The
Clock Hits Midnight
By T.W. Scott
When
thinking about Matt Ryan, we all know the numbers: 16 touchdowns, 3440
passing yards, 11 wins, et cetera. However, the number that should be most
paid attention to is five million. That’s the population of the city of
Atlanta. Ryan’s play has turned the Atlanta sports scene around 180
degrees. Changing most fans from Vick supporters to Falcons fans. His main
tool in this resurgence has been his maturity, which was in full effect on
Saturday in his first playoff game a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. While
he had his rookie moments, he also had his flashes of greatness to come.
Even with those mistakes there was no doubt in the fans’ minds watching the
game that if he would have gotten one more shot, he would drove down the
field for a game winning score.
The first throw of Ryan’s career was a
67-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins against the Detroit lions. His
first playoff throw was an interception to Cardinals CB Ralph Brown. But
it’s what happened after that folly that’s most telling of how great Ryan
can be and how mature he already is. He then went on a nine-play drive in
which he was 6-for-6 passing while incorporating the no huddle and doing
everything a playoff quarterback is supposed to do, closing the half out
with a 17-14 lead.
The 3rd quarter was one to forget. The team
couldn’t stop Arizona and Michael Turner was held completely in check: 3
rushes for zero yards. In the fourth quarter, Ryan looked more liked the
player that was named AP Rookie of the Year. He took the Falcons right down
the field and threw a touchdown pass to Pro Bowler Roddy White. Then the
frustrations really set in. The Falcons left the outcome up to the defense.
With the Falcons needing a stop on 3rd and 16, Cardinals QB Kurt Warner had
all day to throw to a wide-open (and seldom used) tight end in the middle of
the field after a blown assignment by Keith Brooking, who in his later years
of a HOF career has been a passing situation liability. With the Falcons
having no more timeouts, the Cards lined up in the victory formation and we
watched the end to the Falcons Cinderella season as the seconds ticked away.
Even as surprisingly good as this season has
been, there were no smiles and cheers in the Falcons’ locker room after the
game. In an interview Brooking said it best: “there are not a lot of
positives right now”. Brookings knows better than anyone the ups and downs
of the NFL. To be a great organization, you must think like a winner there
is no time for moral victories.
While the end was a bit disappointing, this
season has been great to watch not just as an Atlanta Falcons fan, but as a
football enthusiast. I would like to thank the Falcons for a great year and
am look forward to watching “Matty Ice” and this team improve together.
