HOUSTON -- Is Matt Ryan elite?
Judging by the reaction of fans and media members, the answer would seemingly be no. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback, many say, is having a great season, probably earning him an MVP award, yet most wouldn't consider him an elite quarterback.
The NFL defenders I talked with at the Pro Bowl last week in Orlando have an entirely different take. They are unanimous: Ryan is elite.
"Matt Ryan has been elite," Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said. "Writers and TV guys try and pick who is elite and who isn't. But they are wrong here. Matt Ryan is an elite quarterback and he's been that way for a long time."
"Is Matt Ryan elite? Of course he is," Oakland Raiders safety Reggie Nelson said. "He's been that way for a long time. He finally got him an offensive line and he has that talent around him. His talent has always been there. He's better than people think."
What exactly is elite? That's a tough question. Is it being the top-five at your position in the NFL? Is it being a quarterback who can win Super Bowls? Is it just having the word thrown up next to your name?
In my view, there are four elite quarterbacks in the NFL right now -- with Ryan on the verge.
They are New England's Tom Brady, the passer who will face off this week against Ryan in Super Bowl LI in Houston, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That's it for now. I think Ryan is on the verge of getting there, and winning Sunday might be what puts him over the top in a lot of people's eyes.
"Now that he's on the grand stage, a lot of people will come to see what a lot of guys in this league already know: Matt is elite," Baltimore Ravens safety Eric Weddle said. "Just because he hasn't been far in the playoffs as much as some would expect doesn't make him not be considered elite. The guy's a baller. He makes the guys around him that much better. What does he need to do?"
Ryan threw 38 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions this season, putting up a league-best passer rating of 117.1. He threw for 4,944 yards and topped all quarterbacks at 9.2 yards per attempt.
In his second season in coordinator Kyle Shanahan's offense, he was clearly more comfortable than in 2015. They didn't roll him out as much and getting center Alex Mack in free agency made for many more clean pockets.
Ryan had a completion percentage of 71.2 on third down this season with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He was clutch.
"He's gotten so much better," Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "From the time we played him earlier in the year to the playoffs (Seattle lost to the Falcons in the divisional round), you could see how much more confident he was as a quarterback. He's not just thinking about the plays and getting the system down. He's playing thinking about how he can move guys with his eyes. He's playing the game more."
Arizona Cardinals corner Patrick Peterson, whose team lost 38-19 to the Falcons in Week 12, said one of the best things Ryan does is throw on the run. Whether he's moving in the pocket or on a bootleg outside of it, Peterson said Ryan is special on the move.
"What makes him so different, and Rodgers does this as well, is the way he's able to throw the ball outside the pocket," Peterson said. "To get outside and square your shoulders and throw deep is tough to do. But he is so good at it."
"His running and the way he can scramble to throw is a little under the radar," Denver Broncos corner Chris Harris Jr., said.
There are those who will say Ryan hasn't been a good postseason quarterback in his career, which is why he can't be considered elite. But he was 10 yards from a Super Bowl in the 2013 playoffs and threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game. His record is now 3-4 in the postseason, including a loss as a rookie on the road, and he has 16 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Not great, but not awful either.
Yet it all fell on his shoulders the day the Falcons lost the 2013 title game to the San Francisco 49ers, seen as another failed postseason performance for Ryan, which was far from the truth.
In this postseason, where he's thrown for 730 yards, seven touchdown passes and no interceptions, he's been sensational. He's completed over 70 percent of his passes in both games with yards-per-attempt numbers that were 9.14 against Seattle and 10.32 against Green Bay.
That's elite.
"Some guys don't get the recognition that others do, and he's one of those, but he is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league," Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes said.
While some players said Ryan's been among the elite, others say this season has put him there.
"I thought he was a middle of the pack kind of guy until this season," Harris Jr., said. "This season changed my thinking. He's elite."
If he beat Brady and the Patriots on Sunday, it will be hard to argue against it -- even if the majority of fans and media members might not agree.
