According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Falcons head coach Mike Smith has officially named rookie quarterback Matt Ryan as Week 1 starter.
“We have evaluated Matt through [offseason workouts], minicamps, training camp and over the course of three preseason games,” Smith said. “After reviewing Matt’s progress we feel that he’s won the starting job. … We feel that Matt gives us the best opportunity not only against Detroit but the in long run.”
“Anything you get in this game is earned, whether it be a touchdown, a win, whatever it is you earn it in this game,” Ryan said. “In some sense it is satisfying in that light. But trust me, there’s a lot of work ahead. I know that probably just as much as everybody else around here.
“There’s going to be some ups and downs. You’ve got to try and stay mentally tough and try and grind through it.”
History is against this decision, but anyone who watched Ryan this preseason knows he earned the right to start. In the Falcons’ 17-3 win over Tennessee last Friday, Ryan looked incredibly comfortable running the offense and was very poised. On most throws, he knew where he wanted to go with the football and it looks like his release is quicker than it was at Boston College. The shots of him encouraging his offensive linemen on the sidelines were rather Tom Brady-esqe, too.
The bottom line is that the offensive line has to be good for Ryan to succeed now and later. The unit was good this preseason, which in turn helped Ryan earn the starting job because he had time to make his reads and deliver the play to the right receivers. He’ll struggle at times this year, but he’ll struggle right along with a young team that actually has built some nice talent around Ryan in RBs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, as well as WRs Roddy White, Laurent Robinson and Michael Jenkins. I like the move and think Ryan will succeed very soon in the NFL.
