FLOWERY BRANCH – Around the Falcons locker room, center/guard Ryan Neuzil is a media darling.
He started at center against the Dolphins and played some guard in the third quarter. After he was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State in 2020, he has worked his way up the depth chart to the No. 2 center position.
Left tackle Jake Matthews got a kick out Neuzil’s time in the spotlight. Coach Arthur Smith was running around taking camera-phone video of Neuzil to use for fodder in a team meeting.
“One thing that’s always been funny is that Art talks about my publicist reaching out to him all the time, but I swear he’s my biggest publicist out here,” Neuzil said. “It’s been really good being here for three years and being with the same guy, same coaching staff. It’s been really good just developing.”
Neuzil worked with the first-team offense with center Drew Dalman out with a “sickness” for two days.
“He’s a media darling,” Matthews said. “I saw his mic’ed up thing. He’s did a really good job. He’s a guy who’s put in the work. This is his third year now. He’s one of those guys you can trust.”
With Neuzil’s development, the Falcons are comfortable if he has to back up the interior lineman. Center/guard Matt Hennessy has been out with a chronic left knee cap injury since the first week of training camp.
“That center position is tough,” Matthews said. “You have to basically lead the charge with the communication and identification. He kind of sets the play up for us. He’s done a really good job.
“I think that goes a long way to say that hey we can put someone in there that we trust, he knows what to do.”
Neuzil was a bigger tight end in high school at Bradenton (Fla.) Braden River High when he had an on-the-field run-in with Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin.
“We played St. Thomas Aquinas, and his son was on the team,” Neuzil recalled. “He was on the sidelines there, and Asante Samuel Jr. was guarding me on the side when I played tight end. He was just letting me have it on the sidelines. It was pretty funny.”
Irvin was telling the Samuel not to get beat by that “fat guy” at tight end.
“Pretty much, I was a bigger tight end at 6-2, 240,” Neuzil said. “I was bigger than your normal-size high school tight end. He was saying don’t let this big guy get by you.”
Neuzil, who caught 26 passes for 470 yards and two touchdowns as a senior, went to Appalachian State. He added some weight to get up to 290 pounds and was moved to guard. He went on to finish his career with 44 starts at left guard.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Falcons after the 2020 NFL draft.
“(He’s) one of the many guys in our program that’s just gotten better year after year, taking advantage of every opportunity – whether that’s inside the weight room, the things we do on the practice field, off the field,” Smith said. “He’s got a lot of persistence, smart player, taking advantage of every opportunity as he’s improved.”
Neuzil is the poster child for the new Falcons regime’s program manual.
“That’s the name of the game, and that’s our job as coaches,” Smith said. “It’s fun to see somebody (improve) like that.”
Smith hopes Neuzil’s newfound media status doesn’t affect him.
“I just hope his ego doesn’t get too big,” Smith said.
Neuzil, who played in nine games last season, has enjoyed getting the playing time and the work with the first-team offense.
“It’s been really good getting reps,” Neuzil said. “I’m starting to get the sequence of things. It’s really good just getting the hang of it. Getting some consistency out there.”
Neuzil probably is going to be fined for something by colleagues.
“The whole offensive linemen room is like a big family,” Neuzil said. “It’s all just a lot of jokes. A lot just everyone trying to help everyone be better. There are some fine boards in the room just for funny stuff that we like to do. Things that give you a good laugh.”
Dalman returned to practice Tuesday and went back to taking the first-team snaps Wednesday.
“It was really good starting the game out there, getting a feel for things,” Neuzil said. “Going out there for a half at center and then in the third quarter switching over to guard. It was good just playing about three-fourths of a game. Getting the tempo things back up to full game speed.”
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