This one is on Matt Ryan, and Falcons may be in trouble

Everything went right for Matt Ryan in year one. Notsomuch in year two. (AP photo)

Everything went right for Matt Ryan in year one. Notsomuch now.

CHARLOTTE — There’s a problem with setting the bar so high in year one. When you run face first into the bar in year two, everybody notices.

Matt Ryan hasn’t necessarily been a spectacular crash this season. But he certainly hasn’t been the quarterback that most expected after a first season that saw him lead a seemingly flat-lined franchise to the playoffs. And yes — any doubts about whether something was wrong just ended.

The Falcons lost to the Carolina Sunday, 28-19. We can rationalize several reasons why this may have happened. Kicker Jason Elam botched a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter. The defense crumbled yet again. Aliens abducted John Abraham.

But put this one on Ryan. He threw two interceptions — dreadful interceptions. The first came in the second quarter after the Falcons had closed to 14-10. It led to a Panthers’ touchdown drive just before the half that made it 21-10. The second was a game-killer — with 3:45 left from the Carolina 49,  and the Falcons trailing, 21-19.

Both came on the opening plays of drives. Both sailed high over a wide receiver, Michael Jenkins, who has long arms and stands 6-foot-4. Both were mistakes many of us were deluded into believing Ryan would not, could not commit with a game on the line.

This is a troubling transition. The franchise centerpiece just went from a quarterback who lately has struggled to win games to one who just lost one.

“There’s going to be things you have to learn along the way,” Ryan said later when asked about his drop in accuracy. “There’s a lot of tough teams you’re going against. I feel like I’m learning a bunch and continuing to get better. But I’ve just made some mistakes, and that’s gonna happen.

“I just made some throws that weren’t on point.”

Learning curves are normal for young quarterbacks. But could we have anticipated this curve would turn 180 degrees?

Ryan’s first four games: 66.7 percent completion percentage, seven touchdowns, two interceptions.

Ryan’s last five games: 54.9, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions.

Why? That answer isn’t clear. If Ryan knows, he’s not saying.

“Different things come up week in and week out,” he said. “I’m young. I’ve got a long way to go, a lot of improving to do, and a lot of things to learn.  And I feel you do learn things in your second year that you don’t learn in your first. I’m trying to soak up everything I can.”

Soak this up: The Falcons are in trouble. They’re 5-4. That record certainly doesn’t scream they’re walking the Green Mile. But this  is a team that goes as the offense goes. It’s not a roster built for 13-10 wins.

But now look: Running back Michael Turner is out with an ankle sprain, which was significant enough to keep him out the last two and a half quarters Sunday. Ryan, the other key member of the offense, looks average (maybe). If he stays average, the offense is dead and the Falcons’ playoff hopes will sleep with it.

Coach Mike Smith declined to let offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey or quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave speak to the media. Smith and players came to Ryan’s defense. Everybody accepted blame, as you would expect.

Smith:  “I thought Matt’s play was just like the rest of the football team. We didn’t sustain the level of play we needed to be successful.”

Wide receiver Roddy White also said, “We didn’t lose this game because of Matt. We all just gave it away.”

But he offered one solid theory as to why Ryan’s production has fallen off.

“Teams have seen him now on tape for a whole year,” he said. “They’re playing to his strengths and weaknesses, and they’re doing a good job.”

If this is an aberration, we’re about to find out. Three of the next four games come against the New York Giants, Philadelphia and New Orleans. The season will be either saved or buried. And now we have to wonder if the bar for Ryan was set too high.

532 comments Add your comment

Gamer

November 16th, 2009
4:05 pm

What did I tell you? Turner the Burner must continue his powerful scorching runs in order for the Falcons to win this one. He was on pace until the ankle hit. CHEAP SHOT by Panthers defender!!!

Matt got to show that he’s getting better with his middle to long range throws. Talk is cheap!!

He seem to be throwing falling away from defenders. Diagnotics, say Ryan got a bad case of happy feet, even when the defender is two steps away.

Hopefully, Turner heal fast from ankle injury.

Ryan and WR’s need to stay out on practice field playing throw and catch, mid to long range.

Falcons defense must take away running-backs cutback lanes.

Steve Smith made some courageous circus catches, kudos to him.

Falcons can still go 10-6, maybe enough wins to make postseason.

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:08 pm

Open mind…
You want to judge Ryan against what veteran QB’s did? Eli Manning’s passer rating was 75.9 in his second year. He had 17 interceptions. His completion % was 52.8%.

Ryan’s second year so far—he has a 78.8 passer rating, 12 interceptions, and a completion % of 59.7. Everything else, Passing yards, sacks, and ypc are all projected to be similar by season’s end.

I did get your point.
The problem is you are comparing Ryan to veterans and saying this loss is on him.
Young QB’s (BR and EM are not young anymore) need a good team around them.
But what you are saying does not disprove what I am saying.
The fact that he is not playing like a veteran only proves my point…he is a sophmore QB on a team with a ton of holes.
This is a team sport.
If you want to compare Ryan to anyone…compare him to second year QB’s.

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:15 pm

Falcon Fan,

I saw the same thing. Jenkins did not finish his route and made a weak attempt to jump up. Did the pass sail? Perhaps not, if Jenkins didn’t finish his route. I think had Jenkins made a better play on the ball…if he made more of an effort…that interception may not have happened.

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:23 pm

Nativebird,

Exactly. Well put.

Big JC,

Good post. Thanks for pointing out that Ryan has already made some great plays and he hasn’t played two years. He has made some game winning plays.

To the haters,

Every QB goes through slumps–often tied to how well other teams are game planning them.
Ryan will be fine.
Just needs to get his head on and learn better pocket presence.
He has been a pro for 1.5 years.
Give him a break.

ForrestTucker

November 16th, 2009
4:23 pm

I dont think anyBODY has keyed on or identified WHY Matt Ryan threw his final pick yesterday? I watched the football game and I believe that Ryan RUSHED his throw that sailed over Jenkins head and was picked off. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Ryan was so excited and fired up because of the incredible field position that the Falcons started out at that he didnt demonstrate the appropriate patience to let the plays develop for the Falcons methodically either move into field goal position or drive the ball into the end zone. Ryan rushed too much and it cost us the game. Had Ryan taken his time, the outcome of the ball game would have been dramatically different. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FALCONS VICTORY and the Falcons would be sitting today at 6-3 instead of 5-4. I hope Ryan learned that you have to slow down to speed up and win the football game. I dont care what anybody else has written on these blogs, Matt Ryan has already demonstrated a hall of fame calibre play at the quarterback position and I am thorougly convinced of that. Ryan will go on to become one of the all-time greats at the qb position and you can take that one to the bank!

Open Mind....

November 16th, 2009
4:30 pm

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:08 pm

Ok, ok, ok…. Now we are playing the stat game…
Did you know the Elway has a career completion % of 58%?
Or that Troy Aikman has less 20 more TDs than INTs?
My point is that I can find stats to justify anything. I am not comparing second year to second year, because if I were, Ryan would need to go and win a playoff game in a place where its never happened before in order to be better than MV7, or win a SuperBowl like Big Ben and Brady did in their second year. Instead of trying to find a reason why this loss was on someone other than Ryan why not just….well thats not gonna happen, so let me say this, I want a Franchise player that can make a play to win a game win it counts, not one that comes up short and then hides behind the “team”…Montana made his bones winning games at the end, and he never blamed his recrivers or his line when he failed. Thats what the great ones do…They win games in spite of things going wrong.

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:42 pm

Open mind…

You are comparing a QB with 1.5 years experience with “great ones” who had great teams around them.
Brady can’t complete a pass if his O Line doesn’t give him time to throw.
Big Ben can’t get the touchdown if his receiver won’t finish the route or go up the ladder.
Put Ryan in NE with Brady’s second year team.
This is a team sport.
Ryan made enough throws to win. He put them in position to go ahead.
The players around him didn’t make enough plays to enable them to win.
The FACT is that they all share blame. Ryan threw a pick that put them out of contention.
Jenkins didn’t finish a route.
The O Line couldn’t block a three man rush.
The corners couldn’t cover taller receivers.
This is a team sport.
Ryan’s interception was just the nail in the coffin of a team collapse.
This one is on the team.

You are suggesting he should be able to make a play to win a game that counts while IGNORING all the games he has done that.
You also ignore the fact that

Styles

November 16th, 2009
4:49 pm

Hey Vick supporter…everybody is racist, right?

LT

November 16th, 2009
4:54 pm

The Sports writers did not perpetuate this myth, this myth was perpetuated from the PR department and those who thought this young Quarterback was the Face of a Dreadful franchise… I have worshiped this franchise from Gilchrist, to Ryan and I do not she any difference Mike Smith Defenses at Jacksonville lead the league several years This powder puff group that he has assemble really baffles me.. as if he has forgotten how to Coach…Aggressiveness I am discussed and tried.. There is No! Heart to this Group (Michael Turner at Times shows a little Heart) for the most part Revenue Sharing is the Answer……

Vampirella

November 16th, 2009
4:57 pm

Atlanta is no Falcon good. Deal with it. No playoffs for buzzards.

FlashMarker

November 16th, 2009
5:01 pm

BREAKING NEWS: It just came across the wire that former Dogfighter extraordinaire Michael (Vampire) Vick will be traded to the Falcons for Matty “Ice” Ryan straight up and an undisclosed amount of cash! Vick will return on Sunday to start at qb for the Falcons.

Russell

November 16th, 2009
5:04 pm

If Jenkins catches the first down pass two weeks ago, we go in for a touchdown and game is all but over. If we get the sure-thing field goal last Sunday, we take the lead and play defense and run out the clock and win. Two games lost not because of a Ryan interceptions, but because other team members did not do what they are paid millions of dollars to do.

Sure, he has been throwing high, but did you see the view from behind the quarterback, there is a defender in front of the receiver and one behind the receiver. It would have been a spectacular throw if it had been completed and the play call was suspicious given the coverage of our downfield receivers. Moreover, hasn’t anyone notices that our receivers are blanketed every week. Either that is a problem with our receivers or the teams we play have employed press coverage. The other teams have seen that we have stopped throwing the ball down the field on long passes, so they are not concerned that our receivers will run past them. Therefore, without fear of the long pass, they can safely play on the hip of our receivers. We need to throw more long passes, even if one or two of the them are intercepted, so that the defenders will back off and give us a cushion the way our defensive backs always seem to give the other teams’ receivers.

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
5:08 pm

FlashMarker,
Oh…don’t even kid about that!
It took me ten minutes to stop convulsing.
I would let Ryan go for a 11th round draft pick just to AVOID Vick ever returning here.

Open Mind....

November 16th, 2009
5:17 pm

Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:42 pm

I challenge you to name two games where he has made willed his team to a win….. Even MV7 had those moments…..

jj

November 16th, 2009
5:18 pm

lmfao

November 16th, 2009
9:48 am
JJ: You truly are an idiot. The beginning of your post indicates that you are going to explain WHY Vick Supporter is a raxist for criticizing Ryan.

Your words: “Anybody who thinks Vick Supporter’s vile isn’t racially driven is out of their minds”

You then meander to the subject of how to stop Mike Vick. You never explain your theory on racism.

You then go on to imply that any “older” voter who voted the first time for Obama is “racist”, and voted for Obama because he “looks like them”?

Uh, yeah…

If they were voting his agenda they would have voted for most any other Democrat that ran for president in their lifetimes. What, exactly, was it that drew them to the polls for the first time? Hint: it closely relates to the reason some (not ALL, mind you, but some) folks held season tickets for the Falcons for only the Vick years. I’m sure you’ll say it’s because he was “exciting”. Reality is that Beamer or whoever didn’t force that kid to become a Devin Hester type years ago did him a great disservice because he would have been one og the true greats at that position. He just ain’t an NFL QB any more than Charlie Ward, Pat White, or Tim Tebow. GREAT college QB though.

jj

November 16th, 2009
5:20 pm

“Open Mind….

November 16th, 2009
5:17 pm
Jimmy

November 16th, 2009
4:42 pm

I challenge you to name two games where he has made willed his team to a win….. Even MV7 had those moments…..”

Obvious first choice would be Chicago last year

Todd - Dacula

November 16th, 2009
5:33 pm

Pete: You wrote, ‘Listening to balcks “support” Vick just goes to show they will support a balck guy no matter what. DO you need more examples, Ray Nagin, Kwame Kilpatrick, Marion Berry, Charlie Rangel, Do I need to keep going? I guess it does not much intelligence to support someone just because they are the same color as you are’

And whites, support and continue to live off of slavery w/o denouncing it; now let’s talk George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, the Klan and than darn dixie flag… and the list goes on and on, that whites support , a much longer list)

Neither has nothing to do with the fact that Matt Ryan is and will always be a less than average QB. Obviouslymhe had nothing o do with Mike Vick not being in Atlanta. That was Vick’s and Aurthur Blank’s fault. The Falcons management could have not bent to PETA and a few of you knuckle heads and made a decision aftdr he was through with his legal troubles. The Falcons would have had a much better QB, one that could have make something out of nothing, with the help of his teammates.

Open Mind....

November 16th, 2009
5:45 pm

jj

November 16th, 2009
5:20 pm

I asked that you name two…..

"Chef" Tim Dix

November 16th, 2009
5:46 pm

Talk Falcons and more with me, the Chef @ “The Sports Buffet”, 9p ET, blogtalkradio.com 1-347-324-5735

redbird

November 16th, 2009
6:12 pm

you can always go gety Vinny Testaverde off the golf course like Charlotte did a couple of years ago.. here take a look at this, it will encourage you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8GuH9oDHrU

Edd

November 16th, 2009
6:39 pm

Falcon fan since 66′, Ryan isn’t on target, bottom line, Mike Smith , get to coaching and fast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bill from Jax

November 16th, 2009
7:32 pm

I just looked at the picture of Turner being tackled by Johnson and I have a question. I didn’t get a chance to see the game so I don’t know if Johnson was penalized for the tackle, but isn’t the rule that if you grab any part of the helmet to make a tackle it is a 15 yard facemask penalty? From the picture it looks like Johnson is trying to rip Turners head off. Do you think this is why we tried to knock Steve Smith out of the game also? Tit for Tat!!!

MARTIN

November 16th, 2009
7:51 pm

Falcons are officially on the clock,December 13, 2009 is nearing. Remember what you guys said about not being able to wait for the saints to come to the georgia dome. Let me repeat what I said the night that the saints beat the turd birds. It may not matter, as the division will be wrapped up by then. I mean there are only so many games left in the season. The saints keep their winning ways, and you guys continue to lose, well need I say more. Now, you guys continue to compare vick/ryan. I mean what’s really going on with that b.s. You guys should be talking about that whipping the giants are going to put on the turd birds.

geno

November 16th, 2009
8:13 pm

The falcons were finished when they hired Demetroff.. This guy doesnt know football…..just look at his face, he looks like a little twerp…Anyway, heres a little advice for TD…..ALL-PRO TIGHT ENDS WILL NOT WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP..just ask Alge Crumpler, Todd Heap, Jason Whitten, antionio Gates, heck Tom Coughlin shipped his TE and then they won the superbowl…….WIDE RECIEVERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS, just ask Plaxico Buress, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, Marvin Harrison or michael irvin………CLASS DISMISSED TD

Billy Bob

November 16th, 2009
8:52 pm

A career is not made in two seasons. Just take a moment and check out the stats of the qbs that are currently having great seasons. There have been times when Delhomme was about to be run out of town. Even Favre had seasons and games that were horrible. Time will tell about Ryan’s career but one thing is certain, there have not been enough games and sufficient time for Smith or Dit to do their jobs build this team and have a track record. This team is still a work in progress.

atlshirt.org

November 16th, 2009
8:59 pm

is it too late to resign D.J. Shockley ??

Glen from Decatur

November 16th, 2009
9:30 pm

What’s that phrase again…”Vick Apologists”…could we be seeing the “Ryan Apologists”? He’s a good QB but let’s at least admit that his weakens are showing and he has got to step up!

Glen from Decatur

November 16th, 2009
9:32 pm

Sorry, I meant weakness. Spelling is obviously my weakness.

old Tech fan in NC

November 16th, 2009
9:51 pm

you guys would really chirp if your young guy had Jake’s numbers…

Back 2 Reality

November 16th, 2009
9:53 pm

Art Blank

November 15, 2009
7:29pm

Very Funny!!! Ol’ Artie Blank got duped by ESPN & Peta into signing Matty Melt!! Face it, this team just doesn’t have the same vibe it had a few years ago, & it isn’t going to get easier.

Back 2 Reality

November 16th, 2009
9:54 pm

Go Steelers!!!!

thunderbull56

November 16th, 2009
11:24 pm

Over coached,over hyped.Matt’s going to be all right.He just needs to step back and realize that he can’t hit a five run homer every play.Just ’cause you traded for a “future Hall of Fame” tight end, does not mean you or your O Coordinator should freak/flip out.Too much attention is being paid to “Prima Donna” egos than to winning/scoring.Hate to say it ,but the Gonsalez trade will turn out to be a curse in disguise.Matt was fine until he had a Superstar to worry about.Why pay Roddy the big bucks if you gonna throw to the TE half the time or more? Course I’m probably the only one to notice Jeffy.

thunderbull56

November 16th, 2009
11:35 pm

P S, where’s Morton when we need him?

.D-Nice

November 17th, 2009
1:36 am

Matthew stafford does suck. No one can deny that just as I said when he was at UGA. Same issues and a QB rating in the 50s. Thats not the stuff of legends for sure LOL

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
8:34 am

One thing I’ve noticed in recent weeks is that Ryan seems almost too reliant on Gonzalez. He locks in on the tight end way too much and it seems at times like the Falcons have forgotten they’ve got a Pro Bowl receiver in Roddy White and another pretty good one in Michael Jenkins.

What was this guy sniffing when he said Jenkins is another pretty good WR’s. He hasn’t watched Falcon games the last 4 years.

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
8:36 am

It’s a good thing Atlanta doesn’t have a bridge with a large body of water underneath. If the Falcons finish .500 or below, that bridge would cluttered with jumpers.

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
8:48 am

@Pete

November 15th, 2009
10:36 pm
Vick was garbage his last 2 years in the league. How come our receivers magically started cathcing balls after Vick left?

Wait a minute. Alge Crumpler caught passes. Jenkins still can’t catch a cold. White has gone on record to say he didn’t commit during his first years in the league. You forget that Petrino had White catching hundreds of passes during practice. That is when he started “all of a sudden” catching passes.

I swear people have selective memories. Jenkins is your weak link in the offense. He can’t get off the line of scrimmage consitently and has butterfingers. Yet, he still is starting. Opposing DB’s know they have the day off and double White or Gonzales. That’s probably reason #3 your guy Ryan is making people rethink the Peyton Manning comparisons.

Papadawg

November 17th, 2009
9:07 am

Turner out, Ryan throwing high, Defense average at best Yeah I think we are in Deep Trouble

C from Marietta

November 17th, 2009
10:38 am

Jeff, you can’t wait for our teams here in Georgia to have a bad streak. Your one of the most negative and thoughtless writers. Love to kick a team when their down. Always pushing the panic button. Sports writers are down with there with Lawyers. Except, sometimes you need a lawyer.

ThunderboltPatterson

November 17th, 2009
11:44 am

Matt Ryan is one of the greatest talents to ever come into the NFL. He will be fine as soon as be breaks out of his slump. The person who is to be blamed for the loss to the Carolina Panthers is Jason Elam. That is a greater concern than Matt Ryan. He missed a chip shot field goal that was the distance of an extra point. If this continues the Falcons may only be getting 6 points for touchdowns instead of 7 points. THAT FOLKS IS A GREATER CONCERN FOR ME RIGHT NOW!!!! Lets quickly bring in 100 year old Morton Anderson to fix our kicking problems.

William

November 17th, 2009
12:05 pm

Matt Ryan will continue to struggle if he don’t fix the problem with being pressured.I like this kid as a quarterback but this will be his downfall if correct this problem.I have said this many of times and teams know how to play him.Play tight coverage,bump the receivers,stack the line and then the ice will melt.

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
12:16 pm

@Russell,
If Jenkins catches the first down pass two weeks ago, we go in for a touchdown and game is all but over.

Two weeks ago? Heck, you could have said the same 4 years ago!

Two games lost not because of a Ryan interceptions, but because other team members did not do what they are paid millions of dollars to do.

So I guess this doesn’t apply to the current QB?

Sure, he has been throwing high, but did you see the view from behind the quarterback, there is a defender in front of the receiver and one behind the receiver.

Other QB’s get killed by pundits when they throw into double coverage. You’re ok with you’re QB’s tendancy to thrown into double coverage?

Either that is a problem with our receivers or the teams we play have employed press coverage. The other teams have seen that we have stopped throwing the ball down the field on long passes, so they are not concerned that our receivers will run past them. Therefore, without fear of the long pass, they can safely play on the hip of our receivers. We need to throw more long passes, even if one or two of the them are intercepted, so that the defenders will back off and give us a cushion the way our defensive backs always seem to give the other teams’ receivers.

Where have you been the last 6 years? With the exception of White’s emergence as a pro WR last year, the Falcons haven’t had an adequate WR’s core since Tony Martin and Terrance Mathis.
Why are many on this blog so afraid to admit that the QB is part of your problems here?

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
12:18 pm

Matt Ryan will continue to struggle if he don’t fix the problem with being pressured.I like this kid as a quarterback but this will be his downfall if correct this problem.
@William,

This amazes me but many on this board would not say this years ago when you had THE SAME ISSUES with protecting the QB!! So NOW it needs to be addressed!

Matt "Choke" Ryan

November 17th, 2009
12:35 pm

- Mora’s rookie year resulted in Championship Game

- Smith’s rookie year resulted in Lame…1 and done

- Mora’s guy went to Pro Bowl

- Smith’s guy went to Tidy Bowl

It’s pretty clear that everytime I flush my toilet, I see a bunch of Smitty & Matts – and that my friend is not any scrubbing bubbles :)

Matt "Choke" Ryan

November 17th, 2009
12:40 pm

2 Games is a slump

5 Games is a season.

“DUMP THE CHUMP”

LukeMerriman

November 17th, 2009
1:34 pm

I am shocked as I read through a lot of these ignorant BLOGS. Matt Ryan is the current the “reigning” OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. Does that mean anything to anybody. HE’S PROVED HIS PERFORMANCE FOR AN ENTIRE SOLID FOOTBALL SEASON, HIS ROOKIE SEASON NO LESS. The majority of folks are blogging as if Ryan is an unproven commodity and a likely bust (like Ryan Leaf) and if dramatic changes are not made, he wont make it in the NFL. Folks your eyes are deceiving you. Ryan was not solely the blame for the last two losses as was pointed out by a fellow blogger. Had Jenkins held on to his attempted catch late in the game in New Oleans we beat the Saints. If Elam makes his chip shot field goal, we likely beat the Panthers because they would have been deflated and our defense would have gotten fired up and we probably beat those two teams. Our record would have been 7-2 instead of 5-4. We only got thoroughly beaten by two clubs this year: Dallas and New England. We should have won every other game on the slate. Ryan is the best thing that has ever happened to the Falcons. Someday he will stand tall in Canton, Ohio and will be enshrined in their illustrious halls of fame.

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
1:52 pm

Had Jenkins held on to his attempted catch late in the game in New Oleans we beat the Saints. If Elam makes his chip shot field goal, we likely beat the Panthers because they would have been deflated and our defense would have gotten fired up and we probably beat those two teams.

If, if, if….If Ryan had the capability to carry a team when the offensive line couldn’t open up holes for your MVP caliber RB you’d be undefeated. If Ryan doesn’t throw INT’s at critical times you’d have won 3 of 4 of the last games. Last year was last year right? Teams adapt and the Falcons and Ryan won’t sneak up on folks this year.

The template has been set on stopping “the Next Peyton Manning”, stop the run and jam WR’s at the line and give the QB different looks. I suspect other teams had fallen for the hype and were afraid to do that last year for some reason.

Jimmy

November 17th, 2009
3:55 pm

lamac66

November 17th, 2009
1:52 pm

Isn’t “IF” always the story? If Jenkins hadn’t misplayed that second interception, it might have been a big play. “IF” Ryan hadn’t throw it…if, if, if.

The problem with the Ryan detractors and this goes for ALL of them—-
The problem is the haters expect a guy 1.5 years in the league to play like Eli Manning or so called, “big game” QB’s.
The problem is you are all impatient and unreasonable.
Eli Manning looked very similar to Ryan in his second year.
So did Peyton Manning.
The Ryan haters are impatient and unreasonable.
Give the guy a few years in the league.
You won’t because you are simply a hater…..
not a real football fan.

Jimmy

November 17th, 2009
4:00 pm

One of the commentators on a sports network said the problem with Ryan is that he has lost his confidence and his mechanics are out of whack.
Watching the film…it is easy to see it.
His lack of confidence has made him hesitate a little because he is questioning what he sees.
He threw some early picks and now he is pressing and hurried.
This is a sophomore slump issue.
Teams have adjusted to his game and he is still to young to adjust to quickly to them.
This will work itself out.
Ryan will be fine…if the team takes care of business on the O Line and with receivers.

Jimmy

November 17th, 2009
4:08 pm

LukeMerriman

November 17th, 2009
1:34 pm

Luke,

Most of the Ryan haters are either morons or lonely, bitter people who just want to tear down.
I don’t have a problem with discussion about problems with Ryan’s game.
If someone points out, “Ryan has happy feet for some reason” or “Ryan is not making all his reads” that is cool.
If someone just criticizes his ability or suggest he is a bust because he hasn’t “carried” the team a few times…that is just idiotic.
He is in the league one and a half seasons.
He has made some really big plays.
Maybe he didn’t “win” the game in dramatic fashion.
So what?
Give him time.
The problem with the “noodle arm” and the vick supporters is that they are here ONLY to tear down…not discuss.

The problem is the haters are impatient and unreasonable.
Give Ryan as many seasons as Vick had.
Give him as many seasons to get it together that Eli Manning had.
Then let’s talk.

The problem with the haters is they are impatient and unreasonable.