The Future of Atlanta
With the largest redevelopment in the city’s history well under way, a cutting edge dining scene and a bright young football star, all eyes are on Atlanta. Yours should be, too.
Matt Ryan
© IAN SPANIER
FALCON OF THE FUTURE
Will quarterback Matt Ryan fulfill the expectations of fans, coaches and teammates and lead the franchise to its first ever Super Bowl title?
BY ADAM K. RAYMOND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN SPANIER
PHOTOGRAPHED AT GLENN HOTEL
At the start of the 2008 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons were bloodied and bruised. The team, which played in its first Super Bowl 10 years prior, was coming off of a 4-12 record, another missed postseason and, worst of all, the saga of former Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick.
It was, without question, one of the worst times to be a Falcon (and a fan, for that matter). But Matt Ryan, drafted by Atlanta as the third overall pick in 2008, felt none of the despair. “I was a little naive coming out of college, so I didn’t worry about anything,” he says. “I just tried to come in and win games.
And that’s exactly what he did. On the first pass of his Nflcareer, the 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound quar terback threw a 62-yard touchdown strike to receiver Michael Jenkins. From there, he led the Falcons to an 11-5 record and a playoff birth while winning the Associated Press’ Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Soon, the No. 7 Vick jerseys that dominated the Georgia Dome on Sundays were supplanted by Ryan’s No. 2. His face, which looks like it belongs on the body of a 12-year old, began popping up on billboards around town, and his name was mentioned in conversations about the game’s best young quarterbacks.
When Ryan first arrived in Atlanta, all anyone could think about was the past. After his first year, all they wanted to talk about was the future.
“He did everything the right way,” says Dave Choate, Falcons superfan and editor of The Falcoholic blog. “Having a guy fans can rally around made a huge difference when it came to recovering from the past few years. And now he’s the face of the franchise in Atlanta.”
Three seasons in — with the team’s first-ever consecutive winning seasons and two playoff appearances under Ryan’s belt — the future talk inevitably leads to two words: Super and Bowl. And those aren’t words football fans throw around lightly. “I’m expecting a Super Bowl birth in the next five years,” Choate says. “I’d like to say this year, but I don’t want to jinx it. Confidence among fans is very high.”
D. Orlando Ledbetter, the Falcons beat writer for The Atlanta-Journal Con stitution and the person who may know this team better than anyone who’s not on it, says that confidence is warranted. “They’ve got a young team and they’ve done a good job of locking up some young talent,” he says. “If the team continues to improve, a Super Bowl wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility in the next five years.”
Ryan, who’s quiet and confident off the field and a fierce, red-faced leader on it, doesn’t want to wait that long. “Super Bowls,” he says when asked what he wants over the next few seasons. And yes, that’s “Super Bowls,” with an –s. “That’s the reason everyone plays this game,” Ryan says. “We can do it now and we can do it for a long time. We feel we can be great from 2010 to 2020.”
Falcons head coach Mike Smith isn’t quite as bold. A no-nonsense disciplinarian, Smith focuses on sustainability when he talks about the future. “This means sustainability from play to play, quarter to quarter, game to game and year to year,” he says. “We want to be a relevant team year in and year out.”
If the Falcons achieve that, it will be largely thanks to Ryan, who’s quickly growing into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Last season, he finished in the top 10 in both yards and touchdowns while engineering five fourth-quarter comebacks. And when a quarterback experiences that type of success, people start expecting big things. “I think Matt has the ability to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. His drive to be great and his competitiveness is something that we are very proud of,” Smith says.
That’s a lot of pressure for a 26-year-old. The NFL’s scrapheap is full of young quarterbacks whose early success brought on lofty expectations that were never met. But Ryan doesn’t plan on being one of those quarterbacks. “The pres sure is one of the coolest parts about playing the position,” he says, adding, “High expectations are a good thing. They mean you’ve put yourself in a good position in the past, and people believe you can do it in the future. That’s the responsibility that goes along with being great.”
The pressure is definitely on for the 2011 season. Ryan’s no longer a young quarterback, and with Pro-Bowlers like Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez surround ing him on offense, the Falcons are being picked by many to win the Super Bowl. If the expectations of success and the near-universal confidence in Ryan’s ability to achieve them are any indication, he is about to make the leap from quarterback of the future to the quarterback of now.
MATTLANTA
A whirlwind tour of the Falcon quarterback’s favorite local spots.
00:00 – 00:50
WORLD OF COCA-COLA
Ryan may be from Philadelphia, but he’s got Coca-Cola running through his veins just like a native Atlantan — and there’s no better place to indulge in Dr. John Pemberton’s creation than this landmark, where Ryan says he “learns something new each time.” Make a beeline to the main attractions: the bottling line and the samples of products from around the world. (Make sure to try Honduras’ Delaware Punch and China’s Smart Apple.)
00:50 – 2:00
GEORGIA AQUARIUM
Just across from the shrine to Coca-Cola is the world’s largest aquarium, with more than
8.5 million gallons of water. Catch a showing of Dolphin Tales, the new theatrical exhibit that incorporates actors and dolphins. As Ryan says, it’s “definitely a cool place to go.”
2:15 – 2:45
THE TAVERN AT PHIPPS
After all that liquid, it’s time for some solids. This popular eatery in Buckhead (where Ryan lives) is one of his favorites to indulge in some good eats. Hit the patio, order some barbecue chicken nachos and sit back for some of the city’s best people-watching.
2:45 – 4:00
LENOX SQUARE MALL
Walk across the street to this massive mall, where the valet parking area looks like it could be a car museum — and where Ryan re-stocks on wardrobe essentials. You’re here for an authentic No. 2 jersey from Champs Sports for $260.
4:00 – 5:00
HAL’S
Ryan says “you can’t go wrong with the steak special” at this laidback haven of all things beef. Get comfy on the first floor (where “the action is,” according to the perky hostess) and dig into the 12-ounce filet, a hulking chunk of cow — and the first steak Ryan tried there.
Reader Comments
- There are no comments posted yet. Be the first one!
