As the Falcons begin a new era with Raheem Morris as head coach, Matt Ryan is also in the beginning stages of his next journey on TV.
The CBS Sports analyst just completed his first season in the booth, working mostly alongside Tiki Barber, even calling a couple of Falcons games. Ryan is an absolute natural, able to communicate the intricacies of the game at an elementary level for any fan to comprehend.
The former Falcons quarterback was great during his playing years, and he’ll again be great in this facet of his life. However, some are quick to forget just how special he was in Atlanta.
Pat McAfee recently uttered the most ridiculous nonsense I have ever heard that Brock Purdy runs Kyle Shanahan’s offense better than Matt Ryan. To expand, here are the pair’s best seasons under Shanahan.
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Matt Ryan 2016: 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 117.1 passer rating, 79.6 QBR
Brock Purdy 2023: 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 113.0 passer rating, 72.8 QBR
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Let’s also just pretend that Matt Ryan had Kyle Shanahan his entire career, like Purdy very well could. The Falcons great would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Ryan spent 14 seasons in Atlanta after the club selected the Boston College product third overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He’d go on to break every major passing record for the Falcons, including passing yards, passing touchdowns, attempts, completions, passer rating, and wins.
When he came to Atlanta, the franchise was in turmoil following Michael Vick‘s arrest and Bobby Petrino’s decision to leave the team in the middle of the season. Ryan took over and immediately led the Falcons to the playoffs en route to the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Though Purdy has been impressive, there are levels to this, and he’s not close to Matt Ryan at this point in his career. McAfee isn’t alone, though. This revisionist history is a plague in the minds of talking heads, even among his own colleagues.
In Vegas ahead of the Super Bowl, a CBS Sports host, Chris Hassel, brought up a popular talking point about Brock Purdy being a game manager, which Cam Newton brought to the forefront of the conversation, likening Danny Kanell and Matt Ryan to the title…
Thankfully, Kanell steps in and clarifies that he certainly was a game manager, speaking up for Matt Ryan by saying the former Falcons quarterback was no game manager, winning a league MVP.
Matt Ryan's reaction is too good 💀😂@M_Ryan02 @dannykanell pic.twitter.com/sx6uRkslMC
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 5, 2024
I’m not here to pretend that Matt Ryan is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and deserving of praise every time he steps into a room. But let’s not be ridiculous the other way.
The guy isn’t a bum. Matt Ryan is the greatest Falcons player of all time, will end up in the ring of honor, could end up in Canton, won an MVP, gave the franchise its best years, and pretty much carried the entire city for more than a decade.
He deserves more respect than being grouped into the game managers club with Brock Purdy and Danny Kanell.
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Photographer: Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire
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