Will Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco Hit the Sophomore Slump Or Be Playoff Bound?

Last year, the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan and the Baltimore Ravens’ Joe Flacco were the first rookie quarterbacks to start week one of the regular season since the Ravens played Kyle Boller in 2003 after taking him in the first round earlier that year.

Taking a look at Boller’s track record and inability to improve with even the least bit of consistency, it’s easy to see why more and more teams are drafting and developing before playing their young quarterbacks.

After four years of no rookies getting a shot, what were the odds that both of the young guns would stand out in a league with Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Bret Favre? The chances were slim, but that’s just what they did.

Both quarterbacks started all 16 games of the season and led their respective teams to 11-5 records and a playoff berth.

Ryan, who earned Rookie of the Year honors, became the first rookie quarterback since Manning to throw for 3,000 yards.

Flacco’s inaugural season was filled with an equal amount of accomplishments as he won NFL.com’s Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year Award and was the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.

Flacco led the Ravens to the AFC Championship game where they fell for the third time in the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ryan beat out Chris Redman for the starting job though the Falcons seemed poised to start him week one just to make fans forget about the Michael Vick situation.

Flacco, taken with the No. 17 pick, began training camp third on the depth chart behind former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Boller. However, due to injuries, Flacco was thrown into the gauntlet immediately.

As the year progressed, both of these quarterbacks improved their games to the extent that the word "rookie" seemed like an unfair characteristic.

This year, entering their second season, both quarterbacks are their team’s go-to guys, and both teams have made improvements to help their franchise players.

The Falcons improved their already impressive receiving corps with the addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Ravens' biggest addition to help Flacco was Mississippi tackle Michael Oher, taken in the first round of last month’s draft.

Gonzalez gives the Falcons a big go-to receiver that can be a safety net for Ryan, like many tight ends are for young quarterbacks.

On the other hand, Flacco should have more time to make decisions and go through his progressions if Oher is given the starting right tackle job over journeyman Willie Anderson and oft-injured Adam Terry.

With NFL mini-camps getting underway recently, both Flacco and Ryan are No. 1 on the depth chart and will have to worry about a possible sophomore slump after flying high their rookie seasons.

The NFL just recently saw what the pressure of being a young quarterback can do to players, as former Rookie of the Year quarterback Vince Young lost his starting job after losing composure along with some of his playmaking abilities.

After setting the bar so high their rookie seasons, will either quarterback be able to outdo themselves and lift their teams back in to the playoffs?