Matt Ryan: Falcons’ offense ‘way ahead of where we were last year’

With an eventual offseason behind him, Matt Ryan has been focused on a training camp that has allowed him and the rest of the Atlanta Falcons’ offense to thrive on being in the same offense for the second year in a row.

Ryan is thrilled to be spending each practice working within the scheme of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. He sees it as a key to allowing the Falcons, who have invested heavily to keep Ryan as their quarterback and Julio Jones as his primary receiver, to return to the form that allowed them to reach the Super Bowl two years ago.

‘Continuity in this league is sometimes hard to come by’

“I think it’s huge,” Ryan told Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt during the SiriusXM NFL Radio camp tour stop at the Falcons’ facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. “Continuity in this league is sometimes hard to come by. There’s lots of change, but going into Year Two with Sark, his comfort level with our personnel, how to utilize guys and from a players standpoint, our comfort level with him, what he’s going to call in certain situations, I think we’re way ahead of where we were last year.

“And I think that’s going to benefit us when we get into those in-game situations of having a comfort level of what to expect in those type of situations. So it’s going to be huge for us this year.”

‘We’re fortunate that a lot of players have kind of paved the way for us’

To say the least, this has been a “huge” offseason for Ryan. In April, his wife gave birth to twin sons. In May, Ryan signed a five-year, $150-million contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

“It’s crazy to think that you’re that,” Ryan said. “Sometimes you have to pinch yourself, but at the same time, I think all of us players are fortunate to be playing at the time we are. The business side of the NFL continues to grow, the game is extremely popular and so we’re fortunate that a lot of players have kind of paved the way for us as current players to be in the position we’re in.

‘I’m thrilled to be a part of this organization for a long time’

“And it’s our responsibility to handle that well and pave the way for the guys in the future. I’m proud of it, I’m thrilled to be a part of this organization for a long time and now I’m just kind of focused on go win.”