WATCH: Recalling Jalen Ramsey's 2018 dis of QB Matt Ryan adds intrigue to Falcons-Rams Week 7 matchup
With Jalen Ramsey heading west to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal, and assuming he returns from his back injury this Sunday, Julio Jones will face his most difficult matchup of the first seven weeks this season. But the motivation should definitely be there for Jones and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
Yes, earning the team's second win of the year should be motivating enough, but Falcons fans may also recall Ramsey calling Ryan "overrated" in an interview with GQ magazine late last summer.
Ramsey has tried this kind of trash talk with all sorts of players before, and it's led to mixed results for the cornerback. In the same interview with GQ Magazine, Ramsey said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger "ain't all that" and then when they met in the regular season last year, Ramsey intercepted Big Ben twice. However, Big Ben did find Antonio Brown for a huge passing play in the second half, which helped spark a Steelers comeback victory.
In another interview last summer with ESPN The Magazine, Ramsey said former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski "isn't that good." When the Jaguars met the Patriots in Week 2 last season, Ramsey and Jacksonville held the Gronkowski to two catches for 15 yards in a victory.
Most NFL analysts would disagree with Ramsey's comments on Ryan, Gronkowski and Roethlisberger. Ramsey's comments on those great players may be his way of motivating himself to play his best against the league's top competition.
But it's bulletin board material for the opposition as well and adds a level of intrigue to the Falcons-Rams Week 7 matchup. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ramsey's comments about Ryan are on a piece of paper that's hanging in the Falcons locker room this week after he joined the Rams on Tuesday night.
