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Longtime Atlanta Falcons and current Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Matt Ryan, has officially been recognized in the Pro Football Hall after reaching a new milestone that only seven other QBs have done.
In Sunday’s 20–20 tie vs. the Houston Texans, Ryan notched 60,000 career passing yards and now the same football he used to do so is on display in Canton, Ohio.
But here’s the extremely unfortunate kicker––the football’s number is 283, which has NFL fans reminiscing on when Ryan and the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
Not to mention that Brady also happens to lead the list of quarterbacks with the most passing yards at 84,732.
Matt Ryan Wants His Super Bowl Win
After 14 seasons in Atlanta without a Super Bowl ring and an awkward exit over the offseason which led him to Indiana, Ryan no longer just wants to win games––he wants to win a Lombardi Trophy.
“At this stage of my career, that’s what I’m in it for,” Ryan said in a recent interview with ESPN.
While he’s on a mission to get his ring, the 28-3 blown that led to a tragic loss still lingers in the back of his head
“It sucks,” he said. “There’s no getting around it.”
But like any really good leader does, he continues to face it head-on and takes ownership of the mistakes that went down in the historic game.
“There’s a burden that comes with leadership,” he said. “And it’s taking ownership of success and failure. That’s something that can weigh on you, at times. It can be a heavy thing. But I’ve always embraced that. I understand the nature of how quarterbacks are judged.”
The Colts face Jacksonville on Sunday, which should result in an easy win and get Ryan and Indy back on track to their Super Bowl aspirations.
Falcons Disrespected Ryan
Before Ryan left for Indy, the 37-year-old had plans to finish his career in Atlanta.
However, that all changed when the Falcons pursued Deshaun Watson over the offseason and failed, which ultimately led to Atlanta being forced to move on from Ryan due to some slight awkwardness and disrespect.
Ryan was never informed that the Falcons were shopping him, nonetheless attempting to replace him with a quarterback who was still facing 22 lawsuits alleging sexual assault.
“I’m not naïve,” Ryan said. “I know how this business works.”
Ryan would never come out and say he was disrespected since he is the definition of a class act, however, his good friend, Todd McClure, wasn’t afraid to say it for him.
“Nobody wants to go through that and feel disrespected,” said retired Atlanta center Todd McClure, a longtime friend of Ryan’s. “I love my Falcons, but the way that whole deal went down was a slap in the face.”
His other former teammate and pal, Tony Gonzalez, also vouched for him as being the face of Atlanta and one that the city will never forget.
“He is the best quarterback in that franchise’s history,” Gonzalez said. “Obviously the community had a big connection to Michael Vick as well. But Ryan, simply, he’s the best.”
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