Is Matt Ryan the NFL’s best? Nope. Is he good enough? Yep
Here we have an actual picture of an icecap. Get it? (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Fair’s fair. If we criticize Matt Ryan for not throwing the best deep ball and for authoring a tepid start to this season — and we have on both counts — we must also say this: The guy’s got it going now. (Maybe not on the deep pass, but on everything else.)
Matt Ryan through the first seven games of 2011: Nine touchdown passes, eight interceptions, a yards-per-pass average of 6.68 and a 79.5 passer rating.
Matt Ryan through the next seven games of 2011: Seventeen touchdown passes, four interceptions, a yards-per-pass average of 7.96 and a 101.5 passer rating.
It’s not as if Ryan is throwing more, or even more accurately. His totals for attempts and completions from those first seven games to the past seven are almost identical. What’s different if the effect. By whatever means — slightly deeper throws, more yards-after-catch — the Falcons have become more pass-productive.
Numbers geeks insist the single most important stat in football is yards per attempt, and through seven games the Falcons’ YPA was pedestrian. Now it meets NFL requirements. Through seven games Ryan hadn’t had much of a season, but he’s having one now. He’s on pace to set personal bests for yardage and touchdowns, and he’s 0.5 off his best seasonal passer rating.
In sum, the chilliness of Matty Ice has yielded to a warming trend. We nitpick the guy to shreds — I’m as guilty as anyone — but in the carping we sometimes miss the bigger picture.
Is Ryan among the NFL’s five best quarterbacks? No. Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning comprise a front four unto themselves, and Ben Roethlisberger’s two Super Bowl rings make him No. 5.
Is Ryan among the NFL’s 10 best quarterbacks? Absolutely. Behind the top five, I’d put him in the second tier of four more or less alongside Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco. (Who fills out the top 10? Maybe Tony Romo. Maybe Matt Schaub or Matthew Stafford. Maybe, in a different year, Michael Vick.)
Here are the other salient numbers regarding Ryan — 42-20. That’s the Falcons’ record in games he has started. That’s a winning percentage of .677, and it puts him in high company. Brady and Roethelisberger have won at a higher rate, and so has Rodgers, if barely. (He was 44-21 entering Sunday’s game.) But that .667 beats the great Peyton Manning’s career winning percentage, which is .661.
And here you’re saying: Peyton’s career record was skewed by the 3-13 of his rookie season. That’s true, but Ryan was drafted by a team that had gone 4-12 the year before and was working under a new coach. The 2008 Falcons were a prime candidate to go 3-13, but their new quarterback didn’t let them. The 2008 Falcons went 11-5 instead and made the playoffs, and they haven’t had a losing season under Ryan (or Mike Smith).
In a weird way, Ryan’s rookie season has jaundiced our view. If he was that good that soon, we all wondered, how much better would he be given another couple of years? We’ve gotten our answer: Not all that much better. He was tough and polished from the start, and he’s tough and polished now. His completion percentage is actually slightly lower in Year 4 than in Year 1, and so is his yards-per-attempt. But he’s still winning, and as Smith noted after the Minnesota game: “That’s the only number that matters for a quarterback.”
A few weeks ago Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated examined the career path of four NFL quarterbacks who had early success — Ryan, Flacco, Mark Sanchez of the Jets and Josh Freeman of the Buccaneers — and wondered if, because they played in sophisticated college offenses, they arrived in the NFL “with less room to grow.” Thomas Dimitroff, the Falcons’ general manager, offered Trotter this rather fascinating quote:
There are some very valid levels below that elite [quarterback] level that can allow organizations to be successful and make runs at Super Bowls. Everyone needs to understand that … They don’t have to necessarily [have] the elite quarterback of the league to be successful as a team.
Some might interpret that as Dimitroff saying the man he drafted with his first pick as GM will never be as good as Rodgers or Brees or Brady or Peyton M., but his greater point was: Does it matter? Eli Manning has won as many Super Bowls as his big brother. Brad Johnson won as many Super Bowls as Brett Favre. The key question to ask of an NFL quarterback: Can this guy win a championship?
The Falcons have Matt Ryan. He might not be the best there is, but he’s plenty good enough. He can win a championship. He’ll win a playoff game, and maybe more than one, next month.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
389 comments Add your comment
Some cheese with your whine?
December 19th, 2011
10:07 am
despite MR’s playoff game fails, overall i’ve been impressed with him…and his ability to overcome Mularkey’s ‘pedestrian’ (at times) play-calling. i think a new OC would benefit him greatly, along with a revamped O-line. the team sure looked solid against the Jags this past Thurs night.
@ Leeman: the AZ Cardinals have already been to the Super Bowl, they lost to the Steelers in 2009.
Saints R.E.A.M.
December 19th, 2011
10:09 am
2001 NFL Draft
Brees’ college success led to projections that he would be a mid-to-late first round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, but he slipped due to concerns about his relatively short stature for a professional quarterback (6′0″), a perceived lack of arm strength, and a sense that he had succeeded in college in a system designed for him. Ultimately, Brees was the second quarterback selected in the 2001 draft, chosen by the San Diego Chargers as the first pick of the second round.[8]
San Diego originally had the first pick in that draft, but traded it to Atlanta (which used it to draft Michael Vick) in return for the fifth pick of the first round, with which San Diego drafted LaDainian Tomlinson.[8]
Good grief Charlie Brown
December 19th, 2011
10:11 am
despite MR’s playoff fails, overall i’m glad they drafted him. i think he would benefit greatly from a new OC and a revamped O-line. sometimes, Mularkey’s play-calling is ‘pedestrian’ at best.
@Leeman Bennett: the AZ Cardinals have already been to the Super Bowl; they lost to the Steelers in 2009.
Saints R.E.A.M.
December 19th, 2011
10:11 am
Classic Falcons….constantly missing in the draft even when they get it right….just cursed.
trademark
December 19th, 2011
10:16 am
@ Quarterback- thanks, and dead on about the Line talent, it’s cobbled together, and their biggest draft pick (Baker) got injured and hasn’t been the same since. The D-Line point goes right into my next point…
@Ichabod- Definitely. Sometimes sacks are an overrated stat, they really are. The Falcons D is actually ranked rather high, in both yds/gm allowed and pts/gm allowed (pretty damned important), WITHOUT having a very ferocious pass rush (most of the time). HOWEVER, when facing a QB of the caliber of Brees or Rodgers or Brady, if you don’t pressure them, they will execute you. EVERY TIME. Look at how many sacks KC racked up on Rodgers, and that is one of those so-called “inferior” teams. And they beat the undefeated. make the star wobble enough, and it crashes pretty often. Speaking of which, this is yet ANOTHER trait I love about Matty Ice. He’s been hit a LOT this year, and still manages to stay tough. Great attribute for a star to have.
and *sigh* @ Saints REAM…actually, I gotta admit, you’re the least objectionable Saints Fan to talk to…at least it’s not an unfocused rant….but still, gotta disagree again, the No Huddle has an extended pause at the line, so it runs clock. That is by design, because the Falcons didn’t want to lose that TOP stat that has won so many games for them. Player’s have mentioned this on their blog, but it wasn’t until Jared Allen said it publicly that that became well known. The point is this; Ryan is still improving at the line, based on what he is seeing. Maybe he actually does suck at audibling because he needs longer to survey the D…., or doesn’t want to change every play that gets in from the sidelines and start WW3 with the Offensive coordinator. I don’t know for sure. What I do know, is that he calls out a hell of a lot during the No Huddle (including that super-pretty 32-yarder to Quizz the other week). And in principle, these plays may have been designed by Mularkey, but it’s Ryan who seems to have the mastery on WHEN to call them. That’s awesome to do in 30 seconds or less. A yes, a QB rating over 101 is really, really great production for anyone, I’m happy as hell with it. Not everyone is Rodgers, Brees, Manning or Brady.
Turner is third in the league in rushing but take a closer look. He is second in # of carries to only MJD, who is the ENTIRE Jacksonville offense, and lower than everyone in the top 10 in average per carry. Only a few of them have less yds averaged per game. Now look carefully at the last 4 games. ALL well under 100. With 3 wins. Ryan’s carrying those, guy, sorry, there isn’t anyone else. The early games this year that this wasn’t the case were Chicago, Green Bay and Tampa. Turner couldn’t do it alone (had 100 against Chicago, but the team couldn’t overcome the ints) and Ryan couldn’t produce it either. THAT’S what’s changed here. When teams are taking it away (the run), Ryan is producing, with the exception of Houston, which we all have heard enough about the dropped pass crap, still, since the article (and I) are talking about the change in the last 7 games, here’s the deal: Only 1 game had 100 yards from Turner (Tennessee), and the record? 5-2. One of those losses is the OT lucky-as-all-hell-and-get-out loss to the Saints. In the first 7, Turner had 4 games over 100. Record? 4-3. Seems clear, when Turner is being contained, then Ryan needs to produce, and in the last 7, he has. 5-2, damned near 6-1. I’ll take that. You get a lot of chances to win championships with that record.
Samuel
December 19th, 2011
10:20 am
All Matt Ryan has to do is keep winning and that will silence his critics. He can do that by beating Brees and company and the Bucks. Also win a playoff game, Get busy Matty Ice!
trademark
December 19th, 2011
10:22 am
…oh damn it, Saints REAM, now I just have to FLAT OUT agree with you….Missing Brees (and LT) sucks. Still not the worst on that list though….
Peria Jerry.
And a couple of picks later…..to Green Bay
Clay Matthews.
(/)§$)/§%$)§/%$))/%”§%/!
(I think my throat still hurts from screaming at the TV from that draft day)
Saints R.E.A.M.
December 19th, 2011
10:25 am
STOP blaming Mularkey!!! If Mularkey is sending in bad plays then why isn’t your leader Matt Ryan correcting the play calls!??
STOP thinking that Matt Ryan is some great playcaller…..dude is no Payton Manning. It is so ridiculous to listen to you guys bang on Mularkey when he has taught Matt everything he knows and made him into a serviceable QB. Give Mularkey credit….he groomed Matt into the QB that he is….like it or not.
PMC
December 19th, 2011
10:33 am
Yeah, he’s sort of Eli Manning.
Saints R.E.A.M.
December 19th, 2011
10:34 am
blog monster got my last comment….
So the question is….Is Mike Mularkey really that bad? It seems to me that he has put your offense over the past few years in a position to perform well as he groomed Matt Ryan into a pretty good QB. Take a look around at how hard it is to win and bring along a QB at the same time. Matt has shown improvement under Mularkey and so has the team as a whole. So I just don’t get the Falcon’s Faithful wanting to blow that up and start over with a NEW OC……A new playbook…etc.
But please, don’t let me stop you….lol.
Saints R.E.A.M.
December 19th, 2011
10:37 am
Oh and I know this won’t go over well…..but….Bobby Petrino probably would have been fun to watch at the pro level. His offenses in college are very creative….put him with Vick or Ryan and some weapons…would have been pretty nice.
chris
December 19th, 2011
10:44 am
I will disagree with everyone on this blog, and say Matt Ryan is elite!!! If you add three touchdowns to his numbers, while also adding three more wins (roddy drops pass in TPA, roddy drops pass against NO, julio drops pass in HOU, all perfect passes) then a lot more would agree with me. He is a beast, he is not flashy like the rest, no pregame chants, no championship belts, no huge rushing plays, no superman crap, etc….
trademark
December 19th, 2011
10:54 am
…hmmmm…Saint’s faithful making arguments to KEEP Mularkey….
’nuff said. I have no idea about Petrino, he kind of took his ball and Pampers pack and went home. It would have been intriguing, maybe, but damn, we learned a hell of a lot about the man’s CHARACTER after that whole debacle, and I for one, am glad it happened. What a jack-a-lope.
JT
December 19th, 2011
10:58 am
Without a steel curtain defense and a breakaway back, the QB has to be great to win playoff games. Matty is good but will never be great until he can consistently roll away from the pass rush and scamper successfully on 3rd and two. I would trade him straight up right now for Andrew Luck sight (kindof) unseen. I rank him as the 12th best QB..not bad since it’s an elite club anyway. Pulling for you though Matty!.
Big Mike
December 19th, 2011
11:00 am
If Ryan is to be in the top five its up to him to put fifteen pounds of upper body muscle, evaluate himself and make the reads quicker . He is a good Qback we want him to be a great Qback. The lock out hurt the passing game the first seven games, the Falcons must be aggresive if we want to get pass the first round of play offs;
tony
December 19th, 2011
11:00 am
Matt Ryan has done a better job in staying in the pocket more so this season than he has in the past. Dimitroff priority this offseason should be to provide him with better pass protection because Ryan is not mobile enough to make plays with his legs. If you give Mike Smith the right pieces, he can win you a sb. PLZ use Rogers more……he is better that Turner. Yes I Said It!
BigGAdawg
December 19th, 2011
11:01 am
MB, When you compared Ryan’s year one to year four you failed to account for the difference in schedule difficulty. The first year we were following a sucky season and had a relatively easy schedule. After last year we have one of the tougher schedules in the NFL. I would say, on balance, that while you are correct in saying he was tough and polished as a rookie, there is still room to say that he has improved considerably since then.
BTW, spewing KUDOS to the firsties is as sophomoric and lame as being a firstie.
The article you wrote about how Munson might have called the championship game was great, however, too often you just suck.
Ed
December 19th, 2011
11:11 am
Matt Ryan has an uncanny ability to lead this Falcons team to victory and understands the game mentally as well as anyone in the league. However if Matt Ryan wants to be mentioned in the same discussion with Rodgers, Brees, and Brady then he has to do what those 3 have done, lead his team to victory in playoff games and Super Bowls. That’s what makes a QB worth his weight in gold in the NFL. All the greats have waited their turn and I have faith in Ryan that he has what it takes to win in the postseason. It all starts next Monday night that’s as close to a regular season playoff game ad you can get, it’ll be a good measuring stick for this team and this quarterback but I have a lot of confidence that they’ll get it done because the Falcons had chances to beat the Saints when we played them at the dome a few weeks back, including the last drive of regulation, which should’ve ended in a game winning touchdown instead of the field goal that sent it to OT.
Once Recent Reader
December 19th, 2011
11:20 am
Saints REAM. Brees has as good an argument for MVP as anyone. Right now I’d say he, Rogers, and Brady are all in a close group. We’ll see what the sprint to the end brings.
Ed
December 19th, 2011
11:23 am
Matt Ryan is good enough and will lead this franchise to a Championship. Keep in mind it took Brees 2 teams and 8 years in the league to win a Super Bowl he wasn’t exactly lighting things up his 4th year in the league.
really
December 19th, 2011
11:35 am
Noodle arms, lol!!!
Sid
December 19th, 2011
11:37 am
How can we be talking about Matt Ryan……….?? Everybody is talking about Tebow…..!! Tebow this, Tebow that…………my God man. Is Ryan better than Tebow…………? Now there’s a question for ya….!!
Seriously, I agree, the Falcons are going to advance in these playoffs!
Note to UGAbugkiller (can I just call you RAID for short): It’s really not up to the AJC to bust down on Mularkey, that is obviously your job. I cannot argue that a lot of other teams seem to have more imagination with their offensive playcalling but if you want to oust Mularkey then you have to call out the brass. AB, TD, RMc, and Coach Smith. I doubt you can get the AJC to jump on your bandwagon, they have to keep their access open and the Falcons want the real writers on their beat. Just my opionion, not trying to bust your chops.
ijonathan
December 19th, 2011
12:00 pm
Score: Trademark 16, Saints R.E.A.M 3 (I was feeling generous).
REAM, really, the fact that you, Mark Bradley and others keep throwing out the “yeah, but, but, Turner is THIRD in the league in rushing!” without bothering to spend more than 2 seconds looking into the stats is LAUGHABLE. In addition to Trademark’s solid, quick analysis, look back earlier in this thread at the comparision I made between Ryan and Turner in wins and losses, 2008 vs. 2011. In 2008, you certainly could make an argument that Turner was critical to victories…this year, not a chance. And, if you take the top 30 running backs in the league this year in terms of total yards, Turner is a whopping 25th in YPC. Extremely pedestrian would be an awfuly kind way of describing Turner’s “production.”
NEXT.
Micheal Turner
December 19th, 2011
12:21 pm
I might be 3rd in rushing but I cannot catch a ball out of the backfield.
Defenses dont respect my catching ability.
ijonathan
December 19th, 2011
12:27 pm
Excellent point, Mr. Turner. Defenses don’t need to worry about you leaking out of the backfield to catch a pass, nor do they have to worry about you making any kind of move or cut back that would normally cause trouble for aggressive, pursuing defenses.
Add all that up and it equals a severely average (and of late below average) running back who scares no one.
The Wad
December 19th, 2011
12:32 pm
Romedawg….your analysis leaves out the fact that N.O. is the only one of the three you mentioned (Patriots, G.B.) with a better than mediocre defense. Those QB have as much chance to ose as the Ryan led Falcons because the D they offer is bottom rung in the NFL. Patriots and Packers don`t have time for running plays due to the fact they have to throw up monster points almost every game to overcome the avalanche their defense is going to give up. The Falcons can beat any of those teams, including the Packers, only if the O line plays the rest of the way as they did last week against a weak defense from Jax. The Packers proved that if you live by the pass you can most assuredly die by the pass on any given day. I`d be more fearful of N.O. with their ability to control the game by running or defense. The Patriots don`t scare any team with an above average offense.
ijonathan
December 19th, 2011
12:33 pm
As a defender, wouldn’t it be cool to know, with about 99.9% confidence, that when you see Turner get the handoff, he’s basically going to be in that exact same lane when you come up to make the tackle?
Michael Turner: quintessential (Running) Game Manager
PMC
December 19th, 2011
1:42 pm
No Mularky hasn’t been bad, he’s been pretty good with what he’s had to work with. It hasn’t always worked, but he has eventually found the right combination each year. The offensive linemen on the team simply aren’t upper eschelon. They don’t run many screens because they aren’t really capable of running them right now.
There are reasons they are repetitive, much of which has to do with the blocking.
AceDawg
December 19th, 2011
1:56 pm
I think this is an accurate portrayal of Matty Ice. He has a tendency to underwhelm from time to time, but he is central to the winning attitude of the Falcons franchise and is still pretty darn good compared to the vast majority of quarterbacks out there. I don’t think he can turn a garbage team into a competitive one on his own the way an Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning (1-13 w/out him says a TON), or Drew Brees can, but a team like the Redskins that competes but loses would be the type of team that Ryan would make a big difference.
goodgod
December 19th, 2011
1:59 pm
you can’t win a superbowl until you win at least two playoff games in a row. if you can’t win big games, you aren’t going anywhere but home.
Red
December 19th, 2011
1:59 pm
I sure wish he could throw an accurate deep pass once in a while but he can’t! Just keep them short and we will win.
PlanB
December 19th, 2011
2:50 pm
I watched the end of the Raiders game and was sick that they gave it to Detroit.
I read a few of the first posts. I believe it was Gregory saying we have to get a pass rush on Brees to win. Most of the posts were against MM but as far as BVG goes, I don’t believe he will be blitzing but he should. He has before and it helped with ints by Grimes. Brees is like Rodgers. Too good an athlete to get caught much but he does have to throw much quicker and causes less accuracy and an occasional int. Willing to bet BVG will only use a 4 man rush though.
I wish Ryan had that ability of awareness to know when being closed in on and the correct direction to move for another moment to look down field. He only knows to run to the right and backward to throw the ball away.
Atl 1
December 19th, 2011
4:09 pm
Ryan—good but not great. Not in the class of Brady, Rogers and Brees, but the best atl can get. Hopefully, Atl can win at least 1 playoff game this year.
bobwhite
December 19th, 2011
4:15 pm
ugabugkiller keeps repeating the same B/S over and over..Why does the AJC put up with his “slather”?
He need to be kept on a short lease! The Falcon record speaks for itself..If the coach’s were as bad as you say..would we have 4 winning seasons back to back? I think not!! Are the falcons as good or as bad as their record indicates? Probably not..A play here a play there they could very easily have 2 more wins or loses..What they are at this point is an average football team, good for 8-9 wins a year..with the possibilities of winning 10-11 with a little luck! Is M.Ryan the Q/B we all want him too be? Probably not..However..He is better than Average! Give him the offensive line he needs to protect him..let him sink or swim with his own play calling and THEN we will know where he stands with the ELITE!!
Poncho
December 19th, 2011
6:55 pm
I’ll tell you plain and simple what Ryan must do to take his game to the next level. He needs to go to one of these trainers that specialize in working with QBs on accuracy, strength and mobility drills during the off season. He has the cerebral part of QBing down, now he just needs to work on delivering the ball with power and accuracy. Matt will be okay, he’s just taking a little longer to reach the elite level because we don’t have a coach on this staff that really knows how to coach what he needs.
reno Cal
December 20th, 2011
4:40 am
is ryan good? yes, but not great
can ryan win a super bowl? no way–not a big time player in the playoffs.
In the atl, good is good enough.
trademark
December 20th, 2011
5:21 am
Adrian Peterson after the Saints game:
“MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson says he thinks the New Orleans Saints were purposely trying to injure his sprained left ankle in their game on Sunday.
Peterson had 10 carries for 60 yards against the Saints after missing the previous three weeks with a high ankle sprain. Peterson said after the game he expected the defensive players to target his ankle while trying to bring him down.
But he also says he took particular offense to one play when cornerback Jabari Greer twisted his ankle in a pile up.
Peterson says he confronted Greer because he thought that “it kind of got overboard.”
Peterson said he didn’t injure the ankle anymore in the 42-20 loss.”
Does that sound like an “elite” team to you? Or a bunch of scared little kids in grown men’s bodies trying desperately to cover up their weaknesses (I.e.- Defense), even at the expense of purposely trying to injure another player and possibly end his season (or worse).
I hope the Football Gods are paying attention. New Orleans has some BAD VOODOO payback that is long overdue coming to them.
just sayin'
December 20th, 2011
6:38 am
trade….which would you rather have?….some ankle twisting that goes on in EVERY pileup?..or those ‘helmet to helmet’ tackles of moore and robinson?…coach clean shot really knows how to ‘coach them up’….
trademark
December 20th, 2011
6:46 am
I don’t think I really have the explain the HUGE difference there is between some play where a guy is going for a mid-high tackle and the runner/receivers puts his head down and there is helmet-to-helmet contact from that (PS-the NFL reduced the fine for that, it WASN’T INTENTIONAL) and DELIBERATELY TRYING TO RE-INJURE SOMEONE’S ANKLE BY DIVING DIRECTLY AT IT IN FORMATION AND PULLING AND TWISTING IT LIKE A §/&%$ FELON.
Geez, man, please….
just sayin'
December 20th, 2011
7:14 am
i agree…it’s hard to explain why anyone would WANT to lead with their head…it just happens, huh?…makes good highlights, though, huh?…and where would you rather tackle peterson…shoulder high?…i doubt it..you’re taught to tackle a bruiser like that at or below the waist…take his legs out from under him..or did u just play volleyball?….
trademark
December 20th, 2011
7:19 am
Go ahead, defend that trifling playground sh&t if you want, it’ll come around back to you.
The Saints had a PLAN to do it.
That’s the crap part.
The end. Seriously.
just sayin'
December 20th, 2011
7:26 am
2 funny…i don’t think any player wants to hurt another player seriously…but you can bet your sweet a$$ every time a player HITS another player, he wants that hit to be FELT..make that opposing player a little tentative when he comes that way again…i’m sure the saints weren’t out to maim…but you can bet they were out to discourage peterson from running….
just sayin'
December 20th, 2011
7:27 am
even in volleyball, you try to hit the ball at the opposing player….you should know that…
trademark
December 20th, 2011
7:33 am
“…i’m sure the saints weren’t out to maim…”
Really? Having a plan to deliberately team dive at a guy’s injured ankle and twisting it in piles sure don’t sound like the were trying to give him a grease-down and a shiatsu. Or make him “feel it” either. They were seeing if they could re-injure it and take him out of the game, if possible, instead of playing him straight up, like men. Keep on trying to defend it.
just sayin'
December 20th, 2011
7:40 am
trade…go back to your sewing…and you keep defending moore and robinson…and moore? that clown even put HIMSELF out of the game with that ‘leading with the head’ crap…deserved it..the ball carrier had already been stopped and he came in with his helmet…defend that?
trademark
December 20th, 2011
8:09 am
Accident does not equal PLAN. C’mon, you’re from New Orleans, you should know the difference between intent, pre-meditated and accidental…right?
And really, that’s the last excuse you have, accusing me of sewing stuff, and that kind of behavior by the Saints is therefore warranted because it isn’t “brutal”? News flash….INTENT TO INJURE during a sports contest is the act of COWARDS, because they don’t want to be tested against a full-strength player(s). Now, I, from real life experience, can talk all I want about what’s warranted and what isn’t in war or in peace, and there is the “code of the gladiator” that exists in the NFL. But the real players know, or should, that trying to take someone out of a game because he is a threat, is pure BS.
ShempHoward
December 21st, 2011
11:05 am
Somebody blogged Is Ryan a Better QB than Matthew Stafford: I think Matt Ryan is a better qb than Matthew Stafford. Ryan runs a game like Peyton Manning (in terms of qb intellect/quicks/brainpower and the ability to call plays at the line of scrimmage and think on his feet).Ryan has trouble with throwing needless and reckless interceptions at the most inappropriate times and Ryan holds onto the ball too long and takes too many sacks. Ryan needs to learn to find his receivers quicker and move the chains more rountinely (like Aaron Rodgers does). Ryan is still a young qb and is learning, but if Ryan doesnt make dramatic improvements by next year, I think it might be a good idea to TRADE RYAN FOR MATTHEW STAFFORD and then lets see what stafford can do for the Falcons. Problems Solved!
trademark
December 21st, 2011
11:40 am
Stafford is all arm and no brain. He is still looking to the sidelines for help, just like he did at UGA. No WAY would I trade him for Ryan, no-damned-way.
LukeMerriman
December 21st, 2011
1:52 pm
I want to propose two changes to the Falcons to make them a superpower as New Orleans and Greenbay. #1:Turner’s skills have declined and can no longer be effective and help the falcons–Snelling should be moved into the starting lineup as our starting fullback. #2:Trade Mike Turner to Arizona for W.R. Larry Fitzgerald. This should make the Falcons every bit as good as the better teams:Jets, Ravens, Patriots, Eagles, G.B. and Saints.
ShempHoward
December 21st, 2011
2:55 pm
A couple of years ago when vick was incarcerated, before he returned from prison–the falcons had 3 good qbs on their roster and it is debatable as to who is currently the best one of the lot.
#1:Matt Schaub–houston texans starting qb
#2:Mike Vick–philadelphia eagles starting qb
#3:Matt Ryan “Matty Ice”–falcons starting qb
They all are good, but Schaub is the best of the three because he can throw the deep ball acurately and flawlessly. Last season, Schaub not only threw for more than 4000 yards–BUT HE WAS THE MVP OF THE PRO BOWL. He was the best player among all the all-star players, which means he was the best player in the entire league. I knew schaubie was good–when vick was holding up his career with vicks dogfighting ring. SCHAUB WOULD HAVE MADE IT TO THE HALL OF FAME IF THERE WAS NEVER ANY MIKE VICK.