The Atlanta Falcons had a lot of offensive talent on paper in 2019, but it didn't translate into a whole lot of success as the Falcons went 7-9 and missed the playoffs.
But Matt Ryan still has high hopes for the offense heading into 2020:
“You’re talking about Julio (Jones) in his prime, Calvin Ridley going into Year 3 coming into his own,” Ryan said on The Green Light Podcast with Chris Long. “You’ve got Todd Gurley, who is hungry who wants to prove it this year. Hayden Hurst, another guy, first-round draft pick who just ended up in a spot where, the way they were running the football, it was no fault of his own [that he didn’t have the stats].”
Ryan likened this current unit to the Falcons' 2012 cast:
“We had a pretty good unit in 2012 with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez — those guys were all pretty good,” Ryan said. “I’ve got to imagine that this is right up there with them.”
Atlanta lost a couple of key members of its offense this offseason, as they released long-time running back Devonta Freeman and saw tight end Austin Hooper sign with the Cleveland Browns in free agency.
The Falcons replaced Freeman with Gurley, who was cut by the Los Angeles Rams after a disappointing year. They then swung a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for Hurst, who didn't really get much of an opportunity in the Ravens' offense.
It remains to be seen if Atlanta's offense can live up to Ryan's hype, but it's good to see that the veteran quarterback is feeling good about his teammates going into next season.
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