Leave Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matthew Thomas Ryan alone

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is the reigning MVP. Since the Associated Press debuted its “Most Valuable Player” award, a quarterback has won 41 times. Who knows if Ryan will ever be MVP again, but one thing is undeniably, objectively clear: he’s been consistently solid and frequently great for nearly a decade as a professional football player.

For those of you that wanted the Falcons to draft Glenn Dorsey with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL, go find a corner and sit in it. (Dorsey tore his ACL in 2015 and hasn’t played since.) It’s rare to find a quarterback who can anchor the franchise for a decade, notwithstanding frequent changes to the coaching staff. What’s more, Ryan is incredibly durable, and he’s never done anything to embarrass the franchise or the fanbase. I’m no statistician, but the odds of landing a player with Ryan’s rare combination of skill, character, and leadership must be infinitesimally small.

I’ll be frank, the Ryan detractors are becoming more numerous on social media. His critics forget about all the tipped interceptions this season and wonder why 2017 can’t more closely resemble 2016. While Ryan is just as deserving of criticism as every other player on the roster, it’s patently insane to insinuate that his occasional mediocrity this season is the result of a lack of trying.

In a perfect world, the Falcons figure their way out of this rut, but if they don’t, it won’t be because they need a new QB1.