General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Opening Statement:
“Good afternoon we’re really excited about being here after our first pick, we’re definitely excited about Matt Ryan going forward and we’re excited about him being the quarterback of the future of Atlanta Falcons.”
Q: What was the rationale behind the quarterback (third pick)?
A: “We had options for sure and obviously as has been written, Glenn Dorsey was a legitimate consideration and we respect the ability of both players. It came down to us considering the value of that position, the need that we had, but most importantly we decided on the skill set that Matt Ryan possessed along with his intelligence and his leadership ability. We were excited about going in that direction.”
Q: How intense was it in terms of the options you had to trade down, to flip flop, how much of a struggle was it to settle on this pick?
A: “There wasn’t a struggle going in there. There was some back and forth discussion with St. Louis about possibly moving up as we all had heard about that situation. We just dug in and decided that no matter what happened, if Baltimore was in fact interested in moving up to the second pick to take Matt that we would dig in and get whatever player came in our direction.”
Q: What sold you on Matt Ryan besides his value?
A: “This guy is prototypical quarterback, stands tall in the pocket, is very intelligent, a big time leader, has the accuracy at all levels, and he’s a game winner. In the end, he’ll take the shot in the face and get back up. He’s a preserving, hard nose quarterback and we’re excited about him being at the helm.”
Head Coach Mike Smith
Q: In meeting Matt, what was the thing that most impressed you about him?
A: “It was his football intelligence; I think he’s very intelligent. In our meeting, we had an opportunity to sit down with Mike Mularkey and Bill Musgrave and get up on the board and see what he can do. I think it’s real easy to evaluate a guy and how he throws a football, but it’s different when he sits down in a meeting situation. They really tried to stump him; they really gave him some difficult stuff in terms of trying to find out what he knows and what he doesn’t know. He was outstanding on the boards and very cerebral.”
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Q: What has Mr. Blank’s role in this process been, today and leading up to today?
A: “He’s been there for support and we welcome his opinion. In the end he made it very clear to us this decision is my decision and Coach Smith’s decision. The reason he hired both of us to make the decision that came about today. He’s been very supportive.”
Q: Were there any considerations about the off the field issues, and making a new face for this franchise to sell to the fans?
A: “We considered everything. We considered character, and that always comes into play obviously with an early pick like this. But combine that will skills on and off the field. There were a number of things came into this decision and we just feel that Matt Ryan is that guy we’re looking for to go forward and be the future quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons.”
Head Coach Mike Smith
Q: Coach, were there any last second tugs at your defensive alter ego?
A: “No, not at all. This is a great pick for us. Earlier in the week, we were going through this decision making process. I believe it was on Thursday that we came to a conclusion that this is the direction that we want to go. If something were to happen at the last minute there, I think when you’re picking at the third spot you’re going to get a good football player. So we were very excited with this.”
Q: Coach, what are your thoughts about rookie quarterbacks playing?
A: “I really don’t have any thoughts on whether you play a guy or not. I don’t have preconceived ideas. Anybody that we draft today or tomorrow, I want them to have the mindset that they’re going to come in and compete to play from day one. I think it’s very, very important. I think as a football player that’s what you do; you compete to be a starter. So if he’s the best player, whether it’s the rookie quarterback, a rookie offensive lineman, a rookie linebacker, we want those guys to come in and compete. We’re going to put the best player out on the field.”
On possibly drafting a lineman:
A: “It wasn’t a difficult decision. We had a number of players that were on the top of our board, somewhere on both sides of the line. We felt given everything that Matt offered us, we were willing to go forward and have a guy under the center rather than at one of the line spots.”
Q: Regarding the picks in the second round, you have some options. What areas might you address?
A: “We discussed our options. That’s honestly where a lot of the hypothetical have come about because we’re sitting there with three picks in the second round, two in the third and we’re very open to consider the idea of possibly trading into the twenties. We’ve had a lot of interesting people knocking on our door for No. 34 and No. 37.”
Q: Did St. Louis call you? How did that dialogue start and did they make you aware of Baltimore’s talk about moving up?
A: “Yes, they did. There was a lot of discussion. We were very aware there was interest on Baltimore’s side and we have talked over it in the last couple of days.”
Q: Was there any serious consideration about moving up?
A: “We talked about it. We talked about the worst and best case scenarios and in the end we felt like digging in and the best case scenario was it for us.”
Q: This history of quarterbacks in the first round has been spotty. What is it about this guy that makes you guys think that he’ll buck the trend?
A: “I’ve understood that along the way, as far as the percentages. However, I think with Matt it’s a combination of the intelligence and leadership ability that he has. I can’t stress enough that he has the ability to take on not only the offense but the whole team. I’ve been around a situation in New England where we had a quarterback that had the whole team. That was one aspect that was very attractive as well as his skill set on the field. He has the ability to stand tall in the pocket and he has the vision. He has a very nice ability to move laterally in the pocket. He’s accurate underneath and can also throw a deep ball. He’s an intelligent football player and the last thing that I want to stress is his toughness.”
On speculation Ryan does not make players around him better:
A: “I’ve never really given that any thought. Matt is the type of guy that uplifts people as far as personality goes. I think going forward with the type of receivers that we have on our team and the running back situation we’ll continue to get better and better.”
Q: How did you reconcile his higher percentage?
A: I think it’s been less than three percent. There have been other quarterbacks here that have been drafted that have had higher interception rates. Given the fact that he had a situation where I think we calculated quite a few drops, as well. We took that into consideration and believed that wasn’t an issue for us.
Q: Were his receivers an issue regarding interceptions?
A: “It would have been situations where someone was on a receivers back tugging on him and the receiver wasn’t able to catch the ball that might have been in his hands. I’m not at all suggesting that the receiver corps is not adept. I’m suggesting that there were situations that presented themselves. There may have been dropped balls and it’s unfortunate for Matt’s rating.”
RELATED LINKS:
- NEWS: Falcons select Ryan third overall | Quotes
- TRADE: Draft-day trade opens door to select Baker
- NEWS: Birds trade up to land Baker | Quotes
- NEWS: Falcons select Lofton in third round | Quotes
- QUOTABLE: Draft Day Presser Part One | Part Two
