Matt Ryan is by far the most disrespected quarterback around the NFL and media coverage, but Atlanta Falcons‘ general manager Thomas Dimitroff doesn’t listen to the naysayers.
Instead, he stands up for Ryan and thoroughly believes he has what it take to take Atlanta to a championship.
“We believe he can take us to a championship,” Dimitroff told ESPN’s Vaughn McClure on Monday. “We obviously paid him that way, continue to have him around here because he’s such an important part of the organization. It really doesn’t matter the rankings, how he is regarded outside of this building.’’
Dimitroff on Matt Ryan: “We believe he can take us to a championship. We obviously paid him that way, continue to have him around here because he’s such an important part of the organization. It really doesn’t matter the rankings, how he is regarded outside of this building.’’
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Why Ryan Is Notable
When signing with the Falcons, Ryan had some pretty big shoes to fill after Mike Vicks’ incident. But, the rookie did just that and more. Ryan would rise up to become the best quarterback in Falcon’s history. He is currently 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. Ryan is also the only Falcons player to earn an MVP.
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).
Ryan doesn’t get the respect he deserves. 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. You won’t find Ryan in the top rankings of NFL QBs on Google.
Nearly a Decade Later, Ryan Has Only Missed 3 Games
Since entering the league, Ryan has only missed 3 games. 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 QB 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 Takes All The Blame
Ryan unknowingly takes the blame from 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 or help from the rest of the team he that he hasn’t had.
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.
It’s obvious why Dimitroff praises his investment and Matt Ryan has all the weapons he needs this season, but it’s time to get to work.
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Thomas Dimitroff on Falcons QB1: ‘He Can Take Us to a Championship’