FLOWERY BRANCH—With the opening of the Falcons' training camp on today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will conclude its position-by-position preview by taking a look at the quarterbacks.
The players reported for training camp Wednesday and are set to field at 10:40 a.m. Thursday.
The key question
Can Matt Ryan flourish in the offense installed by new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter?
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan can take solace in the fact that his career is off to a fast start.
Ryan has an impressive 43-19 record as a starter, but is 0-3 in the playoffs.
After four seasons, Peyton Manning had a mediocre 32-32 record and also lost his first three playoff games. His playoff-breakthrough didn't arrive until his sixth season when the Colts defeated the Denver Broncos 41-10.
There is a great deal of pressure on Ryan and the Falcons to maintain their status as a playoff team and then do some damage in the postseason. Ryan, who has passed for more than 200 yards in a playoff game, is not ducking the pressure.
"I'm very excited about this upcoming year," Ryan told Channel 2 Action News recently. "I think we've had a great offseason. We've got some new coaches that are exciting. We have some new guys that we drafted. I can't wait to get to work."
Like Ryan, Falcons coach Mike Smith is just fine with the Super Bowl-or-bust mentality.
"I think the head coach and the quarterback position are the most scrutinized positions in an organization," Smith said. "Ultimately, we are both going to be judged on success in the postseason."
Ryan and new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter are working closely together to make sure the offense will continue to soar. In the style of Manning, Ryan will get more opportunities to call plays at the line of scrimmage in the team's vaunted no-huddle attack.
Ryan flourished under the system that former coordinator Mike Mularkey installed right from the start of his rookie season in 2008.
An offseason to fully integrate wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Jacquizz Rodgers into the attack will give Ryan more weapons at his disposal.
Five goals for the quarterbacks
1. Spread the ball around more.
2. Throw more accurately on vertical routes.
3. Provide more explosive plays.
4. Improve the yards-gained-per pass attempt.
5. Be more effective in the redzone.
Here's a look at the quarterbacks:
Matt Ryan: Ryan passed for a franchise-record 4,177 yards last season and became the second Falcons quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season. Jeff George passed for 4,143 yards in 1995. Ryan also had a franchise-best six games of 300 yards or more passing last season, but the team was 2-4 in those games. Over his career, the Falcons are 4-6 when he passes for more than 300 yards.
Chris Redman: He appeared in five games completing 18 of 28 pass attempts for 188 yards in 2011. In nine NFL seasons, Redman has appeared in 31 games and completed 286 of 500 pass attempts for 3,179 yards with 21 touchdowns.
John Parker Wilson: He's been with the team for two full seasons and will get a chance to show how much he's developed during exhibition games.
Dominique Davis: The strong-armed passer from East Carolina and Boston College, could push Wilson for the No. 3 spot and be in line to eventually replace Redman as the No. 2.
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