying.
Also there were numerous replays and references to Matty being “Peytonesque” in what he was doing. So I think without spinning what was actually said this is a non article. I’m no fan of these announcers either, but can’t we get some honest journalism somewhere, sometimes?
Dtruth
October 21st, 2009
11:13 am
Vick supporter – Great analysis, right on point.
Vick Supporter
October 21st, 2009
11:46 am
Of course it is….people will attack me for it anyways…even though its true
Vick Supporter
October 21st, 2009
11:48 am
Of course it is….I’ll still get attacked by the Ryan Kool-Aid drinkers even though its the truth
Wayne
October 21st, 2009
1:11 pm
Some people like chris collinworthless, just like to hear themselves talk. NO MATTER HOW STUPID THEY SOUND. The main question here is not collinsworthless, but who is the idiot that hires these loud mouth jerks. Just because they played football or anyother sport does not mean they are broadcasters. Hire someone with personallity and common sense.
Vick Supporter
October 21st, 2009
1:39 pm
Mike Vick > Matt Ryan
Tom
October 21st, 2009
2:19 pm
In a few years Matt Ryan will be the benchmark that other quarterbacks are compared to. As for Chris Collinsworthless he and most other announcers always pull for a northern team cause there a bunch of yankees. There. I said it. Were all just a bunch of backwoods rednecks. GO YOU REDNECK BIRDS!
Shamus Thacker
October 21st, 2009
3:41 pm
Matt reminds me of Joe Montana. Maybe not the strongest arm in the world, but he’ll 12-yard-out you to death. And, like Montana, he’s a WINNER, pure and simple…
Shamus Thacker
October 21st, 2009
3:50 pm
Mike Vick is a better running back than Matt Ryan, but it would take an idiot to believe he’s actually a better quarterback….
BamaBirDawg
October 22nd, 2009
9:11 am
The Falcons have always been a favorite mule for the booth apes. It was John Madden who once threatened a non-appearance if he was forced to call a MNF Falcons game. The birds could win the Super Bowl three years in a row and those network desk’perts would still find fault.
So… who cares what they say?
Bryan Moore
October 22nd, 2009
11:35 am
Good luck against the Cowboys. I am hoping oyu win the game and stay healthy. We will see you guys the next week, and we need you to be at your best and with only one lost. That will make for a more exciting game. We haven’t had any of those this year and we’re getting bored at the games. Being a division rivalry, I think it will be very competitive for 3 quarters.
mikeb
October 23rd, 2009
6:12 am
Big easy830– Having just moved out of the cesspool you call home I can see why you feel the need to downplay anyone else
Michael Thompson
October 23rd, 2009
10:49 am
Aha, now I know what’s going on! We’ll call it “Bitter Commetator Syndrome” of BCS for short. A quick glane at Collinsworth’s career state reveal he will never make the Hall for his efforts on the field. His “career” avg yds per game is a paltry 62.6; in Chris’ 8 yrs in the league he saw the end zone 36 times = 4.5 tds/yr. This is not a “go to” guy by any measure, in fact in his second yr in the league he was shut out off the endzone. Maybe his came calling perspective is born out of a jealous disrespect for these larger than life figures he has to “color” for the NBC audience. http://www.nfl.com/players/criscollinsworth/careerstats?id=COL717780
Sautee
October 23rd, 2009
7:11 pm
Vick Supporter said this:
“…its the usually thing happening here….team wins and the QB gets all of the praise…”
Very true.
So I guess that applies to Flacco’s playoff wins, particularly since he was on a team with the best (or at worst second best) defense in the league?
If it’s that way for Ryan, then it’s that way for Flacco, right?
JUSTIN MF WALDEN
October 25th, 2009
11:42 am
I am a die hard falcons fan and im tired of ppl talking trash about my falcons….especially the patriots,,were doing better then the pats and the only reason the stats arent the same is because we had a bye week…so our stats and overall play would be MUCH better then the Pats, Eagles and the Colts. also im sick of people saying ryan is not capable of comparison with peyton manning,,,1.Ryan completes damn there every pass he throws up,,,2.He kills in the endzone and scores everytime he has a chance,,,3.His no huddle situations cant be stopped,everybody saw how we beat the bears and in the 3rd quarter he was no huddling/making audibles throughtout one drive and ended up making a touchdown!!!! I KNOW WHAT IM SAYING…