Packers vs. Falcons: 10 Reasons Matt Ryan Deserves More Respect
Matt Ryan has gotten respect this year, but many will argue it isn't as much as he deserves. Ryan led his team to a 13-3 record this season and certainly got help from his great teammates. But I think he is kind of lost in the shuffle of Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez.
He is the key and should be credited for it.
Here are 10 reasons he should be getting more props.
10. Met the Hype
1 of 10
In his third year in the league, it is fair to say Matt Ryan is everything the Falcons hoped they were getting when they drafted him third overall in in 2008. Ryan came in immediately and performed at a high level.
In 2008, he and fellow rookie Joe Flacco became the first rookie quarterbacks in NFL history to start all 16 regular season games and lead their respective teams to the playoffs. Ryan was also named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
9. Good Guy
2 of 10
Matt Ryan has stayed busy attending charity events and even volunteered serving food on his 25th birthday. That's extremely respectable. The guy goes out and does something, not just write a check. He also co-hosted a mini-golf tournament with teammate Coy Wire for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Ryan also started hosting his own golf tournament, the Matt Ryan Celebrity Golf Invitational to raise money for the Matt Ryan Foundation and Children's Healthcare for Atlanta Foundation.
The guy stays busy for all the right reasons.
8. Loves the A-T-L
3 of 10
Like Usher, Matt Ryan has made it clear he is happy in Atlanta. Matt Ryan signed a six-year deal with the franchise worth $72 million ($34.75 million guaranteed), and it has already paid dividends for both parties. I wouldn't be shocked to see Ryan stay with Atlanta throughout his entire career.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7. This Guy Is Smart
4 of 10
Matt Ryan was so attractive to NFL teams not only because of his prototypical physical attributes but because the guy is really intelligent. Not just football smart either. He was the male scholar-athlete of the year as a freshman at Boston College.
As for football smarts, before the 2008 NFL Draft, a group of Falcon reps sat down with Ryan. Here's what happened, according to USA Today.
"We're in a meeting room, and Mike Smith (Falcons quarterback coach)is tossing around and firing a lot of what we refer to as 'exotics' at him," Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff says. "So Matt just gets up and goes to the dry-erase board and starts drawing what Bill was asking about. It reminded me of the character in 'A Beautiful Mind.' It was almost as if he finished drawing all these things, plopped the marker back down and basically said, 'You got anything else for me?'"
6. Pro Bowler
5 of 10
Matt Ryan is on his way to Hawaii this year, and it's for good reason. He led one of the most well-balanced, high-powered offenses in the NFL this year. He, along with Drew Brees and Michael Vick are quarterbacking the NFC in this year's Pro Bowl.
This makes him one of the elite players in the league, obviously—but at the hardest position in sports too. He doesn't do it with his legs like Vick. He is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
5. Plays the Game
6 of 10
Matt Ryan knows the game, not just on the field, but off as well. He is playing it very well and always does. He stays out of trouble, does charity work and is great with the media. That is a winning combination and exactly what any franchise would want as the face of their franchise.
The last person the Falcons had as the face of their franchise went to prison for fighting dogs. It's safe to assume you never have to worry about something like that with Matt Ryan. Matt making all the right decisions pays off in endorsements, and it will definitely play in when he's looking for a new contract.
4. Earning That Paycheck
7 of 10
There are so many guys in the NFL, and professional sports in general, that signed insanely huge contracts and have just not performed. Matt Ryan could easily be what Matt Stafford is right now. But he isn't. Every week you know what you're going to get out of Ryan, and the Falcons have to feel good about having a rock at the position that's most necessary.
3. They Don't Call Him "Matty Ice" for Nothing
8 of 10
Matt Ryan has one speed on a football field. It's like a CIA operative during a polygraph. His heart-rate doesn't budge. I don't know about his pupil dilation. But I digress, he can stay cool under the pressure and lead teams late in games.
He earned the nickname Matty Ice during his days at Boston College, and always has a propensity to show up late in football games and perform when many would wilt under the pressure. You cannot teach that. You have it or you don't, and he has it.
2. Toughness
9 of 10
Matt Ryan has charisma and charm, but on the football field, he is tough, both mentally and physically. Toughness is something that is required as a quarterback, both of the mental and physical variety. But Ryan possesses both, in large quantities.
He can bounce back from throwing an interception and still play aggressively, or he can hang in the pocket to make the throw he needs to while knowing he's going to get drilled on a blitz.
1. Owns the Dome
10 of 10
With Matt Ryan at the helm, the Falcons have run opponents out of A-Town on a regular basis. In three seasons, his combined record at home is 20-2. If you're going to win in any building, it better be your home building.
The Falcons get that place loud, and Matt Ryan rarely loses. You should always like your odds on the Falcons money-line if their home. It's as much of a lock as you're going to get.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")