Ryan, first-team offense had shaky outing
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan played in two series and did not move the ball against Washington in the exhibition season opener Thursday at the Georgia Dome.
The Falcons’ first-team offense had two three-and-outs before Ryan left the game and was replaced by Matt Schaub.
“Obviously tough field position to start with, we’ve got to do a better job of being able to punch that out and change the field position,” Ryan said of the opening drive, which started at Atlanta’s 2-yard line. “It’s a great learning experience for us and something we can improve on as we get into practice next week.”
Center Alex Mack made his debut along the offensive line.
“I thought our offensive line did a nice job,” Ryan said. “We’ve got to make some plays on the outside to keep those drives going and that’s something we can improve on, but I think our guys up front did a nice job.”
Ryan didn’t completed a pass on four attempts.
“Just got to get back out there and keep working, that was our first opportunity to go out and do it live,” Ryan said. “We weren’t as good as we wanted to be, but we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of time to improve. Our sense of urgency needs to be up and we need to get back on that practice field, Sunday.”
About the Author
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.
