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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > December > 30
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Ryan’s next rookie season starts Saturday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — Not to put pressure on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who operates like a veteran despite just receiving NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but it’s like this: He is under pressure.
Whether it’s fair or not, the legacy of a quarterback is determined by his efficiency in playoff games along the way to Super Bowl rings. That other stuff doesn’t matter. I mean, Dan Marino also looked pretty during his first NFL regular season.
This is the same Marino with a gigantic asterisk next to his records, Pro Bowl selections and bust in Canton.
Speaking of bust, that’s what Marino was during the postseason, because he never won a world championship. He also was brutal in his first playoff game as a rookie when his Miami Dolphins were upset by the Seattle Seahawks. He was better the next season when he literally threw the Dolphins into the Super Bowl, but they lost. Not only that, he never reached the Super Bowl again during his 17-year career.
See where I’m going? It would help Ryan’s ultimate resume and psyche if he finds a way to push the Falcons to victory Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals in his first playoff game.
“I think there is perceived pressure on quarterbacks as they get a little long in the tooth, because that’s when they realize the opportunities [to win championships] may be limited,” said Bill Musgrave on Tuesday, speaking as one of the definitive experts on the subject. He is Ryan’s top mentor as Falcons quarterback coach, but he also was a backup to Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Steve Young and John Elway. Oh, and there was that season he played behind some rookie named Peyton Manning, a future Hall of Famer.
Among that quartet, Montana was the only one that got it right in a hurry. He reached four Super Bowls, and he won them all, including the one that followed his first regular season as a full-time starter for the San Francisco 49ers.
There were legendary postseason struggles for the other three, particularly for Elway, who once was 0-for-3 after Super Bowl trips. Falcons kicker Jason Elam nodded with the memory on Tuesday from his locker. “Before we got those two Super Bowl wins [after the 1997 and 1998 seasons], there definitely was a stigma attached to John,” said Elam, who played with the Denver Broncos from 1993 through last season. “John was a phenomenal quarterback regardless of what happened, but if you’re a quarterback in the NFL, you’ve got to win in the Super Bowl. It defines your career.”
Take Tom Brady. Courtesy of complications with knee surgeries, he may never play again. He’s already a Canton resident, though, with three Super Bowl rings. So this is interesting: Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy sees a lot of his old teammate with the New England Patriots in Ryan. Now consider this: During Brady’s first playoff game ever, he threw for 312 yards in a victory over the Oakland Raiders that began a world-title run.
“It’s the little things. It’s just a lot of things that you can’t coach that they both have,” Milloy said. “They have this presence that you can feel from day one. They’re also not guys that make themselves untouchables in the locker room. Sometimes guys get in that position, and they’re not even available to their own teammates.
“The other thing is that they both make quick decisions on the field. They’re not back there patting the ball and giving the defense time to get to them. They know the quickest way to their success is to get the ball to guys who can help them.
“Lastly, they both have the ability to make everybody around them better. That’s the biggest trait. Matt is a guy who makes people want to fight for him.”
Yeah, well. We’ll see, starting Saturday when it counts the most.
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