Ryan leads Falcons and finally takes center stage over Vick
Matt Ryan threw four touchdown passes and led the Falcons to one of their biggest wins with him as their starting quarterback -- over Michael Vick and the Eagles. (Jason Getz/AJC)
When Matt Ryan became a Falcon on draft day in 2008, Michael Vick was sitting in a prison cell at Leavenworth. So there was no ceremonial passing of the torch. Maybe just an easing of Arthur Blank’s headache.
To Ryan, Vick has been only a shadow, a ghost, a name he hears in press conferences. But the reminders have been constant, particularly with Vick’s remarkable rebirth in Philadelphia, and the biggest question going into Sunday night was how Ryan would handle his predecessor’s return.
“To me, having not been here and having not played with him and understanding how difficult it is to play regardless of what the circumstances are in this league, I wouldn’t allow myself to get caught up in it,” Ryan said late Sunday night.
Was it really that easy? Or is this just one of those things where we’ll never really know how much it has bothered him? No matter. Even if Vick’s first start against the Falcons — and against Ryan — stirred fans and maybe some members of the organization (Blank?) into a far greater frenzy than Ryan, this much is certain: The exorcism is complete. The Falcons didn’t just beat Philadelphia, 35-31. They beat Vick.
Ryan beat Vick.
Yes, we are reminded constantly it’s all about team. Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez and so many others certainly played key roles in this game. But Ryan is the face of this team. A team that used to be Vick’s, in a city that used to be Vick’s, in a league that used to Vick’s 24/7 — and recently it seems like it is all over again.
If the Falcons had lost, Ryan’s face would’ve been targeted for most of the pies. That’s just the way it works in football, and certainly in Atlanta, given the backdrop.
It wasn’t nearly the best game of Ryan’s career. But in some ways, it might’ve been the most impressive. The Falcons had flat-lined. Ryan had two interceptions. The air had gone out of the offense and the building. Ryan was getting hammered behind an ever-collapsing offensive line. Philadelphia had turned a 21-10 deficit into a 31-21 lead. Even with Vick now on the sideline and looking woozy, the game appeared over late in the third quarter. Vick would win again, just as he did as a backup in the Georgia Dome in 2009, when he ran for a touchdown and threw another in a 34-7 Philly win
Ryan was injured that night. But he watched. He saw. He knew what it meant.
On Sunday night, with the Falcons losing by 10 points, Ryan showed his greatest strength. He didn’t change.
“In the huddle, he just said ‘Let’s go down and score. We’ve got this,’” wide receiver Harry Douglas recalled.
And the Falcons did. Twice.
Through nearly three quarters, Ryan completed only 8 of 17 passes for 102 yards. But he came out firing in a no-huddle offense. On first down, he completed a 17-yarder to Roddy White (”You want to get that first big play to get you moving,” he said.) Then came a 13-yarder to Gonzalez, a 14-yarder to Julio Jones, a 15-yarder to Douglas. He went 7 for 9 on the drive, the last being a one-yard touchdown flip to fullback Ovie Mughelli to close to 31-28.
It was like Ryan suddenly plugged the team into a light socket. He even called his own plays in the no-huddle.
“He was going up to the line, calling the plays that he likes to call, and he was getting the ball in good positions for us,” White said.
The winning touchdown drive was mostly about Turner, who broke off a 61-yard run on first-and-17 from the Falcons’ 13. But Ryan hit Douglas and Gonzalez on consecutive passes, the latter coming on third down to set up Turner’s go-ahead touchdown.
“I thought our quarterback really showed his toughness,” coach Mike Smith said. “He took a number of shots and he kept going. When you’ve got guys like that, you’ve got a chance to be successful. He’s a tough Irishman.”
In the end, it was Ryan who brought his team back, rebounding from a poor opener in Chicago. It was Ryan who threw a career-high four touchdown passes and won the game, while Vick was sitting in the locker room with a concussion, a sore neck and three turnovers (two led to Falcons’ touchdowns).
Ryan downplayed the significance of this night.
“We have a big game against Tampa Bay next week,” he said, as if reading from a cue card.
Something tells me it means more than he will ever admit. It certainly did for others.
By Jeff Schultz
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766 comments Add your comment
FalconDawg
September 19th, 2011
8:25 am
NUNNA! IF a bullfrog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his butt every time he hopped.
SG
September 19th, 2011
8:25 am
RE Baker: He gives his all but his arms are too short to face off against most DL men.
26belly
September 19th, 2011
8:26 am
@BET ! Just punk out and leave. Delta Airlines is ready now…a flight leaves in 12 minutes for Philly! Its just a one game dude. Falcons won and Philly lost. Get over it. Yes, we loved watching Mike when he was down in Atlanta, like Prime Time, Dominique, we got our $$$ worth when we saw those guys play.
But, But, But like @Drew said,…”when you build that offense around him..” When Mike gets hurt it ain’t the same game, team, or offense!
……Hey BET you got to take your shoes off for the TSA security check. You still have time to catch that flight!!!
FalconFan
September 19th, 2011
8:28 am
Funny thing, even the fans in Philly today say that if Vick had been in the game ift wouldn’t have mattered, that the defense lost it, Macklin choked and the Falcons went on not 1 but 2 80 yard drives with Matty Ice calling the shots. The Eagles fans are scared and know that they should have kept Kolb.
Bird Fan
September 19th, 2011
8:30 am
DUM-TAY has to go……he’s a non-producer and is earning a bad image….QUICK
Decatur Falcon
September 19th, 2011
8:31 am
Mike Smith- Please let Matt call his own plays- Our offense is completely different with
Matt in charge. The players want it, the fans want it- Our offense needs it. Even after taking
a beating he can call a better game plan than our OC.
Dwayne
September 19th, 2011
8:32 am
Yep, Sam Baker was bad, but shouldn’t the o-line coach and Mularky get together and get him some help? A little help? Geeeez.
Really?
September 19th, 2011
8:32 am
Maybe it was just me, but Collingsworth was so biased. Is he and Vick engaged or is he his publicist? I went to UF when Collingsworth was playing there and have likes him a lot, especially in the early days of HBO’s Inside the NFL, but in recent years he picks his favorites and it is difficult to have the audio on during his games. He’s as bad as Dion on the NFL channel with his favorites.
Siggggggggggggh.
To All You Vick Fans
September 19th, 2011
8:33 am
This isn’t Vick’s team anymore, it’s Ryan’s team!!!! GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to support Vick that’s fine, but please buy a freaking Eagles jersey with a #7. Don’t get me wrong, Vick is a good quarterback but, he doesn’t represent Atlanta anymore and the drama with him is overrated and sickening!!!
Kissinger
September 19th, 2011
8:34 am
As much as the pundits want to harp on the new breed of quarterback that can run and throw, the best QBs in the league are still the ones who only move in the pocket. Defensive players are too fast and vicious for a running QB to survive very long. Peyton Manning had such a long consecutive games streak because he stayed in the pocket and got rid of the ball. Tom Brady is the best QB on the planet right now, and you don’t see him running. Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers may take off once in a while but it’s not a big part of their games. If Ryan can be taught to keep his eyes downfield and sense the rush, he can be great. Vick, while exciting to watch, may not last very long. I’d advise Cam Newton to follow Manning and Brady’s example and not Vick’s.
#1 Philly Fan (fomerlly)
September 19th, 2011
8:35 am
Well my worst fear has been realized. We gave all these dollars to Vick, got him blingged out again and now we see the old Falcon mentality resurface. I had hoped that we would see the Vick that Philly needs to move us out of the McNabb era and into the realm of championship football (Super Bowl) but now, I feel we were sold a bill of goods, that can’t be returned. Philly will be hamstrunged for years to come. Our Dream Team can’t thrive with a qb that will not stay in the pocket and forget that this is a team sport, not a me sport. Vick wile elusive and exciting gets hurt too much and this happens because he is limited in his ability to grasp basic coaching from his coaches…stop the running mess. You purport to be a qb, not a rb. Philly is saddened yet again, by Vicks attempt to do it alone. Sad!!
PreyDawg
September 19th, 2011
8:40 am
Great piece Jeff- Thanks for writing it that early in the morning. As fans we needed this. I get on you sometimes but I tip my hat to you this week. The entire week of this game you have been in the zone.
wide open
September 19th, 2011
8:42 am
What was the problem with the downfield pass for most of 3 quarters? Hard to tell from the TV coverage if it was just the protection breaking down (Baker was particularly bad, but even Clabo let a few get by him), or perhaps the receivers were just not getting open downfield. There were some spectacular completions into tight coverage, which tells me we can be much better if the receivers practice more on getting open. Disguising his routes is one of Tony G’s best skills. Yes, he is a lock to make the catch, but it is partly because he can get open by the time the ball arrives. The receivers could all learn from him.
Steve-O
September 19th, 2011
8:42 am
Haven’t heard from JSS, Choke, hiramsaint, seethisb4, and all the other naysayers. I guess they do not want to take their medicine this morning.
Oh, and as far as THIS comment above:
NUNNA!!
September 19th, 2011
8:20 am
Falcons win..
If Vick was QB in the 4th and didn’t get hurt it would be an eagles cake walk..
So,While Vick was in the game:
VIck -1
Ryan-0
And you know its the truth
__________________________________________________________________________________
NUNNA (or whoever else you REALLY are), since when did the score after 3 quarters count for anything? Oh yeah, never. You are a Vick apologist and can’t admit his shortcomings/fragility.
dmr
September 19th, 2011
8:44 am
Short and to the point: Ryan is tough and resilient. Gonzalez is great. The defense played good. Mike Smith and Co. own the Dome. Duanta needs tackling lessons. Julio will be great one day. Falcons bounce back. The cycle of Vick is complete and the media should drop it…everyone has pretty much moved on except them.
vesaversa
September 19th, 2011
8:44 am
BS Ryan is still a second rate QB in this NFL . Ryan haven’t learn how to read coverage he continue to force the football in double coverage when he feel the defensive heat breathing down his neck .It seam to me that the Falcons haven’t gotten better they gotten worse than what the team was in 2010.
Michael M.
September 19th, 2011
8:45 am
Matt Ryan is one of the Elite Quarterbacks of the NFL, I have seen Tom Brady throw 4 touchdowns with the same passing yardage!!!!
CONGRATS MATT!
D'fend the Dome
September 19th, 2011
8:45 am
That’s the Mike Vick I remember as a Falcon. Elusive and brilliant, careless with the ball and risky taking punishment. For sure, his style of play is exciting to watch, but I’ll take the smart, tough and steady Ryan at the helm. He’s not even as good right now as he’s going to be. He may never be a Peyton or Brady, but he’s good enough right now to lead this team to some big wins.
Just Say No to Falcons!
September 19th, 2011
8:48 am
Who wants a win when they have to depend on the refs to win the game for them. Matt Ryan and the entire Falcons team was out-played. If it was not for the calls in their favor and the constant late and lowblow hits on Vick this game would have been over way before it started. Let’s keep it honest, there is not a snowball chance in hell that the Falcons will make it to the Super Bowl let alone past the Wild Card games.
sharon
September 19th, 2011
8:48 am
I agree with Rod’s 8:01am post.
smokey121
September 19th, 2011
8:49 am
Congrats Falcons.. OK lets get to the fat, Mike Smith Fire Mularkey and Vangorder. Bring in your BROTHER-IN-LAW Brian Bellick. WHAT’s up with Dunta Robinson is this guy( A.D.D.) or what. you cant continue making the same mistakes. Mr. Blank find us a Shutdown Corner, Spend the Money.Iam so glad Vick was not in the game when it was 3rd and 2 and 4th and 2. With the Defense being so Darn conservative I really believe Vick would have got the 2 yards himself. THIS PROBLEM HAS TO BE ADDRESSED NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Richard Dawson
September 19th, 2011
8:52 am
Wow, everyone jumping on the Matt Ryan bandwagon. I like the guy. But he’s an average at best NFL QB.
T$
September 19th, 2011
8:55 am
Did anyone else think the guy announcing with Al Michaels hated the Falcons and wanted the Eagles to win? I got tired of listening to him bash the Falcons, realize he said some questionable things then try and make up for it.
Dr. Phil
September 19th, 2011
8:56 am
Getting hurt is part of the game. The Falcons weren’t throwing cheap shots at Vick. In fact, he was injured by his own guy. It was a great win by the Falcons against an excellent team. Vick’s style of play will continue to bring injuries, and speculation will not change the score.
jerry
September 19th, 2011
8:57 am
White, Jones, and Douglas combined did not gain 100 yards receiving and zero sacks for the defence. Just keep this up and see where they land.
True Falcon Fan
September 19th, 2011
8:57 am
Hi Jeff: Very good post!
Here in Texas we call that game last night a “BATTLE”
We “WON”
Go Falcons
ramguy68
September 19th, 2011
8:57 am
You gotta luv the Vick lovers. Let me set you guys straight. Vick had 3 turnovers that led to 14 points for the Falcons. Ryan had two that led to 7 points for the Eagles. Ryan had 4 TD passes and led a great 4th quarter comeback. Vick had two TD passes and spent the 4th quarter in la la land. I’m sure the Con-Vick lovers have a machine that lets everyone know what would have happened if he hadn’t got hurt. They say that the Eagles would have rolled if he had stayed in the game. 1st of all it’s part of the game for the QB to play 4 quarters. Ryan did just that and Vick didn’t. My turn back time machine tells me that if Vick hadn’t got injured he would have had 2 more turnovers. One of them as a direct result of doing something stupid. It also told me that Abraham would have finally blind sided him and would have been hurt more than he is. Finally for all those so called Falcon fans that said they were only pulling for the Eagles because they have Vick. Go out this week and buy Josh Freeman jerseys to wear next Sunday. We don’t need you. You’re either with us or against….we just don’t need you.
Ted M
September 19th, 2011
8:59 am
It IS a big game against Tampa. The Falcons have to get better. I think they will, they’re offensive line was much better than last week. But they still gotta get better.
True Falcon Fan
September 19th, 2011
9:01 am
OK – Where are the “CLOWNS” – The “CHUCK N’ DUCKS, as follows:
Chandler going deep
Arlene
DHunt
I Think
Bring back vick
Vick Supporter
Overrated Ryan
etc
Where are you clown – you like to dish out all the BS – win or lose i am here – “YOU COWARDS”!!!!!
Go Falcons
blue
September 19th, 2011
9:02 am
Randawg6: you must not have been watching the same game. Robinson lowered his helmet to hit with the crown of the helmet…while a player was basically defenseless. That play is called EVERY time. If he hits him with his facemask…he doesn’t get called. But it is a dirty play, just like last year when he apologized to Eagles’ Jackson.
Thorpe
September 19th, 2011
9:06 am
Mike Vick will never be as tough as Matt Ryan.
Vick is a soft, gadget QB who should be brought in for certain plays. Vick is not an NFL caliber QB.
Matt Ryan is the man.
Go Falcons.
Mr Zizzle
September 19th, 2011
9:06 am
Way to go Matty Ice! Finally the Vick era is over in Atlanta. Not going to miss Vick’s inconsistent play and lack of leadership.
True Falcon Fan
September 19th, 2011
9:07 am
8:48 am — Go find a life someplace else — You inept clown, envious, jealous little girl!
Go Falcons – “GREAT WIN”
iceFALCONcold11
September 19th, 2011
9:07 am
Proud of the Falcon faithful with more BOOS than OOHS for Vick. Good teams turn great when they take advantage of the other teams misfortunes.
The first 7 games will tell a lot about this team. it will determine if we go back to the playoffs or a new team will take our place………
ramguy68
September 19th, 2011
9:07 am
Randawg6: you must not have been watching the same game. Robinson lowered his helmet to hit with the crown of the helmet
While it’s true that Robinson lowered his head, it looked like to me he was trying to catch him with his shoulder pads but got him with his helmet. It doesn’t matter because he was flagged for it. I want to know where all the outrage is about about the one of the Eagle players going helmet to helmet with Matt Ryan that wasn’t called!!!! Not only that the Eagles hit him in the head with their hands.
Escaped from Email Purgatory
September 19th, 2011
9:07 am
Ryan showed mental and physical toughness last night – and he was passing with some authority and purpose once he found a pocket. Hope the game was a watershed moment for him – and the team.
Philly’s pass rush got into his head a little bit. But he shook it off and engineered the needed TD drives to get us back into the game and ultimately, to the win.
We still have problems – pass protection is a mess. Sam Baker gets pushed around like a grocery carts at Publix. Heal up Tod McClure! And like a previous poster noted, we miss Harvey Dahl. Nothing we can do about that – unless Arthur Blank can coax Warren Bryant or Bob Whitfield out of retirement. How about Chirs Hinton or George Kunz? How about all of ‘em? Rotate them every play – they’re not as young as they used to be.
The secondary was a bit better than last week
Am troubled by Eric Weems continued brain farts on punt returns.
Maybe the lockout hurt more than we thought.
For one game, hyped as a duel between the two “Atlanta” QB’s, both Vick and Ryan acquitted themselves pretty well. And if last night was a statement game, then it was settled once and for all that the Birds are Ryan’s team now.
Strange Murphy
September 19th, 2011
9:09 am
Vick the punk thug dog killer lost! Got his bell rung too. This is all good for America!
Ted M
September 19th, 2011
9:11 am
The Braves might be in trouble…the Phillies could sweep them at the end of the season and knock them out of the PO’s.
NATE SLICE
September 19th, 2011
9:11 am
HEY (YOU WON BECAUSE) ARE U STUPID LAST I CHECKED VICK DOESNT PLAY D. MATT RYAN 4 TD PASSES ON THAT (DREAM TEAM) SECONDARY.
eric
September 19th, 2011
9:12 am
Sam Baker got pushed and B!&ch slapped all night!!! Matt Ryan is lucky to be alive!!!! He can thank Sam for all the bruises he woke up with today!!!!
Summit Dawg
September 19th, 2011
9:15 am
Hooray for the Birds!!….Sorry to see a “minority” of fans wearing Vick’s #7 jerseys in Red!!! Should have been #2 all in Red!! We are the Falcons, not the “Vick-ers”!!!!!!
Frodo
September 19th, 2011
9:15 am
The Falcons are a class organization and make Atlanta proud.They moved on from Michael Vick as they should have and have built something special. Vick’s style of play is fun to watch but everyone knows it will only last as long as his body does. Thanks to Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons organization for winning – with clsas.
Vick The Prick
September 19th, 2011
9:16 am
I am glad Vick could come out of his concussion to keep it real and point to the scoreboard. Vick “The Thin Skinned” deseves to be booed. the prick made millions and owes the falcons back pay and hurt our salary cap for years. Anyone who likes Vick likes giving people VDs, killing dogs and filing bankruptcy cause you bought a bunch of crap.
Ryans house
September 19th, 2011
9:16 am
Thrilled the Vick fans saw Philly lose, and elated OUR team won.
Keeping it Real
September 19th, 2011
9:17 am
Amazing how often people positions change when it’s convenient for their argument (including the author of this article). When MV7 was RUNNING around in Atlanta and WINNING PLAYOFF GAMES, you whined about his QB rating. Vanilla Ice did not outplay MV7 last night, just look at the numbers.
Ryan: 17/28 (61%) for 195, 4TD/2INT, QB Rating 91.5
Vick: 19/28 (68%) for 242, 2TD/1INT, QB Rating 103.6
Vanilla Ice is to elite QB as MV7 is to the best QB of all time.
BG
September 19th, 2011
9:18 am
To hell with Michael Vick!!!!!
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
September 19th, 2011
9:18 am
The offensive line is offensive for sure
Vick is a thug then,now, and forver..more than likely the owner of the Eagles received stimulus money from obammy to sign the guy.
Ryan is tuff for sure but not elite. He seems to have made up his mind to whom he will throw when he leaves the huddle.
Atlanta will not make the playoffs this year.
That is all.
old qb
September 19th, 2011
9:20 am
For those of you that say things would have been different if Vick hadn’t left the game, truth is he did leave the game because that’s his style of play and he’s not going to finish a lot of games because he’s reckless.
Baker got murdered, but why did’t Mularky put a tight end or even Snelling over on that side to help him out? Baker needed help and he got none which almost got Ryan killed.
Julio Jones really needs to refine his pass routes.
Tony Gonzalez was truly great.
Did anyone notice most of Philly’s passes were going to the left side. Dunta’s gonna get picked on more and more as teams stay away from Grimes.
GregKennesaw
September 19th, 2011
9:21 am
Ryan took some nasty shots last night, maybe Svitek should play LT, I don’t htink he would have been worse.
Turner,Ryan, TG – hats off to you three.
ramguy68
September 19th, 2011
9:23 am
Maybe it was just me, but Collingsworth was so biased
If anyone remembers during the Falcons Super Bowl year he was a half time commentator on Fox. When the Falcons played San Fran in the playoff game, SF fumbled and the Falcons picked it up and ran it for a TD. The Ref’s in one of the most horrible calls ever ruled that it wasn’t fumble and gave the ball back to SF. All the commentators at the half were saying what a bad call it was, especially Terry Bradshaw who also complained about SF benefiting from a blown call in the playoff game against GB the week before when Jerry Rice fumbled but wasn’t called. Like I said all agreed it was a bad call except for Collinsworth who ridiculously claimed that the SF running back had possession of the ball because it was laying on top of his arm while he was laying on the ground so he claimed the play was dead. Bradshaw couldn’t believe what he was saying and I think wouldn’t have minded slapping him upside of the house.