Matt Ryan's Future w/ Falcons

[KCFalcon22 904]

Last week’s ugly loss to the New Orleans Saints left many Falcons fans skeptical about quarterback Matt Ryan’s longevity in Atlanta. The consensus around the league is that the offensive line bears most of the blame, but Ryan isn’t completely innocent here, either.

The Falcons QB has been displaying some concerning tendencies all season long and although his legacy remains untouched, his level of play is on a visible decline.

Yes, Ryan still produces. He’s third in the league in total passing yards. He can still manage to grade highly and put up good numbers. But does it matter? Not really. He realistically could’ve thrown 60 passes on Sunday for 500 yards and the Falcons probably still lose because Ryan’s athletic profile limits his efficiency upside.

Every 10-yard play is negated by him taking a 12-yard sack the very next play due to his inability to escape an internal pocket collapse. The counterargument is that it’s unfair to put that on Ryan when it’s the responsibility of the offensive line to keep him out of that position, but the flip side says that quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers, Deshaun Watson of the Texans, and Josh Allen in Buffalo are getting it done with their offensive lines ranking in the bottom ten in overall efficiency.The poor play of the offensive line shouldn’t be a mask to the idea that Matt Ryan continues to display the pocket presence of a late-round rookie. If you look at some of the best quarterbacks in the league, including Pat Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, you’ll notice each has a combination of athleticism, mobility and arm strength.

How many of those traits does Matt Ryan have today? I’d argue maybe arm strength, and he barely can push the ball down the field. And so, given the circumstances and the team’s current draft spot, is a new QB completely out of question? I’d say absolutely not. Ryan can certainly still play, but looking forward, I struggle to envision Ryan playing at a consistently high level. The NFL is a league that’s gravitating towards a defensive system of effective pass rush and a strong secondary.

Athletes like Brian Burns and T.J. Watt are the new type of pass rusher and that prototype is making it extremely tough for non-mobile quarterbacks to survive. If the offensive line loses the initial snap battle, a pocket passer who struggles to escape pressure is bound to lose yards. A quarterback that cannot scramble and move the compass laterally and horizontally will not be able to efficiently win games nowadays.

Another factor that’s important to keep in mind is how much longer does Ryan want to play?

The Falcons are consistently losing games. Ryan is getting eaten alive by divisional rivals possession by possession. A new regime of coaching is entering the picture as well. Is Ryan likely to be Atlanta’s starting quarterback in five years? I don’t think anybody can answer that question with confidence, and that is the problem.

A new head coach being imminent is not a topic to ignore when considering the roster outlook for next season and beyond. Will they decide to ride the pine of Matt Ryan or will they draft a new QB? If I was a betting man, I’d put a 75 percent chance on the new Falcons regime drafting his successor.

Now, to emphasize, this article isn’t a bash Matt Ryan report. I think he’s still good at his job. I also think a clear regression is in effect. With the way NFL defensive lines are growing and defensive coaches trending towards five and six man blitz packages, you must have a quarterback with sufficient mobility, and at this point, I think those days have passed for No. 2.

Given Arthur Blank’s dedication to loyalty, Ryan may be the team’s starting quarterback until he’s unable to run anymore, but in all reality, I’d imagine the new head coach and general manager are interviewing under the assumption that roster control is completely in their hands. And what that means is that a young, mobile quarterback is likely in Atlanta’s future plans.

[supercollider 297]

Thanks for the memories, Matt.

[KCFalcon22 904]

Thoughts...I see promise and then I see a few games where his decision making is so-so/awful.  I still think he can play, maybe just needs an ELITE play caller.

[JohnnyFranchise 2,639]

2 minutes ago, KCFalcon22 said:

He realistically could’ve thrown 60 passes on Sunday for 500 yards and the Falcons probably still lose because Ryan’s athletic profile limits his efficiency upside.

That's about as football ignorant as comments get

[CrimsonFalcon 4,169]

We're in complete flux offensively.  Koetter ifs trying to mesh his playbook with Shanahan's playbook and its causing all sorts of chaos.  The stains have a good defensive line that have Brady fits.  Once this season is over Koetter wil be gone before the lights of MBS go out. 

[Ergo Proxy 26,070]

1 minute ago, JohnnyFranchise said:

That's about as football ignorant as comments get

Maybe that’s why the OP isn’t sourced!

[PuppyMonster 309]

12 minutes ago, KCFalcon22 said:

The NFL is a league that’s gravitating towards a defensive system of effective pass rush and a strong secondary.

Hot take there. I don't know how Ryan can deal with that. 

Honestly, that article is worse than most of the posts on this site. No stats. No context. Just pushing a narrative. Ryan, and the entire offense, got man handled last Sunday. In the two weeks prior, it looked like a MVP season. 

Edited November 26, 2020 by PuppyMonster
Added last paragraph.

[NorthGaBoy 1,433]

Did a professional writer state this?

Quote

Every 10-yard play is negated by him taking a 12-yard sack the very next play due to his inability to escape an internal pocket collapse.

Now, I did not check.  I don't think I need to. 

[WhenFalconsWin 27,674]

Any great QB like Ice would've looked like she-it last Sunday given how much pressure he was under. While an average QB (Hill) looked really good because he had time to survey the field. Yes, Ice is a future HOFer, and yes, he is also on the downhill side of his career. There are a lot of truths here. 

[Ergo Proxy 26,070]

W...was this written by one of you?

[Ergo Proxy 26,070]

Name an elite PERFORMING QB this year playing for a bad offense and supporting cast.

I’ll wait.

[k-train 8,911]

16 minutes ago, Ergo Proxy said:

Maybe that’s why the OP isn’t sourced!

I was wondering about that, too. Is this one of those deals where a fan with no actual insight or connection to the goings on of the team or league writes what is essentially just a message board post, then post an image with it and tries to pass it off as an "article"? It's always funny to me when they go the extra mile to put their name & date on there as if it was something that was published by a legit media outlet, but not even seeing that much with this one.

[Atlantafan21 10,952]

“Getting eaten alive by divisional rivals” 

Falcons, with Matt Ryan, have been 4-2 at worst in division play since 2016. Whoever wrote this really has no idea what they’re even writing about. 

[Atl Falcon 4,134]

1 hour ago, Ergo Proxy said:

Name an elite PERFORMING QB this year playing for a bad offense and supporting cast.

I’ll wait.

D Watson?

[PuppyMonster 309]

6 minutes ago, Atl Falcon said:

D Watson?

Wow, he's really bounced back these last 6 games. 

[Atl Falcon 4,134]

The point made that I like is - it’s time to find his replacement starting now.  It’s just going to get tougher and tougher to win with slow footed QB that can’t improvised. I’d love to see Benerk given the chance to play a game or two just to find out what he really is. 
 

Other than that go get Zack Wilson

[PuppyMonster 309]

1 minute ago, Atl Falcon said:

The point made that I like is - it’s time to find his replacement starting now.  It’s just going to get tougher and tougher to win with slow footed QB that can’t improvised. I’d love to see Benerk given the chance to play a game or two just to find out what he really is. 
 

Other than that go get Zack Wilson

I don't agree. At least not yet. Ryan has showed he can still play at a high level this season. We've committed a lot of money for him for the next 2 seasons. Assuming he doesn't fall of a cliff, the time to draft his replacement will be at the start of his next (maybe team friendly) contract. 

[JohnnyFranchise 2,639]

5 minutes ago, Atl Falcon said:

The point made that I like is - it’s time to find his replacement starting now.  It’s just going to get tougher and tougher to win with slow footed QB that can’t improvised. I’d love to see Benerk given the chance to play a game or two just to find out what he really is. 
 

Other than that go get Zack Wilson

we sign a new QB that nobody's ever heard of?

[FalconsIn2012 35,705]

12 minutes ago, PuppyMonster said:

Wow, he's really bounced back these last 6 games. 

Watson has been a beast this year.  Has a 113 QBR since Week 2

[k-train 8,911]

Hey, @KCFalcon22, can we get a link to this "article" please? Would love to check out the author's credentials.

[Atl Falcon 4,134]

2 minutes ago, PuppyMonster said:

I don't agree. At least not yet. Ryan has showed he can still play at a high level this season. We've committed a lot of money for him for the next 2 seasons. Assuming he doesn't fall of a cliff, the time to draft his replacement will be at the start of his next (maybe team friendly) contract. 

QB is the single most important position on a football team. I say get one now while we’re drafting high enough to land one like Zack Wilson. No other player in the draft could have the impact long term like a Trevor Lawernce, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Zack Wilson. You got to have a franchise QB to win the big trophy. MR could stay around another yr or two but the new regime would have their franchise QB in place. This franchise needs a spark to get fans excited and in their seats at MBS. This franchise is stale with MR2 and tired of seeing him get sacked. With that said, he’s been the best thing to ever happen to this franchise, but it’s time to move on and create some new excitement. 

[Atl Falcon 4,134]

19 minutes ago, JohnnyFranchise said:

we sign a new QB that nobody's ever heard of?

You must not be a die hard Falcons fan if you’ve never heard of Kurt Benkert. But that’s okay...I did misspell his name lol.

He’s prolly nothing more than a possible backup, but I’m sure some folks here would like to find out while the remainder of season is just a process. It’d be a good time evaluate the talent with some of these young guys. IMO 

Edited November 26, 2020 by Atl Falcon

[JohnnyFranchise 2,639]

1 minute ago, Atl Falcon said:

You must not be a die hard Falcons fan if you’ve never heard of Kurt Benerk. But that’s okay...

He’s prolly nothing more than a possible backup, but I’m sure some folks here would like to find out while the remainder of season is just a process. It’d be a good time evaluate the talent with some of these young guys. IMO 

ohhhh, you mean Kurt BENKERT, i get it now. guess i'm not die hard enough for ya but at least I know our players' names.

[Atl Falcon 4,134]

7 minutes ago, JohnnyFranchise said:

ohhhh, you mean Kurt BENKERT, i get it now. guess i'm not die hard enough for ya but at least I know our players' names.

Ha ha -  but you don’t have a clue.....bet you had to google it

Edited November 26, 2020 by Atl Falcon

[JohnnyFranchise 2,639]

Just now, Atl Falcon said:

Ha ha -  but you don’t have a clue.....

nah, i've said several times on different threads that i think Benkert has some tools and it's too bad that he didn't get any preseason games this year because i'd love to see what he could do with more than just half of a hall of fame game to show it. 

no clue tho.