FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons introduced the new foundation of the franchise Sunday morning and, from looks alone, the team appears to have found two players able to banish recent frustrations to the pages of history.
Meet Matt Ryan the 6-foot-5 quarterback and Sam Baker the 314-pound offensive tackle tasked to protect his blind side.
"We're doing everything we can do to put our house -- your house -- in order," said Owner and CEO Arthur Blank as he introduced the team's first-round selections from the 2008 NFL Draft. "We put the pieces together and we ask our fans in the Atlanta community to be one of the integral pieces to our success."
Ryan, the third overall pick, brings big-game experience, prototypical skills and comparisons to some of the game's great quarterbacks to the city, which he already calls "home."
“I’m really excited about being here in Atlanta," Ryan said less than 12 hours after the Falcons plucked him off the draft board and transported him from New York to a downtown hotel. "I’d like to thank Mr. Blank and his family, Thomas Dimitroff, Coach Smith and everyone associated with the Falcons for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to becoming part of the Atlanta community, getting involved and getting to know everyone here. Yesterday was a whirlwind and I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up.”
Despite rampant speculation the Falcons would choose Ryan, the quarterback wasn't sure of his future until he pushed the team's hat atop his head. The tremble in his voice and a humble vocabulary show his dreams have really come true.
"Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night wondering where I was going to be," he said, smiling for the media and members of his immediate family that were in attendance. "Last night was nice, just to know that I’m apart of this organization, that I’m an Atlanta Falcon. I couldn’t be happier.”
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team decided to draft Ryan over defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey Thursday afternoon. But he could do nothing to ease Ryan's nerves in fear of revealing the Falcons' stratagey.
Now Falcons officials are free to praise every aspect of Ryan's game.
"Matt is a franchise quarterback for us," Dimitroff said. "We are really excited about having him on board. He brings leadership, intelligence (and) major skills on the field. He brings the ability to have accuracy short, long (and) intermediate. He moves very well in the pocket; he is very savvy and his presence on this team will be felt immediately.
"We are very excited about that."
Head Coach Mike Smith removed some of the scouting vernacular when it came to the award-winning quarterback that totaled more than 4,500 yards of total offense and threw for 31 touchdowns last season.
"We all know Matt and what he’s been able to do," Smith said. "I said in the beginning that we wanted to have passionate guys. Matt is a very passionate football player. In the NFL, the last two to three minutes is crunch time and that’s when games are won or lost. You can see Matt’s passion throughout his career in Boston College and how he brought his team back to victory. That’s the kind of player we want on our football team."
To help keep Ryan healthy, the Falcons invested in a big, young offensive tackle.
Atlanta traded back into the first round Saturday to select Baker, son of Arena Football League commissioner David Baker.
The lineman could have been the second offensive tackle taken in last year's Draft, but he opted to stay for a senior season at Southern California. Injuries pushed him down the board in 2008 and in range for the Falcons to select him.
Unlike Ryan, he had a pretty good idea about the team's intentions.
“I wasn’t too worried about where I was going to go," said the massive tackle, who started 49 of 52 career games at USC. "As long as I got my shot, that’s what I wanted. I really anticipated going to Atlanta second round, and that’s what I was hoping for. But to go first round, and to be in Atlanta, is great.”
Baker said he enjoyed the time during a pre-Draft visit with Falcons personnel. Most of those conversations focused on his play at left tackle, though his versatility makes him a valuable selection.
"Sam is a left tackle and has the versatility to play other positions on the line," Dimitroff said. "He’s got nice, quick feet and good hips. He really moves around well. He’ll be able to protect Matt. He’s got leadership ability. He comes from a highly-heralded program and we’ll love his presence on the left side of the line or anywhere else he may be playing given his versatility."
The general manager expressed confidence both players can be signed by the time the team opens up its May mini camp. They have the same agent and said they want to arrive early and help rebuild the team's offense.
Then they'll turn their attention to the task at hand.
They'll work on creating that new, exciting page of Falcons history.
DRAFT NEWS:
- MULTIMEDIA: Click here for all NFL Draft video and audio
- NEWS: Falcons select Ryan third overall | Quotes | Photos
- TRADE: Draft-day trade opens door to select Baker
- NEWS: Birds trade up to land Baker | Quotes | Photos
- NEWS: Falcons select Lofton in third round | Quotes | Photos
- QUOTABLE: Draft Day Presser Part One | Part Two
- QUOTABLE: First Round Introductions
- NEWS: First round picks embrace the A-T-L
- NEWS: LSU's Jackson becomes Falcons third-round pick | Quotes | Photos
- NEWS: Speedy receiver Douglas added in third | Quotes | Photos
- NEWS: Falcons focus on secondary, add hard-hitting safety | Quotes | Photos
- NEWS: Atlanta takes "The Beast" in the fifth round | Photos
- NEWS: Biermann could switch from defensive end | Photos
- NEWS: Georgia Bulldog stays close to home | Quotes | Photos
- NEWS: Birds turn back to cornerback, Draft Fontenot | Photos
- NEWS: Falcons close out 2008 Draft with tight end selection | Photos
- QUOTABLE: Falcons Draft Wrap | Audio
- RELEASE: Falcons draft 11 players in 2008
