Why Matt Ryan is the perfect fit now

[Mr. Irrelevant]

I will be the first to admit that I have been stressed out about our lack of a long-term answer at the QB position, but now that the draft is over, I realized something: Matt Ryan is by accident the perfect fit here and now. This is why:

 

1) We have a lot of young WRs and TEs (and here I’m not only talking about those we have just drafted and signed as UDFA). Pairing such an unexperienced group with a rookie QB – no matter how talented - could quickly end in disaster. Instead, we now have a QB with accuracy, poise, experience and leadership and I can see few, if any, other QBs more well positioned to lead and help develop this young receiving group.

 

2) If we had pair this young receiving group with a rookie QB and everything went south and sour, it would be different for the front office and coach team to truly evaluate their individual performance and potential. Who would be to blame for lackluster performance etc.? With Matt Ryan, we pretty much know what to expect from him so that part of the equation is fixed.

 

3) We now get a chance to develop this young receiving group under ideal circumstances for two years so they are much better suited to be a solid supporting cast when we finally find our answer with a rookie QB in two or three years.

 

Look, I’m sure that if you combine an elite rookie QB with elite rookie WRs and elite rookie TEs, they would stand a good chance for great success, but that is not where we would be this year if drafting a good QB. 

 

BTW: I’m not saying that Matt Ryan and this team is not able to make some noise in the play-offs, I certainly hope so! 

 

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

30 minutes ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

I will be the first to admit that I have been stressed out about our lack of a long-term answer at the QB position, but now that the draft is over, I realized something: Matt Ryan is by accident the perfect fit here and now. This is why:

 

1) We have a lot of young WRs and TEs (and here I’m not only talking about those we have just drafted and signed as UDFA). Pairing such an unexperienced group with a rookie QB – no matter how talented - could quickly end in disaster. Instead, we now have a QB with accuracy, poise, experience and leadership and I can see few, if any, other QBs more well positioned to lead and help develop this young receiving group.

 

2) If we had pair this young receiving group with a rookie QB and everything went south and sour, it would be different for the front office and coach team to truly evaluate their individual performance and potential. Who would be to blame for lackluster performance etc.? With Matt Ryan, we pretty much know what to expect from him so that part of the equation is fixed.

 

3) We now get a chance to develop this young receiving group under ideal circumstances for two years so they are much better suited to be a solid supporting cast when we finally find our answer with a rookie QB in two or three years.

 

Look, I’m sure that if you combine an elite rookie QB with elite rookie WRs and elite rookie TEs, they would stand a good chance for great success, but that is not where we would be this year if drafting a good QB. 

 

BTW: I’m not saying that Matt Ryan and this team is not able to make some noise in the play-offs, I certainly hope so! 

 

 

 

I recently did my Top 25 QB's of all-time list and Matt Ryan made it at 25 based on stats, overall wins, winning an MVP, durability, leadership, talent, clutchness, and getting to a SB which the Falcons should've won. He is still good at 37 and with him we have the best QB in the division and will win the AFC South.

[richard pallo]

1 hour ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

I will be the first to admit that I have been stressed out about our lack of a long-term answer at the QB position, but now that the draft is over, I realized something: Matt Ryan is by accident the perfect fit here and now. This is why:

 

1) We have a lot of young WRs and TEs (and here I’m not only talking about those we have just drafted and signed as UDFA). Pairing such an unexperienced group with a rookie QB – no matter how talented - could quickly end in disaster. Instead, we now have a QB with accuracy, poise, experience and leadership and I can see few, if any, other QBs more well positioned to lead and help develop this young receiving group.

 

2) If we had pair this young receiving group with a rookie QB and everything went south and sour, it would be different for the front office and coach team to truly evaluate their individual performance and potential. Who would be to blame for lackluster performance etc.? With Matt Ryan, we pretty much know what to expect from him so that part of the equation is fixed.

 

3) We now get a chance to develop this young receiving group under ideal circumstances for two years so they are much better suited to be a solid supporting cast when we finally find our answer with a rookie QB in two or three years.

 

Look, I’m sure that if you combine an elite rookie QB with elite rookie WRs and elite rookie TEs, they would stand a good chance for great success, but that is not where we would be this year if drafting a good QB. 

 

BTW: I’m not saying that Matt Ryan and this team is not able to make some noise in the play-offs, I certainly hope so! 

 

 

 

With a little bit of luck Ryan could be this year’s Matt Stafford and win his first Super Bowl.  Wouldn’t that be something.

[NewColtsFan]

For what it’s worth….

 

Over the long draft weekend, Irsay spoke and said he hopes Ryan is our guy for more than the two years on his contract.   Said he wants at least 3 years and 4 if possible.   
 

Now this is just the hopeful stage right now.  Everything could change once the season is played, for better or worse.   I’m just saying that the first few weeks of the Matt Ryan era are a raging success.   He’s everything we hoped he’d be.   So far, so good. 

[Four2itus]

By accident?

[Mr. Irrelevant]

2 minutes ago, Four2itus said:

By accident?

Exactly so.
 

A crazy ride with the Wentz train wreak and the Colts looking into the abyss without an answer at QB. Yes, it ended well with Matt Ryan and maybe I should have used the word luck instead of accident but it sure feels like a semi-random chain of events that we ended here! 

[IndyD4U]

For the first time in many season, QB is not an area of concern for me. It feels good

[gspdx]

49 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’m just saying that the first few weeks of the Matt Ryan era are a raging success.   He’s everything we hoped he’d be.   So far, so good. 

 

His arm looks strong, he's moving well in the pocket, making good decisions, and not throwing interceptions!

 

Wait... 

[throwing BBZ]

2 hours ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

I will be the first to admit that I have been stressed out about our lack of a long-term answer at the QB position, but now that the draft is over, I realized something: Matt Ryan is by accident the perfect fit here and now. This is why:

 

1) We have a lot of young WRs and TEs (and here I’m not only talking about those we have just drafted and signed as UDFA). Pairing such an unexperienced group with a rookie QB – no matter how talented - could quickly end in disaster. Instead, we now have a QB with accuracy, poise, experience and leadership and I can see few, if any, other QBs more well positioned to lead and help develop this young receiving group.

 

2) If we had pair this young receiving group with a rookie QB and everything went south and sour, it would be different for the front office and coach team to truly evaluate their individual performance and potential. Who would be to blame for lackluster performance etc.? With Matt Ryan, we pretty much know what to expect from him so that part of the equation is fixed.

 

3) We now get a chance to develop this young receiving group under ideal circumstances for two years so they are much better suited to be a solid supporting cast when we finally find our answer with a rookie QB in two or three years.

 

Look, I’m sure that if you combine an elite rookie QB with elite rookie WRs and elite rookie TEs, they would stand a good chance for great success, but that is not where we would be this year if drafting a good QB. 

 

BTW: I’m not saying that Matt Ryan and this team is not able to make some noise in the play-offs, I certainly hope so! 

 

 

 

 

   After watching Wentz's Uneven season, and us being left empty handed, it has been a delerious ride. We wuzz in a mess!     

  What a comeback. 
 Epic i say, Epic!

  Ryan is the man for this season, for all the reasons you said so well.

  Jelani will be heroic, Pierce will burn them, and Campbell... x our fingers.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

2 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

 and getting to a SB which the Falcons should've won. He is still good at 37 and with him we have the best QB in the division and will win the AFC South.

 

.....and would have won if Ryan could have milked 5:00 minutes of clock with a 44 point lead!!!

 

Sorry bro, that was too easy and couldn't resist myself.   

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

15 hours ago, Four2itus said:

By accident?

Some accidents are actually great lol.

[shasta519]

19 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

For what it’s worth….

 

Over the long draft weekend, Irsay spoke and said he hopes Ryan is our guy for more than the two years on his contract.   Said he wants at least 3 years and 4 if possible.   
 

Now this is just the hopeful stage right now.  Everything could change once the season is played, for better or worse.   I’m just saying that the first few weeks of the Matt Ryan era are a raging success.   He’s everything we hoped he’d be.   So far, so good. 

 

Hopeful is the apt word. Here's what Irsay said in March of last year:

 

Quote

“I can’t emphasize how strongly I feel Carson is the man for the job for the Colts at this time," Irsay said. “I really think he can be that guy that’s going to be the centerpiece for the next decade who can give the Colts a chance at greatness."

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

18 minutes ago, shasta519 said:

 

Hopeful is the apt word. Here's what Irsay said in March of last year:

 

 

 

Difference is Irsay was hoping with Wentz, he knows that Matt Ryan is legit for a few more years. Wentz isn't anywhere near the QB Matt Ryan is. Matt is top 25 of all-time by any measure you look at = stats, durability, overall wins, leadership, and he won an MVP. Wentz would be lucky to make the top 100 of all-time. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

Keyshawn just made a great point on First Take. He said teams with the best QB in the division tend to win the division. We have it now with Matt Ryan who coming in, is a couple years younger than what Rivers was. I actually thought Rivers was slightly better than Tannehill but it was pretty even based on Rivers being on his last leg, Rivers still played good and he is also a top 25 QB of all-time IMO. Both went 11-5 that season but Henry was so great that offset it. Taylor was good but not great yet. Now we have Taylor who has developed into someone that is just as great as Henry is, they don't have that advantage anymore. When it came to Wentz vs Tannehill both are even, play good one week, bad the next, then in the playoffs they disappear like this

[Mr. Irrelevant]

3 hours ago, shasta519 said:

 

Hopeful is the apt word. Here's what Irsay said in March of last year:

 

 

 

Mr. Irsay is an optimist at heart no doubt and I think he as well as quite a few of us was listening to the siren song about Reich being able to resurrect Carson.
 

Oh well, there was hope for some time, not sure when Mr. Irsay realized that it was a siren song after all, but it surely happened before I did! 

[lollygagger8]

If any QB is taking the Colts to the SB, it's Matty Ice. 

 

I'm telling you, the dude still has it. 

 

I think he has something to prove....not only to the Falcons, but to himself. 

 

Not to knock Eberflus, but the defense has already improved dramatically, and not just with players.

 

I haven't felt this good about the team in a loooong time. This team's arrow is way up. 

[shasta519]

21 hours ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

With Matt Ryan, we pretty much know what to expect from him so that part of the equation is fixed.

 

We do? I am guess I am alone in that I really don't know what to expect from a 37 year-old Matt Ryan. But that's fine.

 

Looking at just last season, you have a QB that fell off a cliff the last 9 games, even moreso than Wentz.

 

Hard to blame that disparity on the lack of weapons or OL issues when those were constant issues.

 

Hopefully it was just an injury that he was playing through. 

[shasta519]

3 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Difference is Irsay was hoping with Wentz, he knows that Matt Ryan is legit for a few more years. Wentz isn't anywhere near the QB Matt Ryan is. Matt is top 25 of all-time by any measure you look at = stats, durability, overall wins, leadership, and he won an MVP. Wentz would be lucky to make the top 100 of all-time. 

 

He's definitely hoping with Ryan. Matt Ryan is an aging pocket passer with a declining arm.

 

The last one of those worked out, but that other QB was also playing at a PB level at that age.

 

Ryan is a very good-great QB all-time. But his overall ranking is based largely on what he did from age 25-33. I don't think that's really relevant when a QB is heading into his age 37 season.  

 

While I am not sure what your top 25 looks like, even without looking at it, I would guess there a number of great QBs on it that I wouldn't have wanted from age 37-40 (assuming Ryan is going to play 4 years). 

 

That's JMO, mostly based on the past few years.

[shasta519]

52 minutes ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

Mr. Irsay is an optimist at heart no doubt and I think he as well as quite a few of us was listening to the siren song about Reich being able to resurrect Carson.
 

Oh well, there was hope for some time, not sure when Mr. Irsay realized that it was a siren song after all, but it surely happened before I did! 

 

The Colts have been overly optimistic about the QB position since Luck retired, which is perfectly fine.

 

But they thought JB could be the guy and gave him $28M...then they thought Rivers would be the guy for two years...then they thought they could turn Wentz's career around and he would be the franchise QB for the next decade.

 

Now Matt Ryan is the guy for the next 3-4 years. I think "hopeful" is probably a polite way to put it. 

 

 

[Two_pound]

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY played worth a crap for the Falcons after that debacle in the sb. It's like there was no effort and a lack concentration. But then again Greg Norman never recovered from his epic collapse at the Masters years ago. How difficult is it to over come such a devastating collapse in any professional sport??? Jimmy Young never recovered from having his dominating fight over Ali taken from him by 3 pathetic judges. Maybe this fresh start here with the Colts is just what Matt Ryan needs!!!

[OLD FAN MAN]

4 hours ago, shasta519 said:

 

The Colts have been overly optimistic about the QB position since Luck retired, which is perfectly fine.

 

But they thought JB could be the guy and gave him $28M...then they thought Rivers would be the guy for two years...then they thought they could turn Wentz's career around and he would be the franchise QB for the next decade.

 

Now Matt Ryan is the guy for the next 3-4 years. I think "hopeful" is probably a polite way to put it. 

 

 

how will ballard look if wentz has a better season than ryan

[Moosejawcolt]

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

18 hours ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

how will ballard look if wentz has a better season than ryan

He will look just fine. Wentz didn’t work out with Colts but that doesn’t mean he can’t work out in another scheme in Washington. Not something I would bet on happening but of course it can happen. This is business where you cut your losses when you have to and move on. 

[Fluke_33]

On 5/2/2022 at 3:17 PM, IndyD4U said:

For the first time in many season, QB is not an area of concern for me. It feels good

[SoGaFalc]

You guys are going to love Matty Ice. As a Falcon fan I hated to see the franchise’s best player ever to leave but happy that he will have an opportunity to win a ring with you guys. He has never played alongside a decent defense for all of his Falcons career and mostly played with low level running backs and bad offensive lines.  
 

It honestly wouldn’t surprise me to see Coack Reich to bring the K gun into your offense. Matt has done some of his best work in no huddle and he certainly has the intelligence  to run it well. 
 

Normally I would say best of luck on the upcoming season but you guys don’t need it. As long as the injury bug doesn’t bite, you guys will go deep in the playoffs. 

[EastStreet]

I've always loved Ryan and have seen him play a lot over the years. Class act.

 

Still very concerned about this year and of course after. Seems we're just adding another short term bridge. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy as hell we lucked into the perfect timing to pick him up, but just tired of lack of long term stability. 

 

I just hope our OL gets back to pre-21 levels, because if not, won't be a good year. 

[DiogoSales]

5 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I've always loved Ryan and have seen him play a lot over the years. Class act.

 

Still very concerned about this year and of course after. Seems we're just adding another short term bridge. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy as hell we lucked into the perfect timing to pick him up, but just tired of lack of long term stability. 

 

I just hope our OL gets back to pre-21 levels, because if not, won't be a good year. 

Agree, I think we improved overall, QB is amazing, two things concerns me:

 

1 - OL Pass Block, Pryor 17 game stability.

 

2 - 53 still hurt? Can we fix his ankle for good? Because without him, this second lvl of the defense is not good.

[MikeCurtis]

On 5/2/2022 at 3:24 PM, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

.....and would have won if Ryan could have milked 5:00 minutes of clock with a 44 point lead!!!

 

Sorry bro, that was too easy and couldn't resist myself.   

 

 

Coaches were just as involved in that loss.

 

With the lead..... in the second half..... The Falcons were snapping the ball with 10-15 seconds left on the play clock.......

 

Again and again

 

 

[throwing BBZ]

3 hours ago, DiogoSales said:

Agree, I think we improved overall, QB is amazing, two things concerns me:

 

1 - OL Pass Block, Pryor 17 game stability.

 

2 - 53 still hurt? Can we fix his ankle for good? Because without him, this second lvl of the defense is not good.

 

 Speed played very well in his place, about equal to DL, Minus the punch outs.
 Our new D is all about improving our 2nd level play by adding a 3rd defender.

 DL will be able to play his area better with his deteriorated ankle.

[2006Coltsbestever]

9 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I've always loved Ryan and have seen him play a lot over the years. Class act.

 

Still very concerned about this year and of course after. Seems we're just adding another short term bridge. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy as hell we lucked into the perfect timing to pick him up, but just tired of lack of long term stability. 

 

I just hope our OL gets back to pre-21 levels, because if not, won't be a good year. 

We went 9-8 with Wentz and he blew at least 3 games I can think of. Our O.Line last year in pass block was ranked low and we had a lot injuries on the Line. I think Matt will be fine, he is a much smarter QB than Wentz is. So with our roster (unless we have a ton of key injuries), hard to see us having a bad year.

[throwing BBZ]

On 5/3/2022 at 10:19 PM, Moosejawcolt said:

 

 

 Okay now, Reggie has been thinking a lot about "throwing IT UP" to all his big receivers. 

[Boondoggle]

I wouldn't trust Irsay to evaluate the operation of my toilet.  But he may be right on Ryan.  Hopefully he is for our sakes.

 

What I expect from Ryan is a game manager.  Just distribute the ball with as few mistakes as possible and you'll be fine.  Play within the scheme and do your role.  Hopefully from there the defense is much improved and if so we're in business.

[coming on strong]

On 5/2/2022 at 1:10 PM, Mr. Irrelevant said:

I will be the first to admit that I have been stressed out about our lack of a long-term answer at the QB position, but now that the draft is over, I realized something: Matt Ryan is by accident the perfect fit here and now. This is why:

 

1) We have a lot of young WRs and TEs (and here I’m not only talking about those we have just drafted and signed as UDFA). Pairing such an unexperienced group with a rookie QB – no matter how talented - could quickly end in disaster. Instead, we now have a QB with accuracy, poise, experience and leadership and I can see few, if any, other QBs more well positioned to lead and help develop this young receiving group.

 

2) If we had pair this young receiving group with a rookie QB and everything went south and sour, it would be different for the front office and coach team to truly evaluate their individual performance and potential. Who would be to blame for lackluster performance etc.? With Matt Ryan, we pretty much know what to expect from him so that part of the equation is fixed.

 

3) We now get a chance to develop this young receiving group under ideal circumstances for two years so they are much better suited to be a solid supporting cast when we finally find our answer with a rookie QB in two or three years.

 

Look, I’m sure that if you combine an elite rookie QB with elite rookie WRs and elite rookie TEs, they would stand a good chance for great success, but that is not where we would be this year if drafting a good QB. 

 

BTW: I’m not saying that Matt Ryan and this team is not able to make some noise in the play-offs, I certainly hope so! 

 

 

 

i love the matt ryan move by ballard overall .  my problem is the wr core is to young and colts need to be in a win now mode with a older QB.  ballard does not like to spend on wrs the last couple years the core has been average .   i like the draft picks but we only have pittman who is a sure thing as a weapon . mo has been okay but he hasnt been a sure thing who can put up numbers .   i think if ballard got a good wr in free agency to pair with pittman the colts would be real contenders and pierce could sit and watch for a year .

[EastStreet]

14 hours ago, DiogoSales said:

Agree, I think we improved overall, QB is amazing, two things concerns me:

 

1 - OL Pass Block, Pryor 17 game stability.

 

2 - 53 still hurt? Can we fix his ankle for good? Because without him, this second lvl of the defense is not good.

I have more confidence in Pryor than most. Yes, he's an unknown to an extent. But he played very well for us last season at LT, RT, and G. Zero sacks and a 77ish PFF rating in about 500 snaps. That's pretty darn good. It was much, much better, than Fisher. IMO he's just starting to peak as a player. He had weight/conditioning issues when he came into the league, and seems to have gotten body-right last season. I'm not saying he's going to a lock down LT or pro-bowler, but I think he'll be above average (top 16), which is good enough, and much improved over last season. 

 

Yup, Leonard's situation worries me. He played hurt damn well though. The comments he made about losing love for the game though really bothers me as much as the injury situation if I'm honest. There was some buzz about him being unhappy with some of the vax pressures put on him last season, and that mixed with the injury situation likely contributed to frustration. Even with that though, he was elite, and easily the heart of our D IMO. It would be nice if the new DC improved both the DL and DB space, so that some of the pressures are lessened on Leonard. And if some of the buzz was true, hopefully those bridges can be mended. 

[EastStreet]

10 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

We went 9-8 with Wentz and he blew at least 3 games I can think of. Our O.Line last year in pass block was ranked low and we had a lot injuries on the Line. I think Matt will be fine, he is a much smarter QB than Wentz is. So with our roster (unless we have a ton of key injuries), hard to see us having a bad year.

 

Like I said, love Ryan. He did not have a great year last season though, and he is getting older.

 

So let's be factual and look at last years primary success/quality indicators. 

 

                           Ryan               Wentz

QBR                     21st                 9th (was #2 games 5 through 15)               

Pass Rating         18th                 13th

TD/INT               20/12                27/7

 

While I love Ryan, and super happy we lucked into getting him, I'm not going to sunshine pump......

Overall, it's simply intellectual dishonesty to ignore the basic facts. 

 

And I'd say our D and OL blew more games than Wentz last season.

[federicofalcon2]

On 5/2/2022 at 11:30 AM, richard pallo said:

With a little bit of luck Ryan could be this year’s Matt Stafford and win his first Super Bowl.  Wouldn’t that be something.

As a Falcons fan, and Ryan as one of my favorites of all time, I would love for him to bring The Colts a title before ATL gets one because I feel they could have kept him the rest of his career and surrounded him the way they did Mariota and still drafted Ridder.

 

That aside, I want to see him succeed.  This is by far the best team he has had since 2016 and near the team he had in 2012.  Matt complements these players well and vice versa.

 

I already bought me a Ryan Colts jersey and look forward to him and the Colts getting back to the playoffs again after both were short changed last year separately but similar.

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 hours ago, EastStreet said:

 

Like I said, love Ryan. He did not have a great year last season though, and he is getting older.

 

So let's be factual and look at last years primary success/quality indicators. 

 

                           Ryan               Wentz

QBR                     21st                 9th (was #2 games 5 through 15)               

Pass Rating         18th                 13th

TD/INT               20/12                27/7

 

While I love Ryan, and super happy we lucked into getting him, I'm not going to sunshine pump......

Overall, it's simply intellectual dishonesty to ignore the basic facts. 

 

And I'd say our D and OL blew more games than Wentz last season.

Stats don't lie because they are factual but most every one in here feels like Matt is the better QB. Its called resume and leadership. The problem with Wentz was he made too many critical mistakes in the biggest games. Tennessee 2nd game, Raiders and Jaguars games. You can have good stats but if you play bad in important games, can't win when it counts, then none of it matters. Tannehill is the same way. He had great stats in 2020 but stunk in the playoffs. He then stunk again vs Cincinnati in 2021. Matt Ryan has won some big playoff games, proven facts. Also I remember when you posted Rivers stats from 2019 and had your doubts going into 2020 with him and he was good in our offense. I think Matt will thrive in our type of offense. I would put money on Matt having a better year over Wentz in 2022 despite what the 2021 stats say. We had a good roster last year, Atlanta had a bad roster. Matt Stafford in Detroit won nothing, in LA he wins the SB. Reason being, he had a good team around him.

[EastStreet]

35 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Stats don't lie because they are factual but most every one in here feels like Matt is the better QB. Its called resume and leadership. The problem with Wentz was he made too many critical mistakes in the biggest games. Tennessee 2nd game, Raiders and Jaguars games. You can have good stats but if you play bad in important games, can't win when it counts, then none of it matters. Tannehill is the same way. He had great stats in 2020 but stunk in the playoffs. He then stunk again vs Cincinnati in 2021. Matt Ryan has won some big playoff games, proven facts. Also I remember when you posted Rivers stats from 2019 and had your doubts going into 2020 with him and he was good in our offense. I think Matt will thrive in our type of offense. I would put money on Matt having a better year over Wentz in 2022 despite what the 2021 stats say. We had a good roster last year, Atlanta had a bad roster. Matt Stafford in Detroit won nothing, in LA he wins the SB. Reason being, he had a good team around him.

 

I think you're reaching in a lot of areas to build a narrative. So let's keep it factual, and avoid the "feels". 

 

If we're comparing QB performances, the D roster really doesn't matter. But even if you want to look at the D, both Indy and ATL had horrible pass Ds. Indy had a better run D, but that's really the only difference. And had we not had Leonard getting a crazy amount of turnovers, our D would have been much worse than it was. 

 

So lets focus on the areas that matter. 

 

OL - Indy's pass pro 30th. ATL's was 29th. Both bad.

 

TE/WR - ATL had a beast in Pitts, who was 3rd best TE in the league last season as a rook. He's really more of an X type hybrid TE, but better weapon than any of ours. They have Ridley, who got injured, but still played 5 games and gave Ryan about as much as Hilton gave Indy. Then they have Russell Gauge who is developing into a very solid #2, better than Pascal. Overall, I'd say both QBs had similar challenges at WR/TE. Neither pass catching group was stellar.

 

RB (pass catching) - Patterson is one of the best pass catching backs in the league. Taylor and Hines are good pass catchers, but I think most would agree Patterson is easily as good or better. Patterson had more receiving yards, and a better passer-rating-when-targeted than Taylor or Hines.

 

In short, both had bad pass pros. Both had a mixed bag of talent at WR/TE. Ryan likely had a better pass catching RB, but not by much. So looks like both had very similar supporting offensive casts, and one QB (Wentz) simply had better ratings. I expect our OL to be much better this year with Fisher departing. So long as Pryor plays like he did last season, and Pinter looks the part at RG, we should be fine. So Ryan should have better pass pro than either he or Wentz had last year. Like I said, I love Ryan. I hope he has a resurgence like Rivers did. But he has declined noticeably sine 2016. And keep in mind I've watched a ton of Falcon football over the years. More than any team outside the Colts. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

 

I think you're reaching in a lot of areas to build a narrative. So let's keep it factual, and avoid the "feels". 

 

If we're comparing QB performances, the D roster really doesn't matter. But even if you want to look at the D, both Indy and ATL had horrible pass Ds. Indy had a better run D, but that's really the only difference. And had we not had Leonard getting a crazy amount of turnovers, our D would have been much worse than it was. 

 

So lets focus on the areas that matter. 

 

OL - Indy's pass pro 30th. ATL's was 29th. Both bad.

 

TE/WR - ATL had a beast in Pitts, who was 3rd best TE in the league last season as a rook. He's really more of an X type hybrid TE, but better weapon than any of ours. They have Ridley, who got injured, but still played 5 games and gave Ryan about as much as Hilton gave Indy. Then they have Russell Gauge who is developing into a very solid #2, better than Pascal. Overall, I'd say both QBs had similar challenges at WR/TE. Neither pass catching group was stellar.

 

RB (pass catching) - Patterson is one of the best pass catching backs in the league. Taylor and Hines are good pass catchers, but I think most would agree Patterson is easily as good or better. Patterson had more receiving yards, and a better passer-rating-when-targeted than Taylor or Hines.

 

In short, both had bad pass pros. Both had a mixed bag of talent at WR/TE. Ryan likely had a better pass catching RB, but not by much. So looks like both had very similar supporting offensive casts, and one QB (Wentz) simply had better ratings. I expect our OL to be much better this year with Fisher departing. So long as Pryor plays like he did last season, and Pinter looks the part at RG, we should be fine. So Ryan should have better pass pro than either he or Wentz had last year. Like I said, I love Ryan. I hope he has a resurgence like Rivers did. But he has declined noticeably sine 2016. And keep in mind I've watched a ton of Falcon football over the years. More than any team outside the Colts. 

Fair enough but the Falcons had nobody close to Taylor. Stopping the run is huge as well and statistically we were better there. It may be a gut feeling but I think Matt will have a year like Rivers had in 2020. Just the way our offense is built and based on my knowledge of the game, watching for 45 years. I may be wrong but I doubt it. When we signed Rivers I felt good about it, same way I do here with Matt. When we traded for Wentz I had a feeling that could go either way. I really didn't like it but he did play well in spurts. I have a pretty good feel for the game.

[EastStreet]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Fair enough but the Falcons had nobody close to Taylor. Stopping the run is huge as well and statistically we were better there. It may be a gut feeling but I think Matt will have a year like Rivers had in 2020. Just the way our offense is built and based on my knowledge of the game, watching for 45 years. I may be wrong but I doubt it. When we signed Rivers I felt good about it, same way I do here with Matt. When we traded for Wentz I had a feeling that could go either way. I really didn't like it but he did play well in spurts. I have a pretty good feel for the game.

Taylor is a great RB, better than what ATL had last season. but we're talking about QB passing performance. Both QBs had about the same support in that aspect. 

 

I do believe Ryan will be re-energized and do a lot better than he did last season. My gut agrees with your gut. I'm just not going to discount the recent history. And key to it more than anything is our OL play. 

 

I'll add some advanced stat factoids.

• In terms of pressure throws, Carson was under pressure more than Ryan, although it was close.
• They also threw similar quantities of interceptable balls (26 vs 28)
• both had identical danger plays (31). But Wentz clearly had the better TD/INT ratio and %s.
• Both had top 10 deep ball completion rates, but neither were top 15 in deep ball attempts (both seemed to be underutilized deep).
• Carson ranked much better in money throws than Ryan (9th vs 20th) but Ryan is ranked better in terms of accuracy rating.
• Ryan was among the worst (31st) in Red Zone accuracy (31st), vs Wentz #18
• Ryan was better in pressured-completion-rate, but Wentz was average. 
• Ryan was #14 (passer rating) vs Man D and #24 vs Zone. Wentz was 18th and 16th respectively. 

 

Overall, a lot of similarities, and a lot of differences. I do think Ryan will fit Reich's short passing game better than Wentz. Better accuracy overall, especially short. Conversely, Ryan is a statue and won't extend plays (so a lot like Rivers). OL improvement is key.