Freddie Falcon
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- Mar 16, 2019
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After 13 seasons and 205 games, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is a rookie all over again.
The team changed head coaches in the offseason, with Arthur Smith the third head coach for whom Ryan now has played. Ryan is getting to know his new play caller and the new coaching staff as well as learning a new offense.
“It’s been going well,” Ryan said Tuesday, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think obviously, transition requires a lot of effort and a lot of work to learn the new system to make sure that you’re as comfortable as you can possibly be with the terminology.
“There are always nuances in different schemes and how coaches like certain things. I’ve been working really hard to try to get on the same page with them. I’ve been excited that we are able to start and get out on the field this week.”
The Falcons went 18-30 the past three seasons and have not made the playoffs since 2017. It cost Dan Quinn his job.
Ryan did not know Smith before the Falcons hired him from Tennessee. Smith runs a West Coast scheme, with which Ryan has some familiarity.
“From a language standpoint, I’ve played in a number of different systems now,” Ryan said. “It’s like a combination of a couple of them. I’ll go back and the formations are really similar to West Coast formations, which I’ve played in for a number of years. The protections are very similar. The concepts are similar as well.”
The Falcons drafted tight end Kyle Pitts with their first choice and have Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley returning as their starting wideouts. They are working on fixing their backfield and offensive line problems.
“I’m excited for the guys that we have in the building for sure,” Ryan said. “I feel like there are guys that are highly competitive that want to win football games. I’m excited about things from that standpoint, but we have a long way to go.”