Matt Ryan is passing and being sacked at a record pace, but Kyle Shanahan says that’s quite alright

By Sam Benson Smith 2/3/2017
HOUSTON – Generally speaking, a well protected quarterback is an efficient quarterback . This season, however, Matt Ryan has been an exception to the rule.

The Falcons signal caller earned his way into the MVP conversation in 2016, putting up career high numbers in every major passing category. However, he’s managed all of this while being sacked at the greatest pace of his career.

Sack percentage, which measures how frequently a quarterback is sacked on any given pass play, can, at times, serve as a strong indicator of how strong a team’s offensive line is, and how effective a quarterback is as a decision-maker.

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan explains how Matt Ryan managed to set career highs in predominantly mutually exclusive categories.

“One, I don’t think he’s thrown the ball as much as he has in the past,” Shanahan said, “So he doesn’t have as high amount of pass attempts, but two, we’ve been pretty aggressive.”

The aggressive nature includes less short throws and more shots downfield, but keeps the the unnecessary risks minimal, says Shanahan.

“Matt’s done a good job not just throwing it up in the air and risking a turnover. It’s been a huge difference for us this year is our lack of turnovers. It’s one of the reasons our record is what it is.”

Although not ideal and certainly not the first option, Shanahan says that Ryan knows that in some situations, the sack isn’t the worst option.

“Matt does everything to not take a sack, but you don’t always have that option. Especially in play action and stuff when there’s not as many guys out. And sometimes the worst case scenario shouldn’t be a sack, you just don’t want it to be a pick.”

The Falcons under Kyle Shanahan finished the 2016 season first in scoring, and second in total yards in the NFL. Shanahan is predicted to take over the vacant San Francisco 49ers head coaching spot next season.