Tom Brady is now a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After 20 years with the New England Patriots, he's jumped ship (come for the news, stay for the puns) to join the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.
Brady is an obvious Hall of Famer. He has too many rings to count and is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time. So having him in your division might not be the most exciting thing for rival teams.
That's exactly how it is for Falcons superstar quarterback Matt Ryan. According to Riley Gates of 247Sports.com, Ryan is not exactly thrilled about Brady joining him in the division:
“It didn’t get any easier in our division, for sure. They’re solid. Tampa’s defense was really tough. They add Tom, who’s such a consistent and great player. The division’s going to be a battle every week,” Ryan said. “…Our defense is going to have their work cut out for them, that’s for sure. It’s tough but I think any time you get those division games late in the year, it gives you a chance to either make up ground, or separate yourself. That’s what we’re going to need to do that time of the year.”
“I think it’s going to be important for us to get off to a fast start and make sure that at the beginning of the year, we’re right in the mix, so that when we get those division games late in the year, we’ve got a chance to separate or do what we need to do,” Ryan said. “In terms of what we need to do offensively, we’re obviously going to have to score some points. There’s some great offenses in our division. We’ve got to focus on that, going out week-in and week-out, finding ways to get touchdowns when we get in the red area.”
Ryan isn't throwing a hissy fit or anything. But it's pretty clear he's not really all that jacked up to have Brady there with him and the Falcons.
The quarterback probably loves the competition and the opportunity to face off twice a year with the legend. But he's also seen what Brady can do (sorry to bring it up, but remember the 28-3 Super Bowl lead?)
Having that kind of competition in the division is probably fun. But it also makes it that much harder for your team to succeed. The Buccaneers getting Brady (and tight end Rob Gronkowski) this offseason automatically vaulted them into Super Bowl contention.
All that does is knock the Falcons down another peg. And that has to be frustrating for Ryan, who is still seeking Super Bowl ring number one. He's still got a chance, but this definitely doesn't make things easier on him.
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