FalconsIn2012 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Matt Ryan: Falcons have 'a great chance' to return to Super Bowl Ryan maintains the same confident approach heading into every season. Going into 2019, however, he seems to have more swagger than usual regarding his team’s ability to contend for a title. “The group of guys that we have, we have a locker room of competitive, hardworking, unselfish people, and I think it’s the people in our building that give us a great chance to get back and obviously hopefully win a Super Bowl," Ryan said. "We’ve got a great coaching staff. We’ve got a combination of guys that are going to try and put the players that we have in the best position to be successful." Ryan didn’t forecast leading the league in scoring, although he knows the offense is more than capable of being explosive with Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and the rest of the crew. He didn’t promise the defense would be a top-10 unit or the team would avoid the injury bug, as those are factors far beyond his control. But Ryan knows it’s comforting watching guys such as Freeman, Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen making their way back from season-ending injuries. Ryan certainly feels at ease with Dirk Koetter back as his offensive coordinator. (Koetter was the coordinator in Atlanta from 2012 to '14 before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015.) The quarterback sees the commitment the team has made to protecting him -- Ryan was sacked 42 times in 2018, the second-highest total of his career -- with the additions of offensive linemen Chris Lindstromand Kaleb McGary (both drafted in the first round) and free agents James Carpenter and Jamon Brown. Ryan also fully understands competing for a title starts with taking care of business in the division. The Falcons finished second in the NFC South last season with a disappointing 7-9 record. The New Orleans Saints won it last year running away with a 13-3 mark. The Falcons have won the NFC South four times since it formed back in 2002, making it to one Super Bowl (2016) over that span. "It’s always tough," Ryan said of the division. "Drew [Brees] is always tough. New Orleans has a great offense. They play really good defense. Cam Jordanis one of the best players in the league on the defensive side of the ball." Carolina, awaiting Cam Newton's full recovery from shoulder surgery, also finished with a 7-9 mark last season and made some additions this offseason, most notably six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. He has terrorized interior offensive linemen over the years and could be a massive test for Lindstrom, projected to be the starting right guard. "Gerald McCoy went from being a problem in one place to being a problem in another place," Ryan said. "Different problem for a different team. He’s a great player that’s been added into an already great defense. He’s going to be difficult to go against, that’s for sure. He always has been. "Absolutely he’ll be a test for [Lindstrom], he along with Kawann Short. The whole group that they have, that’s going to be a strong test for our interior guys." Ryan won’t discount the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 5-11 with Koetter as the head coach last season but have a new boss in Bruce Arians. "Tampa is tough," Ryan said. "[Ndamukong] Suh is a veteran player who plays at a high level that’s an interior problem for offenses. That’s another tough guy that we have to go against. "At the end of the day, it’s about us, though. We respect those guys and appreciate what they do, but our focus is on how good can we play and how good of a team can we become because we have all the pieces we need to be successful." The schedule won’t make things any easier for the Falcons. Six of their first nine opponents are playoff teams from a year ago, and four of their first six games are on the road. "The schedule is what it is," Ryan said. "They’re going to give it to you, and it’s your job to approach it and deal with it. Other than basically two games, it’s slated who you’re going to play depending on division." It all starts Sept. 8 with a game at Minnesota against a Vikings team that finished 8-7-1 last season and boasted a top-10 scoring defense and top-10 total defense. “They’re going to be good," Ryan said of the Vikings. “That’s a tough place. It’s a good defense. It’s going to be loud, which is challenging for our offense. That’s something that we’ll have to be prepared for and ready to go, especially with it being an opening game. Sometimes, you get a feel for [noise] as the year goes on, but it’s going to be critical for us to be operating at a high level when we get up there because it’s going to take our best effort to get a win." Tim Mazetti and Ergo Proxy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFG Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 personally, I think the road to the super will grow through Atlanta but that’s not enough. We need a win. I will say the this...a number of missing pieces to the puzzle have come together this off season we will it all this and in a convincing fashion. poutlipper, RoddyWhite84 and Ergo Proxy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redswingline2 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 8 hours ago, BFG said: personally, I think the road to the super will grow through Atlanta but that’s not enough. We need a win. I will say the this...a number of missing pieces to the puzzle have come together this off season we will it all this and in a convincing fashion. I hope you are right, we are so due. Ergo Proxy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAD597 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 I feel bad for Ryan that he was saddled with an ATL team. You poor summer child Ryan I know you mean well got you just gotta look at ATL and GA sports history to know a SB isn't coming our way ever. ATLSlobberKnockers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconsIn2012 Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 17 minutes ago, MAD597 said: I feel bad for Ryan that he was saddled with an ATL team. You poor summer child Ryan I know you mean well got you just gotta look at ATL and GA sports history to know a SB isn't coming our way ever. Not with that mindset. How pathetically bad would Ryan be if he shared your POV Ergo Proxy, Vandy and TheFatboi 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xfactor Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Factz, gazoo, FalconsIn2012 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAD597 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 3 minutes ago, Falconsin2012 said: Not with that mindset. How pathetically bad would Ryan be if he shared your POV What does my mindset as a fan have to do with the pathetic performance of ATL/GA teams in championship games? Sorry but I have eyes and retain information, the facts are between Hawks/Falcons/Brave they have over 150 combined seasons playing in the ATL and 1 single championship. He ain't winning one and it won't be his fault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconsIn2012 Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 2 minutes ago, MAD597 said: What does my mindset as a fan have to do with the pathetic performance of ATL/GA teams in championship games? Sorry but I have eyes and retain information, the facts are between Hawks/Falcons/Brave they have over 150 combined seasons playing in the ATL and 1 single championship. He ain't winning one and it won't be his fault You didn’t understand. Our mindset is irrelevant to the teams we support. What I was saying is if Ryan had that mindset he would be an awful player But thoughts are things, my friend. Send out more positive thoughts and you’ll find more positive results sandtrap, Rhodaric, Vandy and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 39 minutes ago, MAD597 said: What does my mindset as a fan have to do with the pathetic performance of ATL/GA teams in championship games? Sorry but I have eyes and retain information, the facts are between Hawks/Falcons/Brave they have over 150 combined seasons playing in the ATL and 1 single championship. He ain't winning one and it won't be his fault LOL...I bet you are a real joy to be around with that type mindset. VTCrunkler, Ergo Proxy, MasterBateser and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RING OF HONOR Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 11 minutes ago, Vandy said: LOL...I bet you are a joy to be around with that type mindset. Flying Falcon, Ergo Proxy, Tim Mazetti and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Long Shot Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 If we can avoid getting nuked with injuries we should be right in the thick of it just like we were the previous two seasons before 2018. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFatboi Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 1 hour ago, Falconsin2012 said: You didn’t understand. Our mindset is irrelevant to the teams we support. What I was saying is if Ryan had that mindset he would be an awful player But thoughts are things, my friend. Send out more positive thoughts and you’ll find more positive results He doesn’t understand that concept. I’ve tried to get him to understand what you put out in the universe comes back. I’ve tried to get him to stop putting the injury bug in the universe. He’s just a negative person. I think we lost the SB because he finally started saying good things and I was like no keep being negative. And I was right. His energy is off. Way off. FalconsIn2012 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconsIn2012 Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 @MAD597 you cost us the SB, you rascal!!! Are you a pessimist in general or just on TATF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octoslash Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 1 hour ago, MAD597 said: I feel bad for Ryan that he was saddled with an ATL team. You poor summer child Ryan I know you mean well got you just gotta look at ATL and GA sports history to know a SB isn't coming our way ever. I hope for your sake you don't look at life in general based on the past. That's the surest way to make yourself unhappy. FalconsIn2012 and Ergo Proxy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconsIn2012 Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 32 minutes ago, octoslash said: I hope for your sake you don't look at life in general based on the past. That's the surest way to make yourself unhappy. I know that from experience octoslash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 21 hours ago, Falconsin2012 said: The group of guys that we have, we have a locker room of competitive, hardworking, unselfish people, and I think it’s the people in our building that give us a great chance to get back and obviously hopefully win a Super Bowl," Ryan said. I agree 100% with this. I don’t need to be lectured about how it might not happen based on question marks or scenarios that every single team faces. I prefer to focus on the recognition and reality we have a great chance going into the 2019 to go all the way. Ergo Proxy, Tim Mazetti and FalconsIn2012 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mazetti Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 21 hours ago, Falconsin2012 said: Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. He has terrorized interior offensive linemen over the years and could be a massive test for Lindstrom, projected to be the starting right guard. Lindstrom will get plenty of work VS Grady, Davidson and Hags in practice. Ergo Proxy and gazoo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADAMSVILLE GYM Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 2 hours ago, MAD597 said: I feel bad for Ryan that he was saddled with an ATL team. You poor summer child Ryan I know you mean well got you just gotta look at ATL and GA sports history to know a SB isn't coming our way ever. Hmmm... You seem like the type of chap who doubts themselves and always quit. Or, the type who friends avoid calling whenever they all wanna get together and have fun. You should have a Snickers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 6 minutes ago, Tim Mazetti said: Lindstrom will get plenty of work VS Grady, Davidson and Hags in practice. Bingo! Lindstrom also won’t face McCory, Suh, or any other division DTs until after he’s already played 5 preseason games, and 8 regular season games. Ergo Proxy and Tim Mazetti 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mazetti Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Just now, gazoo said: Bingo! Lindstrom also won’t face McCory, Suh, or any other division DTs until after he’s already played 5 preseason games, and 8 regular season games. That 13 games should have him ready LOL! It's not like McCoy ever reeked havoc on the Falcons' OL for more than a couple plays per game. There is a reason TB didn't want to pay him the $12M or whatever. gazoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spts1 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Ryan will get a ring this season. 11-5 record and defeat Chiefs in Superbowl... Falcons Fan MVP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 29 minutes ago, Tim Mazetti said: That 13 games should have him ready LOL! It's not like McCoy ever reeked havoc on the Falcons' OL for more than a couple plays per game. There is a reason TB didn't want to pay him the $12M or whatever. I gotta tell you Tim, I think Lindstrom is going to be an exceptional player and I think it could be as soon as game 1 of regular season. He seems to have it all. Talk about taking a position of utter weakness and flipping it into a strength. We saw that happen in 2016 when we signed Alex Mack. It was the Mack signing that largely inspired my Falcons will have a prolific offense thread. Well, I believe the players we added to OL this year are going to have similar results. It’s huge, it’s massive, I don’t think a lot of fans realize to what degree it is going to help us, especially against the division and playoff teams.....this is where our previous weaknesses on OL would show up. Think about 2017 playoff game against Philly. Our OL isn’t going to get pushed around like that anymore. Tim Mazetti, Rhodaric, MarkMc44 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcons Fan MVP Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 3 hours ago, MAD597 said: I feel bad for Ryan that he was saddled with an ATL team. You poor summer child Ryan I know you mean well got you just gotta look at ATL and GA sports history to know a SB isn't coming our way ever. Matt Ryan has an opportunity to become a hero if he wins a super bowl. The Atlanta championship curse has already been broken by the soccer team. People said Cleveland and Philly were cursed but both cities recently won a title. Ergo Proxy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcons Fan MVP Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 3 hours ago, MAD597 said: What does my mindset as a fan have to do with the pathetic performance of ATL/GA teams in championship games? Sorry but I have eyes and retain information, the facts are between Hawks/Falcons/Brave they have over 150 combined seasons playing in the ATL and 1 single championship. He ain't winning one and it won't be his fault I think he wins 2 for the Falcons before he retires. falconidae and Ergo Proxy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLSlobberKnockers Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 3 hours ago, Vandy said: LOL...I bet you are a real joy to be around with that type mindset. Lol. I have a friend just like that and hes an energy vampire. Ergo Proxy, Vandy and MasterBateser 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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