Fact: Matt Ryan’s earwax is purple" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesThe Falcoholic homepageHorizontal - ons communityFollow The Falcoholic online:Follow The Falcoholic on TwitterFollow The Falcoholic on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchThe Falcoholic main menuFanpostsFanshotsLibraryFalconsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Library FalcFans Podcast on The FalcoholicContact The FalcoholicFalcons StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Falcons NewsYahoo Falcons Team PageYahoo Falcons ReportYahoo Falcons Depth ChartYahoo Falcons TransactionsYahoo Falcons PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Falcons QB Matt Ryan talks changes in NFL defenses since 2008 New Qadree Ollison Atlanta Falcons Jersey ,4commentsFact: Matt Ryan’s earwax is purple EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Falcons QB Matt Ryan talks changes in NFL defenses since 2008 TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesA lot has changed since Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan came into the league. Gas is cheaper (fun fact: the average price of gas in 2008 was $3.39/gallon). And now we have straws made out of awesome stuff like cardboard and avocado pits! But imagine experiencing these past eleven seasons through Ryan’s eyes. Imagine how the game has changed for him. Asked how defenses have evolved since he was drafted, Ryan had some interesting things to say earlier today. (Our own Jeanna Thomas was on hand.) The first thing Matt talked about was size. “The size of defensive players, oddly enough, has gotten smaller, and there’s been a greater emphasis on speed,” he said. “When I came into the league, you had 265 pound middle linebackers, and currently you just don’t see that.” Ryan then referenced Deion Jones, whose playing weight is considerably less than 265 pounds and, as Ryan put it, “can fly around and make plays.”Ryan’s sustained success over his 10+ year career is even more impressive when you think about what he’s done through this lens. Granted, the whole league evolved, but Ryan certainly didn’t let it get out ahead of him. Maybe he’s a realist, or maybe he just sees the writing on the wall. “It’s kinda the new age of the NFL. Not quite as big and bulky Youth Qadree Ollison Jersey , but faster and more athletic. You see that from the combination positions ... and because of that, you’re seeing different schemes.”The bottom line is that Ryan’s longevity isn’t an accident. This is yet another trick in his bag of tricks. He’s acutely aware of what teams are trying to do with their defenses, both schematically and in terms of the personnel they draft and develop. The Falcons are still chasing John Abraham’s ghost."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Library FalcFans Podcast on The FalcoholicContact The FalcoholicFalcons StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Falcons NewsYahoo Falcons Team PageYahoo Falcons ReportYahoo Falcons Depth ChartYahoo Falcons TransactionsYahoo Falcons PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕The evolution of the Falcons DE position, 2008-2018New,7commentsThe Falcons are still chasing John Abraham’s ghost. EDTShareTweetShareShareThe evolution of the Falcons DE position, 2008-2018The Falcons’ pass rush is an ongoing punchline for a reason. Whether it’s been due to unimaginative scheming, prioritizing run defense over pass rushing acumen, or just failures in drafting and player development, the Falcons have pretty consistently failed to get a great front seven going over the last decade-plus. Defensive end has been at the forefront of that problem. It should be noted that in that span, the Falcons have invested two first round picks and tens of millions of dollars in free agent contracts to try to find their next John Abraham and effective complements to him, and they’ve pretty consistently struck out. Part of that is the difficulty of finding another John Abraham—the man is a borderline Hall of Famer—and part of it is the story of continual ineptitude for a Falcons team that has managed to land a star at virtually every other position on the roster over the past decade. The fact that they have a couple of promising players on the roster at the position right now does not exactly erase the many ways they’ve managed to disappoint us at DE over the years. Hold your nose and let’s dive in. Please note I attempted to organize this by the numbers of snaps each defensive end received in a given year. Falcons DEsYearDE1DE2DE3DE4DE5DE6YearDE1DE2DE3DE4DE5DE6Over the last decade-plus, the Falcons have employed exactly one elite defensive end. John Abraham was a force of nature and finished his career as the team’s all-time leader in sacks, and no one the Falcons have paired with him or tried to replace him with has come remotely close to being as impactful as he was. Vic Beasley’s one season of elite production and couple seasons of solid work probably make him the second-best guy on this list—though Takk McKinley’s upside is such that he ought to take that title away as soon as this year—and the third-best is probably Mike Smith’s favorite chess piece Kroy Biermann.Too often, the team’s play at defensive end has not been defined by its genuine successes (Abe) or even its moderate-to-promising successes (Davis Black Desmond Trufant Jersey , Biermann, Beasley, Takk). Instead, it has been defined by the team’s continual inability to land great players at an important position, with free agent busts (Edwards), draft busts (Anderson), and at least semi-promising young players who either don’t get a fair shake or flame out with more exposure (Massaquoi, Sidbury, Maponga, Goodman). They’ve consistently managed to land useful reserves with their late round picks and pinched pennies, but until/unless McKinley turns out to be special, they’ve consistently failed to find high-end starters. Biermann remains one of the most interesting cases on the roster. He wound up being a key reserve, special teamer, and (all too frequently) starter for the Falcons from 2008-2015 Desmond Trufant Jersey 2019 , making him one of the team’s longest-tenured defensive ends. The team has always loved to have that kind of starter-in-a-pinch versatile backup, with Chauncey Davis, Biermann, and Brooks Reed filling those roles over the span we’re talking about here. It’s not yet clear who that guy will be now that Reed’s on to Arizona, especially with Steven Means suffering his crushing Achilles injury. Biermann was pretty widely reviled by the time he left, just like Reed’s departure was not widely mourned, but Means’ injury is a reminder that useful defensive ends don’t grow on trees, especially for this Falcons team. As this team rolls into 2019 with minty-fresh rookie defensive end/defensive tackle John Cominsky and Dan Quinn’s promises to maximize Takk and Beasley, it’s worth reflecting on their history at DE. This team can go a long way with their offense and their talented secondary, plus their gifted defenders up front like Deion Jones and Grady Jarrett, but I’m still waiting for the next great Falcons defensive end.