Hey, in order to be the best you have to beat the best. And Matt Cassel will likely land somewhere other than NE, unless they want to franchise him and pay him the average of the top 5 QBs (which is a lot). So perhaps we’ll see a Ryan/Cassel 2-year starter matchup.

If there’s one thing I learned about Ryan by watching him in college, it’s that he never backs down from competition. In fact, he thrives on it.

In the modern NFL contenders can disappear over night (Seahawks) and bottom dwellers can be a contenders in the blink of an eye (Cardinals). ’09 may seem brutal now but wait cause off-season injuries and free agency can flip the script entirely.

The thing about the NFL, where it differs from college, is that there are great players on every team. Something’s it’s just a change in attitude and leadership that can turn a team around. And even when you purge your roster and bring in new talent, it’s usually guys who could play on the other teams in the league.

You never know what kind of coaching or roster changes will occur in the offseason. Look how the Saints took off when they added Bush, Brees and Payton. Look what’s happened to the Jets with the addition of Favre. And who would’ve thought the Chargers would be 4-7 with the same QB, RB and HC from last year’s 11-5 team?

The NFL is a fickle league. One year’s Super Bowl contender is the next year’s doormat. But I must say, the Falcons, much like the Patriots (Is there a correlation? Hmm…), seem to be laying the groundwork and positioning themselves for success for years to come. But you never know when the next hit might take a guy out for the season. Just hope and pray and thank your lucky stars when things go your way.