Man, I hope Matt Ryan makes a fool out of me

[jdu00743]

I was FURIOUS when we took him at #3 this past draft. I thought we had set ourselves back another 5 years. How could we pass up Dorsey? There are about a million other reasons I could put out there for taking a myriad of players other than Ryan.

Well, I know it's just pre-season, but I am definitely impressed by his pocket presence and the way he's carried himself. I'm no where near ready to say I was wrong about him, but I am encouraged by how he's done so far.

I used to want Redman to start the year, but I say we bite the bullet and see what we've really got in Ryan. I think the boy can handle the expectations (which will not be very high is rookie year).

[QV_26]

Me and you both. I wanted dorsey bad too...but I guess I can settle for a franchise qb...

[Scott24Falcons]

x3.

Ryan has far exceeded my early expectations for him.

For the first time in a long time, I feel confident in the direction of this Falcons' organization. We've got a long way to go, but I think we're going to become a team that the opponents know they're in for a battle against each week.

And I definitely agree about starting Ryan against Detroit, If we sit him because we're afraid that poor play will effect him long-term, he's probably not the QB that we want starting for us anyways. I'm confident that Matt Ryan is tough enough to withstand the pounding that he may take, although with the way our OL has played thus far, it may not be nearly as bad as many think.

14 days left until Week 1. I can't wait.

[michaelgee]

Matt is the TRUTH!

Rookies just can't do the things he does, and he is doing them well.

We had passes completed to 11 receivers vs the Titans.

[jluk]

i am guilty and follow the list here who doubted ryan. lol i was so upset when it was announced that we picked up ryan. thank GOD we didnt draft mcfadden or dorsey.

[Padawan Knight]

I guess I also need to remove my name from the hat as the next Falcons draft scout. I completely ignored Ryan and labeled him as a product of the system. He has surpassed my expectations. I honestly think he could come in as our starter Day One and not have it affect his chances of being the franchise QB for this team.

[Remarkable]

I want to see a well thrown ball downfield before I get too excited. Joey and Redman can complete 60+% of their passes with the short game.

[defensedefensedefense]

I want to see a well thrown ball downfield before I get too excited. Joey and Redman can complete 60+% of their passes with the short game.

Ditto...

[Mr. Offseason]

x4 or x5 or x6, whatever the he** were on.

i was 100% against matt before we picked him, but i said id get behind him if we drafted him and i did, but i dragged my feet. then i got to watch film of him and i was very impressed, and i did a 180 on the guy. im glad to see he proved the pre-draft me wrong and the post-draft me right. at least... so far. keep it up matt!

[Scott24Falcons]

I want to see a well thrown ball downfield before I get too excited. Joey and Redman can complete 60+% of their passes with the short game.

Still, "dinking and dunking" aside, he moved the team downfield on a lot of his possessions, and only made one glaring mistake this preseason.

[jidady]

I know that conventional wisdom around here is to always draft the franchise QB over the stud DT. I am fervently of the opinion that the opposite is true and I am not going to change my tune on the Dorsey/Ryan situation. Keeping this in mind, I do think that the early tea leaves about Ryan are quite encouraging. He has earned the job rather than been given it. Rare is the rookie QB who can do that. I hope that we can protect him well enough to prevent what happened with Carr and Harrington and I hope that he pleasantly surprises me on the interceptions. I'm afraid he's going to throw 20 picks this year, so I'm on record with that and will acknowledge I was wrong and that he has impressed me if he plays 16 games without doing so.

If nothing else, he's decisive, which is a nice change of pace for us after Vick and Harrington.

[DeathFromAbove]

If he can throw that many picks in the ACC I shudder to think what cagey NFL DBs can do...but then again P Manning went 3-13 his first year, and Aikman 1-15, and obviously they turned out ok!

[great white hope]

If he can throw that many picks in the ACC I shudder to think what cagey NFL DBs can do...but then again P Manning went 3-13 his first year, and Aikman 1-15, and obviously they turned out ok!

Matt Ryan threw more passes than most NFL qbs do in a season even with the extra 4 games. besides. top 3 leaders in ints last year were Eli Manning, Jon Kitna and Carson Palmer. I know he's gonna throw some pics but thats ok. We gotta take some chances and open this thing up. besides.... whatever happened to it being a rebuilding year anyway???

[falconfoozball]

I want to see a well thrown ball downfield before I get too excited. Joey and Redman can complete 60+% of their passes with the short game.

Ditto...

Tritto. If there is such a word.

Ya'll wanna go ahead & crown him king, then crown his azz. But I'm still waiting for him to do any better, or even as well as, Redman can do in stretching the field. Don't get me wrong, he won my full support as a Falcon and this team's leader the day he was drafted. I haven't been to any TCs so I can't say whether he can or he can't. And I didn't watch him much in college. So I'm only going by what I've seen in games so far. Better dinker & dunker, and probalby a smarter decision maker than Joey or Chris. But still no real "bombs" downfield. Take some shots, get some INTs if necessary, get it out of your system, but show us that you CAN, and then I'll gladly pluck my own crow & fry it up in a pan.

[falconva7]

Also hated the Matt Ryan pick but I'm starting to come around. You get the feeling he just gets it. I knows what it takes to be a franchise QB, and that's hard work.

[michaelgee]

I was FURIOUS when we took him at #3 this past draft. I thought we had set ourselves back another 5 years. How could we pass up Dorsey? There are about a million other reasons I could put out there for taking a myriad of players other than Ryan.

Well, I know it's just pre-season, but I am definitely impressed by his pocket presence and the way he's carried himself. I'm no where near ready to say I was wrong about him, but I am encouraged by how he's done so far.

I used to want Redman to start the year, but I say we bite the bullet and see what we've really got in Ryan. I think the boy can handle the expectations (which will not be very high is rookie year).

if Ryan makes a fool out of you, at worst you will have plenty of company.

[greyhawk]

I think the biggest problem that those of us who didn't want Ryan had was we were looking at the Oline performance from last year. TD & co had the most current report on those guys and made a choice. I want Ryan to work out, I just hope he doesn't take too many lumps along the way.

[takeitdown]

I'm afraid he's going to throw 20 picks this year, so I'm on record with that and will acknowledge I was wrong and that he has impressed me if he plays 16 games without doing so.

If nothing else, he's decisive, which is a nice change of pace for us after Vick and Harrington.

I know that it may sound odd, but I'm fine with some INTs (not happy with them, mind you) if we're talking about high YPC and decent completion percentage. I'd rather the QB throw all the throws, and learn all the defenses, and take a few lumps, than learn the gimme throws and still not have evolved as a passer.

I equate it to going left with the basketball. If you get your point guard to learn to go left, he's going to have more turnovers and a few less drives to the hole, but it's going to make him much better overall.

I will think he's not yet there (and had a bad season for a veteran) if he throws 20 INTs to 25 TDs with a YPA of 7.4, but I'll think he's likely going to improve, and has given himself the chance to learn a lot. If he has a 6ypa, regardless on INTs, I'm going to have trouble believing he's preparing to be a top QB.

I, too, don't want INTs, but I can accept them if they go along with a high YPA, in the learning phase.

[Falcons Ace]

I considered Matt the best QB in the draft, but he wasn't far ahead of Brian Brohm. Those were the only two QBs I had any interest in, and it looks like Matt is going well and far behind my hopes for him.

[Falcons Ace]

If he can throw that many picks in the ACC I shudder to think what cagey NFL DBs can do...but then again P Manning went 3-13 his first year, and Aikman 1-15, and obviously they turned out ok!

Yes, but his INT average wasn't that much worse when you compare the fact he threw over 650 passes with bad WRs and suspect protection.

[jdu00743]

If he can throw that many picks in the ACC I shudder to think what cagey NFL DBs can do...but then again P Manning went 3-13 his first year, and Aikman 1-15, and obviously they turned out ok!

As I said in the first post, I am most certainly not sold on him yet. I still wish we would have taken Dorsey at the moment. But Ryan does have that poise that you love in a QB.

[atljbo]

i was 100% against matt before we picked him, but i said id get behind him if we drafted him and i did, but i dragged my feet. then i got to watch film of him and i was very impressed, and i did a 180 on the guy. im glad to see he proved the pre-draft me wrong and the post-draft me right. at least... so far. keep it up matt!

The same for me....... I saw that Georgia Tech,Bowling Green,Michigan State, and Virgina Tech(both...the game winner and the lost at the end of the season)

3 things that really changed my mind

1.This guy is a true Leader

2. Alot of the INT was really because he had to do to much.....The talent level around him was not good(even his O-Line)...... Look at his starting LT Gosder Cherilus look horrible

3.Matt Ryan has a Brett Farve gunslinger mentality......I really like that.....Matt Ryan had over 650 passing attempts...... That shows a team that his arm should not ware out thru a 16 game season(Brett Farve had 535 passing attempts.....Matt Ryan had over 100 more throws in a shorter season)

[michaelgee]

I think the biggest problem that those of us who didn't want Ryan had was we were looking at the Oline performance from last year. TD & co had the most current report on those guys and made a choice. I want Ryan to work out, I just hope he doesn't take too many lumps along the way.

What sucked about tghe oline we had was the lack of coaching.

[Mr. Offseason]

The same for me....... I saw that Georgia Tech,Bowling Green,Michigan State, and Virgina Tech(both...the game winner and the lost at the end of the season)

3 things that really changed my mind

1.This guy is a true Leader

2. Alot of the INT was really because he had to do to much.....The talent level around him was not good(even his O-Line)...... Look at his starting LT Gosder Cherilus look horrible

3.Matt Ryan has a Brett Farve gunslinger mentality......I really like that.....Matt Ryan had over 650 passing attempts...... That shows a team that his arm should not ware out thru a 16 game season(Brett Farve had 535 passing attempts.....Matt Ryan had over 100 more throws in a shorter season)

after i watched film of boston college (mostly for ryan obviously) i lost all interest in gosder cherilus. he looked absolutely god awful at the LT position (which while he was being played on the wrong side because of injuries still did not bode well for him) and he got absolutely abused in passing situations nearly every time id look at him. and i think i may have heard they are thinking of moving him inside to OG? and i wouldnt be surprised. the lions really messed up with that pick, i couldnt BELIEVE they picked him that high. i was not nearly as high on him as some people on here, and i thought he could have been a good pick in the 2nd round, but i wanted baker/lofton there. well, we ended getting baker AFTER the lions got cherilus, and man am i glad it turned out that way. baker >>>>> cherilus at LT or OT in general.