Atlanta Falcons
Two years after their disastrous Super Bowl meltdown against New England, there is reason to believe the most talented team in the NFC remains the Atlanta Falcons, And that?s saying a lot considering how the Philadelphia Eagles are the defending league champions.
The reason for this is quarterback Matt Ryan, ?Matty Ice? as popular culture refers to him. And the Falcons must feel the same way since they just put him on ice, signing him to a five-year contract extension that will reward him with $150 million, with first $100 million guaranteed. And that doesn?t even kick in until after the 2018 season.
Ryan?s stats fell of the table last season. He threw only 20 touchdowns passes and his interceptions rose from seven to 12. And we haven?t even mentioned his completion percentage.
So what will Ryan be like if, let?s say, Julio Jones and the Falcons can?t get together a new deal. Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants seem to be in footrace to see who can the make most the quickest. Keep in mind that Jones had just three touchdowns all last season and only one came from within the red zone.
Maybe Ryan and Steve Sarkisian, the offensive coordinator who took over when Kyle Shanahan became coach of the San Francisco 49ers, didn?t speak the same language. The certainly didn?t score as many points, falling off by 200 from the 2016 season.
If the offense continues to be average, it will be up to guys like Vic Beasley to create the havoc with the pass rush, The Falcons drafted cornerback Isaiah Oliver in the second round and lineman Deadrin Senat in the third.
It seems like there aren?t many people of the Falcons bandwagon this season. They come into year with worse playoff odds than teams like Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Two years after their disastrous Super Bowl meltdown against New England, there is reason to believe the most talented team in the NFC remains the Atlanta Falcons, And that?s saying a lot considering how the Philadelphia Eagles are the defending league champions.
The reason for this is quarterback Matt Ryan, ?Matty Ice? as popular culture refers to him. And the Falcons must feel the same way since they just put him on ice, signing him to a five-year contract extension that will reward him with $150 million, with first $100 million guaranteed. And that doesn?t even kick in until after the 2018 season.
Ryan?s stats fell of the table last season. He threw only 20 touchdowns passes and his interceptions rose from seven to 12. And we haven?t even mentioned his completion percentage.
So what will Ryan be like if, let?s say, Julio Jones and the Falcons can?t get together a new deal. Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants seem to be in footrace to see who can the make most the quickest. Keep in mind that Jones had just three touchdowns all last season and only one came from within the red zone.
Maybe Ryan and Steve Sarkisian, the offensive coordinator who took over when Kyle Shanahan became coach of the San Francisco 49ers, didn?t speak the same language. The certainly didn?t score as many points, falling off by 200 from the 2016 season.
If the offense continues to be average, it will be up to guys like Vic Beasley to create the havoc with the pass rush, The Falcons drafted cornerback Isaiah Oliver in the second round and lineman Deadrin Senat in the third.
It seems like there aren?t many people of the Falcons bandwagon this season. They come into year with worse playoff odds than teams like Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Chargers.
