It has never been easy to be a Falcons fan.
Hope and heartbreak have been the hallmarks for the Atlanta faithful. Recently, we had draped Michael Vick in the flag of hope, daring to dream he'd carry it with him to a Super Bowl Championship.
Instead, Vick pinned his hopes on a couple of pitbulls, chewing, gnawing and biting at each other in a bloody pit in the basement of his home. Those mutts that let him down, he and his cronies shot dead but only after counting the cash the dogfights brought in.
That scenario is heartbreaking on so many levels, it's hard to say who's feeling it the most.
Vick got his comeuppance - despite having found Jesus - and is spending some quality time behind bars.
In the meantime, hope springs eternal in both Atlanta and among its legions of fans only now, hope rests squarely on the shoulders of Matt Ryan.
Ryan was drafted third by the Falcons which came as no real surprise to anybody. The Boston College phenom and ACC player of the year has some impressive numbers that bode well for the Falcons:
- 837 completions out of 1,347 passes
- 9,313 total yards
- 56 touchdowns and 37 interceptions
The kid’s got a good arm and, according to his former teammates, is a well-rounded individual with strong leadership qualities – all things the Atlanta Falcons have needed in a quarterback since about 2004.
The Falcons have been on a steady decline following that year, going 8-8 in 2005, 7-9 in 2006 and a dismal 4-12 last season. Aside from the Vick fiasco, the ’08 season was truly rock bottom for the Falcons which saw coach Bobby Petrino bail like a rat from a sinking ship.
How's that for leadership?
Again, it comes back to Matt Ryan.
Drafting Ryan may not have been the smartest move for Atlanta. It's lacking in several other key areas, both offensively and defensively; finding a quarterback to helm this team probably could have waited until next year.
Taking Ryan, however, is understandable.
This is a team trying to rebuild not only on the field but off, as well. The Vick dogfighting scandal was a PR nightmare that left a the team bruised, beaten and battered. By drafting Ryan, it sends the message the Falcons have moved on, have erased the Vick stink from the locker room and is, once again, ready to be a contender.
Real Falcons fans know, though, this probably won't be the year.
Gone are some of the marquee players, the familiar names like Warrick Dunn and Alge Crumpler, neither of which will be missed all that much.
Aside from Ryan, the Falcons have signed USC offensive lineman Sam Baker, a brute of a man with a scraggly beard and infectious smile. He'll bring some much needed protection for the rookie QB. They've also drafted for the future by selecting running back Thomas Brown. By all accounts, Brown is quick on his feet and a solid pass blocker. He's also a Georgia Bulldog so as long as he stays away from Vick, he'll be fine.
Ryan, though, is the man, that so-called franchise player every team wants, the guy who's got the most to gain and the most to prove but only once piece of a much bigger puzzle. The pieces are there, it's just a matter of fitting it altogether. Hopefully, Ryan is the guy to do that.
All us Falcons fans can do is hope Ryan is the guy to piece it altogether.
14 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Ben Gunby about 1 year ago
Thomas Brown was drafted strictly for depth. We still have Jerious Norwood and just gave Michael Turner a heap of money. We weren't drafting Brown to be the running back of the future.
The fate of the Falcons rest in the same place the fate of any other team rests, with the offensive and defensive lines. With that said, I don't have much hope right now.
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Tim Parent about 1 year ago
I hear ya' on Brown. I guess I'm just a dreamer.
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Michael Fitzpatrick about 1 year ago
Nice article here Tim, although I think Ryan is a little bit overrated when mentioned as a 'Franchise Player'. NFL scouting reports on Ryan list him with an average arm. Combine report states 'He lacks the arm strength to challenge deep secondary, as his throws tend to flutter or hang up long enough for defenders to attack the ball in flight'. Scouting reports compared him to Chad Pennington only more effective in utilizing intermediate throws.
I think what happened with Ryan was that he was the best player at the most high profile position in this particular draft, thus making his worth appear to be a lot higher than his talent would indicate.
He is an excellent leader and apparently eats, breaths and sleeps football, so he could wind up having a great career.
I think the Falcons were more concerned with a fresh face to put on their 2008 media guide than drafting the best player available with the 3rd pick.
Hope Ryan does well though and would like to see the Falcons have a bounce back year this year.
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Tim Parent about 1 year ago
I think a lot of people want the Falcons to go through a revival. Everyone loves an underdog but, more than that, I think the team was dealt a bum hand with the whole Vick thing.
The front office has adequately distanced itself from Vick and his dogfighting. At this point, I think all they need is a winning season right now -- not even a post-season run -- to give them a much needed shot in the arm and the confidence to continue to build up to a championship.
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John Fennelly about 1 year ago
Great job, Tim
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John Fennelly about 1 year ago
Great job, Tim
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John Fennelly about 1 year ago
Great job, Tim
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Tim Parent about 1 year ago
Thanks John x3!
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Sebastian about 1 year ago
Side-note, I think we're seeing a lot of multiple posts because of the delay between hitting submit and seeing your post appear in Bleacher Report
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Anthony Grethel about 1 year ago
Before I say anything I would like to say that this is indeed a nicely written article... but there's something I need to address here.
Coming from Cincinnati, I don't think Atlanta has even began to even feel the word suffering enough to know what it means.
I mean, I've been alive since July of 1990, and I've only been around long enough just to witness two winning seasons. I've have become accustomed to the term of losing and the term first round draft pick means "bust" in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong, Atlanta has definitely had a tough past season or two... but please.
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Tim Parent about 1 year ago
Ok, fair enough. I agree that Bengals fans are in far worse shape than Falcons fans.
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Ben Gunby about 1 year ago
The Bengals have been to two Super Bowls and have posted back to back winning seasons in their franchise history, and have made the same number of playoff apperances despite being two years younger. They also have a higher winning percentage.
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Tim Parent about 1 year ago
Hey yeah! Ben's right! Sorry, Anthony, we Falcons fans have more to complain about.
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J Jones 9 months ago
Unfotunately his BC patterns are going to follow him throughout his NFL career -that won't change. He is not a star and Blank threw bonus money at him to try to erase Vick's "image" in Atlanta. Sorry not happening. Atlanta should stop and re-think this, fans in the city love Vick. Falcons' record will be the same or close to what it was last season for the next few years -nothing to write home Mom about. Sorry.
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