Will Matt Ryan be cast into Canton?
By: Jake Rajala
The Indianapolis Colts made a beautiful, unexpected move in acquiring Matt Ryan this off-season. Matty Ice has been a stat machine and a clutch performer throughout his 14 seasons in the NFL. Ryan has accumulated 59,735 passing yards and 367 passing touchdowns in his career. His best season unequivocally arrived in 2016 when he unleashed 4,944 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and won regular-season MVP. Let’s not forget that Ryan led his squad to the Super Bowl in the 2016-2017 season, as well (despite the Falcons having a heart-breaking loss).
As Ryan enters a new chapter in his career with the Indianapolis Colts, there is already a fascinating question that many NFL (and Atlanta) fans have regarding Ryan: Is Matt Ryan a future Hall of Famer?
I honestly do believe that Ryan is already a future Hall of Famer. Of course, Ryan and the NFL world would give him a lot more props for picking up his first Super Bowl ring. However, I believe his consistent high-end success & authentic triumphs (even stacked with unusual losses) should place him in Canton if he retired today. Although, I don’t believe he would be a first-ballot HOFer if he hung up his cleats today.
Ryan stacks up well to the former Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo (and current NFL analyst) and I believe the former Boys QB is headed to Canton. Here is an in-depth look at Ryan’s resume and Romo’s resume:
Ryan
- 59,735 passing yards
- 367 passing touchdowns
- 65.5% completion percentage
- 120 victories to 102 losses
- MVP in 2016
- Four-time Pro Bowl selection
- First-Team All-Pro in 2016
Romo
- 34,183 passing yards
- 248 passing touchdowns
- 65.3% completion percentage
- 78 victories to 49 losses
- Four-time Pro Bowl selection
Ryan and Romo also differ in other ways, as well. Ryan stands as the seventh-best QB in comebacks of all time (33 comebacks), while Romo has 24 comebacks in his career (which rank at 18th of all time). Meanwhile, Romo has a career passer rating of 97.1 & Ryan carries a passer rating of 94.2.
All in all, I believe that Ryan has a slightly more impressive career output than the former Boys gunslinger. Hence, I do conclude that Ryan already deserves to be in football heaven and he could perhaps be a first-ballot HOFer if he wins his elusive Super Bowl ring.
