Connections: Matt Ryan was an Eagles fan

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

Sept 17, 2011

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is from Exton, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.

“I was an Eagles fan growing up,” Ryan admitted.

He knows all about the Eagles being 8-1 against the Falcons under coach Andy Reid.

“We haven’t had a lot of success against them the last couple of years,” Ryan said.

Other connections include:

Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick was originally drafted by the Falcons in 2001 and spent seven seasons in Atlanta from 2001-06.
Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud and Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson were college teammates at California.
Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and safety William Moore starred on defense at Missouri from 2006-08, while teammate Jeremy Maclin, now an Eagles wide receiver, starred on offense.
Eagles safety Colt Anderson, Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann and safety Shann Schillinger were teammates at Montana from 2006-07.
Eagles running back Ronnie Brown is from Cartersville.
Eagles punter Chas Henry played at East Paulding High.
Eagles cornerback Trevard Lindley played at Hiram High.
Eagles quality control assistant coach Matt Nagy, was the star quarterback of the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League.

About the Author

D. Orlando Ledbetter

Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.