Hiring a driver has given Matt Ryan more time to be prepared for games

[Geneaut]

I can't wait to read the comments

http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/73390/hiring-a-driver-has-given-matt-ryan-more-time-to-be-game-prepared

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- When asked if Matt Ryan reminded him of any other quarterback he has worked with over the years, veteran Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp didn't hesitate with his response.

"His preparation for the game is much like Peyton Manning's in that he leaves no stone unturned," Knapp said of Ryan. "Coach [Dan] Quinn always tells us, 'Quiz your players. Challenge them. See if they know the game plan.' When Sark [offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian] and I are in the room, it's almost the other way around, like Matt's going to challenge us.

"When a player is doing that, especially at the quarterback position, you feel pretty confident going into the game that he's got a great grasp of the game plan. He's asking, 'Can I do things this way? It might make us a little bit better. Can I make this read this way?' And he does that all the time. It's impressive."

Ryan appreciated Knapp's high praise and the comparison to Manning.

"It obviously means a lot to me that Gregg would make a comment like that," Ryan said. "I have a ton of respect for Peyton and how he did, how he handled his career -- No. 1, from a preparation standpoint. I think he's been one of the best of all time at getting himself consistently prepared week in and week out -- at least that's what it seems like from an outside perspective.

"And it's something I do take pride in, as well. I feel like I try to get myself as [prepared as] I can be week in and week out to give our team [the] best chance to win."

Ryan, who has known Manning a long time and has talked to the future Hall of Famer "a lot" over the years, took one bit of advice from Manning in particular: Find a routine that works for you. Ryan actually borrowed a page from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers' playbook this season when he hired an SUV driver to chauffeur him from his home to the Falcons' facility and back on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Ryan -- who lives in the Buckhead district of Atlanta and about 50 miles from the team headquarters in Flowery Branch, Georgia -- utilizes the commute to spend more time breaking down film, feeding right into Knapp's comment regarding his preparation.

"I felt like I had the time to do it because of where I live and the commute," Ryan said. "And I felt like I could be more efficient with my time. Really, I get an hour and a half more work done every day because of it. You guys know the traffic can be a bear here in Atlanta, too, especially around the holidays."

Although this season hasn't gone as planned for the 6-9 Falcons, Ryan still has put up more than 4,500 passing yards with 33 touchdowns and just six interceptions while being named a Pro Bowl alternate. No one would ever question Ryan's preparedness, even in the tough times.

Here's how a typical week of film preparation breaks down for Ryan, including the 4.5 hours spent as the passenger in the SUV. (Oh, he does talk to his driver, by the way. It's just not long, drawn-out conversations that would distract from the task at hand. "I'm trying to work, man," Ryan said with a smile.)

Monday
"To me, Monday morning is a quick review of what we did the day before and making note of when we see this team again, what we're going to do. And then it switches to who are we playing the next week, and then going through and watching game film of just how the game flows, just getting a feel for who the defense is that we're going against. I'll watch [that past Sunday's] game film once on my own and once with the staff. Then, I'll usually watch three or four games of the next opponent just to get an overall feel for what they do and who they are."

Tuesday
"For me, it's the first day to jump into cut-ups. And I try to do like a half-day, because I also think getting away and getting mentally recharged is important and having time to be able to spend with your family -- get away from it and disconnect. But for me, it's down-and-distance cut-ups [of the opposing defense], which would be first-and-10, second-and-7 or less, and then second-and-7-plus. Yes, I watch them at home."

Wednesday

"On Wednesday, we install first-and-second-down stuff. We also do third-and-2 to -6. I start with protections. For me, that's the No. 1 thing. But safeties will tell [you] what to do with protections. So, protections could be safeties. It could be fronts. It could be backers. It could be a lot of different things. That's what we kind of work through early in the week is to find out what our keys are going to be. And a lot of times, it is safeties. But then, in terms of coverage, absolutely it's about seeing safety tilts, safety rotations, and seeing the shell of the defense to give you an indicator of, 'OK, this could be what we're getting. We've done the preparation. This is what they play in this down and distance.' And then you make the best decision possible with the information that you have. Wednesday night going home, I start third-and-seven to -10."

Thursday
"Thursday morning on the ride in is the red zone, starting from down bottom and working our way out. Tendencies: What are they playing, coverage-wise? What are their pressures in this down and distance? Just getting yourself to [a] place of, 'All right, what to expect on this down and distance with the play call that we have. Here's X, Y, Z -- things that they could do.' But it gives you a comfort level.
"Obviously, you can't be stuck in that, whatever the situation. You've got be able to adapt and adjust and see what you see. Against [Ravens safety] Eric Weddle, I had to call a timeout. He was the only guy that got me this year that I had to burn a timeout because I had us in the wrong play. And I knew it, and we didn't have a good play. Timeouts are sacred, too. And so I had to burn one. I felt bad about that one. He's good, man. And he's very good at disguising things."

Friday
"For me, it's where I go back, and Dana Bible, my offensive coordinator in college, always kind of taught me: 'It's about them early in the week. And then the shift happens, and it becomes about you later in the week.' I've always tried to do that, and it works well for me. I try and put the film to bed and really start to focus on us and our plan.

"I'm done [with film study] on Friday, for the most part. There will be a handful of things, maybe a cut-up or two, that I go through that might be unique that week. Two-minute comes up on Friday, so two-minute situations, that's kind of what I go through on Friday. But by the time we're into meetings Friday morning, that's typically when I'm done with film of who we're going against. And it starts to become reviewing our plan and going through different possible scenarios that we might get."

Edited December 28, 2018 by Geneaut

[PokerSteve]

The devil is in the details...also the ability to put up pro bowl numbers when the team is having a crap season.

[4dabirds]

That was a good read. It is amazing how much preparation Ryan and other QBs have to go through. I also liked the part about Weddle and how he got Ryan to call a time out. We got us a good one when they drafted Ryan.

[JD dirtybird21]

"He isn't good enough. Get me a guy more athletic with a cannon and great legs."

"His contract is going to destroy this franchise. Give me Tyrod Taylor so we can sign tons of great free agents and keep our good skill players. Can't have one or the other"

"He's a choker who can't win the big game"

"We need to draft a QB in the 1st round, he's old and his arm is shot from throwing all those ducks"

Signed, 

The Ungrateful, Spoiled little brats on TATF

[Spts1]

good idea he has there...

 

Edited December 28, 2018 by slickgadawg

[RoddyWhite84]

3 minutes ago, JD dirtybird21 said:

"He isn't good enough. Get me a guy more athletic with a cannon and great legs."

"His contract is going to destroy this franchise. Give me Tyrod Taylor so we can sign tons of great free agents and keep our good skill players. Can't have one or the other"

"He's a choker who can't win the big game"

"We need to draft a QB in the 1st round, he's old and his arm is shot from throwing all those ducks"

Signed, 

The Ungrateful, Spoiled little brats on TATF

This^^^^^

[Jpg428gggg]

Great read. The amount of preparation they put in is ridiculous. This is why I laugh when posters blame him when the coordinator makes a bad play call like he is supposed to also find time to design the entire offense as well. We have to be the only fanbase that blames the QB for bad play calls. 

[octoslash]

All I know is:  They're gonna miss him when he's gone.

[Hibachi]

4 hours ago, JD dirtybird21 said:

"He isn't good enough. Get me a guy more athletic with a cannon and great legs."

"His contract is going to destroy this franchise. Give me Tyrod Taylor so we can sign tons of great free agents and keep our good skill players. Can't have one or the other"

"He's a choker who can't win the big game"

"We need to draft a QB in the 1st round, he's old and his arm is shot from throwing all those ducks"

Signed, 

The Ungrateful, Spoiled little brats on TATF

Remember the threads that we should have gotten Jake Locker, or should have drafted Glen Dorsey. LMAO! There's not many left on that draft class that's in the league let along playing at Ice's level

[jlrfalcon]

I wonder what it is like to be the driver - driving in Buckhead traffic has to be a chore itself and then getting on I-85 (but surely using the Peach Pass lanes) and getting out to Flowery Branch without getting in a wreck is an accomplishment.  Any wreck or maybe even a sudden jolt that could possibly hurt the $30 million dollar man Ryan could be shattering to the driver's career.  I would hope he (or she?) was smart enough to get a pretty good contract considering what he (or she?) is carrying.

[Geneaut]

19 minutes ago, Hibachi said:

Remember the threads that we should have gotten Jake Locker, or should have drafted Glen Dorsey. LMAO! There's not many left on that draft class that's in the league let along playing at Ice's level

Yep.

Pro Football Reference is showing 20 guys from that draft still playing this season, and a few of them only in a few games.

[falcons007]

I want a coach who can quiz Ryan, not the other way round. No wonder we don’t hear from Ryan how he was learning and being challenged like KS did in first 2 years.

[falcons007]

33 minutes ago, Hibachi said:

Remember the threads that we should have gotten Jake Locker, or should have drafted Glen Dorsey. LMAO! There's not many left on that draft class that's in the league let along playing at Ice's level

I was one of those Dorsey and Draft Brohm or Henne later guy. But Dorsey was the consensus pick among fans and media too. I knew what we had in Ryan during final seconds of th Chicago game in his rookie year.

[Geneaut]

8 minutes ago, falcons007 said:

I was one of those Dorsey and Draft Brohm or Henne later guy. But Dorsey was the consensus pick among fans and media too. I knew what we had in Ryan during final seconds of th Chicago game in his rookie year.

When you get bored and lookup Corey Peters' stats and realize he has more career sacks than Dorsey 

 

Edit * and so does Vance Walker

Edited December 28, 2018 by Geneaut

[falcons007]

38 minutes ago, Geneaut said:

When you get bored and lookup Corey Peters' stats and realize he has more career sacks than Dorsey 

 

Edit * and so does Vance Walker

Yeah. Dorsey was supposed to be safe pick.

[mattyicefalcon]

7 hours ago, Geneaut said:

I can't wait to read the comments

http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/73390/hiring-a-driver-has-given-matt-ryan-more-time-to-be-game-prepared

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- When asked if Matt Ryan reminded him of any other quarterback he has worked with over the years, veteran Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp didn't hesitate with his response.

"His preparation for the game is much like Peyton Manning's in that he leaves no stone unturned," Knapp said of Ryan. "Coach [Dan] Quinn always tells us, 'Quiz your players. Challenge them. See if they know the game plan.' When Sark [offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian] and I are in the room, it's almost the other way around, like Matt's going to challenge us.

"When a player is doing that, especially at the quarterback position, you feel pretty confident going into the game that he's got a great grasp of the game plan. He's asking, 'Can I do things this way? It might make us a little bit better. Can I make this read this way?' And he does that all the time. It's impressive."

Ryan appreciated Knapp's high praise and the comparison to Manning.

"It obviously means a lot to me that Gregg would make a comment like that," Ryan said. "I have a ton of respect for Peyton and how he did, how he handled his career -- No. 1, from a preparation standpoint. I think he's been one of the best of all time at getting himself consistently prepared week in and week out -- at least that's what it seems like from an outside perspective.

"And it's something I do take pride in, as well. I feel like I try to get myself as [prepared as] I can be week in and week out to give our team [the] best chance to win."

Ryan, who has known Manning a long time and has talked to the future Hall of Famer "a lot" over the years, took one bit of advice from Manning in particular: Find a routine that works for you. Ryan actually borrowed a page from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers' playbook this season when he hired an SUV driver to chauffeur him from his home to the Falcons' facility and back on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Ryan -- who lives in the Buckhead district of Atlanta and about 50 miles from the team headquarters in Flowery Branch, Georgia -- utilizes the commute to spend more time breaking down film, feeding right into Knapp's comment regarding his preparation.

"I felt like I had the time to do it because of where I live and the commute," Ryan said. "And I felt like I could be more efficient with my time. Really, I get an hour and a half more work done every day because of it. You guys know the traffic can be a bear here in Atlanta, too, especially around the holidays."

Although this season hasn't gone as planned for the 6-9 Falcons, Ryan still has put up more than 4,500 passing yards with 33 touchdowns and just six interceptions while being named a Pro Bowl alternate. No one would ever question Ryan's preparedness, even in the tough times.

Here's how a typical week of film preparation breaks down for Ryan, including the 4.5 hours spent as the passenger in the SUV. (Oh, he does talk to his driver, by the way. It's just not long, drawn-out conversations that would distract from the task at hand. "I'm trying to work, man," Ryan said with a smile.)

Monday
"To me, Monday morning is a quick review of what we did the day before and making note of when we see this team again, what we're going to do. And then it switches to who are we playing the next week, and then going through and watching game film of just how the game flows, just getting a feel for who the defense is that we're going against. I'll watch [that past Sunday's] game film once on my own and once with the staff. Then, I'll usually watch three or four games of the next opponent just to get an overall feel for what they do and who they are."

Tuesday
"For me, it's the first day to jump into cut-ups. And I try to do like a half-day, because I also think getting away and getting mentally recharged is important and having time to be able to spend with your family -- get away from it and disconnect. But for me, it's down-and-distance cut-ups [of the opposing defense], which would be first-and-10, second-and-7 or less, and then second-and-7-plus. Yes, I watch them at home."

Wednesday

"On Wednesday, we install first-and-second-down stuff. We also do third-and-2 to -6. I start with protections. For me, that's the No. 1 thing. But safeties will tell [you] what to do with protections. So, protections could be safeties. It could be fronts. It could be backers. It could be a lot of different things. That's what we kind of work through early in the week is to find out what our keys are going to be. And a lot of times, it is safeties. But then, in terms of coverage, absolutely it's about seeing safety tilts, safety rotations, and seeing the shell of the defense to give you an indicator of, 'OK, this could be what we're getting. We've done the preparation. This is what they play in this down and distance.' And then you make the best decision possible with the information that you have. Wednesday night going home, I start third-and-seven to -10."

Thursday
"Thursday morning on the ride in is the red zone, starting from down bottom and working our way out. Tendencies: What are they playing, coverage-wise? What are their pressures in this down and distance? Just getting yourself to [a] place of, 'All right, what to expect on this down and distance with the play call that we have. Here's X, Y, Z -- things that they could do.' But it gives you a comfort level.
"Obviously, you can't be stuck in that, whatever the situation. You've got be able to adapt and adjust and see what you see. Against [Ravens safety] Eric Weddle, I had to call a timeout. He was the only guy that got me this year that I had to burn a timeout because I had us in the wrong play. And I knew it, and we didn't have a good play. Timeouts are sacred, too. And so I had to burn one. I felt bad about that one. He's good, man. And he's very good at disguising things."

Friday
"For me, it's where I go back, and Dana Bible, my offensive coordinator in college, always kind of taught me: 'It's about them early in the week. And then the shift happens, and it becomes about you later in the week.' I've always tried to do that, and it works well for me. I try and put the film to bed and really start to focus on us and our plan.

"I'm done [with film study] on Friday, for the most part. There will be a handful of things, maybe a cut-up or two, that I go through that might be unique that week. Two-minute comes up on Friday, so two-minute situations, that's kind of what I go through on Friday. But by the time we're into meetings Friday morning, that's typically when I'm done with film of who we're going against. And it starts to become reviewing our plan and going through different possible scenarios that we might get."

Man, someone give this guy Ravens defense PUHH-LEASSE!!! 

[VTCrunkler]

Imagine if Vick prepared like that....

[TRUju2111]

So he's like the Lincoln Lawyer in the middle of his breakdown right now. I just picture him sweating and confused

Edited December 29, 2018 by TRUju2111

[Ergo Proxy]

7 hours ago, octoslash said:

All I know is:  They're gonna miss him when he's gone.

 

[UGABOZ]

Cliffs op good lord 

[quotemokc]

Matty Ice has enough money to get a helicopter to and from practice everyday, that is what he should be doing.

His house is also probably big enough to install a helipad somewhere too.

[JOEinPHX]

2 hours ago, VTCrunkler said:

Imagine if Vick prepared like that....

I don't think any of us has that much imagination.

[VTCrunkler]

10 minutes ago, JOEinPHX said:

I don't think any of us has that much imagination.

Ha!

[Pay the Zebra]

Weird flex but ok

[MilleniumFalcon]

16 hours ago, quotemokc said:

Matty Ice has enough money to get a helicopter to and from practice everyday, that is what he should be doing.

His house is also probably big enough to install a helipad somewhere too.

He lives in a buckhead condo so probably no to a heliport. He used to live next to Matthew Stafford but Stafford recently built a large house in Buckhead.