Back in the early eighties, my dad took me to games in old Fulton County Stadium.
I watched Andrews, Bartkowski, Riggs and Billy White Shoes Johnson dazzle us in the 80's and in the 1980-1981 season, they nearly reached their first NFC Championship game. That's when Dallas stunned our Falcons with a furious comeback outscoring them 20-3 in the 4th quarter and edging the birds 30-27 at Fulton County Stadium to reach the NFC Championship game.
The first of many heartbreakers
I remember being in attendance in the late 80's when a kick returner dropped his first punt and then manage to scamper all the way down the field for a touchdown against the old Los Angeles Rams. His name was Deion Sanders. You can learn more about him in Canton.
I was in the Dome in 1998 when we beat San Francisco and then watched on TV a week later as we stunned the Vikings to reach our first and only Super Bowl. I thought it would be the first of many. Then the whole thing with Eugene Robinson happened, we got blasted by the Broncos and Pro Bowl Running Back Jamal Anderson tore his ACL the next season after finally reaching a contract agreement. It looked like the franchise was in shambles.
Why Eugene?
Then a few years later, the birds made a huge trade and drafted a kid out of Virginia Tech. Michael Vick looked like he would take us to the promise land just as the '98 team almost did. Then he got arrested, our coach quit on his team and we had to start from scratch yet again.
I'd about given up on this franchise. Then one night I remember sitting up and watching the number 2 ranked Boston College Eagles play the number 8 ranked Virginia Tech (coincidentally Michael Vick's alma mater) Hokies. I didn't know much about BC's QB but I'd heard he was pretty good. He had one of the worst games of his career that night yet still led his team to an incredible comeback win in the last few minutes while throwing up in a rain-soaked game on the road. I knew this kid was special. His name was Matthew Thomas Ryan. Here in Atlanta we call him Matty Ice.
Matty Ice!
Here's the link from that game...http://www.espn.com/college-football/columns/story?id=3079990&columnist=schlabach_mark.
It was then that I really started to follow the kid and when the Falcons drafted him 3rd in the 2008 NFL Draft, I knew the kid was good but I never had any idea that he would turn out this good.
Matt's teams have been to the playoffs several times, In 2011, we earned the number 1 seed and came up against a hot Packers team in round 2 at the dome. They demolished us 48-21 and Matt had a terrible game throwing a pick 6 before halftime. It was then that I began to wonder if Matt Ryan would ever lead us to a championship. I admit that I probably jumped the gun. In 2013, we came within a play of getting to the Super Bowl but instead lost a big lead to the eventual NFC Champions the San Francisco 49ers and lost 28-24. It was like Atlanta-Dallas 1980 again.
Rodgers got us back then but I look forward to the rematch.
As bad as things were going, Matt never let it affect him off the field. He still did a ton in the community and rarely complained when people like me doubted him. Heck, he even wrote me this on my 41st birthday which I've never shared until this blog. Thanks Emily for talking to his future wife and telling her about me back then. Last year, Matt had the worst season of his career and quite honestly I began thinking we might want to draft his replacement. So much for appreciating his birthday card. I'm ashamed to admit that but a guy on the wrong side of 30 who was regressing was not a sign of a potential MVP candidate.
Thanks Matt!
Then I heard Ryan was in LA this offseason. While most players would do that to improve their brand or check out the Hollywood lifestyle, that wasn't the case for Matt.
Ryan, instead, visited Tom House and Adam Dedeaux of the acclaimed 3DQB training facility. House, a former major league pitcher and pitching coach, and Dedeaux, a former pitcher at USC, developed a program aimed to improve the overall throwing performance of quarterbacks by focusing on four key areas: functional strength and conditioning, mechanics and motion analysis, mental and emotional management, and nutrition. They've worked with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer, to name a few. Matt's top receiver Julio Jones said he noticed a major difference in Matt's performance during the preseason camps.
Jones was correct. Ryan's arm strength and accuracy drastically improved after completing the program and the Falcons finally gave him the center he's needed his entire career...Alex Mack!
The rest is history.
The Falcons are now 1 win from their first NFC Championship in nearly 2 decades and 2 wins from doing something the franchise has never done in 50 plus years...win a Super Bowl.
Falcons, regardless of the outcome on Sunday, your play has inspired a city of transplants and has helped us come together as one. We love this team. We have 2 running backs who weren't drafted in the first round but together have become one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. We have the best receiver in football and unlike most great NFL receivers, he has avoided the diva label. We have a defense full of young future stars who don't do their talking off the field but rather hit people hard on it. We have a coach who has helped an entire team buy into a "brotherhood." We may not be known as America's Team but I'm fine calling us "Atlanta's Team."
Matt, this post is written to you though. I'm sorry I doubted you. I remember that kid throwing up on a rainy night in Blacksburg, Virginia while leading his team to a comeback win despite having one of the worst games of his life. I remember the guy who came to Atlanta and immediately became engaged in the community. I remember the guy whose first NFL pass in September of 2008 was a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins. As a rookie that season, Ryan lead his team to the postseason. Matt Ryan has always been special. I noticed it a long time ago. It escaped me for a little bit. I'll never make that mistake again. Matty Ice, I'll be joining you in the Dome once again on Sunday. I will cheer like never before.
Counting down the hours till Sunday.
Let's be special one more time.
Rise up!
Andy
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