Ryan Is Way Better Than Many Think

[FalconFanSince1970]

There has been a lot of recent chatter about Matt Ryan being not so good. You kidding me right? Yeah he could throw a better deep ball and not lock onto Roddy and TonyG so much, but when you compare his first three years with the best QBs' of his era, he is as good or better than most of them. Definitely as productive. Even in the vaunted playoff winning% category. Especially if you consider his supporting casts. Here's a look at where he ranks compared to today's best QBs, after their first three seasons:

FIRST THREE NFL SEASONS

Starts

PManning - 48

Flacco - 48

Ryan - 46

Roethlisberger - 40

EManning - 39

Brady - 30

Brees - 27

Vick - 21

Rivers - 16

Romo - 10

Schaub - 2

Rodgers - 0

Regular Season Winning%

Rivers - .875

Roethlisberger - .725

Ryan - .717

Brady - .667

Flacco - .667

Romo - .600

Vick - .571

PManning - .542

EManning - .513

Brees - .370

Rodgers - .000

Schaub - .000

Playoff Winning%

Brady - 1.000

Roethlisberger - .833

Flacco - .571

Vick - .500

Ryan - .000

PManning - .000

Brees - .000

Rodgers - .000

Rivers - .000

EManning - .000

Romo - .000

Schaub - .000

Fourth Quarter Come Backs

PManning - 9

Roethlisberger - 9

Ryan - 8

Brady - 6

Rivers - 4

Romo - 4

EManning - 4

Flacco - 4

Vick - 3

Brees - 2

Rodgers - 0

Schaub - 0

Game Winning Drives

Ryan - 13

PManning - 11

Roethlisberger - 11

Brady - 8

Flacco - 8

Romo - 5

EManning - 5

Brees - 5

Rivers - 4

Vick - 2

Rodgers - 0

Schaub - 0

Passer Rating

Romo - 95.1

Rivers - 90.5

Roethlisberger - 87.9

Flacco - 87.9

Ryan - 86.9

Brady - 85.9

PManning - 85.4

Vick - 76.3

Brees - 73.7

Rodgers - 73.3

EManning - 73.2

Schaub - 69.2

Passing Yards

PManning - 12,287

Flacco - 10,206

Ryan - 10,061

Roethlisberger - 8,519

EManning - 8,049

Brady - 6,613

Brees - 5,613

Vick - 4,306

Rivers - 3,536

Romo - 2,903

Schaub - 1,033

Rodgers - 329

Completion%

Romo - 65%

Brady - 63%

Roethlisberger - 62%

Flacco - 62%

Ryan - 61%

Rivers - 61%

PManning - 60%

Brees - 59%

Rodgers - 59%

EManning - 54%

Vick - 52%

Schaub - 52%

Passing TDs

PManning - 85

Ryan - 66

Flacco - 60

EManning - 54

Roethlisberger - 52

Brady - 46

Brees - 29

Rivers - 23

Vick - 22

Romo - 19

Schaub - 6

Rodgers - 1

Interception%

Rodgers - 1.7

Rivers - 2.0

Vick - 2.2

Ryan - 2.3

Flacco - 2.4

Brady 2.6

EManning - 3.4

Brees - 3.4

PManning - 3.5

Schaub - 3.7

Romo - 3.9

Roethlisberger - 4.2

Pro Bowls

PManning - 2

Ryan - 1

Brady - 1

Rivers - 1

Vick - 1

Romo - 1

Roethlisberger - 0

Rodgers - 0

Brees - 0

EManning - 0

Schaub - 0

Flacco - 0

[g-dawg]

Hard to believe Roethlisberger has never been to a ProBowl - does not seem right. I guess with Manning/Brady taking up two spots year-in and year-out and throw in Phillip Rivers every other year and then there you go - Roth shut out.

[FalconFanSince1970]

Hard to believe Roethlisberger has never been to a ProBowl - does not seem right. I guess with Manning/Brady taking up two spots year-in and year-out and throw in Phillip Rivers every other year and then there you go - Roth shut out.

He's been, but not in his first three seasons.

[Dominique is Manufique]

good stats. football is a team sport obviously. but you cannot ignore the fact that matt ryan tied dan marino for most wins through their first three football seasons. what else does a guy have to do to earn respect in professional sports?

i guess that answer is win a measly playoff game according to a lot of these MB pundits.

to look at ATL's football history and compare to what it has been over the past 3 years. i will take what matt ryan has done everyday and twice on sundays.

[blackredfellow]

Pretty incredible when you think about it. I think pretty much everyone agrees Ryan is a good QB, but I dont think a lot of people get just how good Ryan has been. Not many QBs hit the ground running right off the bat like Ryan. A lot of credit is due to the F.O. for building a good team around him, but I think as far as impact on a team, Ryan has been pretty underrated.

[FalconFanSince1970]

In fairness to the QBs on the first list that had to sit behind another starter or had injuries to deal with, here is a snapshot of the first three years of the best NFL QBs of this era that had at least 30 starts and 1,000 pass attempts in their first three seasons. Brees missed the cut with 27 starts but his numbers were dismal:

FIRST THREE NFL SEASONS WITH AT LEAST 30 STARTS AND 1,000 PASS ATTEMPTS

Starts

PManning - 48

Flacco - 48

Ryan - 46

Roethlisberger - 40

EManning - 39

Brady - 30

Regular Season Winning%

Roethlisberger - .725

Ryan - .717

Brady - .667

Flacco - .667

PManning - .542

EManning - .513

Playoff Winning%

Brady - 1.000

Roethlisberger - .833

Flacco - .571

Ryan - .000

PManning - .000

EManning - .000

Fourth Quarter Come Backs

PManning - 9

Roethlisberger - 9

Ryan - 8

Brady - 6

EManning - 4

Flacco - 4

Game Winning Drives

Ryan - 13

PManning - 11

Roethlisberger - 11

Brady - 8

Flacco - 8

EManning - 5

Passer Rating

Roethlisberger - 87.9

Flacco - 87.9

Ryan - 86.9

Brady - 85.9

PManning - 85.4

EManning - 73.2

Passing Yards

PManning - 12,287

Flacco - 10,206

Ryan - 10,061

Roethlisberger - 8,519

EManning - 8,049

Brady - 6,613

Completion%

Brady - 63%

Roethlisberger - 62%

Flacco - 62%

Ryan - 61%

PManning - 60%

EManning - 54%

Passing TDs

PManning - 85

Ryan - 66

Flacco - 60

EManning - 54

Roethlisberger - 52

Brady - 46

Interception%

Ryan - 2.3

Flacco - 2.4

Brady 2.6

EManning - 3.4

PManning - 3.5

Roethlisberger - 4.2

Pro Bowls

PManning - 2

Ryan - 1

Brady - 1

Roethlisberger - 0

EManning - 0

Flacco - 0

[falconidae]

Good work FFS70, Would like to add some context- the players above him in the playoff winning % [except Brady] had a lot of help from their Ds.

The players above him in interception % had thrown far fewer passes at that point in their careers than Ryan.

For those who complain about arm strength, in passes that go 40+ yards in the air Ryan is

7/16/373 yards/4 TDs/ 1INT and 104 QB Rating for his career. Stats from ESPN splits

If you add Vick's rushing stats to his yardage and TD totals, he's still only 5627 yards and 32 TDs.

[FlyHighFalcons]

I just wish that the most important stat was better. He needs to start winning playoff games to be considered elite. To me, he is JUST outside that elite level.

Tier 1: Payton Manning, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers.

Tier 2: Michael Vick, Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger.

Tier 3: Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, Eli Manning, Sam Bradford.

Tier 4: Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Carson Palmer.

[FalconState]

Thanks for the stats it shows just how good Matt has been and Playoffs will come when our team gets better

[triggerman]

i wish we could look at rodgers stats in his first 3 years as a starter, considering brett hated him and refused to help him.

ryan is a low 2nd, high 3rd tier guy

[FalconFanSince1970]

I just wish that the most important stat was better. He needs to start winning playoff games to be considered elite. To me, he is JUST outside that elite level.

Tier 1: Payton Manning, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers.

Tier 2: Michael Vick, Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger.

Tier 3: Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, Eli Manning, Sam Bradford.

Tier 4: Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Carson Palmer.

Funny but I have Ryan at seven right now too, but with different tiers. I would say my 2011 Lock Out ranking is closer to this:

Tier 1: Brady, PManning, Roethlisberger, Brees, Rodgers,

Tier 2: Rivers, Ryan, Vick, EManning, Romo, Flacco

Tier 3: Schaub, Freeman, Cutler, Sanchez, Bradford

Tier 4 - Palmer, Orton, Cassel, Campbell

Ryan is the best of the new crop that came in over the last three years. The only one even close is Flacco. Maybe Freeman. Trust me.

[cannonballsghost]

There has been a lot of recent chatter about Matt Ryan being not so good. You kidding me right? Yeah he could throw a better deep ball and not lock onto Roddy and TonyG so much, but when you compare his first three years with the best QBs' of his era, he is as good or better than most of them. Definitely as productive. Even in the vaunted playoff winning% category. Especially if you consider his supporting casts. Here's a look at where he ranks compared to today's best QBs, after their first three seasons:

FIRST THREE NFL SEASONS

Starts

PManning - 48

Flacco - 48

Ryan - 46

Roethlisberger - 40

EManning - 39

Brady - 30

Brees - 27

Vick - 21

Rivers - 16

Romo - 10

Schaub - 2

Rodgers - 0

Regular Season Winning%

Rivers - .875

Roethlisberger - .725

Ryan - .717

Brady - .667

Flacco - .667

Romo - .600

Vick - .571

PManning - .542

EManning - .513

Brees - .370

Rodgers - .000

Schaub - .000

Playoff Winning%

Brady - 1.000

Roethlisberger - .833

Flacco - .571

Vick - .500

Ryan - .000

PManning - .000

Brees - .000

Rodgers - .000

Rivers - .000

EManning - .000

Romo - .000

Schaub - .000

Fourth Quarter Come Backs

PManning - 9

Roethlisberger - 9

Ryan - 8

Brady - 6

Rivers - 4

Romo - 4

EManning - 4

Flacco - 4

Vick - 3

Brees - 2

Rodgers - 0

Schaub - 0

Game Winning Drives

Ryan - 13

PManning - 11

Roethlisberger - 11

Brady - 8

Flacco - 8

Romo - 5

EManning - 5

Brees - 5

Rivers - 4

Vick - 2

Rodgers - 0

Schaub - 0

Passer Rating

Romo - 95.1

Rivers - 90.5

Roethlisberger - 87.9

Flacco - 87.9

Ryan - 86.9

Brady - 85.9

PManning - 85.4

Vick - 76.3

Brees - 73.7

Rodgers - 73.3

EManning - 73.2

Schaub - 69.2

Passing Yards

PManning - 12,287

Flacco - 10,206

Ryan - 10,061

Roethlisberger - 8,519

EManning - 8,049

Brady - 6,613

Brees - 5,613

Vick - 4,306

Rivers - 3,536

Romo - 2,903

Schaub - 1,033

Rodgers - 329

Completion%

Romo - 65%

Brady - 63%

Roethlisberger - 62%

Flacco - 62%

Ryan - 61%

Rivers - 61%

PManning - 60%

Brees - 59%

Rodgers - 59%

EManning - 54%

Vick - 52%

Schaub - 52%

Passing TDs

PManning - 85

Ryan - 66

Flacco - 60

EManning - 54

Roethlisberger - 52

Brady - 46

Brees - 29

Rivers - 23

Vick - 22

Romo - 19

Schaub - 6

Rodgers - 1

Interception%

Rodgers - 1.7

Rivers - 2.0

Vick - 2.2

Ryan - 2.3

Flacco - 2.4

Brady 2.6

EManning - 3.4

Brees - 3.4

PManning - 3.5

Schaub - 3.7

Romo - 3.9

Roethlisberger - 4.2

Pro Bowls

PManning - 2

Ryan - 1

Brady - 1

Rivers - 1

Vick - 1

Romo - 1

Roethlisberger - 0

Rodgers - 0

Brees - 0

EManning - 0

Schaub - 0

Flacco - 0

Nice work . anyone who thinks Ryan isn't a great NFL QB is football stupid or has a agenda .We are very lucky to have him on our team +1 on the research

sam

[triggerman]

someone post playoff wins over last 3 years, since we are rasnking him with qb's in these years.

[FalconFanSince1970]

someone post playoff wins over last 3 years, since we are rasnking him with qb's in these years.

I vote for you.

I'm tired. I need rest.

How bout it? Don't let me down.

[falconidae]

someone post playoff wins over last 3 years, since we are rasnking him with qb's in these years.

No, he's posting stats from the QBs first 3 years, not the last 3 years.That's the point-

PManning - .000

Brees - .000

Rodgers - .000

Rivers - .000

EManning - .000

Romo - .000

Schaub - .000

None of them had a playoff win in their first 3 years- of the QBs that did- most had help from a really good D.

People complaining about playoff wins are looking at a real small sample size.

[triggerman]

post qb rating in playoff games for the last 3 years

[triggerman]

No, he's posting stats from the QBs first 3 years, not the last 3 years.That's the point-

PManning - .000

Brees - .000

Rodgers - .000

Rivers - .000

EManning - .000

Romo - .000

Schaub - .000

None of them had a playoff win in their first 3 years- of the QBs that did- most had help from a really good D.

People complaining about playoff wins are looking at a real small sample size.

but the ranking of ryan as a top tier guy is against current guys. i could care less what they did when they were young, their success or lack of it is not indicative of anything ryan can or will do

[FalconFanSince1970]

but the ranking of ryan as a top tier guy is against current guys.

His numbers would probably be good against the old guys.

i could care less what they did when they were young, their success or lack of it is not indicative of anything ryan can or will do

You sure about that bro? I ain't. Trust me.

[Falcon Butcher]

good stats. football is a team sport obviously. but you cannot ignore the fact that matt ryan tied dan marino for most wins through their first three football seasons. what else does a guy have to do to earn respect in professional sports?

i guess that answer is win a measly playoff game according to a lot of these MB pundits.

I am sure Ryan will trade all those stats and achievements for a measly playoff game win.

[Guest Gritz]

He has proven that he is a very good quarterback by his regular season performances.

To prove that he is a great quarterback he will have to start notching some playoff wins.

[FalconFanSince1970]

I am sure Ryan will trade all those stats and achievements for a measly playoff game win.

I'm sure he would trade all those lofty stats for a good defense like you need to have to win a Bowl. Even STL, NO and IND played defense when they had to. When they didn't they didn't win a Bowl.

[triggerman]

He has proven that he is a very good quarterback by his regular season performances.

To prove that he is a great quarterback he will have to start notching some playoff wins.

and boom goes the dynamite

[falconidae]

but the ranking of ryan as a top tier guy is against current guys. i could care less what they did when they were young, their success or lack of it is not indicative of anything ryan can or will do

two points

1. People complaining about Ryan's lack of playoff victories are looking at a small sample size. When some of the best QBs today took three or more years to win a playoff game, it should be an indication that it's too early to make a judgment on Ryan's playoff success after 2 tries.

Feel free to be upset about it, but Ryan's playoff victories will come.

2. The QBs with better playoff records than Ryan had much better D's to back them up.

Ryan's D allowed 41 points, Ryan would have had to score 42 points to win, Ryan had a bad game, but so did the rest of his team.

For example, when Vick won his first playoff game, he had a 24 -0 halftime lead. His D allowed 7 points and and were +4 in turnovers. So, Vick had to score 10 points to win the game- 42 points or 10 points. It's not always about the QB.

[triggerman]

ha ha, is that the new excuse.

ryan played like garbage. we were the favorites, vegas rarely gets it that wrong.

we were road favs in az and home favs against gb. not only did he gag, he single handedly lost the gb game.

please watch the gb highlights of ryan missing a sure fire td turned into an int., and his glorious stare down pick 6.

ryan has proven to be a big game choker, until then thats life.

sice we discuss vick, he was always a good big game guy.

[ltstorm2]

ha ha, is that the new excuse.

ryan played like garbage. we were the favorites, vegas rarely gets it that wrong.

we were road favs in az and home favs against gb. not only did he gag, he single handedly lost the gb game.

please watch the gb highlights of ryan missing a sure fire td turned into an int., and his glorious stare down pick 6.

ryan has proven to be a big game choker, until then thats life.

sice we discuss vick, he was always a good big game guy.

What would it have mattered if Ryan didn't throw any picks. I mean our defense didn't stop a thing. Its amazing that only the QB is considered ELITE if winning playoff games. Roddy White is an elite receiver yet, he hasn't won a playoff game either. John Abraham, considered elite sans play off wins.

You're elite or your'e not. The accolades have NOTHING to do with your ability as a single individual to perform.

Trent Dilfer won some play off games and a Superbowl. He must be a first ballot hall of famer. Gotta be. I mean he won in the post season. Didn't have a thing to do with one of the most dominant defenses of all time.

Matt Hasselback beat the Saints in the playoffs. He's gotta be elite (rolls eyes)

Dan Marino. Never won a superbowl. He must be one of the worst QB's ever. Only Qb's that win superbowls are good.