Matt Ryan: Can he return to near-elite form?
There’s not really an explanation to it, but debating if NFL quarterbacks are elite has become synonymous with NFL fans.
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Joe Flacco, Eli Manning and Russell Wilson are among recent Super Bowl winners who the majority of NFL experts and fans don’t peg as “elite.” The easiest way to define an “elite” quarterback is probably if they’re often discussed in the top-five.
As such, those men would be Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Cam Newton and/or Andrew Luck. For Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, he has never been considered elite.
He was always a franchise-quarterback, but after just one playoff win in eight years with Atlanta, including three-straight non-playoff seasons, fans are wondering if Matt Ryan is ever going to be good again.
AROUND COVER32
Twitter Tuesday: Brandon Boykin can only LOL at this point
Madden Monday: Rob Gronkowski’s case against the curse
2016 Preview: Ranking the 2016 MVP Candidates
Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton listed his projected stats for each NFL starting quarterback in 2016, and his estimates (should they come true,) for Ryan suggest the Falcons could very well have to decide if he’s really the guy they want to go with in the long run.
He’s projecting Matt Ryan to complete 65 percent of his passes for 4,100 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions:
“Ryan will continue to regress if the last two seasons were an indication of future performance. The Falcons added two nice complementary pieces in receiver Mohamed Sanu and tight end Austin Hooper. Expect the Falcons to rely heavily on their run game to relieve pressure on Ryan.”
It’s very difficult to judge where Ryan will go. He struggled down the stretch under Kyle Shanahan’s offense last year, and his performances in the last three seasons suggest he won’t be near-elite like he was from 2008-2012.
But with Mohamed Sanu helping Julio Jones, and Austin Hooper giving them a hopeful number one tight end, Ryan could do anything. That could mean a career-best season OR he could keep declining.
We’ll see how it goes in 2016.
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