Daniel Shirey- USA TODAY Sports
Matt Ryan is overrated in my opinion. But he’s a top-10 quarterback in the league, and I have him at number eight. Just because I think he’s overrated doesn’t mean I think he’s not good. But with that being said, Ryan earning more than Joe Flacco is a joke.
Let me start by saying that Flacco got the money he earned because he won the Super Bowl. If he didn’t help the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl last season, then Flacco wouldn’t have got a six-year deal worth $120 million. I would say that Flacco didn’t earn it.
Those dollars are reserved for quarterbacks that have Super Bowl rings. Last time I checked, Ryan doesn’t have one. But according to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, Ryan is indeed going to earn more than Flacco.
Been told by 2 sources (neither being on the player side) that Matt Ryan will get more than Flacco. Question is how close he gets to Rodgers
— Jason Cole (@JasonPhilCole) July 17, 2013
Flacco never had the weapons on offense that Ryan has had with Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez.
Flacco hasn’t benefited from playing terrible defenses in his division like Ryan has with the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers residing in the NFC South. It must be nice to stat pad against those defenses.
All those situations are in favor of Ryan, yet Matty Ice still can’t get it done in the postseason. Oh, and did I mention that Flacco has more touchdown passes in the playoffs than any other quarterback in the NFL since 2008 with 19.
Did people also know that Ryan only has nine touchdown passes in his total of six career playoff games? Flacco had 11 touchdowns passes this past postseason in four games. Yeah … Ryan is clearly better than Flacco …
But I know what’s coming next. People will start talking about how Flacco has had a defense. So original.
If that is the case, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger shouldn’t be credited with their Super Bowl titles since their defenses helped them greatly in their championship seasons with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively.
But, the Ryan supporters are right. Ryan never had a defense that helped bail him out.
Nevermind the fact that the Atlanta Falcons allowed fewer points per game on defense than the Ravens did in the 2012 regular season. The Falcons defense allowed 18.7 points per game, while the Ravens defense allowed 21.5.
Don’t let facts get in the way.
The funniest thing about people saying Flacco has had a defense in his career is the fact that this is the same defense that many have said were old and slow with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed at the helm.
So to recap, Flacco isn’t that good, the Ravens defense is old and yet the Ravens are the only team in the NFL that has won a playoff game in each of the last five years, and are the only team in the NFL that has made the playoffs the last five years?
I guess the Ravens must have won with an average quarterback and an old defense … cause that’s a recipe for success? Make up your minds; you can’t have it both ways.
Ryan is being rewarded for winning one playoff game in his five-year career. According to some, the monkey is off Ryan’s back with just that one playoff win. But Flacco has nine playoff wins, and people want to see more from the Super Bowl MVP. Can you say, “double-standards”?
The Ravens gave Flacco a huge contract because they like winners, and will keep winners in any way possible.
The Falcons will give Ryan a huge contract because they think they know what winning is after only having one playoff win in the Ryan era.
The Ravens win Super Bowls, and the Falcons don’t. It’s pretty clear between the two franchises that one team operates in the moment, and the other team that operates with common sense.
Here’s a hint: it’s not the team Ryan plays for.
Wola Odeniran is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter at WolaOdeniran52.
