Matt Ryan offers frank assessment of the offense as the Falcons prepare for the Packers

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is sick of spending time on the turf. He’s been sacked 36 times this season. He’s been hit a league-leading 92 times this season. That’s not how Ryan prefers to live his life.

As the Falcons get ready to face off against the Packers on Sunday, Ryan will naturally look back and wonder what could’ve been in 2018. Our own Jeanna Thomas was on hand for media availability on Wednesday, and Ryan didn’t mince words about the state of the offense.

“We’ve gotta execute as players better than we have up until this point. We’ve gotta extend some drives, we’ve gotta get further into some drives for us to kinda wear a defense down ... we all have to pull our weight and execute a little better. Ya know, perform the task we’re being asked to do a little better ... all of us need to play better; our record certainly indicates that.”

Ryan is mature enough to recognize what he needs to say and how he needs to say it right now. It serves no purpose to blame the offensive coordinator or anyone else specifically at this point. There’s no use sugarcoating; just tell it like it is and make sure everyone takes some responsibility.

I appreciate Ryan’s honest assessment of the offense. If anything, this season will serve as an example of how not to play, how not to execute. Ryan may be the leader of this offense, but he can’t do it all by himself, and this is the gentlest way he can possibly say that.

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