If you read the comments around the Atlanta Falcons’ official website message board, and a few of those to the various bits of birdseed around the web, you will quickly note how far Matt Ryan’s star value has fallen since the beginning of the 2009 campaign.

The young signal caller came into the season riding a tsunami of confidence within both the Falcons’ organization as well as their long suffering fan base. In fact, as recently as the game against the Patriots, Ryan was being compared to the likes of Tom Brady on the field and Joe Montana, who now plays the hallowed halls of Canton.

But the times, they have been a-changing and so too all that friendly patronage. The network desk jockeys and stadium booth apes are now more apt to note the guy behind center for his ability to toss air balls and interceptions.

Hey, that’s just life, right?

Football, like most all sports, has a fickle following. Win and you could end up on a box of Wheaties and grace the breakfast tables of America. Lose and, well, you’ll earn the scorn of every adolescent booger-flinger, his Dad and their pet Airedale.

History, though, is ready to offer us a little relief via a lesson in the person of former Falcons QB, Steve Bartkowski.

Selected #1 in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft, he went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors as well. (Sound familiar?) But the next two seasons that followed saw injuries as well as a combined 22 interceptions against an anorexic 7 total TD tosses.

Of course, we all know that Bart overcame his problems. He went on to a great career and is today on the Falcons Board of Directors.

So, the lesson is clear even if the future is not. What is required now is a dash of patience and then, a little good luck wouldn’t hurt a thing either.

Matt Ryan is undoubtedly a very talented player and if the Falcons manage to keep him healthy, he could, conceivably, end up in Canton as well someday.

Oh, and along the way, who knows? We, as fans, might also find a reason to cheer for him again, too.

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