The Falcons have a number of problems to address as they try to return to competitiveness in the NFC South.
But according to owner Arthur Blank, quarterback isn’t on the list of things to address, as he thinks Matt Ryan can lead them to the Super Bowl.
“Absolutely,” Blank said, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “No question about it. But it doesn’t take one player to get there. It takes a lot of players around him and having a lot of talent around him. It’s going to take a lot of players to do that; offensively, defensively, and special teams. And it’s going to take coaches and the coaching staff that will help support that.”
Ryan’s coming off a difficult season, which included 21 turnovers while he stood at the wheel of a team that started 5-0 but finished 8-8. But Blank remains confident that his $100 million quarterback is the right guy, so long as they put the right parts around him and Julio Jones.
“Obviously, we have a great faith in Matt Ryan,” Blank said. “He’s only 30 years old. He’ll be our quarterback for many years to come. As Rich Gannon said to me the other morning — and Gannon was a very competitive player in the league for many, many years and a high-level quarterback — he said, ‘You’ve got a quarterback that about 20 other teams would love to have.’ And I think I would agree with him on that.”
Twenty might be high, but it hasn’t been that long since Ryan looked like a guy who might be worth it the kind of money he’s making. And with so many issues looming, replacing him isn’t anything that comes close to being a priority.