Dave Archer was there for the entirety of Matt Ryan’s Falcons career, serving as the superb analyst on team radio broadcasts and sharing countless conversations over the course of Ryan’s 14-year career in Atlanta.
It gave him particular insight into how the Falcons legend and new team president of football thinks and operates. That knowledge helps address the following:
Given his intelligence, drive and deep understanding of the game, it seems almost a given that Ryan will serve the Falcons well. But exactly how will he do it?
A conversation this past weekend with Archer about Ryan cast light on three possible areas where Ryan could lift the franchise.
Vision
It perhaps goes without saying that any leader should have one and, besides, owner Arthur Blank specifically charged him with setting a vision for the team. Regardless, Ryan had a clear idea of how to win games when he quarterbacked the Falcons that could inform how he wants the team to play going forward.
Essentially, as Archer saw it, Ryan tried to be efficient in what he saw as the most important moments of the game — third down, red-zone possessions and the ends of the half.
“He was so good in those moments,” Archer said. “Those are things that he looked at — he still looks at — really closely as to how you maximize those moments.”
There is surely more to a vision than that. But someone who had a highly successful playing career and then spent the past three years closely observing the NFL as an analyst for CBS must have a keen idea of what a winning football team should look like, and constructing a team that is designed to prevail in those key moments could be part of it.
It’s obviously not Ryan’s closely kept secret. But a precise target would seem to be more helpful than preaching “we want to be fast and physical.”
And, he’s not wrong, either.
This season and last, five teams finished in the top 10 in the NFL in at least three of the following four categories: red-zone touchdown rate and third-down conversion rate for offense and defense. Their combined regular-season record was 66-19.
If that indeed were part of the picture of what Ryan will prioritize — excellent on third down, in the red zone and at the end of both halves — they could work backward and allow that vision to guide decisions on which head coach and coordinators are hired, which players are drafted, what schemes are used and how game plans are constructed.
Support of roster and staff
One strength that Archer saw in Ryan was an understanding of how to make his teammates better and how to improve as a team. And it wasn’t as simple as throwing them the ball or suggesting plays.
“He has a real keen sense of, How do I get guys around me to play well?” Archer said.
It could have been a conversation with a teammate to encourage him or to make sure he understood his role in a play. It might have been checking to see how the offensive line felt about what it was being asked to do against an opponent.
Ryan brought focus to practice and ensured that what players learned in meetings transferred to practice and then to games.
Falcons teammates told Archer that Ryan sometimes stopped them in the hallway of the team facility to quiz them on their responsibilities of a certain play.
As president, that role shouldn’t be as direct. But Ryan’s sense of how to provide players and coaches what they need from a mental and emotional perspective could be influential.
“I think he’s got a pretty good feel for what that looks and smells like,” Archer said.
Michael Penix Jr.
Is it possible that the team’s franchise quarterback (as pronounced last week by Blank) could have benefited from having Ryan around in the building for the past two years?
It would seem there would be almost no way he couldn’t have.
Whether as a confidant, mentor, advocate or extra set of eyes, Ryan can be of great value to Penix as he recovers from a torn ACL, readies for his third season, adjusts to a new coaching staff and tries to live up to the enormous expectations placed upon him.
That could be a conversation about off-field matters or watching video together, being an intermediary with the coaching staff or any other number of ways of connecting.
“He can sympathize with what Michael is potentially dealing with,” Archer said.
There is no player on the roster more critical to the Falcons’ future than Penix. And a person who walked the same path and handled the same challenges now is fully invested in helping him succeed.
There are many ways in which Ryan will have to grow into the job.
But he’ll come into it with a lot of tools that can help immediately.
You can now get my column sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter here:
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
