Matt Ryan was flying high at this time last year. The rookie quarterback was doing what rookie quarterbacks rarely do: play a significant role in a team's success. He might have only been on the fringes of the MVP race, but SportsNation still said he was the fourth-best quarterback taken in the draft since 2000. On the other hand, Joe Flacco earned praise more for not being bad than for being good as a rookie starter.
But has the script flipped?
Flacco is currently No. 13 in passer rating for a team with a winning record. Ryan ranks behind Jason Campbell and the recently benched Shaun Hill. So midway through their sophomore seasons, whom would you rather have as your franchise quarterback?
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Vinnie (ATL)
The Falcons are in a hole to make the playoffs. Do you think Ryan is concentrating too much on Gonzales which leads to more throws over the middle and interceptions?
Chris Mortensen
The Falcons' schedule was always going to make this tougher than 2008. In speaking with people who have watched Falcons' tape, they would agree that maybe Ryan has become too dependent on Gonzalez and that he's getting hit/rushed a little more than last year, which is causing a few more bad decisions and, in some cases, expose some physical limitations. But he's a very sharp, dedicated guy, he's young and the Falcons are in good hands. Full transcript
HW (Bel Air, Md)
How Jaws say that Flacco has NOT progressed? This isn't Brady Quinn here.
Football Outsiders' Bill Barnwell
Well, he's watched the tape and sees a quarterback that's less accurate on his deep throws, still has trouble picking up the rush and identifying blitzers, and has accuracy issues at the intermediate level. Full transcript
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