The Facts: In his first year as the Falcons' OC, Kyle Shanahan gets to work with a player in Ryan who has four consecutive, 4,000-yard passing seasons to his credit. Ryan continues to impress Shanahan on a daily basis. "What I've noticed best about Matt is how good he is with his eyes," Shanahan said. "He manipulates the defense every play. I think I call a play against a coverage that a guy shouldn't be open on, but he is open because Matt looks people off and helps get people open. It makes it a lot easier to call plays."

Diehards Line:"He has all those intangibles," Shanahan added. "He's a big guy who is tall in the pocket. The protection doesn't need to be great and he still makes the play. He can make any throw." Shanahan also pointed to Ryan's underrated athleticism. "We're not going to run the zone read too much, but he's one of the more athletic quarterbacks I've had in terms of his quickness in the pocket and moving around," Shanahan said. "I don't know about his 40 or his making people miss but in the pocket, he's very athletic to me." Nothing we haven't already seen, but it's worth noting that Shanahan has done a lot more with a lot less. Remember, he coached the league's leading passer back in 2009 in Houston's Matt Schaub. Look for him to make some hay paired up with Ryan.