Where We Acknowledge Matt Ryan's Drive

Matt Ryan gets a bad rap at times for being bland and not having the arm cannon that guys like, I dunno, Rex Grossman have. But there's something he doesn't get nearly enough credit for: Constantly improving.

Ryan's had only one true setback year in the NFL, his sophomore. Otherwise he's slowly but steadily improved in every season, in part because he's a guy who's good at recognizing his weaknesses, and in part because he has a coaching staff that's been willing to point those out. But above all, there is a desire to improve.

Enter a bulkier Matty Ice:

"Heading into each offseason, I try and take two or three areas to really improve on,’’ Ryan said. "This year, it was getting a little bit stronger in the weight rooms. So I’ve been working out pretty hard this offseason to try and put on a little bit of weight to get a little bit stronger and I think that’ll help me out on the field. Also, I think we need to be more effective with some of our throws down the field and that’s something that I’ve certainly worked on early this offseason. And I think a combination of those two things will help our success.’’

Now, I don't expect Ryan to show up looking like the Incredible Hulk. All he's trying to do is build up his durability and arm strength a bit to correct what many fans perceive as his greatest weakness. If he can throw a better deep ball, combined with another year of working closely with Julio Jones and the rest of his receiver group, Ryan should be able to take another step forward. Assuming that extra bulk translates into actual arm strength, this can only be a good thing.

What do you think of the possibility of a stronger Ryan?