Matt Ryan understands the nuances of the NFL’s biggest stage better than most.
The former MVP and longtime Atlanta Falcons quarterback doesn’t need a crash course on how narratives are spun — he lived them. But now, as an analyst for the NFL on CBS, Ryan offers a perspective that’s “more balanced” than the hot takes dominating the morning shows.
Those aforementioned narratives(s), which New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers called the media’s “big problem.”
It’s the relentless cycle of defining quarterbacks by a single game, moment, or postseason failure. Rodgers pointed this out ahead of the AFC Divisional Round, predicting the scrutiny that would fall on the losing quarterback in the Baltimore Ravens’ matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Lamar Jackson is living it now, and if the Bills lose to the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, Josh Allen might find himself in the same position.
Speaking with host Brandon Contes on the Awful Announcing Podcast, Ryan acknowledged the reality of these debates but also surprisingly reframed them as fair.
“I’m probably a little bit more balanced in my view of it. Is it fair? Yeah, it’s fair,” Ryan explained. “This is the world we live in, right? And I think that the reason is the sport is as big is it is, is people love to listen to somebody go on and have their debate about whether he can win this game in the playoffs, or is he this tier, or that or whatever. I think it is fair. And I think we all understand that as a player.
“My perspective on those guys, though, is if they keep giving themselves opportunities, they’re both the caliber of player that are gonna get there — I just believe that. And I think I’ve seen that from other players. I, myself, going through it early in my career, losing playoff games and having that same discourse and questions to answer and all those things. And then finding a way to break through, and making a run to the NFC Championship in 2012 and then to the Super Bowl in ’16.”
Ryan thinks that Jackson and Allen’s time are both going to come.
“I think Lamar Jackson’s time is coming,” he tells Contes. “And I don’t think it is a performance thing. I think you look at that last drive when everything’s on the line, his ability to make plays with the football, he’s got what it takes. I think cleaning up some of those turnovers at the beginning, for sure. Learning how to play in those type of games and maybe pull the governor back a bit, I think is important.
“But, I think he’s going to learn that. I think the same’s true. Josh has a great chance this week to change that narrative. And all it takes is three hours on a Sunday. And everything we’ve said about him before no longer exists. So, I think I’m probably a bit more level-headed on all of this, given my experience of going through it, but I do think it’s fair.”
Listen to the full episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast featuring Matt Ryan beginning Friday, Jan. 24. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.