Jim Irsay compliments Matt Ryan's leadership: 'I'd put him right up there with Peyton Manning'

Matt Ryan has been very inconsistent in his first season with the Indianapolis Colts, but team owner Jim Irsay could not be higher on the veteran quarterback heading into Week 7.

Ryan is coming off his best game of the season, which was an MVP-esque performance in a 34-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 37-year-old completed 42-of-58 passes for 389 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Irsay spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com about Ryan this week, and Irsay compared the quarterback to one of the greatest players in NFL history.

“I’ll tell you, he is a steely-eyed missile man,” Irsay said. “I’ve been around a lot of leaders and I’d put him right up there with Peyton Manning. A really outstanding, tough guy who doesn’t back down. Often the best in fourth quarter and you don’t ever want to count out Matt Ryan. He’s a winner, he’s a fighter and our team is taking on that temperament around him, which is exciting.”

There are a couple of things about Irsay’s comments that stuck out. For starters, he made a Peyton Manning comparison. Even if Irsay was only talking about Ryan’s leadership abilities, that is always going to generate headlines.

Irsay also mentioned how Ryan cannot be counted out in the fourth quarter. That certainly was not true of former Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, who has a reputation for making big mistakes at crucial moments. Irsay has made it no secret that he is not fond of Wentz. He feels much differently about Ryan.

The Colts are 3-3 through their first six games with Ryan. The veteran has a passer rating of 86.2 with his 1,765 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Those are hardly Hall of Fame numbers, but Iray is optimistic about where the team is headed.