Matt Ryan ordered to rest turf toe injury

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been ordered to rest his right bigtoe, but expects to be fully recovered from a turf toe injury when the team reassembles for organized training activities in March.

Ryan was first injured when he was sacked on the first series against Tampa Bay on Nov. 29. He missed two games, but came back to lead the team to three straight victories and help the franchise post its first back-to-back winning seasons.

Ryan did not take part in a full practice before any of the final three games in order to rest the toe.

"The biggest thing is rest and it's going to heal properly," Ryan said. "I've been able to meet with the doctors. We handled it as well as we could have handled it over the past five, six weeks. Hopefully, there are no lingering affects. I'll be all right when we get out to OTAs."

Ryan took every snap from center during his rookie season in 2008 when he guided the Falcons to an 11-5 record and the wildcard round of the playoffs.

Quarterback group

With a young secondary, the Falcons struggled against the better quarterbacks in the league.

The team's nine victories came against Miami's Chad Pennington, Carolina's Jake Delhomme, San Francisco's Shaun Hill, Chicago's Jay Cutler, Washington's Jason Campbell, Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman (twice), the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez and Buffalo's Brian Brohm.

The defeats all came against superior quarterbacks, with the exception of Delhomme. They were beaten by New England's Tom Brady, Dallas' Tony Romo, New Orleans' Drew Brees (twice), the New York Giants' Eli Manning and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb.

Labor strife

The Falcons' free agency plans are tied directly to the NFL's unsettled labor situation with the union.

The team has 15 free agents: wide receiver Marty Booker, right tackle Tyson Clabo, right guard Harvey Dahl, wide receiver Brian Finneran, safety Jamaal Fudge, linebacker Tony Gilbert, safety Antoine Harris, running back Verron Haynes, punter Michael Koenen, running back Jerious Norwood, offensive guard/tackle Quinn Ojinnaka, quarterback Chris Redman, running back Jason Snelling, safety Charlie Peprah and cornerback Brian Williams.

Clabo, Dahl, Fudge, Koenen, Norwood, Ojinnaka and Peprah are in the group of 212 players who will remain restricted free agents if a new labor deal is not signed by March.

Clabo and Dahl are starters and Koenen received the team's franchise tag last season.

Clabo has started 53 of 54 games over the last four seasons. Dahl broke into the starting lineup in 2008, but ended this season on injured reserve.

"Our union reps and the guys from the NFLPA have been down too," Ryan said. "We've had discussions with them. It's something that we all want to get done, no questions about it. I think both sides do. It's going to take some time for them to do it."

Coin toss for 19th

There will be a coin toss, per league rules, between the Falcons and the Houston Texans to determine the 19th pick overall in the 2010 draft, Falcons coach Mike Smith said.