theProf Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan can prove he belongs in top tier of QBsVaughn McClure, ESPN Staff Writer ESPN's Mike Sando put together a terrific insider piece once again this year, ranking the quarterbacks around the NFL Insider for this season.As for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, he didn't make the top tier group that includes Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees.Ryan comes in fifth among the second tier of quarterbacks behind Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Tony Romo and Joe Flacco. Ryan is 11th overall. He was tied with Eli Manning for eighth last season.Sando's piece was based on coaches and evaluators he polled. He labels a Tier 1 quarterback as a quarterback who can carry his team week after week and contend for championships without much help. The Tier 2 quarterbacks are less consistent and need more help, but good enough to figure into the championship equation.Is it fair to put Ryan in the second group of quarterbacks? Based on ability, I would say no. Ryan is a talented quarterback who can make all the throws. I'd put him up against the best pocket passers, provided he has adequate protection. But Sando's rankings specify a quarterback carrying a team and contending for a title without much help. Ryan needs some help to get there.I don't put that all on him, however. We've seen how the Falcons' roster has fallen apart over the past few years. Ryan hasn't had the stability around him that players such as Brady and Rodgers have had with their respective teams. I could only imagine how dominant Ryan would have been with a respectable offensive line and solid running game over the past two seasons coming off an appearance in the NFC Championship Game during the 2012 season. Even with a porous defense, I think Ryan would have had his team at least in the postseason conversation with those elements.Is Ryan elite? As Rex Ryan said two years ago, Matt Ryan is "close" to being elite. Even Ryan knows he has to help his team advance in the playoffs and even reach the Super Bowl before people truly put him up there with Brady, Rodgers and Manning. Luck is a pretty dynamic young player, so it's understandable why he would be in that group rather than Ryan.Although Ryan was named to the Pro Bowl last season in place of Brady, he knows he didn't have his best showing. He no doubt wishes he could take back the poor throw and game-changing interception to Cassius Vaughn in a gut-wrenching loss to the Detroit Lions in London. He would take back the Pick-six he threw in a loss to the Steelers.Still, Ryan enters 2015 riding four consecutive 4,000-yard seasons and with a career completion percentage of 64 percent. He's doing something right, even if his 10-22 record as the starter over the past two seasons doesn't reflect it.We'll see if Ryan's marriage with new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan leads to more offensive success as well as victories. If so, then he'll be in the top tier conversation once again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFalcoholic Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 He is elite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trubirdfan4life Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 All these lists are gonna sound the same. If a falcon is involved, he wont top the list, unless its about over rated or chokers or busts or overpaid guys but we have to change that perception Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtybird#11 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Lol not again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 In my opinion, Ryan is better than Drew Brees and Peyton Manning at this point. I'm talking today, not 5 years ago. Ryan is obviously a top 10 QB at this point. I think the author of the rating hangs way too much of the blame of last year on Ryan, there's only so much any QB can do. You tell me how he is supposed to elevate a defense that is completely lost and has no idea if its a 3-4, 4-3, mutlple, ameba, paramecium, etc and cant stop granny walking down the middle of the field. In fact, last year Ryan was our very best player on the field. so to take the other 52 who played worse with few exceoptions, and some MUCH worse, is not reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD dirtybird21 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 The fact that Ryan is behind Russell Wilson on this list completely compromises it. How can one think that Wilson is the 8th best QB in the league to carry a team without help when he hasn't even been tested to do that? Wilson practically LOST his team the NFCCG and with a ton of luck and help from his defense, they stayed in the game and Wilson made 2 good throws. 2. The rest of the game, he was TERRIBLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtybird#11 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 The fact that Ryan is behind Russell Wilson on this list completely compromises it. How can one think that Wilson is the 8th best QB in the league to carry a team without help when he hasn't even been tested to do that? Wilson practically LOST his team the NFCCG and with a ton of luck and help from his defense, they stayed in the game and Wilson made 2 good throws. 2. The rest of the game, he was TERRIBLE.Let's not pretend that Matty Ice has never had bad post season performances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD dirtybird21 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 (edited) Let's not pretend that Matty Ice has never had bad post season performances.Never said that. My post was pointing out Russell Wilson being overrated. Ryan has absolutely had bad playoff performances. At least Wilson can have bad performances and still WIN the game. Man is he elite or what? Edited July 22, 2015 by JD dirtybird21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD dirtybird21 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 The Matt Ryan/Julio Jones tandem is up there with Rodgers and Jordy when it comes to elite QB/WR combos. Scary to think that both players are hitting their prime. The best years for an NFL QB are usually 29-34. For a wide receiver, it's 25-30. That's a bingo!Yea but we should probably get rid of Julio Jones so we can win the super bowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukeduke211 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 DUDE IS ELITE.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theProf Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 In my opinion, Ryan is better than Drew Brees and Peyton Manning at this point. I'm talking today, not 5 years ago. Ryan is obviously a top 10 QB at this point.I think the author of the rating hangs way too much of the blame of last year on Ryan, there's only so much any QB can do. You tell me how he is supposed to elevate a defense that is completely lost and has no idea if its a 3-4, 4-3, mutlple, ameba, paramecium, etc and cant stop granny walking down the middle of the field.In fact, last year Ryan was our very best player on the field. so to take the other 52 who played worse with few exceoptions, and some MUCH worse, is not reasonable.I'm surprised you didn't comment on Flacco being just ahead of Ryan in Sando's rankings, but I think we already know how you feel about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rock Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I agree totally with the article. We need a running game and a good o-line for Ryan to succeed. The elite QBs can mask a bad OLine with their skill, Ryan isn't there yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskooler Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Hey, Rock? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU AGREE WITH!!!Had to be said.Now, with that out of the way, I don't give a flying frikking frakk what Matt Ryan's "elite status" is. Or where talking head blowhards rank him. Win a Super Bowl. Nothing else matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtybird#11 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Hey, Rock? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU AGREE WITH!!!Had to be said.Now, with that out of the way, I don't give a flying frikking frakk what Matt Ryan's "elite status" is. Or where talking head blowhards rank him. Win a Super Bowl. Nothing else matters.Absolutely beautiful post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigSmackDaddy Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I agree totally with the article. We need a running game and a good o-line for Ryan to succeed. The elite QBs can mask a bad OLine with their skill, Ryan isn't there yet.Well it sure wouldn't hurt but I disagree. If our D was middle of the pack last season we would have made the playoffs, no doubt about it in my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanSince1970 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 The fact that Ryan is behind Russell Wilson on this list completely compromises it. How can one think that Wilson is the 8th best QB in the league to carry a team without help when he hasn't even been tested to do that? Wilson practically LOST his team the NFCCG and with a ton of luck and help from his defense, they stayed in the game and Wilson made 2 good throws. 2. The rest of the game, he was TERRIBLE.Wilson has a 98.6 career passer rating and is good for 600 rush yards in any given season. His winning% as a starter is extremely good. He should probably be ranked ahead of PManning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD dirtybird21 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 (edited) Wilson has a 98.6 career passer rating and is good for 600 rush yards in any given season. His winning% as a starter is extremely good. He should probably be ranked ahead of PManning.Ryan's passer rating this last season was 93.6. His team finished 6-10. Oh wait, Ryan finished 6-10, not the Falcons. How can a guy finish 6-10 with 93 passer rating?Try to look at something as a whole for once. Let's look at Russell Wilson's worst playoff performance this last season against Green Bay:Wilson goes 14-29 for 209 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, with a whopping 48.6% Comp % and a rating of 44.3. The Seahawks defeat the Packers 28-22 in OT.Ryan's 2 worst playoff performances:On the road against New York, Ryan goes 24-41 for 199 yards for 58.5% comp % and a rating of 71.1. Zero TD's, zero INT. His team loses 24-2.At home against Green Bay, Ryan goes 20-29 for 186 yards for 69 comp %, rating of 69 with 1 TD and 2 INT. His team loses 48-21.So how is it that Russell Wilson's worst playoff performance is WAY worse than Ryan's 2 worst playoff performances and yet, Wilson's team still wins it's game? However, Ryan's team loses BADLY to both his opponents?Maybe it's because, the quarterback isn't everything...weird! Edited July 23, 2015 by JD dirtybird21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanSince1970 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Ryan's passer rating this last season was 93.6. His team finished 6-10. Oh wait, Ryan finished 6-10, not the Falcons. How can a guy finish 6-10 with 93 passer rating?Try to look at something as a whole for once. Let's look at Russell Wilson's worst playoff performance this last season against Green Bay:Wilson goes 14-29 for 209 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, with a whopping 48.6% Comp % and a rating of 44.3. The Seahawks defeat the Packers 28-22 in OT.Ryan's 2 worst playoff performances:On the road against New York, Ryan goes 24-41 for 199 yards for 58.5% comp % and a rating of 71.1. Zero TD's, zero INT. His team loses 24-2.At home against Green Bay, Ryan goes 20-29 for 186 yards for 69 comp %, rating of 69 with 1 TD and 2 INT. His team loses 48-21.So how is it that Russell Wilson's worst playoff performance is WAY worse than Ryan's 2 worst playoff performances and yet, Wilson's team still wins it's game? However, Ryan's team loses BADLY to both his opponents?Maybe it's because, the quarterback isn't everything...weird!That ain't got a dam thing to do with your comment that Wilson being ranked above Ryan compromises the list. Wilson is a dam good QB. Passing and Running. Now go pull up some of PManning's playoff stinkers that his team won. Should he not be on the list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD dirtybird21 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 That ain't got a dam thing to do with your comment that Wilson being ranked above Ryan compromises the list. Wilson is a dam good QB. Passing and Running. Now go pull up some of PManning's playoff stinkers that his team won. Should he not be on the list?Way to dodge proof that you're wrong. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I'm surprised you didn't comment on Flacco being just ahead of Ryan in Sando's rankings, but I think we already know how you feel about that. By his ranking of Wilson it's clear he's one of the bozos that credits a QB that has an outstanding support group around high (including coaches and system) that can collectively win a Super Bowl and penalizes QBs that have inferior support systems that no matter how good the QB is haven't won a Super Bowl so I pay these kind of mouthpieces little attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanSince1970 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Way to dodge proof that you're wrong. lolHow bout PManning's 39.6 against BAL in the 2006 playoffs? His team won 15-6.Brady went 3-0 in the playoffs with passer ratings of 57.5, 57.6 and 66.4.How the hail did they make the list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butudontseeme™ Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Drew Brees being included in their tier 1 group for 2015 was the first questionable thing about this one. I don't care for this type of list typically. There's too much subjectivity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD dirtybird21 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 How bout PManning's 39.6 against BAL in the 2006 playoffs? His team won 15-6.Brady went 3-0 in the playoffs with passer ratings of 57.5, 57.6 and 66.4.How the hail did they make the list?My original argument in the thread is that Russell Wilson has never even been tested. He's had a stacked team his entire career. Both Manning and Brady have actually dealt with injury plagued seasons and teams without much talent. One season, Manning was throwing to guys like Tamme, Garcon, and Austin Collie. They still went 12-4. The very next season, Manning missed the entire season and the Colts went 2-14. I think the Seahawks could easily still go 10-6 without Russell Wilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madman88 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I almost stop reading when he said a qb that carries his team week to week without help.. Thats complete BS. The besg QBs have the best supporting cast.Rodgers BradyManning Luck all have weapons.. And all have a decent to very good defense..No help my azz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM12 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 behind Flacco and Wilson.Naaaaah mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.