birdz4i Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Only one other quarterback in the NFL dropped back for more passes last season than Matt Ryan.And while Ryan still figures to pass it plenty in the Atlanta Falcons new offense called by Kyle Shanahan, seeing Shanahan’s playbook – which requires a quarterback to move in the pocket – he knew he’d have to change his offseason workouts.“Keepers, that wasn't really a big part of Matt's game for the last four or five years, for him to get back into that, he's had to push his conditioning really good,” head coach Dan Quinn told USA TODAY Sports. “And he's worked really hard at that.”Shanahan isn’t going to ask Ryan to morph into Robert Griffin III circa 2012, when Shanahan and his father, Mike Shanahan, ran the offense in Washington. But picture mid-2000s Jake Plummer for the Denver Broncos, with his naked bootlegs and scrambles. Shanahan’s offense will require more of Ryan than seven-stop drops and Quinn is hoping that means a better, more diverse and explosive offense.There were positive signs in the preseason. Ryan was nearly flawless in his exhibition work, completing 72.2 % of his passes, with a pair of touchdown throws and no interceptions, numbers that were especially encouraging considering the Falcons spent much of the preseason without starting running back Devonta Freeman and No. 2 wide receiver Roddy White, and he was playing behind a makeshift offensive line as starters like left tackle Jake Matthews and center Joe Hawley dealt with injuries.“Matt is finally grooving, because there is so much on that guy, from the formation to the terminology to the play, to the defense, where now he can feel comfortable,” Quinn said.Having a healthy and happy Julio Jones helps. The Falcons signed Jones to a new five-year, $71.25 million contract last week, and though Jones played little in the preseason – he caught just four passes for 61 yards and one touchdown, all in the preseason opener against Tennessee – it’s one piece of the offense that Quinn isn’t concerned about.The challenge now for Shanahan is to find new ways to use Jones, who is coming off season in which he caught 104 passes for 1,593 yards. He had only six touchdowns last season (his career high is 10 touchdowns, in 2012).“We’re going to try and feature him in every single way that we can. I’m not going to put a number on him and say like okay, if he doesn’t have this number it’s not a good year. He’s a fantastic player,” Quinn said. But the Ryan-to-Jones connection might only be as good as the rest of the offense around it, and that’s what has Monday Night Football analyst and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden concerned. Gruden, who will call the Falcons’ first game on Sept. 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles, said the Falcons must find a better running game. The Falcons ranked No. 31 in the preseason in rushing, at just 69.2 yards per game.“They haven't run the ball very well in a long time. They didn't run it well in the three preseason games I've looked at. And they haven't been committed to running it, either. And their offensive line right now has a lot to prove,” Gruden said on a conference call this week."Those are two big ifs, but if they can pass block and run block and run the ball, Matt Ryan and these receivers can rip you. They're very talented."But until Freeman can prove he’s healthy, and until rookie Tevin Coleman establishes himself as a good complementary back, the pressure will be on Ryan and Shanahan, who is with his third team in three years after spending 2014 in Cleveland.“Kyle’s kind of been a chameleon, wherever he’s gone he’s had different guys to play with, and I think he’s shown that he will adjust to whatever kind of personnel they have,” Ryan said. “I think it’s been great, he’s really bright, really smart, has great ideas, and is open to kind of trying to do things that I like. I think the combination of the two has been really good.”http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/falcons/2015/09/05/ryan-falcons-shanahan/71765408/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggggggo Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 nothing I hate more than click-bait headings from the media (not directed at OP). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirdieBirdieIndie Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 what is your definition of run-around.... Urgggghhh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtlantaFalconPokerPro Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Not a Kyle fan. Don't trust him with our 100 million dollar qb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayOzOne Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Ryan is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. I'm glad he made the effort to build up his body a few seasons ago or he probably wouldn't have finished the last two seasons. We need to avoid outings like the Dolphins exhibition game during the regular season. I'm looking forward to him having a fantastic year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanATL1988 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Not a Kyle fan. Don't trust him with our 100 million dollar qb.I just cant trust the shanahan name. I feel they pull shady stuff. I will see how it plays out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shotfather Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 nothing I hate more than click-bait headings from the media (not directed at OP).You do realize that the entire point of a headline is to get you to click on it and read it right? So much so that there are entirely different people from the article author who get paid to come up with the headlines. "Click-bait" as a derogatory term is the stupidest thing ever created by the Internet. It is the Internet, it's ENTIRE existence relies on people clicking on stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Falcon Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 what is your definition of run-around.... Urgggghhh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggggggo Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 You do realize that the entire point of a headline is to get you to click on it and read it right? So much so that there are entirely different people from the article author who get paid to come up with the headlines."Click-bait" as a derogatory term is the stupidest thing ever created by the Internet. It is the Internet, it's ENTIRE existence relies on people clicking on stuff.No, i realize what the intent is and it's purpose in regards to business. I would have likely read the article regardless of the title if it had to do with the Falcons, but title it for what the content is, not a masked word game to make you think something different. And I meant media as a whole, not just the internet, with how news shows over play a topic in an advert blip and the story is not nearly as exciting/important as they made it out to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu 7 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Shanahan’s offense will require more of Ryan than seven-stop drops and Quinn is hoping that means a better, more diverse and explosive offense.uh oh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macintez Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 what is your definition of run-around.... Urgggghhh****, where's Cube? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Pimp Named Slickback™ Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 ****, where's Cube?Was out of the group at that point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hingle McCringleberry Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 The title had me thinking they were not communicating like they should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shotfather Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 The title had me thinking they were not communicating like they should.Well that's why you read the actual article, so you can realize that it was just a play on words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlfanstckndenver Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Reach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_Lo_Touchdowns Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Dear lord please don't let these idiots get Matt killed this season... Amen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-TowN.- Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Anyone else think of Drake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likeriver Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 At first glance I thought it said reach around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconsfan567 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 At first glance I thought it said reach aroundSomeone's got their mind in the gutter tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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