Film Room: Is Matt Ryan a "Statue" in The Pocket?
The Indianapolis Colts made their biggest acquisition of the offseason on Monday, as they traded a third round pick for veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan brings stability to a team that desperately needed it following the disastrous Carson Wentz trade.
While we are all still riding the high of the recent trade news, it is time to dive fully into the new Colts' quarterback's game. Ryan is a long-tenured player with a ton of success in his career, but this move comes with some concerns for the fanbase.
One concern that I have seen expressed is that Matt Ryan is a "statue" in the pocket and that his age limits his ability to extend plays. While Ryan's game has never been predicated on athleticism, he has always been a player that can make plays off schedule if need be.
So, in today's film room, I dive into Ryan's movement ability and talk about why I don't think he is the "statue" that some make him out to be.
Movement Within the Pocket
One of the biggest misconceptions about immobile quarterbacks is that they are just sitting ducks back in the pocket. This couldn't be further from the truth. A quarterback doesn't need to run a 4.4 to know how to climb and move within a pocket.
Ryan plays like the 14-year pro when he is within structure. He is calm, cool, and collected when things begin to break down, and he is one of the best in the league at making the first guy miss.
This clip against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the perfect example. Ryan accounts for the free blitzer up the middle, while still keeping his eyes down the field. As the blitzing linebacker closes in, Ryan is able to sidestep into a throwing lane and complete the pass down the field.
One of the biggest advantages of having a quarterback as experienced as Ryan is that you will never get a case of "pocket blindness" in the backfield. He always knows his outlets, and he will rarely retreat out of a pocket that he can step up into.
In this play below, he has defenders closing in on both sides. He recognizes the incoming pressure and quickly climbs up to a safer launch point in the pocket. Once he gets to his landmark, he sets his feet and fires a pass down the field for a positive gain.
Like I said above, he is calm, cool, and collected in the pocket when facing pressure.
The best thing about having a quarterback that doesn't panic when the first read is taken away is that defenders have to account for the whole field. Even if the play is designed to go one way, Ryan has the ability to get to his second and third reads in the pocket (which could take him back to the other side of the field).
On this next play, Ryan is clearly looking to get the ball out down the middle of the field. Once he sees that option is being taken away, he looks for his outlet in the pocket. When he finds a new throwing angle in the collapsing pocket, he then resets his feet and fires to an open receiver down the field.
While Ryan may not be the same type of athlete as a player like Carson Wentz, his mobility within structure more than makes up for that drop-off.
He Can Still Extend Plays
I also want to push back a little bit on the type of athlete Matt Ryan is. Like I mentioned above, he is not some 4.4 speedster that is going to make crazy things happen in the pocket. However, he is capable of creating plays outside of structure.
His movement may look a little clunky on this play, but this is not something that a "statue" quarterback could be able to do. He fakes the zone stretch to his left and is quickly met by defenders in the backfield. He slides around to the right and makes a phenomenal throw, on the run, with a defender in his face.
I would describe Ryan's movement ability as functional athleticism. He isn't a player that you want on read-options or anything like that, but he can create out of the pocket (and even fight through some tackles).
This play against the Bucs is another example of this. He climbs up in the pocket and fights through a tackle in the process. He keeps his eyes down the field and fires an accurate pass to his open receiver.
The Bottom Line
While Matt Ryan is certainly a drop in athleticism from Carson Wentz, he is not some statue in the pocket. He is an experienced quarterback with functional athleticism in the backfield. He can make plays off script, as well extend plays that are seemingly dead in the water.
The biggest boost the Colts get out of this? Ryan, for the most part, doesn't panic when he is on the move. He still goes through his reads, and he still keeps his eyes down the field. The major upgrade that he brings in overall pocket presence, and how he plays under control, will be huge for the Colts.
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
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