Getty Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan joined Barstool Sports’ show “Pardon My Take” on Wednesday where he was asked if he was the best QB in the NFC South.
“I think currently yeah, I’ll go with myself,” Matty Ice said.
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Ryan didn’t even hesitate to bring up Tom Brady entering the NFC South or he and Drew Brees’ longtime rivalry. That’s understandable considering Ryan doesn’t get enough credit.
Ryan Turned Atlanta Around
Ryan has every right to say he’s the best in the NFC South.
Atlanta has been blessed with such a stud QB who has been the most reliable since his rookie year in 2008. Matt Ryan is no doubt the NFL’s most underrated quarterback of the past decade.
When Ryan was drafted third overall, the Falcons were in bad shape. Michael Vick was in prison at the time and head coach Bobby Petrino had left Atlanta in the dust and bolted to Arkansas. The Falcons didn’t have any quality QB options and it looked like the team was headed down the gutter.
Ryan turned Atlanta around.
No Super Bowl Ring, No Credibility?
34-year-old Ryan is way overdue for a ring. And since he doesn’t have one, he doesn’t get the same respect as other NFL Qb’s of his time do.
You won’t find Ryan in the top rankings of NFL QBs on Google. Ryan is also the type of athlete who does his job every game and doesn’t make a fuss. Except for the occasional picks, but we are all human.
Ryan has only missed 3 games since entering the league. The last game he missed was with an ankle sprain during the 2019 season against the Seahawks. Up until then, he hadn’t missed a game since 2009 and was on a 151 regular-season game streak of starts, marking the fifth-longest streak for the position in NFL.
Only 10 QB’s in ALL of NFL history have 50,000 passing yards and ‘Matty Ice’ is one of them. He also is tied for the most comebacks in the fourth quarter. Ryan only won NFL MVP in 2016 but has had four Pro Bowls. Derek Carr hasn’t even been selected as many times for the Pro Bowl and Eli Manning has the same as Ryan.
Ryan unknowingly takes the blame by fans and the media for the Falcons not having a Super Bowl win. Those who blame him simply don’t know how much value he actually brings to the table for the Falcons and the help from the rest of the team he that he doesn’t get.
He has been extremely fortunate to play with some of the most talented receivers over the years such as; Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez. But, he still had to get them the ball and they still had to do their part. Not to mention the defense who has been ranked poorly over the past decade along with the offensive line. And when the defense even had a chance in 2018 to be really, really good, injury galore happened.
NFL’s Most Productive QB
Since signing as a Falcon, Ryan had big shoes to fill after Mike Vicks’ absence. And he did just that, and more. He became the best quarterback in Falcon’s history and is their all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. On top of that, he has also turned into one of the most productive and consistent QBs in the entire NFL, with a rating of 90.
Out of all 32 quarterbacks, Ryan ranks first in yards per attempt (8.12), second in adjusted yards per attempt (8.29), fourth in passer rating (101.2), and has thrown the fifth-most touchdowns (114).
Just because Ryan doesn’t have a ring doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the most elite QBs to ever exist. He has been consistently near the top of ESPN’s QB Rating statistics since 2008. Except for 2009 when he was injured.
This could be the year the Falcons make another Super Bowl appearance with all of the upgrades on offense and defense. Either way, Ryan is still going to go down in history as one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and easily the best in the NFC South.
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