The Atlanta Falcons are 7-0 for the first time in franchise history. They are primed for another winning season, which would mark the first time any Falcons team has ever had four consecutive winning seasons. It is no surprise that the secret to the Falcon’s recent success has come from outstanding play by the man under center, Matt Ryan.
The fifth-year starter has improved with every season. After being drafted in 2008, Ryan has shattered a number of Falcons records in his short tenure with the team. The offensive system this year was fine tuned from a ground game to an aerial attack, in order to take advantage of Ryan’s ability to stand firm in the pocket and throw the ball.
With the team putting all of its faith in Ryan, and seeing the results that have been produced by that faith, the Falcons organization may want to turn its focus to one pivotal question. Is it time to make Matt Ryan the quarterback of the future, and the highest paid player in the game?
Some might think it is a ludicrous thought, but Ryan has proved himself as a winning quarterback.
Through his first four years, not including this season, Ryan has a combined record of 43-21.
Drew Brees, who began his career in 2002 with the San Diego Chargers, had a combined record of 33-31 through his first four seasons.
Today, Brees has broken numerous NFL records that were untouched for 20 years, led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl win in 2009, and is arguably the best quarterback in the league. Because of these accomplishments, he signed a deal with Saints during the offseason that made him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL.
Matt Ryan has the talent and the makeup to accomplish great things for the Falcons. Breaking Brees’s records may be out of the question, but if Drew Brees was worthy of the greatest contract in NFL history with the start to his career, isn’t it safe to assume that Ryan could be worth that much down the road?
It is a gamble, but it is a gamble that the Falcons should take, because the payoff could be exponential. Ryan is still playing under his rookie contract, which pays roughly $70 million for six years. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2014, and if the Falcons want to take advantage of Ryan and his improvement, they should think about offering Ryan a contract worthy of the kind of money that Brees, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady receive.
The only obstacle facing Ryan is that he has yet to win a playoff game. He is 0-3 in the postseason. However, the Falcons lack of success in the playoffs can be contributed to the opponents they have faced. In 2008, Ryan’s rookie season, the Falcons faced the Arizona Cardinals in the first round and lost on the road. Those Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl that year. In the 2010 season, the Falcons lost to the Green Packers at home in a blowout. The Packers however, were able to rip through the postseason and win the Super Bowl, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season, the Falcons grabbed a wildcard spot and went on the road to face a hot New York Giants squad that were able to beat the 15-1 Packers and win the Super Bowl over Brady and the New England Patriots.
Ryan’s postseason woes have come against three tough opponents who all won or made it to the finish. As long as the Falcons hold their confidence in Ryan, those wins will come. The best way to reassure that confidence is to give him the contract he deserves. The Falcons are rewriting their history with Ryan at the helm, and if they lock him up for the long haul, their future is extremely bright indeed.