Atlanta Falcons: Explaining Matt Ryan’s 2015 Season
By Kit Anderson
Matt Ryan is off to a great start so far this season. Last year the Atlanta Falcons quarterback didn’t have a very good season, what is the explanation for his struggles?
The Atlanta Falcons are off to a good start this season thanks in part, to the early season stats that Matt Ryan is putting together. He has looked much better through the first few games this season posting a great quarterback rating and spreading the ball around as well as anyone in the league.
He has looked more like the franchise quarterback that he is supposed to be and helped keep the Falcons in games regardless of the opponent. What is the explanation for the drastic change over the last two seasons?
To refresh Falcons fans memories last season was a disaster for the Falcons offense. At times Julio Jones seemed to be the sole offensively talented player on the field carrying the team and keeping them in games.
Matt Ryan struggled to finish drives and turned the ball over more times than most fans care to remember. The 2015 season was a forgettable one for Ryan he struggled to look anything close to a franchise quarterback for most of the season. The drastic improvements this season are leaving fans wondering what exactly went wrong last season?
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For those that wanted to blame the offensive coordinator that is no longer an option considering the current season Ryan and the high powered Falcon’s offense is having. He has proven to be a solid coach and has helped change this offense from a one man show to a legitimate unit that can hurt you in a lot of ways.
The other most common explanation has been the fact that for the first time in his career Matt Ryan had to learn a new playbook. It was a playbook that put Ryan in motion and changed him from a pocket passer to one who played all different roles at quarterback. While this certainly played a role Ryan is a NFL player and capable of learning new plays in one off-season.
The problem for the team wasn’t the coach or the new playbook. While both may have played a minor role the main problem was caused by the lack of talent on the Falcons roster.
The Falcons had no one to trust with the ball for much of the season Roddy White and Leonard Hankerson were Ryan‘s best options when Julio Jones was covered. This led Ryan into making a lot of forced throws and a lot of drops and misplays by the aforementioned White and Hankerson. Not once did Ryan have a legitimate second look last season, Julio Jones had little help.
Matt Ryan is a good quarterback but not a great quarterback. Great quarterbacks make plays regardless of those around them. Good quarterbacks like Ryan need some talent around him to make plays and keep drives alive.
The Atlanta Falcons have added depth and talent on all aspects of the offense and that is the reason for Ryan‘s improved play. He is having a great season and should continue to as long as he has three or four legitimate wide receivers he can spread the ball around to.