Home > Mark Bradley > Archives > 2008 > September > 14 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USRyan showed some fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tampa — 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 ball backwards for an 11-yard loss at the end of the second quarter. “I was trying to pull it down,” he said, but at that stage he really didn’t know what he was doing.
It was 17-0 after 21 minutes, and it looked for all the world like one of those vintage Bay beatdowns — such as the 34-10 wipeout in 2002, Michael Vick’s first start here, or the 37-3 annihilation of last December. So it was with great surprise that you looked up with seven minutes remaining and saw …
The Falcons down 17-6 with first-and-goal at the 4.
“It looked rough from the beginning,” said receiver Roddy White. “But we did have a chance.”
No, they didn’t win. Matty Ice didn’t throw the big chill on the Bucs in the final reel. But Ryan did, in his first road start against a proud and polished defense, fight his way through what began as an abomination and turn it into just a garden-variety bad game.
White again: “Everything he did today, he’s learning on the run. And [Bucs defensive coordinator] Monte Kiffin always does this to young quarterbacks.”
Young Matt Ryan was buffeted and bewildered like he’d never been before and might not be again, and still he gathered himself and completed 10 of 18 second-half passes, a half in which he drove his team inside the Tampa 10 twice.
“As a rookie, it’s never going to be easy,” Ryan said. “You have to continue to weather the storm and learn from it.”
And he will. He’ll profit from the worst day of his professional life. It isn’t often a team can take solace from a 24-9 loss, but the Falcons could and did. They knew this could have been 37-3 all over again, but their resolve wouldn’t allow it.
Ryan: “You’ve got to keep battling. All our guys are continuing to battle.”
Back to first-and-goal at the 4. The Falcons choose a play that left Ryan running with the ball, which made no sense then and less in hindsight. Mike Smith, the coach, said the play was supposed to be “a run-pass option.” Ryan said it was a straight quarterback draw. It wound up losing three yards and limiting them to a field goal at a time when a touchdown would have made it dicey for the home side. But that, too, is fixable.
The Falcons are starting over, and they’re growing as they go. Standing in the tunnel as dusk fell Sunday, general manager Thomas Dimitroff simply shrugged when asked about Ryan: “A learning experience.”
Ryan was never going to be Tom Brady overnight. Tom Brady wasn’t Tom Brady overnight. Ryan didn’t trip the light fantastic in his second pro start, but he won a few more fans among a famously difficult audience — his peers. Said Lawyer Milloy, the safety who once shared a locker room with Brady: “I saw some fight out of a very young leader.”
There will be more weeks, more years, more visits to Tampa. Next time Matt Ryan will come packing a boxing glove of his own.
Permalink | Comments (203) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Comments
By Jesse
September 14, 2008 9:49 PM | Link to this
Well his first few series looked awful.. over throwing the WR by 20 feet, but he settled down. The WR did have a few drops as well so his numbers could have been better. But to make that much progress in one half against that Defense says something. He’ll beat Tampa one day, but it will be because of his mind and not his arm strength.
By ToeKnee
September 14, 2008 9:52 PM | Link to this
yea, a prime example of how the start you get off to can set the tone for how you play the rest of the game. we still just don’t have a polished enough offense to beat that tampa d, few do, but we did not get embarrassed, which in all likelihood, should have happened, but didn’t. because this team fights.They went after Grimes again all day and he still hussles and holds his own. i love the toughness and fight of this team. tough loss, but one that we true fans can take pride in. way to go guys. go falcons!
By Falcon Freddie
September 14, 2008 9:53 PM | Link to this
Comparing today’s Tampa Bay Bucs Team to the Superbowl Championship team that Beat Michael Vick is a stretch even for you Mr. Bradley. The real story here is how Matt Ryan played against the 2008 Tampa team that had just lost the previous week and was starting a new QB. Let’s keep our focus hear. What was Matt’s QB Rating???? The closest Atlanta Falcons came to getting in the end zone was when Warrick Dunn scored. Oops, I forgot, he’s no longer our team.
By Rick
September 14, 2008 10:04 PM | Link to this
I could not agree more. This team did not lay down and roll over. With 6 minutes to go in the game they were still in it. You can watch the team and see a different attitude. I like it. Up to this point I have not said anything about # 98 Anderson. I thought by now he should be making an impact by now and it is not happening. I read that he worked hard in the off season with Chuck Smith and others trying to improve his skills. We are rapidly approaching the point were that position needs to be re-evaluated.
By Jerry Mills
September 14, 2008 10:08 PM | Link to this
I thought Ryan proved he is real tough and gritty today. Gruden should be held responsible and fined for all the cheap shots to the head on Ryan which some which were flagged and some not flagged. The Buc’s D always has seemed (today and in the past) to get away with head shots and NFL should take action.
By Bk Hawk
September 14, 2008 10:10 PM | Link to this
I agree next time it will be different. I love the fight in the TEAM and Coach Smith gets A + . He’s the leader this team needed. He gets in everyones face that scewed up,officials and players but does it the right way. Matt will be ok. Got to love the fight. Go Falcons. GT, UGA, GSU.
By arff
September 14, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
Bradley please get of Ryan’s nut$!!! He stunk! He was all world last week according to you so don’t give us that “he showed fight” crap. If he had came out there and fainted you would talk about how great he looked hitting the ground. You sound like you want to go out on a date with the guy. Write like you are talking about football man and stop sounding like someone with a man crush. You sound pathetic playa!!!
By joseph
September 14, 2008 10:19 PM | Link to this
The story of this game was the play of the offensive line. Losing Baker seemed to hurt as Weiner got beat badly a few times. Ryan had pressure more times than not and Turner/Norwood were constantly battling to get past the line of scrimage.
Big plays were also missing. The Falcons pre-season red zone problems made their first appearance in this game as opposed to week 1 when big plays were the norm.
I agree that Gruden seemed to tell his team to go after Ryan and try to rattle him.
KC at home should bring back the week 1 Falcons that were a lot more fun to watch.
By Kno Doubt
September 14, 2008 10:19 PM | Link to this
Nope… Just couldn’t do it could you Mark? Had to mention Number 7 again. Poor attempt to justify Matt’s outing today with Number 7’s first outing back in 2002. As if to say, “Hey “Vick-apologist”, go easy on Matt. Vick had a rough outing his first game against the Bucs also”. Let the “coddling” begin.
By Bama
September 14, 2008 10:24 PM | Link to this
arff; where did you get the stuff? that stuff you been smoking. marks got more smarts in his little toe than you got in your brain.
By Falclowns R Back
September 14, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this
Mr. Bradley, the way you spun this loss is sickening. Who would have thought that seeing the glass as half-full would ever seem so - hopeless. Good luck in your future coverage of the ‘golden one.’
By Joe Daddy
September 14, 2008 10:30 PM | Link to this
I loved what I saw today. The first quarter was as bad as it could get but Matt Ryan adjusted and made improvements in the second half. The team never gave up and Ryan looked like he learned a ton in just one game… Go Falcons!
By DeathFromAbove
September 14, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this
Actually Vick didn’t even finish his first start against Tampa, and the Falcons started off 1-3 his first season as a starter…
By arff
September 14, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this
Bama you do know that sentences begin with capital letters don’t you? Sounds like someone else has a man crush.
By zone1atl/borngator
September 14, 2008 10:40 PM | Link to this
As a Buc i hate the Falcons with a passion and thought the drafting of Ryan was a mistake. After watching him play in this game, he has earned my respect. He could’ve easily falling apart but he hung he there and took that butt whooping and kept fighting. From the outside looking in i think he’s going to be pretty good and we’re going to have to content with that.
By Shawn dodson
September 14, 2008 10:40 PM | Link to this
arff,i couldn’t agree with more.Bradley and all the other Matt Ryan loyalist will make excuses for him.They want so badly to forget about Mike.The QB who brought so much to their team and city.I hope they never win without Mike.Wake up falcon fans,Ryan is NOT the QB who will save the team.
By allweather fan
September 14, 2008 10:44 PM | Link to this
Arff,
This is a rookie quarterback we are talking about not Brady or the elder Manning. We must have been watching different games. I will agree the QB in the first half I saw stunk. The QB in the second half I saw had a lot of resolve. My question to you is how good do you think Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman looked in their first road games? And how did they turn out?
By myconju
September 14, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this
Yes! Matt Ryan stunk up the place. Yes, the Tampa D shut down Michael Turner and made Ryan throw. The Falcons can thank that Tampa offense for not leaving out of there humiliated. That goodness that we are in the weakest conference in the NFL. Thank goodness we’ll be playing KC next week. They’ll be sure to give the Falcons more false hope.
There were some rays of hope, Abrahama nd Babineaux had steller performances.
Of course everyone! THIS is ANOTHER REBUILDING YEAR.
By darrell starks
September 14, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this
yes we lost BUT ITS OKAY TAMPABAY always play us tough my biggest concern is matt arm strenght I THOUGHT he had a stronger arm than what he showed to day couple of time he TRIED TO THROW DEEP BUT COULD NOT get it there may be he was nervouse i dont no but its just one game linebacker play was the weaknest on defense we have to get better play at linebacker NO GAME BALL THIS WEEK. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Richard
September 14, 2008 10:48 PM | Link to this
Yes, I did see some fight in Matt today, but to win a fight you better bring some skills, and Matt is limited when it comes to skills, he appears to make sound good reads under pressure but with limited arm strength, accuracy and foot speed we are in big trouble unless he can stand in the pocket all day.
By allweather fan
September 14, 2008 10:50 PM | Link to this
Shawn,
I am sick of all the Vick apoligist. I thought he was great for this team and city. However, he has NO ONE to blame but himself. He turned on his fans not the other way around. No one put a gun to his head and had him fight dogs which is why he is in PRISON not jail. He did this to himself. Get real dude.
By joseph
September 14, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this
To Shawn Dodson,
“The QB who brought so much to their team and city”
Do you mean felony charges for killing dogs or do you mean leaving the team with no QB weeks before training camp and after the draft?
For the record, Vicks first game @ TB was week 14 and he was 12 for 25 with 125 yards, 1 TB, 1 Int. 6 rushes for 9 yards. He was sacked 1 time.
By Supes
September 14, 2008 10:53 PM | Link to this
There were at least 2 occasions in which Matt got hit illegally with a helmet to helmet hit by a Tampa Bay Succanier after he had already released the ball. He also got hit late when he was on the ground at least once. Only 1 was called the other 2 went uncalled.
I hope Mike Smith shows video of this, so next time the Succaniers play the Falcons at the DOME, our D-Line and Backers give Griese or Garcia the same courtesy.
Defense needs to man up…esp. Jamal Anderson! Someone should put out a missing person’s report on him.
By Mark Bradley
September 14, 2008 10:57 PM | Link to this
You knew this welcome-to-the-NFL game was coming, and now that it has arrived, you want me to say Ryan is a bust? Well, I won’t. Because he isn’t.
And for the record, I was never anything but supportive as Michael Vick as a quarterback. (Feel free to go back and check.) But he had some tough days, too, and he wasn’t asked to start Week 1 of Season 1. Every quarterback has tough days.
By ATL Bucs Guy
September 14, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this
Of course Gruden told his team to go after Ryan. That’s how you play defense, get after the QB. I didn’t watch the game too closely, so I didn’t see if there were a lot of late hits on Ryan or not, but I did see one of the Bucs hit him hard with a forearm to the face mask. That’s not cool. That’s not coached either. That’s that particular player taking it upon himself to hurt someone, and the Bucs shouldn’t be held responsible for that.
By the way, thanks for bringing in Michael Turner and making it possible for us to get Dunn back. Gruden wanted him back all along, and I loved seeing him slice up the ATL defense on his TD run.
By Rod
September 14, 2008 11:03 PM | Link to this
Ryan showed Joey Moxy? LOL.
By Richard
September 14, 2008 11:06 PM | Link to this
Matt reminds me of J. Harrington and C Redman, they know where to go with the ball but just to not have the arm strength to get the ball there, teams are not going to let us nickel and dime them down the field, until Matt can throw the deep ball and he can not we will not be successful. So we better run the ball like crazy every game and maybe Matt will be able throw a 20 yard out
By tim
September 14, 2008 11:08 PM | Link to this
Afrr,your an a*! Ryan show a lot guts today and He Will get better.Troy Akiman looked like CRAP,his first year in Dallas.I know your just another pathetic loser Vick fan.Ryan may not be the athlete Vick was,But Vick never was and never will the leader Ryan is and definetly not the team player Ryan is..And He as HELL isn’t as smart.If he were he’d playing football on sunday instead of sitting in LEAVENWORTH!!!.
By JR
September 14, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this
“Every quarterback has tough days.”
Couldn’t have said it any better Mark. Unfortunately 90% of the idiots on this blog are too stupid to figure that out. Those morons forgot that you also have to credit Kiffin’s defense for playing so physical and shutting down the running game today.
Did Ryan make mistakes? You better believe it. But oh mi gosh, since he didn’t throw for 300+ and 5 tds he must ABSOLUTELY SUCK! I think the people upset with Ryan’s performance were those losers who had him starting on their fantasy teams, because they really aren’t real Falcon fans.
These are the kinds of days that we’ll just have to expect during this season. I still believe the Falcons are going to learn from this and grow into a real contender one day.
By atlpaddy
September 14, 2008 11:14 PM | Link to this
Did Ryan look bad on a lot of drives in this game? Yes. But why in the hell was the coaching staff putting this game on a rookie QB’s shoulders? What happened to the running game? Why weren’t we working short passing routes and screens like the Aint’s did last week? I’ve got a big problem when it’s 3rd down and 3 and we’re trying to throw the ball into the end zone when all we need is another first down. Not good. The coaching staff had some bad play calling today and we’re lucky Ryan didn’t get killed out there.
By arff
September 14, 2008 11:17 PM | Link to this
The Falcons played a real football team today not division 1-A college team like they did last week. The comments on this board about him showing fight and grit and all of that nonsense is why Atlanta teams never win anything with the exception of one World Series title. Keith Brooking is a prime example, rarely makes a big play but he is considered the icon of Atlanta Falcon football. This city needs some guys that want to win and will lay it on the line not some guy that gives good quotes and plays golf with AJC writers.
By myconju
September 14, 2008 11:19 PM | Link to this
Excuse me Mark Bradley. I didn’t know that they asked Matt Ryan to start. I thought that he won the starting job. Negotiating for a 72 mil contract does not mean asking for the starting job, it means you take the starting job.
Suck it up Falcons fans, even the best quarterbacks have a bad game.
By myconju
September 14, 2008 11:24 PM | Link to this
I’m sort of sick of the cliche “Vick brought it on himself”. Yes he broke the law. But if I get a speeding ticket on my way to work and am late, the whole building is not going to collapse.
The Falcons collapsed and that can not be blamed on Mike Vick. Tom Brady is out and they are still winning.
By Rip
September 14, 2008 11:25 PM | Link to this
Troy Akiman had an arm, Matt is missing one. You have got to have at least two out of three to be a good QB brains, arm, legs. Matt does have a brain
By arff
September 14, 2008 11:37 PM | Link to this
Ok Tim, in 5 years if Matt Ryan wins the Super Bowl or even takes the Falcons to the Super Bowl I will agree with you that he is better than Vick because Vick took the Falcons to the NFC championship game. As for Mike going to prison I have to agree with you that was a dumb move. But hey, young men/quarterbacks make mistakes on and off the field. One more thing, how can you tell that Ryan is so smart and such a great leader after only two games? You must be really smart too?
By Grumps
September 14, 2008 11:41 PM | Link to this
Matt Ryan looked great—anything is better than last year and the previous Screwed Up Ego Head Vick. Go Falcons.
By myconju
September 14, 2008 11:47 PM | Link to this
With the exception of one word, Matt Ryan sounded a lot like Coach Mora.
Coach Mora = the team really fought Matt Ryan = the team really battled
Is this deja vous.
By myconju
September 14, 2008 11:51 PM | Link to this
I saw the Ryan’s post game interview and I felt really sorry for him. In 90 plus degree weather, why wear a suite. Who is he trying to impress. With all of that wiping his face with a towel. Will someone give him some PR classes. Matty Ice looked as though he was melting.
By Boo Boo
September 14, 2008 11:55 PM | Link to this
Well, well, well. Seems I remember checking off the “Who will win between Falcons and Bucs?” AJC useless poll, voting “Bucs.” “Wow”, I said to myself, when I saw I was one of 76 thinking “loss”, verses 9,875 Homers voting for the “Falcons” to win.
Matt Ryan is a rookie. The offensive line is not the changed variety Mike Smith and Dimoff promised to come this year, in Free Agency and the draft. Its the cut block line still from Mora Junior’s days. Remember them, they only beat Tampa Bay when Tampa Bay had no quarterback. There still are no Terrell Owens like receivers in Atlanta, making 10 catches for 140 yards per game, with 2 TDs. And, the Falcons only play the Detroit Lionesses once this year. Their only hope is to keep the scores low by run, run, run. They proved today they cannot run against Tampa Bay.
If this week is any crystal ball into the future, then we could see the Falcons come out victorious next week, in a hard-fought 9-8 game against KC. Pack the seats for that one.
Still, it looks like Tampa Bay is possibly headed to a 4-win season, if they can trick Matt Ryan into stage fright one more time, assuming they too play the Chiefs and Detroit. Not quite the REALITY-CHECK 31-3 thumping some people expected.
I guess too many people that are Falcon fans watch those commercials on TV and think that baby really can buy stocks on a computer. “I just won an NFL football game. Did you see? Whoa … [puke].” Its not real folks. Babies cannot buy stocks and NFL rookie quarterbacks do not win many regular season games.
By myconju
September 14, 2008 11:56 PM | Link to this
Warrick Dunn looked exceptional today. And what a wise young man. Believe me when I say that the fans are HAPPY to have him back.
By myconju
September 15, 2008 12:11 AM | Link to this
Who is the whiner that is talking about the late hits on Matt Ryan. C’mon, there were so many late hits on Mike Vick that I can’t remember. He’s an NFL player. Let him be that. After all, he’s being paid 72 mil to take those late hits.
By The Truth
September 15, 2008 12:20 AM | Link to this
I will not get into the Ryan/Vick comparison, as this is a different team, and totally different circumstances. This is Ryan’s second NFL game,and despite looking horrible in the 1st half, he performed good enough to win today, as he marched the team down to the 10 on two occasions, but we came up short. I am sure he will continue to grow and may be able to exact revenge on Tampa when they visit the Dome. Hold your head high Matt, and lets go Falcons.
By Jed Leeland
September 15, 2008 12:27 AM | Link to this
ajc “writers” are all buttlicking pimps. But, that’s about all you can expect in Podunck Atlanta, G-A.
By Keith
September 15, 2008 12:29 AM | Link to this
Hey Freddie Falcon…..f*** you! Why don’t you do us all a favor and die. These guys are a young team. They are going to need time to mature. If you’re expecting a winning season this year, you’re just as much of a fool as you sound. If you can’t see the progress that Ryan made from the first half to the second, you probably need to either pull your head out of your a*…..or out of the crotch of your Michael Vick poster. Ryan is the winning future! Vick is a hudlum death to any team that touches him! Get your head out of your a* and see the big picture.
By michaelgee
September 15, 2008 12:39 AM | Link to this
Ryan got beat up physically all day, but never once did he hang his head like Vick always did when the game got rough.
Ryan is a winner in the works.
The repeated helmet to helmet shots should be illegal, well, they should be flagged since they are already illegal. The NFL Officials did a very poor job of protecting the QB today, they let TB get free shot after free shot to Ryans head, the kid never waivered, he just kept coming. Matt Ryan is my kind of player!
By Jim Mora, Jr.
September 15, 2008 12:49 AM | Link to this
Hey guys. You still hurting? After I told my daddy I went to a dog fight with Mike Vick and he then went and said Mike Vick was a coach killer and all, I thought turning Mick Vick in to the Feds, talking Patrick Kearney to come follow me to the great northwest, and scaring Deangelo and Alge by telling them I would tell on them for going to the same dog fight, if they didn’t leave the Falcons, would make me feel real happy inside. I thought you would still be hurting, having to start over twice. Especially after Coach Homlgren announced I would be the head coach next year and all, I thought I would feel better. But, now we are 0 - 2 and you are 1 - 1. Where’s the justice in that?
By Kevin B
September 15, 2008 12:51 AM | Link to this
By myconju September 15, 2008 12:11 AM | Link to this Who is the whiner that is talking about the late hits on Matt Ryan. C’mon, there were so many late hits on Mike Vick that I can’t remember. He’s an NFL player. Let him be that. After all, he’s being paid 72 mil to take those late hits.
Being a former defensive lineman, I have no problem with a late hit if it is inadvertent. When a man takes two helmet shots under the chin, it’s bushleague at best and has no place in professional sports….Gruden initiated that and as the leader of the team should be held accountable as well as the offending players themselves.
Football is indeed a contact sport; however there is a major difference between aggressive play and a blatant cheap shot. You can inflict as much pain within the rules of the game without having to resort to going outside them.
By mrdonut
September 15, 2008 12:58 AM | Link to this
Ryan and the Falcons will be fine, but they need to cut White, Jenkins, and Jamal Anderson, immediately. The Falcons don’t even need to replace them on the roster. This is called addition by subtraction.
By The Truth
September 15, 2008 1:02 AM | Link to this
With Grady Jackson out of the linup and JAnderson still not contributing our defense was not as stout as we hoped for. The CB’s continues to play well, and in two games shows the decision to get rid of D. Hall was a good one. The Oline was way too soft and the injury to Sam Baker did not help us. Will someone tell me why Todd Weiner is playing and Quinn Ojinnaka is not? also why not try Kroy instead of Jamal. Jamal is just another of Rich McKay’s experiment. I will not say anything in this post with regards to Brooking, but am positive that Thomas Dimitroff will do the right thing come next draft.
By VICK_HEX
September 15, 2008 1:10 AM | Link to this
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS BLOG AND THE KKK IS NO HOODS ARE NOTICABLE. IF YOU PEOPLE ARE SATISFIED WITH RYAN LEAF’S PERFORMANCE, THEN YOU HAVE VERY LOW SELF ESTEEMS.
YOU WILL NEVER WIN WITHOUT ME - DEAL WITH IT YOU W* B*******.
P.S. D HALL & THE RAIDERS WON :)
By Kevin B
September 15, 2008 1:12 AM | Link to this
By mrdonut September 15, 2008 12:58 AM | Link to this Ryan and the Falcons will be fine, but they need to cut White, Jenkins, and Jamal Anderson, immediately. The Falcons don’t even need to replace them on the roster. This is called addition by subtraction.
I agree with you about Jamal and Michael Jenkins, but the jury is still out on Roddy…the dropped pass he had in the first half was him simply turning upfield before securing the catch. Happens to receivers everyday; but MJ did not seem to even try to catch anything at all today.
I would move Douglas in his spot and have Finneran slotted in as a possession receiver esp on 3rd down passing situations.
By VICK_HEX
September 15, 2008 1:22 AM | Link to this
WOULDN’T IT BE IRONIC IF NEXT WEEK DORSEY PUTS RYAN ON THE INJURED RESERVED LIST NEXT WEEK? THAT WOULD BE HILARIOUS :)
SHOUTING - SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED ME BIATCH!!!!!!
By Kevin B
September 15, 2008 1:32 AM | Link to this
**By VICK_HEX September 15, 2008 1:10 AM | Link to this THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS BLOG AND THE KKK IS NO HOODS ARE NOTICABLE. IF YOU PEOPLE ARE SATISFIED WITH RYAN LEAF’S PERFORMANCE, THEN YOU HAVE VERY LOW SELF ESTEEMS.
YOU WILL NEVER WIN WITHOUT ME - DEAL WITH IT YOU W* B*.
P.S. D HALL & THE RAIDERS WON :)**
These are the type of ignorant comments that I get sick of reading on this blog….Stop making excuses for what MV7 bought on HIMSELF!!!! He funded the operation, not the white man or the system!
His previous agent asked him to give up those unsavory activities long before he was exposed, yet he dumped him an hired another agent or enabler instead.
He set the “Glowing Example” for his little brother to follow in and Marcus followed them to a T. He was given a free pass at VT because of his on field talents.
I as a man of color am sick and tired of our atheletes and entertainers not being held responsible for their own actions everytime they get themselves in trouble.
If you are stupid enough to commit the crime then man up and accept the punishment. That’s not a conspiracy, it is the law. Deal with it!
By Old Timer
September 15, 2008 1:34 AM | Link to this
Hey Bradley, it’s spelled M-O-X-I-E.
By Najeh Davenpoop
September 15, 2008 3:14 AM | Link to this
“And for the record, I was never anything but supportive as Michael Vick as a quarterback. (Feel free to go back and check.) But he had some tough days, too, and he wasn’t asked to start Week 1 of Season 1. Every quarterback has tough days.”
Two extra years of college preparation are supposed to make you more ready to handle starting Week 1 of Season 1, particularly when you are paid $72 million on Week 0 of Season 1.
No, Matt Ryan is not a bust because he stunk up the joint one game, far from it. But you better believe games like this are gonna happen a lot more often as he plays actual NFL teams, unlike the Detroit Lions. The Falcons have made the decision to play him despite putting next to zero help around him — they better hope he is mentally tough enough to handle the pounding he’s gonna take this year. Just ask David Carr what a substandard supporting cast can do to a talented QB’s career.
And if you don’t think some of those Bucs journeyman linemen who won’t make $72 million in their entire careers didn’t put a little extra oomph on some of those hits on purpose — just like certain players did on Vick in his first season when the spotlight was on him — think again. You can expect to see that frequently as the year goes along too, especially if the brilliant Falcons coaches continue calling quarterback draws on the goal line.
Finally, like someone mentioned earlier, this is a Brooks-less, Sapp-less, Booger-less, aging Tampa defense you’re talking about, and you’re comparing them to the 2002 Super Bowl Champions, Bradley? This is probably the most adoring column ever written about a 29.6 QB rating performance. No rational observer thinks this game makes Ryan a bust, but come on now, he is not immune to criticism either.
By Manny
September 15, 2008 3:36 AM | Link to this
What happened yesterday was simple: Ryan went against a good Cover 2 and was exposed. Period.
If you look back during my comments during PRESEASON, when everybody was arguing with me that Ryan is ready Day 1 to be the starter, I was telling you that I was concerned about Ryan going against a good Cover 2. I wondered what would happen if the Cover 2 took away the running game and the short pass. I wondered what would happen if all that was left would be the midrange pass.
Well, now we know what would happen.Ryan went 2-for the first half. We had 2 interceptions (and we can thank God we didn’t have more.) And we had hurt players and nasty sacks.
But I did see something else. I did see why people are so high on Matt Ryan. And I respect him a lot more after this game. Because I saw a guy with real heart. He’s that kind of player that you would want to work a little harder to make him look good. And I think his leadership ability is very strong. And he can throw a strike.
But clearly he’s not going to win the Falcons games with his arm. He’s not the playmaker that we’re accustomed to at the QB position. And he’s clearly someone who will need to be bailed out at least 30% of the time. And that’s going to be a problem this season.
Oh, and what’s worse, is now the rest of the league knows that if you walk up your safeties to assist in the rush defense, Ryan can’t make you pay.
By Mike
September 15, 2008 4:37 AM | Link to this
Still talking about Mr Vick I see. Unless the falconettes win at the end of the game nothing else matters. Hey maybe you ryan lovers can start your books now. ‘He played with heart. He played strong. His team was always on the L side at the end of the game, but thats ok.’ Fellows this is not little league.
By Mike
September 15, 2008 5:00 AM | Link to this
Still talking about Mr Vick I see. Unless the falconettes win at the end of the game nothing else matters. Hey maybe you ryan lovers can start your books now. ‘He played with heart. He played strong. His team was always on the L side at the end of the game, but thats ok.’ Fellows this is not little league.
By RA
September 15, 2008 5:04 AM | Link to this
I saw two things yesterday that made me think that Ryan is going to be a very good quarterback. One, even while taking the beating of a lifetime, he had enough presence to know exactly where the line of scrimmage was, react accordingly, and keep a critical drive going. Second, and most importantly, on that weird play yesterday (the completion, forward pass, recovery, roughing the passer fiasco), I saw Ryan get hit, and pull the guy that hit him down with him. Now that’s something Brett Farve would do. Above all else, you never saw him cradling an injured body part (and you know that by the end of yesterday, he was hurting all over), rolling around on the ground (even though he took devasting hit after devastating hit), or calling it in (even though you could tell that there were times when he just didn’t have a clue out there). Now, to the extent that Bradley supported Vick, I honestly don’t remember and I honestly don’t care, but I will say that I believe that he’s more right about Ryan than wrong.
By MV7 Fan
September 15, 2008 5:42 AM | Link to this
Let’s keep Vick out of this, he’s where he should be; in prison.
Now as for Ryan, he’s not the answer. I realize he’s a rookie and all rookies have that welcome to the NFL game, but his “welcome” games will continue for the entire season. You can put lipstick on a pig but in the end it’s still a pig.
By hop
September 15, 2008 6:42 AM | Link to this
i hope matt ryan makes it as an NFL qb,but he is showing once again that he does not have a strong arm.
he has much grit and determination,but he is not mobile coupled with an average arm is not good in the nfl.
manning’s are not very mobile either ,but they both have a very strong arms.
he is a leader and has the respect of the players,hopefully, that will be enough!
By kreese31
September 15, 2008 7:20 AM | Link to this
All of you Bums are trying to give Matt Ryan an out, Don’t you dare go there, most of you c++ksucKers never cgave Vick one, even when his receivers were dropping everything that he put square in thier hands. Matt Ryan Looked BAD!!! overthrown balls, underthrown balls, balls thrown behind receivers-what game were you all watching!! he didn’t even show any poise!!! he was rattled, did you see how RED he was!!!!LOL!!! MV7 never showed that he ws nervous—NEVER!!! Matt Ryan ain’t no damn leader, (did you c him get chewed out by Lawyer Milloy!!! who and how many times was Vick yelled at by teammate,—Never, because the Falcons knew if they got the ball back in MV7s hands, we had a chance!!! do you think that this team feels that way about MATT RYAN—let me answer that for you—-HEEELLLLL NOOOO!!!!!!!! We love You and wait your return MV7; cause Matty Ice just is not that deal!!!!!!!!!!!!
By elephanthead
September 15, 2008 7:31 AM | Link to this
Be prepared for the MV dead enders to start their ungrammatical howling. They’ve been storing it up waiting for this day, so let em have their fun. This performance was not really a surprise - we all knew they were gong to get a beating sooner or later, the thing to watch is whether or not they learn from it. A few observations…
By kreese31
September 15, 2008 7:33 AM | Link to this
I saw two things yeterday that let’s me know that Matt Ryan sucks!!! he was scared and he can’t throw worth a dam!!! did you all see how RED he was!!! How many times has anyone(teammate) ever yelled a Vick like Milloy did to Ryan!!! NEVER because the TEAM knew that if MV7 had the ball in his hands, we had a chance!! do you think anyone feels that wa yabout Matt Ryan!! HEEELLll NOOOO, I had another post, but just like everyone else, Mark Bradley is trying to PROTECT Matty Ice!!! Damn Matt Ryan!!he cannot play worth a lick!!!!! is this why we paid him so much money, to give excuses when he plays bad, cause if so, then I’ll suit up next week!!!!
By JB
September 15, 2008 7:50 AM | Link to this
I lived in Indianapolis when Peyton started in the league. He looked just as bad as Ryan did yesterday. It was an abysmal first season for Manning. As long as Ryan doesn’t give up or become shellshocked, the Falcons and him will grow during the course of this season. If Ryan has 2/3rds of the success that Manning has had, the Falcons will be a serious force.
By bestpost
September 15, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
To Elephanthead:
The best and most accurate post yet. You are a true football person.
By elohimfa
September 15, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
I think Ryans arm got exposed in the game. His strong armed passes looked very week. Looked like he could barely throw the ball 50 yards.
By Keeping It Real
September 15, 2008 8:04 AM | Link to this
Ryan did show a lot of heart. However, he does not have an NFL arm. I never saw so many dying quails in my life. Even when he threw the ball out of bounds, there was a lot of flutter in the ball. Vince Young has the same problem except that he has a more mobility. At least Ryan has a cooler head. Unfortunately, that will not win games.
By D.Ellis
September 15, 2008 8:07 AM | Link to this
As a Ryan supporter from start andw il lbe til lthe finish he looked pretty flustered and bad in the first half. It’s his job to manage the ship and get first downs….which he did not do. However that was in the first half.
He looked alot better in the second half which was an encouraging sign. Ryan as well as the whole entire team showed alot of fight….when last year they would and did fold up shop and call it a game.
I don;y remember seeing any screen plays for Norwood. Would have liked to see that. It could have been because they were down so fast….but I thought they did away with the run to fast. Defense played good. They didn’t do a great job of stopping the run. Dunn did his thing. The long run at the end blows up the stats. Seems pretty bad the even Anderson couldn’t get close to the QB…especially one as pedestrian as Griese. Also other than the big hit he had where was Michael Boley?
This was a bad game. It is going to happen. The team fought. They didn’t give up which was why I watched till the end. Ryan looked about as bad as you can look in the first half…but bounced back to hae a pretty good second half. Would have like to see more Turner/Screens to Norwood to off set the pass rush.
But in reality thy looked like the team we al lpretty much expected to be. A 5-11 or 6-10 team. Proud of my team and how they played.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Scratching Head
September 15, 2008 8:07 AM | Link to this
*Hey Bradley, in your reply on 9/14 at 10:57 PM, you said, “you were never anything but supportive of Vick as QB.” *
What (times2)! 1) Your observational and analytical skills were that poor, and 2) you are stupid enough to type it in a blog.
Also, 24-9 is a not as bad as 37-3 and somehow that makes it ok. Also, no mention of Turner but last week you had all the praise. Oh, and Detroit lost by 23 at home yesterday. No mention of that. You are pathetic.
By Darrell Robinson
September 15, 2008 8:16 AM | Link to this
I basically just glanced over the article i knew it would be a whole lot of excuses for Matt Ryan …for people that knew anything about football they knew the falcons were not a good team …but for those who hate Micheal Vick you will always make excuses for the falcons and Matt …they most likely will beat Kansas City and then lose 4 in a row ..like i said last week they will win about 4 to 5 games this year as a whole they do look better than last year but that’s not saying much …..all in all the Falcons made a terrible first pick and the future will show this to be true …..but we will argue this week to week and nine times out of ten it will go down racial lines
By John
September 15, 2008 8:17 AM | Link to this
Matt stood tall after all the cheap shots to his head. This year our team has class and should be proud of our players and coaches. Bring on KC. Go Falcons
By John
September 15, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
We should be proud of our team they played with CLASS and team effort. Be proud Atlanta that we have a team that will win. Go Falcons
By Space Mountain
September 15, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
Matt Ryan does not play defense. Matt Ryan is not the entire team. Bottom line the offense should have played better but the defense gave up way too many points.
By Scott Case
September 15, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this
I’m going to tell it how it is. Some people are saying that he showed grit and guts on the field. He sucked yesterday and you all know it. I remember a certain dogfighting idiot that played his heart out and the falcons lost, but there was no “guts and grit” praises for him. Cut the double standard and tell Matt Ryan to get it together, his salary demands better play.
By Lord Haw Haw
September 15, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
It astonishes the national media that Atlanta still harbors creatures that continue to defend convicted felon Michael Vick. The local media continues to soft-soap his image lest a race riot ensue in the vicinity of Sweet Auburn Avenue. Of course, it helps that the smoking loons have the Hussein Obama figure upon which to transfer their childlike worship. On the bright side [forgive the pun], at least Hussein (so far as we know) does not spead herpes.
By bigeasy830
September 15, 2008 8:35 AM | Link to this
Now it is hilarious how you people said MV7 is gone let it go. But when your boy looks bad you want to drag MV7 down with him. Matt Ryan did a good job in getting rid of the ball but his problem is he has no arm strength. If his arm strength does not improve over the of season, he will look just as bad next year and the years after. The Falcons drafted a quick fix to public opinion at QB and did not take a look at the long range goals of getting this team to contention. We will probably beat KC next week, then all the optimism from you fair weather foolish, unrealistic fans will resurface. But I am a true falcon fan that realizes this team made a mistake by drafting this QB and should have started building on the lines first. We did not evaluate this kids arm. He cannot make all the throws especially the deep out patterns and this limits the offense. To you know it all people that are questioning the coaching staff, did you expect 200 yards from Turner every game. We played a real team with a real defense this week. If TB had a decent QB they would have beaten us by 40. Matt Ryan passes floated all game even his over throws. That INT he had in the preseason was a true indictor of this guys arm. His arm is suspect at best, I don’t care about the numbers or us losing, I expect that from a rookie QB. Even though I am impressed with his mental approach to the game, what worries me is his physical skills.
To all you MV7 haters leave the man name out of the Blog, don’t compare this rookie to the QB that took this franchise to the NFC championship game.
By Algonquin J. Calhoun
September 15, 2008 8:38 AM | Link to this
The racists need to be reminded that Vick is no longer playing in the NFL. He confessed to a felony and is now imprisoned in Leavenworth, Kansas. He didn’t complete any passes yesterday, that we know of!
By Keeping It Real
September 15, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this
I guess the cheap shots to the head caused the poor passes. Get real. Ryan will never be a top NFL QB. He is more like Harrington, Smith, Griese,, Sims and the other All American fair skinned flops. You Matty Ice supporters will suffer a lot over the next few years. Losers suck even if they go to church every Sunday.
By Come on
September 15, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
Hey bigeasy830,
You said, “don’t compare this rookie to the QB that took this franchise to the NFC championship game.
And Chris Chandler took Atlanta to the Super Bowl. Still want to argue your stupid fact.
For the other bloggers, the reason we argue Vick across racial lines is because Blank knew a black QB would sell tickets and he was not benched or traded when he should have been.
By bigeasy830
September 15, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
By Darrell Robinson, that was a great post. You said it perfectly. I also see many fans are in agreement that Matt Ryann does not have a NFL arm, but the MV7 haters will argue against that. I tell you all, at the end of the season when you delusional fans realize that we made a mistake, when Mike Smith tell Arthur Blank this kid just don’t have the arm strength, The Falcons will have over 200 million dollars and over 60 million of it guaranteed tied in two QBs. If Matt Ryan is not the answer the smart business thing to do will be to bring back MV7. We will not be able to draft Stafford or Tebow because of the money we have tied into the others. PETA does not attend football games. The Dome will be half empty by the end of the season. MV7 will be the only option the give the franchise a spark financially and to win games.
By bobby
September 15, 2008 8:55 AM | Link to this
This game was within reach. We need better play at QB so teams will not stack the line. I think stacking the line is what is going to happen from here on out. Matt wasn’t great but he wasn’t horrible either. Second game against Tampa is pretty hard. I never expected Matt to carve up the Tampa D. This is just a reminder that we still need work.
By Nace
September 15, 2008 8:56 AM | Link to this
Some of you Vick Lovers are accusing Mark Bradley of having a man crush on a QB? Now that’s rich! Be real suckas…
By Joe
September 15, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
For any idoit that wants to jump on Ryans back, don’t even think about it. This young man got out there in his 2nd start of his NFL career and showed outstanding composure against a defense that EATS Quarterbacks. He got jacked up like nearly every QB does against them. His leadership in the face of some serious physical punishment told me everything I need to know about him.
Peyton, Eli, Brady, Montana, Young, Aikman, ect…ALL took beatings when they were rookies.
I’m very excited about seeing them get better every week.
The best part about it that even when they were behind, they never quit yesterday.
By Rick
September 15, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
Sure it stinks to get killed, but we should be used to it in Tampa Bay. What I take from this loss is that the team didn’t give up. Every team we’ve had over the last few years would have packed it in midway through the second quarter. I liked the fact that they fought through it. I’m talking about everyone, not just Ryan.
By Flafalcon
September 15, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
2 looked pretty bad. DJ could have done better then that performace. Whats the deal with not running the ball inside the 5yd line? Defense and Ref’s kept us in the game. I have to say #56 has lost it. They ate us up with the short across the middle and that run Dunn made for a score he got man handled by the block. Well at least we had our feel good game for the year last week. I’s going to be a long year. I don’t want to say say it but he did look just as bad as Joey, no arm strength, can’t get the ball deep. I hope we didn’t make the wrong move in getting this guy and putting our future in him.By bigeasy830
September 15, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
By Come on, you are a retard. Chris Chandler was a vet in the league and the QB that took this team to the greatest season it ever had. I will always be a fan of Chris Chandler for that. Until Matt Ryan can do more than beat a terrible Detroit team then I have no love for him just like I had no love for MV7 until he started to produce on the field. You see I am a Fanatic (FAN) that has a what have you done for my team attitude. Until i realized that Gregg Knapp and Jim Mora was the problem I was ready to run MV7 out of town just you most of you were. . I guess you are trying to make my comment a racial thing, thats on you, whatever floats your boat.
By This Gets Old
September 15, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this
If you watched that game yesterday and COULDN’T see that the Falcons are the coming team in the conference you don’t know how to watch pro football. You guys forget that the coaching staff was working under game conditions for only the second time.
They’ll get better (even though the offensive coordinator pulled one of his bizarre Pittsburgh red zone freak outs) The GM and HC will realize that the top teams in the league have to score TD’s in the Red Zone and that those teams have TE’s who are a regular part of the passing game and in some cases THE go to guy in the red zone. In addition if the RT was really capable of playing LT then he’d have been doing it from the get go.
The game on the field isn’t the game on TV. It’s impossibly fast and looking at the entire game one thing is clear - the Falcons could have won that game. Even with all of the ** ups they could have won that game and that’s trouble for everybody else in the division.
The Falcons are the team on the come (gambling term) and the next time that Atlanta plays the Bucs Ryan will be much better. I was a guy who thought fix the defense first because defense wins (check yesterday) games.
I wanted a team that had a style of play be it throwing the ball all over the field or smash mouth running game or defense that beat up other teams. I was initially disappointed in the draft but Ryan is the guy.
Yes Mularkey was the OC of the Steelers but looking back all of the trick plays never won games. Pittsburgh did eventually go out and get a top tier TE. You are not going to run the ball down the throats of your opponent every game. Young QB’s have to have the weapons before you judge them. Why do you think that Warner starts in AZ?
I was one who was always a Vick defender. He took us where he was supposed to take us. Let’s not forget that he was the top pick in the draft. He’s not where he is because some people didn’t like him.
By bestpost
September 15, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
Great Post “By This Gets Old “. I concur with the TE assessment. We also need to put Keith Brooking out pastor. He no longer cover anyones TE and great liabilty. Also Jamaal Andersen is a bust on the Defensive Line.
By The Grinch
September 15, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
Who kidnapped “This Gets Old” and replaced him with a Falcons fan? Good job. Agreed on all points.
By not complaining
September 15, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
Matt proved why he attended an ACC school, instead of an SEC!! He sucked, all of you who are making excuses for him, will jump off his bandwagon in 3 games!!!! I agree that Shockley would have done better with this team,