13 Questions with Matt Ryan

1. Matt, it's been the common belief that making the transition from college quarterback to NFL gunslinger is the toughest to make in sports. How were you able to not only survive, but excel?

2. On top of making the transition on the field you also entered one of the most tumultuous situations an NFL quarterback has likely ever entered with you being Michael Vick's replacement.

There were a lot of questions about how the fan base would respond to you after Vick being Atlanta's favorite son for years. How were you able to block all of the distractions out and focus on being the best quarterback you can be?

3. Did you ever feel like you had to win over not only the fans but the guys in the locker room who had been going to battle with Vick for years now? If so, how long did it take them to welcome you not only as Vick's replacement but as the new leader of the team?

4. As a quarterback you have to have a certain confidence and swagger about you, but if someone had told you on draft day that you would have lead the Falcons to an 11-5 season and a playoff berth what would you have said?

5. At Boston College you were known for being special in the fourth quarter. What type of a person does a quarterback have to be to forget what happened in the previous 55 minutes of a game and go out and dominate the last five minutes of that game.

6. What would you say was the toughest transition for you going from Boston College to the NFL?

7. When you're behind in a game do you just feel like you're one play or one drive away from turning a game around?

8. Who would you say your game compares to? Is there anyone you modeled yourself after?

9. What do, as the starting quarterback of the falcons, have to do to bring this team from being merely a playoff contender to a Super Bowl contender?

10. Entering your rookie season the thought was obviously that you were going into one of the worst situations possible. But you actually entered one of the best with one of the top young coaches by your side and one of the top running backs in your back field. Do you feel blessed or is this a case of perception not being reality.

11. What advice if any did you solicit from other rookie quarterbacks, like Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger, who experienced success in their rookie campaigns?

12. Chapter one of Matt Ryan's NFL story was undeniably a success. What do you think chapter two holds in the cards?

13. It's the two-minute warning of the NFC championship game with your Falcons at the 20-yard line trailing by five points. Is there any moment or place you would rather be?