September 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Mark Bradley
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Think of this game as a big fat cake. Picture Matt Ryan bending down to inspect the delicacy. Imagine his shock when the top layer flies open and up springs a boxing glove to smack Matty Ice on the snoot. Only then does he read the inscription on the icing: "Welcome to the NFL." Every rookie has this game, rookie quarterbacks especially. Matt Ryan got his in Week 2 of Season 1, and for nearly a half it was as bad as Week 1 had been good. Against Detroit, he'd thrown his first NFL pass for a 62-yard touchdown. Against Tampa Bay here Sunday, his first nine passes were incompletions, and two were caught by the wrong team. So addled was the guy lauded for his poise that he actually slung the ..."
September 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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After throwing his first NFL pass, Matt Ryan was gliding around the Georgia Dome like he'd just won the lottery. First stop, the end zone to congratulate Michael Jenkins and celebrate with his teammates. Then Ryan, the new face of the franchise and quarterback of the future, ran up the sidelines back to the bench, raising his arms to excite the crowd while taking a few leaps in the air. It was a spectacular way to start his career and help send his team to a 34-21 victory over Detroit Sunday at the Georgia Dome. "I think anybody would get excited in that situation," Ryan said. "I was fired up. Jenks was fired up. That was a good start for us." On the 62-yard touchdown, Jenkins got behind ..."
August 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The quarterback of the future will be the quarterback of the present. Matt Ryan, the first-round draft pick selected third overall out of Boston College, will start Friday's preseason game against visiting Tennessee, coach Mike Smith said. "I talked to Coach Smith about that before and that's exciting to go get out there right away," Ryan said after Atlanta's practice Monday afternoon. "We're going to have a good week of preparation and hopefully play well Friday night." There has been no official decision about who Atlanta's starting quarterback will be when it opens the season Sept. 7 against the visiting Detroit Lions, Smith said. The coaching staff is still waiting for "clarity" among ..."
August 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The guy who is supposed to replace Michael Vick as the Falcons' quarterback also will replace him on AirTran Airways' billboards. Matt Ryan has signed a two-year contract with AirTran to essentially succeed Vick in the company's endorsement lineup, AirTran vice president of marketing and sales Tad Hutcheson said. While it remains to be seen how quickly Ryan will take over Vick's old role as the Falcons' starting quarterback, he'll be featured in AirTran advertising - primarily billboards and radio commercials in the Atlanta market - beginning next week. Vick, now serving a 23-month sentence at the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, on dogfighting charges, had an endorsement deal with ..."
June 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Since a month before the April draft until just more than a week ago, Falcons' rookie quarterback Matt Ryan has obliged nearly every voluntary request of his free time while tending to every major and minor mandatory detail of his profession. Radio and newspaper interviews between mini-camp workouts, television appearances after offseason practices, public appearances any time the team asked. The No. 3 overall draft pick from Boston College, to put it mildly, has been a busy man."
June 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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His isn't the easiest of situations, replacing a polarizing and electric quarterback in a town divided, trying to resurrect a franchise that has endured the toughest two years imaginable. But Matt Ryan is unfazed by the task. He has Philadelphia to thank for that."
May 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan took some light-hearted ribbing from his teammates Thursday, the first time they'd seen him since he signed a six-year, $72 million contract. "The guys, everybody is going to give you a little bit of hard time but it's all in good nature," Ryan said. "They all congratulated me and I think we've got good chemistry in the locker room." While the tenor toward Ryan was rather pleasant, some of the reaction around the league to the No. 3 overall pick receiving the most guaranteed money ever for a rookie — $34.5 million — was negative."
May 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Terence Moore
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First of all, the Falcons blew it, but not about making Matt Ryan an extremely rich young man on Tuesday before his first breath in an NFL game.
The Falcons blew it, because Ryan was the wrong pick at No. 3 overall in last month’s draft. When your situation at defensive tackle is as dreadful as the Falcons, and you have a chance to take the next Warren Sapp, you take him. Instead, the Falcons ignored Glenn Dorsey and grabbed Ryan, the quarterback with the fancy numbers at Boston College.
A lot of quarterbacks with fancy numbers in college have bombed as first-round draft picks. In recent years, MOST quarterbacks with fancy numbers in college have bombed as first-round draft picks."