FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who was married over the offseason, is due a nice wedding present from the Falcons in the form of a $11.25 million bonus.
Ryan was one of the first players to arrive at the team facilities Tuesday.
“It feels good to be back,” Ryan said.
In May 2008, Ryan signed a six-year, $72 million contract that included $34.75 million in guarantees. He has guided the Falcons to three consecutive winning seasons and two trips to the playoffs.
“I was very excited to get up here,” Ryan said. “We put in a lot of hard work this offseason as players. I know that the coaches put in a lot of hard work this offseason as well.”
Also, Ryan wanted to chat with Bob Bratkowski, the team’s new quarterback coach. The two met before the lockout, but will start working together in earnest Thursday.
Bratkowski served as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2001-10. He is credited with developing quarterback Carson Palmer.
“I’m excited to learn from Bob,” Ryan said. “I got to see Carson Palmer in Lake Tahoe about 10 days ago and talked to him for a while. He had played under Bob for the last eight years in Cincinnati. He had nothing but really great things to say about Bob.”
Winterswyk to play TE
Boise State’s Ryan Winterswyk, an undrafted rookie, was signed to play tight end for the Falcons, according to his agent.
He mostly played defensive end, but lined up at tight end in goal-line formations for the Broncos. He was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference team three consecutive seasons.
The team has signed 22 players, but will not release the names until all have returned signed contracts.
Robinson ready
Cornerback Dunta Robinson believes the team will deal well with a compressed schedule.
“We are going to spend a lot of time in the meeting room, something that vets don’t really like to do,” Robinson said. “But it’s going to be needed if we are going to get those young guys up to speed.”
He said some team members took physicals, but mostly the players met with coaches.
Scrimmage for fans
The Falcons will hold their “Friday Night Lights” team scrimmage Aug. 5 at Norcross High School. Gates will open at 6 p.m., with the scrimmage starting at 7:30 p.m.
“This is a special event for not only our fans, but for our players as well,” said Falcons coach Mike Smith said in a statement. “Our guys love going back to their roots and playing under the lights at a high school field every year.”
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