How to fix Matt Ryan
Yeah, I said it. I'm going to fix Matty Ice. Actually with a few different ways. Just a few weeks ago on Sports Club I officially apologized to Ryan for thinking Cam Newton was a better option currently. Also, Ryan is not "broken", merely not smashing the ceiling we all know he could reach. Last season was his statistical "best" and he was rewarded with a nice MVP award for his efforts. Plus, the team made a Super Bowl appearance which is never a bad thing (aside from the whole "blew the largest lead in Super Bowl history" thing, but that's another post entirely). In no way am I saying that last year was his ceiling. His ceiling is somewhere between last season's high and this season as a low. At times he carries the offense AND team to a victory or at least to a position to potentially win. At other times the Atlanta defense bailed out a bad performance. This can be said of any quarterback honestly, just in Ryan's case the latter happens a slight bit more than it should and the former could happen a few more times. This post is about fixing Ryan though, so here are my ideas. First, add a more skilled, younger QB to the depth chart behind him to push him to always play at a high level and never stop evolving. For instance, there was an article from 247 Sports where they suggested the Falcons should traded for Trevor Siemian in Denver. In his mid 20s and with a few seasons and starts under his belt, Siemian is not a bad option. It sends a couple messages to Ryan such as: 1) Your attempt to get a $200 Million contract will now be a little harder and 2) Here is your potential replacement if we deem him ready to take the reigns or your play diminishes to an unpredictable level. I'll admit, given Siemian's play so far it's a stretch but for the sake of my point he is my example. Maybe they draft a QB, who knows really. Point is creating a more competitive environment (aka what Dan Quinn was a part of in Seattle) that pushes Ryan to play more consistently better. My second option is probably less popular to most of you than the first, but hear me out. Whether you like Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian or not has nothing to do with his overall success nor his job security with the team. Sark is a great offensive play caller and has a track record of great offenses that effectively score points by spreading out the distribution of the ball among many weapons whereas the opposing defense has a smaller chance of knowing who has the ball and ultimately what they will do with it. This option is the have Ryan and Sark get more on the same page by either spending more time together (as much as the Collective Bargaining Agreement allows of course) so that they better understand each other. Ryan needs to learn how Sark sees the field and creates opportunities. Sark needs to understand what Ryan sees on the field and his tendencies in a given situation. I lean to the first option however I can see how option two actually happens given how the Falcons typically operate. What option do you favor? Have a better idea? Drop us a line on Twitter to our handle @TeamImpactMedia and use the hashtag #FixMattRyan. We'll share some of our favorites on the show. See you guys Thursday at 7p for Sports Club!--Jeremy