The Atlanta Falcons of 2007 were bereft, rudderless, and in rough shape. With no franchise quarterback after Michael Vick’s legal troubles and a carousel of Byron Leftwich, Joey Harrington, and Chris Redman in 2007, the team needed hope and direction. They needed to land a player who could lead them to better days.
The choice was Matt Ryan. The Boston College product was not immediately embraced by many fans, including yours truly, and certainly there were quarters of the Falcons fanbase who always held him at arm’s length. Yet there’s no doubt whatsoever that Ryan was the right choice for the franchise, a man who elevated Falcons football and poured time, money, and soul into the community he lived and played in for 14 years, leaving as the team’s sole MVP, one of just two quarterbacks to pilot the team to a Super Bowl berth, and the all-time franchise leader in every single passing category worth mentioning.