Yardbarker: Matt Ryan

Pick 24: Atlanta Falcons

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:38:56 -0500

The Atlanta Falcons come in with the same Cinderella season that Miami had last year. They have no need for QB after Matt Ryan exploded on the scene and like Miami, their playoff bid hardly means they have no holes to fill. This is the last team to draft before the Miami Dolphins are on the [...]

Debating the NFL schedule in April is pointless

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:21:47 -0500

Much to the delight of sportswriters and bored bloggers worldwide, the NFL has released its 2009 slate of games. So what? Call me Scrooge. Label me a hater. I just don’t see the point in singling out any one game over the other. Yes, when the Raider schedule came out I was quick to look at it and report it here on JBB. But I’m not going to go full Disney here and dedicate my day to breaking down every game. Why should I, or anybody for that matter? Check your calendar folks. It...

Silencing the Critics

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:21:06 -0500

This is one of the happiest days of my life. Not only for myself, but also for the Falcons owner, the head coach, my teammates, and the city of Atlanta, we needed this win so bad. I've had a lot of nervous energy leading up to today, knowing how much rides on this. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. We spent the pre-season talking about how we were a new team, new head coach, new quarterback, new outlook. But we didn't just want to talk the talk; we knew we had to walk the walk. I wanted more than anything to silence all the critics that didn't believe in us. The Lions are a great team, but if you can't beat them at home, there isn't much hope for the rest of the season. Prior to the game, all the naysayers kept throwing out the Lions' preseason stats, talking about how Matt Ryan was too young and inexperienced, and just giving any reason they could for why we couldn't beat Detroit. With so many non-believers out there, the importance of this game couldn't have been stressed enough. To not only win, but to really go out there and put on a show, meant so much to all of us. For me personally, it was amazing to actually be in the game this year, since last year I was on the bench cheerleading. For our first touchdown of the 2008 season, I made a key block and looked on like a proud father as Matt Ryan got his first NFL touchdown pass. That feeling made it all worth it. I couldn't be more happy that my family came out to support me today. We just got back from our post-game team dinner, where my parents had a chance to meet my coaches, who spoke very highly of me. I don't know if they were just being nice and saying the things you're supposed to say when you meet someone's family, but it meant a lot to me to hear them say how happy they were to have me on the team. I can't even explain how important it is to me that I made a difference in this game. After the game, I was joking around with Michael Turner and telling him that if he goes to the Pro Bowl, he's flying us all out there with him. Then I thought, "Actually, if he's going, then I'm going." My goal this year is to get Mike 1,000 rushing yards, and I expect for you all to see both of us in Hawaii in February. Now it's time to go celebrate with all of my friends and family. Tonight's going to be a great night, but then it's back to work, so we can put on another show in Tampa.

Rookie Pranks, etc.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:04:41 -0500

What's up Yardbarkers? I've been gone for a while, but play time is over, and I'm a firm believer in working hard, so that's what I've been doing. In the off-season, I had a lot of fun traveling to NYC, Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Vegas, LA, etc... and I'm tired. I'm glad that football season is starting because it gives me a chance to stay in one place. No more flight itineraries... I can just stay in Atlanta. Even though camp isn't my favorite part of football, I've come to understand that it's a very important part of making a good team. If you want to be good in November/December and make it to the Super Bowl, you need to be good now. I didn't understand that when I was younger, but now I know that you need to give it 100% every day in camp, and that's what's going to give you an edge over the competition during the season. That's why I've been trying to keep a positive outlook on these long two-a-days for the last two weeks. There's a great feeling in the Falcons locker room this year. The guys are having fun, they're smiling, they're enjoying the coaches, and they're enjoying each other. Messing with the rookies a little bit has been fun. There's this "card trick" that the vets like to show the rookies, and it goes like this: Step 1: Rookie picks a card from the deck Step 2: Rookie looks at card and puts it back into the deck Step 3: Vet shuffles deck around, and throws one card on the ground, face down... asks rookie if that's his card. Step 4: Rookie bends down to pick up card... entire deck is thrown at the back of his head. It's still funny, no matter how many times you see it. They've also been singing, of course. Matt Ryan was probably more comfortable in his NFL debut last week than he was when he had to sing in front of all of us. I think we had him do "Sweet Caroline" or something like that. He does this thing where he turns beet red. It's hilarious. On the field, the "work hard, play hard" atmosphere that Coach Smith has brought to the team has been good, because we know that after he challenges us during practice, he'll be sure to give us the chance to rest and recover. He has ways of making practice fun and exciting through things like competition between offense and defense (if offense scores, defense runs and vice versa). Personally, I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself this year because I want to take my game to another level. When I got here last year, my goal was to make the Pro Bowl, since I was second-team All-Pro the year before when I was with the Ravens. When the Pro Bowl didn't happen for me, though, it was a really disappointing setback, which is why I've been working extra hard this off-season. Our first pre-season game against the Jaguars was the first test of how much my off-season work had paid off. I was actually a little nervous going into it, but it turns out that I didn't need to be. I handled all of my blocks, had two catches, two first downs, and even a fumble recovery on special teams. Of course I was disappointed that we lost, but it was a success because it was the first time that our offense and defense, with all the new players, really came together and played as a unit. It was a lot of fun. I don't want to say that I was SURPRISED at how good we were, but I have to say that I didn't know that we would get this good this quickly. If we continue to improve from here, I know that we're going to surprise a lot of people this year.

Falcons ‘08 Draft Wrap-Up (rounds 1-3)

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:53:11 -0500

OTA's are in the books. Training camp is under a month away and there is so much to talk about. First off let's address the draft

Falcons' Blank Sends Vick, Fans Clear Message

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:31:49 -0500

The signing of Matt Ryan to a long-term, high guaranteed money deal sends a clear message to Michael Vick and the NFL's largest black ticket base: Vick's not coming back as a QB under any circumstances.

The Raider Nation delivers another NFL Mock Draft: Thoughts from a Reader's Side

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:11:24 -0500

I am loving the response that we are getting with this mocking the draft project here at Thoughts from the Dark Side. If you are going to participate, please have your submissions in to me no later than Monday, as we are going to be creating a master list of all the Mock drafts submitted so we can see whose ideas were closest. Today's entry is from our trusty reader OakFoSho, who is now an MVN writer for the San Jose Sharks site. (Anyone care to guess who he has the Oakland Raiders picking? One clue, its not Matt Ryan.)

Tirico Suave updated NFL Mock Draft v2.0

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:55:14 -0500

Since my last mock, the bulk of the free agency period has come and gone, thus changing the specific needs listed last time. The combine is also in our rear view mirror as the only workouts left for draft eligible players is their Pro Days. So without any further interruption here is my newly updated mock draft. 1. Miami Dolphins - Jake Long. LT. Michigan. Needs: (LB, DB, WR, DT, QB). Previous Mock - Same. I still believe the Fins will try to deal this pick. However I just don't s...

Matt Ryan: What Was I Thinking?

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:41:18 -0500

God my mouth is stinging. But I am SOOOOOO buzzing right now. I can't believe NFL players really put this much Skoal in their mouth - you can barely see it on TV. Glad I talked to Brohm last night or I would've looked totally stupid. Lucky he called me and mentioned it! Oh maaaaaannnnn my head is lighter than Lara Flynn Boyle with raging dysentery.

What was I thinking!?

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:17:37 -0500

The Chief takes a look inside Matt Ryan's head during workouts at Boston College's Pro Day.

NFL mock draft (rounds 1-4)

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:54:18 -0500

"Is there any doubt now that Chris Long is the No. 1 overall selection? Long had an outstanding Combine, even though he was frustrated with some of his stellar numbers because he knew he could do better. Long is a perfect fit for Miami's dreadful defense, and seems like a Bill Parcells guy. There are rumors that the Dolphins could go quarterback here, but all of those seem to stem from Mike 'I want to have Matt Ryan's babies' Mayock, a Boston College guy who allegedly has...

College Fantasy Bowl - Weekly Observations: 9

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:19:06 -0500

Observations from Week 9 in College Football...including Matt Ryan discussion