For their third exhibition game, the Falcons don’t have any retaliation planned for Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who disrespected the team’s quarterback and called Matt Ryan “overrated” in a magazine article.
The Falcons (0-2) play the Jaguars (1-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville.
“No,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said when asked if the team had any plans to unleash on Ramsey. “We certainly don’t. We’ll let it play out. Well, that’s it.”
Ryan previously addressed the comments on a national radio show, but the topic hasn’t gone away.
“Having played as long as I (have) in this league, I’ve heard comments from everybody, both good and bad at different times,” Ryan said. “I don’t worry too much about it. My responsibility is to go out there and play the best football that I can. I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of that throughout my career.”
Ryan takes a rather businessman-like approach to the game.
About his only major public transgression came when he told the Carolina Panthers “to get the (expletive) off my field” after a Falcons victory at the Georgia Dome in 2012.
Ryan doesn’t plan to take Ramsey’s comments with him onto the field.
“I don’t worry about that stuff too much,” Ryan said. “You know, we’ve got good players and I feel like I’m a good player so I don’t worry about that stuff.”
Ramsey, a budding superstar in the league, disparaged several quarterbacks during his interview with Gentlemen’s Quarterly. He called Buffalo rookie quarterback Josh Allen “trash.”
Ryan didn’t seem to mind the trash-talking.
“It happens,” Ryan said. “Throughout my experience, it happens. I always feel like you go out there and take care of your business on the field. But it happens. Guys chose to do it different ways.”
Ryan isn’t sure what should be done to hold Ramsey accountable.
“It’s not for me to decide on what should happen and what shouldn’t,” Ryan said. “So, that’s no different than growing up. It’s kind of the same thing. It happens at different times throughout your life, throughout your career. But again, I don’t worry about all of that stuff all that much. It really doesn’t faze me.”
Ryan admitted that he’s a reformed trash-talker.
“I’ve been known to talk a little bit, but not that much,” Ryan said. “Sometimes out there, usually we’ve got so much info coming into our helmets in between plays that you don’t have the opportunity to kind of yell at somebody when you’ve got (offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian) talking to you about what we are going to do.”
Ryan was more worried about how the offense will reach the regular season with wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman being held out of the exhibition games by Quinn.
“He’s got a ton of work here in practice,” Ryan said. “I feel really good about where we are at going into this with both him and Devonta. As many reps as I’ve had with Julio throughout my career I think will help that.”
Ryan doesn’t think the offense will be disjointed when they face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to open the season Sept. 6, a Thursday.
“They both have played so much football,” Ryan said. “And they both have practiced so much that I don’t really see them missing a beat going into the regular season.”
Despite the Ramsey issue, the Falcons are elated to have the third exhibition game against the Jaguars, who reached the AFC championship game last season.
Quinn plans to play his starters for three or four series.
“I generally have a sense of what I’d like to see get done and it could take up to two quarters or three or four series depending on if they are longer or shorter,” Quinn said. Just as some general guidelines. Some guys we’ll extend a little bit of playing time past that. We won’t make it a blanket statement that if you’re a starter it’s this spot.
“Some need a little more work and certainly the younger players that we are looking to get experience, we’ll do a little more of that. On special teams some will play on offense or defense in the first half and then play exclusively on special teams in the second half.”
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