Saving Matt Ryan
Longtime Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in March. Ryan was brought to Indianapolis in the hopes that the quarterback play will be elevated this upcoming season. Many analysts and fans stated that the Colts would have been Super Bowl contenders last year if they had a better quarterback than Carson Wentz.
Sound familiar? Just ask the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Last season, Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick. The Rams gave up a haul to get Stafford, but it paid off in the end as the team got their first Super Bowl championship since 2000. Stafford brought a level of play to Los Angeles that Goff couldn’t. That’s the difference in having a better quarterback, but it also shows how a better team can elevate their signal caller.
And that was the difference for Stafford.
He has put up Hall of Fame numbers but had to suffer due to the incompetence of the Detroit Lions organization. Bad offensive lines, inept coaching and terrible defenses is too much for any quarterback to overcome. Once in Los Angeles, Stafford was able to play for a solid team and organization that would care for the quarterback. Ryan is looking for that same impact.
The Falcons are another team that has struggled outside of the quarterback position. While not nearly as bad as the Lions, Atlanta has certainly had its faults in defense, rushing efficiency and coaching.
Ryan confided in Stafford after the Rams quarterback won the Super Bowl.
“I talked to Matthew Stafford right after, and before I got traded, when the possibility was out there,” Ryan said. “He was like, ‘Don’t get me wrong, you love the experience that you’ve had the entire time, and you love the continuity and the people that you know, but it’s a bit like going to that first day of high school, where you switch schools and you’re going in trying to meet people. There’s that nervous, anxious excitement that comes with it.’”
https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2022/06/17/rams-matthew-stafford-matt-ryan-colts-trade-advice/
With a surging defense, strong run game and top offensive line, Ryan is hoping to have that same revitalization that Stafford had in Los Angeles.
