Matt Ryan And The Seashank Redemption

[Peyton]

Let us be honest. This week’s playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons is all about Matt Ryan.

The Seahawks will score some points but certainly will not light up the Falcons defense the way the Green Bay Packers did in the 2010 playoffs. The Falcons defense will play well enough, and Matt Ryan needs to produce enough points to win.

It is fitting that one season after the New York Giants held the Falcons offense scoreless, Matt Ryan has to get it done against the number 1 scoring defense in the NFL.

This is his “river of sh*t” that he has to crawl through.

Virtually every QB that has ever hoisted a Lombardi has endured an extraordinary burden before reaching that pinnacle.

A few examples:

Terry Bradshaw started his career 8-13, while throwing only 19 TDs and 46 INTs. Entering his 5^th season, when he got his first Super Bowl ring, he wasn’t even the starting QB, he was riding the bench behind an 11^th round pick from Tennessee State named Joe Gilliam. Bradshaw went on to win the Super Bowl in 1974 on the back of the Steel Curtain, even though he did not have a great game or season, and now he is in the Hall of Fame.

Roger Staubach was drafted in 1964, but did not take an NFL snap until 1969 due to his military obligation, which included a tour in Vietnam. Entering the 1971 season, seven years after being drafted, after losing the starting job twice, Staubach was sitting on 4 career starts, 3 career TDs, and 10 career INTS. He finally secured the full time starting position in week 8 and led the team to the Super Bowl. Of course, he is now the Hall of Fame.

Troy Aikman started his NFL career 0-11 in this first season and 3-18 halfway through his second season. Despite being the first pick in the draft, he was benched in favor of fellow rookie Steve Walsh in his rookie season. Aikman was so bad in his first playoff game that he was replaced by Steve Buerlein in a 38-6 loss. The following year he and the Cowboys got over the hump. Now he is in the HOF.

Kurt Warner went undrafted in 1994 but did manage to find a spot on the Packers practice squad. He was released after the season and would not make another NFL squad until 1998. He spent what should have been his second NFL season stocking groceries in Cedar Falls, Iowa for $5.50 an hour. He had to tear up the Arena league and NFL Europe just to get another shot at an NFL roster. Due to a devastating injury to Trent Green, he got his chance to start, and he now owns the three highest Super Bowl passing yardage games in history, a Super Bowl MVP award, and two NFL MVP awards.

Peyton Manning’s struggles to win important games are legendary. He came up short at Tennessee against Florida, time and time again. Adding insult to injury, the Vols won the National Title the year after he left under the direction of Quarterback Tee Martin. Peyton not only lost his first three playoff games, but the third loss was a 41-0 destruction at the hands of a very average New York Jets team. When the Colts did get over the hump, it was due more to a herculean effort by the defense than his own efforts. Peyton is now considered one of the best of all time, but he was the original guy that “can’t win in the post season”.

Tom Brady started his career at Michigan as the 7^th QB on the depth chart. Despite demonstrating that he was the best QB on the roster, he was forced to split time with Drew Henson, because Lloyd Carr had promised Henson playing time when recruiting him and was worried that Henson would bolt the program for the New York Yankees, which Henson eventually did anyway. As a result of his perceived physical limitations and having to split time at Michigan, Brady dropped all the way to the 6^th round of the draft, and received a contract that paid him the league minimum. We all know how the Brady story ends.

Matt Ryan did not throw 46 INTs in his first two seasons. He did not have to go to Vietnam or lose his job multiple times at the beginning of his career. He did not start his career 3-18. He did not have to stock groceries for $5.50 an hour at 25 years of age. He did not let his school down against the Florida Gators time and time again. He did not fall to the 6^th round and play for the league minimum wage to start his career.

Matt Ryan’s burden, plain and simple, has been playoff failure, and lot's of it. While everything else has progressed swimmingly in his career, the Falcons’ playoff efforts are the walls that are closing in around his career.

Unlike Andy Dufresne, Matt does not have the option of digging through these walls with a rock hammer. He is going to have to throw his way through them, and he will.

No Quarterback in the Super Bowl era has ever lost his first four playoff starts.

Matt Ryan will not be the first. He is too good for it to happen. The Falcons defense is too stingy at home for it to happen. This team wants it too bad for it to happen.

Get Busy Winning….or Get Busy Dyin. That’s g*dd*mn right.

[falcons007]

Falcons need this win.

[PokerSteve]

Well said, well said, sir. Couldn't agree more. The Falcons time has come and it has come because Matt Ryan's time has come. He has paid his dues. He's learned and grown. He's worked his body to get tougher physically and he's come in early and stayed late at FB to get tougher mentally. I've said it a dozen times in here over the past four months and I'll say it again, Matt Ryan has reached a whole new level this season, far beyond anything he achieved in his prior seasons. He has become the quiet, yet undisputed leader of his team and he now possesses the capability of putting this team on his shoulders and producing a play-off victory. He was not ready or able to do that in prior years. Now he is ready and the whole team knows it.

Edited January 7, 2013 by PokerSteve

[Supes™]

I gave you a like, Peyton. Not because I liked your post, but because I'm trying to help you catch Gritz.

[YoungHeezy]

All hands on deck. Falcons win convincingly.

[Peyton]

I gave you a like, Peyton. Not because I liked your post, but because I'm trying to help you catch Gritz.

LOL. Well I've got a lot of posts that you are missing. Get busy liking.

[SyCo]

Let us be honest. This week’s playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons is all about Matt Ryan.

The Seahawks will score some points but certainly will not light up the Falcons defense the way the Green Bay Packers did in the 2010 playoffs. The Falcons defense will play well enough, and Matt Ryan needs to produce enough points to win.

It is fitting that one season after the New York Giants held the Falcons offense scoreless, Matt Ryan has to get it done against the number 1 scoring defense in the NFL.

This is his “river of sh*t” that he has to crawl through.

Virtually every QB that has ever hoisted a Lombardi has endured an extraordinary burden before reaching that pinnacle.

A few examples:

Terry Bradshaw started his career 8-13, while throwing only 19 TDs and 46 INTs. Entering his 5^th season, when he got his first Super Bowl ring, he wasn’t even the starting QB, he was riding the bench behind an 11^th round pick from Tennessee State named Joe Gilliam. Bradshaw went on to win the Super Bowl in 1974 on the back of the Steel Curtain, even though he did not have a great game or season, and now he is in the Hall of Fame.

Roger Staubach was drafted in 1964, but did not take an NFL snap until 1969 due to his military obligation, which included a tour in Vietnam. Entering the 1971 season, seven years after being drafted, after losing the starting job twice, Staubach was sitting on 4 career starts, 3 career TDs, and 10 career INTS. He finally secured the full time starting position in week 8 and led the team to the Super Bowl. Of course, he is now the Hall of Fame.

Troy Aikman started his NFL career 0-11 in this first season and 3-18 halfway through his second season. Despite being the first pick in the draft, he was benched in favor of fellow rookie Steve Walsh in his rookie season. Aikman was so bad in his first playoff game that he was replaced by Steve Buerlein in a 38-6 loss. The following year he and the Cowboys got over the hump. Now he is in the HOF.

Kurt Warner went undrafted in 1994 but did manage to find a spot on the Packers practice squad. He was released after the season and would not make another NFL squad until 1998. He spent what should have been his second NFL season stocking groceries in Cedar Falls, Iowa for $5.50 an hour. He had to tear up the Arena league and NFL Europe just to get another shot at an NFL roster. Due to a devastating injury to Trent Green, he got his chance to start, and he now owns the three highest Super Bowl passing yardage games in history, a Super Bowl MVP award, and two NFL MVP awards.

Peyton Manning’s struggles to win important games are legendary. He came up short at Tennessee against Florida, time and time again. Adding insult to injury, the Vols won the National Title the year after he left under the direction of Quarterback Tee Martin. Peyton not only lost his first three playoff games, but the third loss was a 41-0 destruction at the hands of a very average New York Jets team. When the Colts did get over the hump, it was due more to a herculean effort by the defense than his own efforts. Peyton is now considered one of the best of all time, but he was the original guy that “can’t win in the post season”.

Tom Brady started his career at Michigan as the 7^th QB on the depth chart. Despite demonstrating that he was the best QB on the roster, he was forced to split time with Drew Henson, because Lloyd Carr had promised Henson playing time when recruiting him and was worried that Henson would bolt the program for the New York Yankees, which Henson eventually did anyway. As a result of his perceived physical limitations and having to split time at Michigan, Brady dropped all the way to the 6^th round of the draft, and received a contract that paid him the league minimum. We all know how the Brady story ends.

Matt Ryan did not throw 46 INTs in his first two seasons. He did not have to go to Vietnam or lose his job multiple times at the beginning of his career. He did not start his career 3-18. He did not have to stock groceries for $5.50 an hour at 25 years of age. He did not let his school down against the Florida Gators time and time again. He did not fall to the 6^th round and play for the league minimum wage to start his career.

Matt Ryan’s burden, plain and simple, has been playoff failure, and lot's of it. While everything else has progressed swimmingly in his career, the Falcons’ playoff efforts are the walls that are closing in around his career.

Unlike Andy Dufresne, Matt does not have the option of digging through these walls with a rock hammer. He is going to have to throw his way through them, and he will.

No Quarterback in the Super Bowl era has ever lost his first four playoff starts.

Matt Ryan will not be the first. He is too good for it to happen. The Falcons defense is too stingy at home for it to happen. This team wants it too bad for it to happen.

Get Busy Winning….or Get Busy Dyin. That’s g*dd*mn right.

i had to stop reading halfway through

just to "like". then i finished

if i could "like" the second half too, i would.nice post!

[HouseofEuphoria]

Great read, Peyton.

Thanks for posting.

[Da_Truth]

Falcons know what this game means to them. They're just not looking to win one playoff game, they know they're in a position to win it all--if they play to the level we all know they can.

[Peyton]

Falcons know what this game means to them. They're just not looking to win one playoff game, they know they're in a position to win it all--if they play to the level we all know they can.

Frankly, I think the second one will come easier than the first. That first playoff win is a monkey Matt and the Falcons have got to get off their back. It is imperative that it happens this week.

[ConnFalcon]

Let us be honest. This week’s playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons is all about Matt Ryan.

The Seahawks will score some points but certainly will not light up the Falcons defense the way the Green Bay Packers did in the 2010 playoffs. The Falcons defense will play well enough, and Matt Ryan needs to produce enough points to win.

It is fitting that one season after the New York Giants held the Falcons offense scoreless, Matt Ryan has to get it done against the number 1 scoring defense in the NFL.

This is his “river of sh*t” that he has to crawl through.

Virtually every QB that has ever hoisted a Lombardi has endured an extraordinary burden before reaching that pinnacle.

A few examples:

Terry Bradshaw started his career 8-13, while throwing only 19 TDs and 46 INTs. Entering his 5^th season, when he got his first Super Bowl ring, he wasn’t even the starting QB, he was riding the bench behind an 11^th round pick from Tennessee State named Joe Gilliam. Bradshaw went on to win the Super Bowl in 1974 on the back of the Steel Curtain, even though he did not have a great game or season, and now he is in the Hall of Fame.

Roger Staubach was drafted in 1964, but did not take an NFL snap until 1969 due to his military obligation, which included a tour in Vietnam. Entering the 1971 season, seven years after being drafted, after losing the starting job twice, Staubach was sitting on 4 career starts, 3 career TDs, and 10 career INTS. He finally secured the full time starting position in week 8 and led the team to the Super Bowl. Of course, he is now the Hall of Fame.

Troy Aikman started his NFL career 0-11 in this first season and 3-18 halfway through his second season. Despite being the first pick in the draft, he was benched in favor of fellow rookie Steve Walsh in his rookie season. Aikman was so bad in his first playoff game that he was replaced by Steve Buerlein in a 38-6 loss. The following year he and the Cowboys got over the hump. Now he is in the HOF.

Kurt Warner went undrafted in 1994 but did manage to find a spot on the Packers practice squad. He was released after the season and would not make another NFL squad until 1998. He spent what should have been his second NFL season stocking groceries in Cedar Falls, Iowa for $5.50 an hour. He had to tear up the Arena league and NFL Europe just to get another shot at an NFL roster. Due to a devastating injury to Trent Green, he got his chance to start, and he now owns the three highest Super Bowl passing yardage games in history, a Super Bowl MVP award, and two NFL MVP awards.

Peyton Manning’s struggles to win important games are legendary. He came up short at Tennessee against Florida, time and time again. Adding insult to injury, the Vols won the National Title the year after he left under the direction of Quarterback Tee Martin. Peyton not only lost his first three playoff games, but the third loss was a 41-0 destruction at the hands of a very average New York Jets team. When the Colts did get over the hump, it was due more to a herculean effort by the defense than his own efforts. Peyton is now considered one of the best of all time, but he was the original guy that “can’t win in the post season”.

Tom Brady started his career at Michigan as the 7^th QB on the depth chart. Despite demonstrating that he was the best QB on the roster, he was forced to split time with Drew Henson, because Lloyd Carr had promised Henson playing time when recruiting him and was worried that Henson would bolt the program for the New York Yankees, which Henson eventually did anyway. As a result of his perceived physical limitations and having to split time at Michigan, Brady dropped all the way to the 6^th round of the draft, and received a contract that paid him the league minimum. We all know how the Brady story ends.

Matt Ryan did not throw 46 INTs in his first two seasons. He did not have to go to Vietnam or lose his job multiple times at the beginning of his career. He did not start his career 3-18. He did not have to stock groceries for $5.50 an hour at 25 years of age. He did not let his school down against the Florida Gators time and time again. He did not fall to the 6^th round and play for the league minimum wage to start his career.

Matt Ryan’s burden, plain and simple, has been playoff failure, and lot's of it. While everything else has progressed swimmingly in his career, the Falcons’ playoff efforts are the walls that are closing in around his career.

Unlike Andy Dufresne, Matt does not have the option of digging through these walls with a rock hammer. He is going to have to throw his way through them, and he will.

No Quarterback in the Super Bowl era has ever lost his first four playoff starts.

Matt Ryan will not be the first. He is too good for it to happen. The Falcons defense is too stingy at home for it to happen. This team wants it too bad for it to happen.

Get Busy Winning….or Get Busy Dyin. That’s g*dd*mn right.

EXCELLENT read, Peyton.

[PapaJoe]

Do or Die. There is no try.

I think Matt should ride out on a stallion for player intro, go to midfield, throw down a Tomahawk or spear, then circle the field while the Dome goes nuts!!!!

[Dirty Bird Gumbo]

I like your thread title.

[Peyton]

I like your thread title.

Hopefully Stephen King doesn't sue me.

[stumpjumper]

Reading that made me feel so much better, thanks.

[freebird310]

Matt Ryan will never be your beast of burden, he walk for miles, his feet are hurtin.....never never never never never be ....

[kiwifalcon]

Where are all the trolls at????

Oh thats right they don't read threads like these oh no wait Bankerbird went through the board with the broom the other week thats right I forgot.

Pretty interesting read as usual Peyton it got a +1 from me aswell.

[Mr. Right]

How do you know Ryan's time has come? He's only been in the league for 5 years. With his slow development, his time could be 10 years from now. I guess my question is, what makes this year the year as opposed to last year or two years from now?

Edited January 7, 2013 by Mr. Right

[falconidae]

...I've said it a dozen times in here over the past four months and I'll say it again, Matt Ryan has reached a whole new level this season, far beyond anything he achieved in his prior seasons. He has become the quiet, yet undisputed leader of his team and he now possesses the capability of putting this team on his shoulders and producing a play-off victory. ...

Amen, we don't necessarily agree on everything [which is fine], but we agree on this. This a new and improved Ryan and he will will the falcons to victory this coming Sunday.

Ryan's and the team's whole focus has been this upcoming game. They didn't celebrate winning the division or HFA, I'm sure they'll celebrate their win Sunday, but quickly get onto the next game. They're after bigger game than a playoff victory, it's just a steppingstone.

[ATLFalconsfan_56]

I like us this weekend its pretty similar to the Colts back in 06 with their game against the chiefs

• Our runstopping problems, were facing a top running team... their run defense was awful, worse than ours they played the chiefs with a great running game... ended up holding the chiefs to under 30 yds rushing!!!
  
• We get a top playmaker back on defense in Willy Mo - they got their top playmaker on defense in Bob Sanders back just in time and took care of business
  

look at our offense we got the young P Manning in Matt Ryan at the helm with 2 incredible wideouts in RW84 and JJ11 with a very underrated #3 in HD83 with questionably the Best TE to ever play the game In Gonzo and they all have a huge chip on their shoulder to show their serious, I dont care what they are saying on NFL AM, I dont know anyone on that show besides Eric Davis, and Steve Wyche anyways... So GO Falcons!!!

[dmite]

Working those Likes hard lately.

[PokerSteve]

Working those Likes hard lately.

Speaking of which, why in hale is there a limit on how many Likes you can give in a day? What is the frigging point of having a limit? Does not compute. One of you board tech geeks please fix that.

[Peyton]

How do you know Ryan's time has come? He's only been in the league for 5 years. With his slow development, his time could be 10 years from now. I guess my question is, what makes this year the year as opposed to last year or two years from now?

It just feels like it. If you get there enough times, you are going to win eventually. I think eventually has arrived.

[wook21]

we have to win this game period

[Peyton]

I like us this weekend its pretty similar to the Colts back in 06 with their game against the chiefs

• Our runstopping problems, were facing a top running team... their run defense was awful, worse than ours they played the chiefs with a great running game... ended up holding the chiefs to under 30 yds rushing!!!
  
• We get a top playmaker back on defense in Willy Mo - they got their top playmaker on defense in Bob Sanders back just in time and took care of business
  

look at our offense we got the young P Manning in Matt Ryan at the helm with 2 incredible wideouts in RW84 and JJ11 with a very underrated #3 in HD83 with questionably the Best TE to ever play the game In Gonzo and they all have a huge chip on their shoulder to show their serious, I dont care what they are saying on NFL AM, I dont know anyone on that show besides Eric Davis, and Steve Wyche anyways... So GO Falcons!!!

We are probably going to need better playoffs from Matt than the Colts got from Peyton in 06, but I do agree overall.