After the meteoric rise of rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco last year, it?s fair to wonder if the two will be afflicted by the dreaded sophomore slump. According to Ryan’s teammates and coaches, nothing could be further from the truth. Fullback Ovie Mughelli said, “it’s scary how much he’s improved, and it’s only his second year. People thought he couldn’t get much better than last year.”

Matt Ryan has said he’s come into this season focused on improving his game on third downs and in the red zone. He’s also said he’s focusing on closing out games and those critical decisions that are made in the final two minutes. Like the great quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Matt Ryan has had a busy offseason pouring over tape and hitting the weight room to increase his arm strength. He’s doing all the little things that may not be a lot of fun, but will help his team succeed when they hit the field.

Expectations are high for this Falcons club that went 11-5 last season and made the playoffs after a disastrous 2007 campaign. The players have had a year to digest the playbook and learn Smith’s new system. “The thing you see out there across the board is confidence, starting with Matt at quarterback, all the way down,” said center Todd McClure.

Ryan closed out the 2008 season with a passer completion percentage of 61.1%, connecting for 16 touchdowns on 3440 yard and 11 interceptions. If what Mughelli said is true, it’s going to be a tough year for the NFC South, and Atlanta may just have themselves the next Manning in training.

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