Rookie Matt Ryan Earns Falcons Starting Gig, Will Change Name to Rupert Monaco

The Falcons unofficially began their descent into awfulness when they fired Jim Mora Jr. following the 2006 season. At the time, it seemed like a perfectly rational move -- Mora had underachieved for two years after making it to the NFC Championship game in 2004 -- but in retrospect, it was the first crack in the proverbial dike.

Puppy murder and Bobby Petrino would follow, and next thing you know the Falcons are 4-12 and have the third-overall pick in the '08 draft. Atlanta would use the pick on Boston College's Matt Ryan, and most of us just assumed he would sit and learn for a year before the new coaching staff threw him to the wolves.

Most us would assume wrong, apparently.

Rookie Matt Ryan will open the regular season as the Falcons' starting quarterback. The decision was made over the weekend and will be announced by coach Mike Smith after today's practice. ...

Clarity arrived after three preseason games in which Ryan, who took the majority of snaps, completed 32-of-52 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He made his first start Friday against Tennessee and completed 15-of-21 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Ryan has been praised by teammates for his leadership, diligence and huddle presence as well as his ability to make plays.

Those are all important qualities, no doubt, but I'm pretty sure it'll take more than that to turn around this franchise. That said, it's certainly a step in the right direction given all that's happened the last 12 months, but there's also something to be said for holding a clipboard for a season.

Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers both sat and watched before getting their chance, and it seems to be the right move. On the other hand, the road to Bust-dom is littered with former first-rounders with promise who were thrown into the fray in Week 1.

Ben Roethlisberger is the obvious exception (technically, he didn't get his first start until Week 3), but he also went to a team fully equipped to make a playoff run. Pretty sure the Falcons aren't in any such danger.