Fantasy Football Cut-N-Go: Falcons Offense to Open Up for Ryan

The Cut-N-Go is back to keep you up-to-date on all the NFL news that affects the upcoming fantasy football season.

When Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan gets done throwing the ball for a living, he may have an opportunity to sling words around. On Monday Ryan took over Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column at Sports Illustrated, and did a darned good job of it too.

Ryan's work ethic has never been questioned. He's the first person at Falcons HQ every day and the last to leave. Whether it's the weight room or the film room, he's a star and he's always working to get better. Ryan mentions that he spent a good portion of the offseason studying prolific passers in the National Football League.

I went to see our video guys and requested game tape of the Colts, Cowboys, Patriots, Chargers, Packers, and Saints to see what those teams were doing and whether there were things the Falcons could incorporate.

While analyzing and studying those six offenses, I closely watched the quarterbacks -- Peyton Manning from the Colts, Tony Romo from the Cowboys, Tom Brady from the Patriots, Phillip Rivers from the Chargers, Aaron Rodgers from the Packers and Drew Brees from the Saints -- to see what each guy did to make his team so effective.

"Explosive" has been a buzz word around the team's offseason workouts in Flowery Branch, Ga thus far. Now that Ryan is more comfortable with running the offense, the team plans to open up the playbook for him. Ryan wants to further open up his arsenal by studying some of the best passers in the business.

A healthy Ryan this season can do a lot of damage for your fantasy football team. He has the weapons around him to get the job done, and he and Michael Turner have worked hard to make sure their injury woes are a thing of the past. Factor in the notion that the Falcons will look to "air it out" a bit more in the 2010 season and you can expect good things from Ryan.

What else is going on around the league?

• Brett Favre is working out in Hattiesburg, Miss with members of the Oak Grove High School football team. He's trying to rehab his surgically repaired ankle and trying to dodge questions from the media about whether or not he's coming back to the Minnesota Vikings. He showed off his speed by running to his truck in a clever ruse to get away from reporters. His ankle seemed fine, according to Associated Press reports.

• Vikings running back Adrian Peterson missed a mandatory minicamp because of a scheduling conflict, but Judd Zulgad of The Star-Tribune says it may be a precursor to the star back complaining about his contract.

Peterson has three years left on the six-year, $40.5 million deal he signed after being the seventh-overall choice in the 2007 draft, but the reality is the final year (2012) of the deal is going to void. Thus, Peterson really has two years left.

Peterson has reached many of the incentives that he had in his contract and should make around $7 million in 2010. He will then make at the very least a little more than $10 million in 2011. However, there is a possibility his 2011 salary could reach an eye-popping $13 million with escalators.

• Now that Raheem Morris is the head coach in Tampa, minicamp practices are a lot lighter, says Stephen Holder of The St. Petersburg Times.

But the for the second straight season, the Bucs will use a new approach, continuing what they started in 2009. Under coach Raheem Morris, the team will again not conduct two-a-day workouts on consecutive days, an attempt to keep players' legs fresher in light of the inevitable fatigue that comes along with training camp. And the Bucs have made even more changes to the schedule this season, beginning afternoon practices as late as 5:15 to escape the overbearing mid-afternoon sun.

When Jon Gruden was running things his training camp schedule was brutal. He pushed players to the limit every opportunity he could find. He also brought a Super Bowl to Tampa Bay, as well.