Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan joined Sportsnaut’s “Mano A Mano” podcast recently to talk about a whole bunch of different topics as he continues his 14th season in Atlanta.
Among the subjects Ryan and Carolyn Manno spoke about, the topic of the former NFL MVP’s loyalty to the Falcons came up.
“You know, from the top down, (owner) Arthur Blank has been unbelievable to me my entire career. I am thankful that I was drafted here,” Ryan told Sportsnaut. “I ended up in a building which is a great place to be a part of. It’s a great place to live. My family and I like it here. It’s the right place for us. I believe we have the right guys to win. And I want to do it here.”
There was speculation this past off-season that Ryan might be traded as the Falcons head towards what is going to be a long-term rebuild. That was magnified after Atlanta dealt his long-time teammate, star wide receiver Julio Jones.
Matt Ryan talks with Sportsnaut about 2021 Atlanta Falcons
Ryan also discussed the 2021 iteration of his Falcons under first-year head coach Arthur Smith.
“I think it’s about consistency for four quarters. Throughout the first four games, there’s been some good and some not so good,” Ryan said. “I really think that if we can put together a good four quarters, this young team can be good.”
Atlanta currently sits at 1-3 on the season following a back-breaking 34-30 loss to the Washington Football Team in Week 4. It’s a game that saw Matt Ryan throw four touchdowns against zero interceptions.
The Falcons’ only win this season came via a 17-14 victory over the hapless New York Giants in Week 3. As Ryan noted in his interview with Sportsnaut, it’s still a very young team with a nice amount of upside.
Despite his team’s struggles through four games, Ryan continues to play at a high level. He’s completing 68% of his passes for 990 yards with eight touchdowns against three interceptions.
A top-three pick of the Falcons back in 2008 from Boston College, Matt Ryan is the team’s all-time leader in completions (4,975), attempts (7,602), passing yards (56,757), touchdowns (355) and wins (114).
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Moving forward, it seems that Ryan is content with finishing his career in Atlanta. Whether that includes a return trip to the Super Bowl will depend heavily on how the Falcons’ youngsters perform moving forward. That includes stud rookie tight end Kyle Pitts.
Ryan also spoke about the Tide #TurnToCold campaign, which focuses on using cold water when doing laundry as a way to help the environment.