Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan finally is comfortable with the offense.
At Tuesday’s OTAs, he admitted that wasn’t the case during a disappointing 8-8 season.
“I think we are a lot farther along at this point than we were last year,” Ryan said. “There is no question with us being comfortable in the offense and being on the same page. I think we have gotten some really good work, and the effort has been there. I think guys are flying around and that is what we want this time of the year.”
A lot has changed for Ryan in his second season under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. He has a new receiver in Mohamed Sanu and a new center in Alex Mack. However, it is his work with Shanahan that has improved.
Both Ryan and Shanahan have developed more chemistry. According to backup quarterback Matt Schaub, the two are more in sync on and off the field. This offseason, they are finding new ways to trade ideas inside the meeting room.
“It’s really understanding what we can do with certain plays and checks and how we can be a little bit better,” Schaub said. “Kyle is really good about that. Matt might say, ‘I like to do this’ and he (Shanahan) says, ‘let’s check it out and go in to talk about it.’”
The ability to effectively communicate is helping the entire offense. In fact, it is a big focus of this offseason. The Falcons brought in Navy SEALs to work out with the players and also drilled the players on being more instinctive to the play-calling.
The Falcons have needed the extra work. Last season, they ranked 18th in the NFL inside the red zone, converting only 54.72 percent of their attempts.
The failure to score cost the team three games last season — at San Francisco, against Minnesota and at Tampa Bay. However, it was the Minnesota game that hurt the most.
In that game, Ryan threw an interception in the end zone that could’ve given the Falcons a lead. Instead, he forced the issue and tried to fit a 14-yard pass to tight end Jacob Tamme. The interception turned the game in the Vikings’ favor and forced the Falcons out of the playoff picture.
“There were some things that we felt like we could do better and utilize more,” Ryan said. “I think we really have improved on those things in the first couple of weeks. We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do before the season starts.”
One improved way is getting back to running the ball. With Mack, the Falcons want to run more in the red zone. The hope is to open more lanes to run or for Ryan to throw.
“It’s about taking care of the ball and having positive plays,” Schaub said. “Down there, yards are hard to come by as there is not enough field there. We ran the ball well last year with (Tevin) Coleman and (Devonta) Freeman. The combination was really effective. If we can carry that inside the 10-yard line, that will put points on the board, chew up clock and keep our defense fresh.”
This season will challenge the Falcons’ rushing attack. They open with four road games in the first six weeks. Those games include trips to Oakland, Seattle and Denver. Each team was ranked among the best defenses last season.
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