ATLANTA (AP) -Matt Ryan has met Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. The next great quarterback on his list? Tom Brady.
Though he spent five years at Boston College while Brady was winning two of his three Super Bowls with the Patriots, Ryan never had a chance to speak with the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
If they ever do meet face to face, the budding Atlanta Falcons star will have one honor that Brady doesn’t have: The Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
“I’m certainly flattered,” said Ryan, who was selected with the third overall pick in April’s draft. “There’s a number of guys who had great rookie seasons this year, so to even be mentioned in that light is nice. It’s certainly a great honor, and I think it speaks to what we did as a team this year.”
in front of Titans running back Chris Johnson with three. Broncos tackle Ryan Clady had two and Bears running back Matt Forte got one.
Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, the 18th overall pick, was left off all 50 ballots despite joining Ryan as the only NFL rookie quarterbacks ever to start all every regular-season game and lead their teams to the playoffs.
Ryan led Atlanta to an 11-5 record and a surprising NFC wild-card appearance, but is still uncomfortable comparing himself to the established stars he wants to emulate. But he clearly admires the careers of Brady, Manning and Favre, who have combined for five Super Bowl titles, 26 trips to the playoffs and five MVP awards.
The three other active quarterbacks with Super Bowl rings – Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Kurt Warner – also have Ryan’s attention. Warner will lead the Cardinals against Ryan and Atlanta on Sunday in Arizona but the two will team up Feb. 8 at the Pro Bowl.
“I hope when I’m 37 I’m playing at the level he is,” Ryan said.
Ryan joined Roethlisberger (2004) and Tennessee’s Vince Young (2006) as the only quarterbacks to win the offensive rookie award since it debuted in 1957, but the Falcons’ new franchise cornerstone considers Brady, Favre and Peyton Manning as his favorites.
league right now, even with Tom being out this year,” Ryan said. “That is the key, I think, if you can consistently do it year in and year out. Not just statistically, but they’re in the playoffs year in and year out. That’s what I hope to be.”
Ryan is well on his way to his goal. Several teammates described him as a film nut that spent countless hours watching tape to improve his ability to recognize defensive fronts and expose weaknesses in coverage.
Ryan’s approach to the job contrasted sharply to that of imprisoned quarterback Michael Vick, whose last two years with Atlanta were often marked by him being one of the last players to report to team headquarters and one of the first to leave.
“You can tell how important football is to Matt,” defensive end John Abraham said. “He’s always looking for a way to win.”
Also impressive was Ryan’s retention from the film room to the field. First-year coach Mike Smith knew after the second preseason game that the 23-year-old native of Exton, Pa., had beaten out Chris Redman for Atlanta’s starting job.
“It became very evident at that time that Matt gave us the best opportunity to win,” Smith said. “He had a very good rookie season.”
yards and 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, but it was his work under pressure, going 6-2 in games decided by seven points or less, that drew attention.
“He loves to compete and goes hard,” Atlanta Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White said. “He does everything to be great and has been a great player this year.”
As for the rest of his career, Ryan is most likely to try to model his play more after Brady and Peyton Manning than Favre. Though he considers himself a fan of the league’s only three-time MVP, Ryan probably won’t craft his reputation as a slinger like Favre, who’s been willing to risk interception for the chance of greater rewards downfield.
Ryan admires Brady and Peyton Manning for their tactical approach to playing the position as on-field coordinators.
“I think those guys’ work ethic, combined with their talent and all the other things that go along with it,” Ryan said, “are the reasons why they’re so consistent.”
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