Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said that the team has moved on from their bitter loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, saying that dwelling on the past is “wasted time,” and adding that they are focused on becoming the best football team in the NFL. "We have to focus on trying to become the best football team that this group can be,” Ryan said in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Falcons blew a 25-point lead and lost to the Patriots in overtime, 34-28.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn have entrusted Ryan with the task of focusing the team’s mindset rather than allowing them to wallow in the misery of their defeat.
According to Ryan, before The Falcons converged for their OTAs, they got together in Miami and decided that it was time to move on. “It was time to look forward,” he said.
Last season, the 32-year-old Ryan showed that he’s a big-game quarterback in the playoffs, throwing for 1,014 yards, nine touchdowns, and zero interceptions, as he completed 74 percent of his passes in three postseason games. In 16 regular-season games, Ryan threw for a career-best 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
New offensive coordinator for Falcons
The Falcons recently hired Steve Sarkisian as offensive coordinator to replace Kyle Shanahan, who accepted a head coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers.
When asked about the changes on offense, Ryan said there’s no major difference and the transition has not affected the players. “The system is pretty much the same as it was before, which is good." Ryan said Sarkisian and new quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan have done a great job in terms of adapting to the team’s system in the first two weeks of OTAs.
“I think Sark and some of the new coaches have had the biggest transition in learning our system, but they’ve done a great job,” added Ryan.
Sarkisian wants more red-zone receptions for Julio Jones
Sarkisian said he is looking for other ways to improve the Falcons’ offense and not just work on what Shanahan left behind, "The competitor in me is, 'How far can we take it?'" Sarkisian said.
One improvement that Sarkisian wants to implement is to make All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones a frequent target in the red zone.
Last season, Jones caught just four red-zone passes, far behind running back Devonta Freeman (12 catches) and receiver Mohamed Sanu (9 catches). While Jones faced double coverage near the end zone, Sarkisian said there is room for opportunity. Last season, Jones caught 83 passes for 1,409 yards and six touchdowns.
