Matt Ryan Remains Key to the Atlanta Falcons Success

The Atlanta Falcons haven’t had a winning season since their NFC title game run in 2012. The team has since turned the reins over to a new coaching regime. Though the Falcons did improve in year one of the new system, quarterback Matt Ryan is still the key to any success.

There is one thing in common among teams that have what it takes to win the Lombardi trophy in February; a quality quarterback. We have seen it time and time again. This year’s Superbowl winning Denver Broncos fielded one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning. Manning didn’t have the best season or final game last year, but his leadership definitely played a part in Denver’s success.

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The year before, the Patriots dethroned the Seahawks behind four time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Before that year, winning teams quarterbacks included Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger. All of these quarterbacks are arguably top ten in the league at this moment, and though they all had help, there’s no denying that their high level of play pushed their team to the ultimate victory.

The Atlanta Falcons themselves have a top ten quarterback in the league in Ryan when playing at his best. In fact, he has performed at high level since entering the league in 2008. Many thought that it would take Ryan time to adjust to the NFL and to fully shoulder the responsibility left by the departure of Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino. Ryan answered his critics with a glimpse of greatness on his very first pass.

In his debut game against the Detroit Lions, after opening the game on two consecutive runs, Ryan dropped back to throw his first pass as an NFL professional. 62 yards later Michael Jenkins crossed the goal line for Ryan’s first career passing touchdown. That year Ryan went on to throw for 3,440 yards and 16 touchdowns while leading Atlanta to an 11-5 record and it’s first playoff appearance in four years.

Since then, Ryan has earned the most game winning drives according to Pro Football Reference. More than Peyton Manning, Brees and Brady. Ryan has proved himself to be a clutch performer capable of pushing his team to victory against all odds.

In recent years, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback has been able to be his comfortable sure self. In fact, in the last three years, Ryan has been sacked 105 times. This is mainly due to issues with the play of the Falcons offensive line. In 2012, when Ryan had a fair line and a clean pocket, he was able to post career highs with a 68.6 completion percentage, 4,719 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. As a result, the Falcons went 13-3, won a hard-fought game against the up and coming Seattle Seahawks, and hosted the NFC Championship game in which Ryan led the team to a 17-0 lead.

The case is plain and simple. When Ryan has the time and space to produce from the pocket he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Even after the offensive line fell apart and Ryan played the position while being pulverized by opposing defensive lines, he was still able to produce at a high level. In 2013, Ryan lost wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White for a good portion of the season, left tackle Sam Baker, and even starting running back Steven Jackson for five weeks. The quarterback responded by completing 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,515 yards and 26 touchdowns.

The following season, left tackle Sam Baker never saw the field. In fact the offensive line faltered so badly that tight end Levine Toilolo had to play reps at right tackle. Ryan’s stats read 4,694 yards with a 66.0 completion percentage and 28 touchdowns. This past season the Falcon’s offense entered it’s first year in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

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The offense featured Julio Jones who had a stellar year, breaking franchise records and bringing home the league’s receiving title. The year again was plagued in part by offensive line play. Both centers who started games for the Falcons had trouble snapping the ball and battling some of the league’s top defensive tackles.

To go along with the offensive line troubles, the wide receiver position behind Julio Jones never had much impact. Leonard Hankerson was brought in to man the number two position, but suffered injuries and drops throughout the season. White continued his decline and furthermore felt as if Shanahan didn’t include him in the offense in the right way. Devin Hester battled injury for most of the season and wasn’t very productive as a receiver when he returned.

All of these minor things added up to create a major problem. Lack of receiving threat plus bad offensive line play usually results in decreased quarterback production. Ryan however, still completed 66 percent of his passes for 4,591 yards.

This leads me to my final point. In the past few years Ryan has had to overcome many obstacles with the Falcons offense. He has been faced with uncomfortable situations year after year but has still been able to produce at a high level. This year it will all change for the better.

The Falcons are entering year two of Shanahan’s scheme. Devonta Freeman is poised for a great year, the center position has been greatly upgraded with the acquisition of Alex Mack, Ryan has a tall solid receiver to target behind Jones in Mohamed Sanu, and there is still a chance for the Falcons to snatch another offensive player or to before the season begins.

The pieces are lining up for the Atlanta Falcons to have a great year and potentially make a solid run in the playoffs, but it will only happen through the solid play of Ryan. If the stud quarterback can capitalize on all of the talent that is being brought in around him, he may be able to join the list of quarterbacks who have taken their teams to the promised land.