The Atlanta Falcons are a team on the bubble. Matt Ryan, their third-year QB out of Boston College, set the league alight in his rookie season (with his very first pass - a 60+ yard TD toss - no less) and used his second season under centre to bed-in to the top level.
He has done so perfectly.
Ryan is a rare talent: he is a ready-made leader; a clean-cut face for a franchise dogged by the memory of Michael Vick (no pun intended); an all-star; potentital Hall of Famer; and a clutch performer. He demonstrated in his first two years the kind of poise and maturity it takes some QBs a decade to muster. With Ryan pulling the trigger, the Falcons could fly...
But this sin't just the Matty Ryan show, oh no. The Falcons are loaded with talent and could make this year a year to remember if they manage to book their ticket to only the franchise's second Super Bowl appearance, following the 1999 loss to the Broncos in John Elway's last game.
They have Michael 'the burner' Turner to pound the rock; Tony Gonzalez to haul in tough catches over the middle; and out on the flanks they boast a speedster in Roddy White. The Falcons can score, and in a division not renowned for its defensive superiority, they could score A LOT.
A Wild Card berth may be their best chance of making the playoffs, though, given they must oust defending World Champions, the New Orleans Saints, if they covert the division and the possibility of a first round bye. The Saints are too well-coached to slide too far, so expect them to repeat and Atlanta to sneak in the back door, with something like a 10-6/11-5. I beleiev in this team - I believe in Matt Ryan. Could the Falcons be suiting up in Dallas come February?
Why the hell not...
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