LAS VEGAS – Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan who led the team to playoffs a franchise-record six times and to Super Bowl 51, is set to complete his first season as broadcaster working Super Bowl 58 with CBS.
With a regular season and some playoff action under his belt, Ryan is no longer a broadcast rookie.
“It was fun,” Ryan told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I really enjoyed doing it. I was lucky that I was surrounded by a really good team.”
Ryan worked with play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon, color commentator Tiki Barber and sideline reporter A.J. Ross.
“(Andrew) is such a veteran guy, who has been doing it for a long time,” Ryan said. “He helped me so much. Then being able to (work) Tiki Barber, who has done some stuff in college and some radio. He has a pretty good background in kind of the broadcast spectrum. For me, it was super helpful to be doing it with those guys.
“We have A.J. Ross, Howard alum, who was down on the sidelines for us. It was great to work with her, too. In terms of doing the interviews and stuff like that.”
Ryan was a thoughtful interviewee as a player. He wasn’t one for brash statements and wild comments. He had to adjust to being on the other side of the questioning. He looked to Ross and his other teammates for help.
“Interviewing players, just to kind of see how they come out, the angles that they come at it from,” Ryan said. “What they are thinking about throughout the week. I really learned a lot from all of them.”
After being released by the Colts, Ryan’s plan was to stay in shape in case at team needed a veteran quarterback last season. His agent reached out to the Jets after Aaron Rodgers went down. Joe Flacco got the call from Cleveland. Ryan was fine with not returning to the game.
“I honestly just had fun doing it,” Ryan said. “I kind of enjoyed watching the film during the week. Watching what teams are doing because it’s been such a huge part of my life for so long. So, I really enjoyed that part of it. It was a different challenge for sure. But I had fun.”
Ryan is going to be busy Super Bowl week, appearing on several different CBS shows across several platforms. He’ll be on CBS’ The NFL Today show on Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl Live and NFL Monday QB and Time to Schein on CBS Sports Network on cable and will be on digital/streaming shows on CBS Sports HQ.
“I’ll be busier in this Super Bowl than the one I was playing in,” Ryan said. “It’s going to be fun. Doing some different work, which will be cool. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fun week.”
Ryan has started preparing last week for his broadcast duties.
“I kind of did a deep dive into the two quarterbacks for something we are going to do early in the week,” Ryan said. “Obviously, there’s not much to do to report on (Chiefs quarterback Patrick) Mahomes. He’s as good as there is, right? What I think he’s done with this group and this team this year has been impressive.”
The 49ers are led by quarterback Brock Purdy.
“So, much has been made about him and his ability and all of those ... just all of the chatter that’s been around it,” Ryan said. “You need to do things in big games to change that narrative.”
Ryan thought Purdy took a huge step forward in leading the 49ers to victory over Detroit in the NFC Championship game.
“He takes off because it was man-to-man coverage,” Ryan said. “Everything is gloved. He takes off because it’s man-to-man coverage. Everything is gloved, everything is covered. He takes off and goes for it. Then two plays later they are in the end zone.”
After being the last player taken in the 2022 draft, Purdy moved past Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo last season and has not relinquished the job. Garoppolo signed with the Raiders in March and Lance was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.
“I just thought it was really him stepping out of that comfort zone and showing what he can be, making plays when things aren’t there, doing what you have to do to win football games,” Ryan said of the key run against the Lions. “I was impressed by him. I think he has a level of calmness, and just the no-blink attitude that he has is impressive.”
Ryan likes the Super Bowl matchup.
“I think it’s going to be a good one,” Ryan said. “I look at Kansas City’s defense, how much man-to-man coverage that they play and how good they’ve been all year. But really San Francisco with the weapons they have on offense and the number of different guys they can do it with, to me presents a problem.”
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