Hey, Matt Ryan —- welcome to Atlanta!

This whole being the Falcons' No. 1 draft choice thing has probably been a whirlwind, and now your first minicamp is already here. You couldn't have had much time to find out even the basics about your new home-to-be.

Not to worry. Here's a quick guide useful for any newcomer from the great Northeast (we'll eschew the term Yankee), not to mention a guy carrying the hopes of an entire football franchise on his shoulder pads.

ETIQUETTE

If somebody says, "Bless your heart," they may not actually mean it kindly. On the other hand, if they tell you to swim with the fishes, they are likely offering a friendly (if goofy) new tourist tip.

PERSPECTIVE

You're a pro now, but around here, Saturday football is the star. Your new team's rank in the Georgia football universe can be expressed thusly:

1. College football

2. College football

3. Falc-, er, college football

4. High school football

5. Falcons

DOS AND DON'TS

Things not to do as a Falcon: Fight dogs, flip off the fans, call yourself "Ryan Mexico." And don't let your agent talk you into holding out over a few measly hundred grand.

Things to do: Visit the little panda girl at the zoo, not the big girls at the Cheetah. Help Arthur Blank finally get over Michael Vick. And help us forget that this is the same team that traded away Brett Favre.

LINGO

Some ATL-speak you can casually drop into conversations: crunk, world-class, Spaghetti Junction, ITP/OTP, drought (the weather kind, not the NFL playoffs kind). Throw in an occasional "y'all." And remember: Every soft drink is a "Coke." "Pop" is a verb. "Soda" is something you take a splash of in your scotch.

IF YOU'RE HOMESICK

> Atlanta Chapter, Boston College Alumni Association (www.bc.edu/chapters/atlanta).

> Atleagle.blogspot.com: Blog that's all BC sports all the time by Bill Maloney, class of '98.

> Atlanta Red Sox Nation: Decatur-based Meetup group (http://redsox.meetup.com/138). Next meeting: May 27.