Over the past ten years, the Atlanta Falcons have seen more ups than downs. Going back to the 2010 season, the team has won 89 games and lost 71, while finishing five of those seasons with at least ten wins.
That success is a good example of how a franchise quarterback can keep a team competitive. Matt Ryan has been a model of consistency since he took over back in 2008 and that rightfully landed him on Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players of the past decade.
Ryan was ranked at No. 32 on the list, with PFF’s Sam Monson writing the following about Atlanta’s signal-caller:
Matt Ryan represents an interesting study in a player who will likely never be the best passer in the NFL but rarely strays far from the top few. Ryan has yet to grade below 75.0, and his MVP-caliber season of 2016 was one of the best single-season grades we have ever given. Over the decade, he had a top-five turnover-worthy play rate and a very solid 4.6% big-time throw rate. He has also been consistently one of the most accurate quarterbacks in football, posting an adjusted completion percentage of 76.1% over the last 10 years.
Alex Mack is the only other Falcons player to make the list thus far. Signing with the team as a free agent in 2016, Mack has been arguably the best center in the league over the past decade.
Pro Football Focus ranked him at No. 44, highlighting his consistency as one of the NFL’s elite linemen:
Few players have had a career so consistently good as Alex Mack. A first-round draft pick out of Cal back in 2009, Mack then posted 11 straight seasons of good PFF grades. At his peak, however, he was arguably the best center in the NFL. While some players have had better or even longer peaks, Mack’s consistency and reliability earn significant points here. Including postseason play, he has played 10,153 snaps over the decade, been flagged just 44 times and surrendered only 26 sacks while never earning even an “average” grade in any facet of the game PFF measures.
There are still 24 spots on PFF’s list that won’t be revealed until Thursday. One of those spots is sure to be Falcons wideout Julio Jones. Check back tomorrow to see the final results.
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