The Indianapolis Colts made a bit of an upgrade at the quarterback position by moving on from Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan in the offseason. Among the guys expected to further take off in Indianapolis is wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who spoke highly of the environment Matt Ryan's arrival to the team has created compared to the time when it was still Wentz running the show from under center.
Via per Zak Keefer of The Athletic:
“Last year, we were out there, running the plays, but we were basically just playing football,” Pittman explained a few weeks later, asked about Ryan’s arrival. “I mean, we would just run around and make plays … this year, we’re trying to be organized, be at our spots and at our depths, because that’s how Matt likes it and how he commands it and that’s what he expects. So you better be there.”
An unnamed Colts player also shared that the difference between an offense run by Wentz and that of Matt Ryan is “night and day.”
Wentz turned out to be a one-year rental for the Colts which still managed to rank eighth in the NFL in 2021 in scoring offense with 26.5 points per game. Plus, it was during Wentz's time with the Colts that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. truly broke out. Pittman had 1,082 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 88 receptions and 120 targets in 2021. And he racked those numbers while playing in a run-heavy offense that was fifth in the NFL with a 37.43 rush play rate. With Ryan in town, Michael Pittman Jr. and the Colts can expect a rise in the volume of passing plays and a more efficient attack, given that the former NFL MVP is now surrounded by a better supporting cast.
The Atlanta Falcons sent Ryan to the Colts back in March for a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft which turned out to be linebacker DeAngelo Malone.
So far in his NFL career that started in 2008, Ryan has amassed totals of 59,735 passing yards and 367 passing touchdowns along with 170 interceptions.
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