Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in a landslide.
Matt Ryan is more than the face of the sensational turnaround by the Atlanta Falcons. He also is the best member of a superb rookie crop, earning The Associated Press 2008 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award Tuesday.
The quarterback from Boston College, selected third overall in April’s draft, was a landslide winner in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Ryan became the third quarterback in five years to win the award; before that, no QB ever took the honor.
He joins Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Vince Young (2006) as top rookie quarterbacks.
Well deserved. Ryan stepped in right from Week 1 and played like a veteran for 16 games. I realize Joe Flacco was equally impressive this season, but he benefited from playing for a team with one of the best defenses in the league. The Falcons’ defense is a bit underrated, but they didn’t give Ryan the same scoring opportunities as the Ravens did Flacco. Ryan didn’t get to play the Bengals and Browns twice a year, either.
It’ll be nice to see Ryan on a national stage for the first time this season when the Falcons head to Arizona to play the Cardinals this Saturday for Wild Card Weekend. Check this kid out if you haven’t seen him play yet – he’s amazing. (Although, as I wrote last Sunday, he seems to be hitting that rookie wall because he hasn’t been as sharp lately as he had been earlier in the year.)
