FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. \u2014\u00a0 At his introductory news conference new Falcons president of football Matt Ryan said his top priority is leading the search for a new coach and general manager.<\/p>\n
The team plans to fill both positions at the same time to ensure alignment and collaboration. What Ryan doesn\u2019t want to do is micromanage his new hires.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the stressers that are put on a head coach and general manager, and the number of different directions that they\u2019re pulled,\u201d he said at Flowery Branch. \u201cI view my job as taking some of those things off their plate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan also wants to take care of what he calls unfinished business. He won the 2016 NFL MVP the same season he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in the highlight of his 14 years as the team\u2019s starting quarterback. He earned the nickname Matty Ice. But the Falcons never won the championship and now Ryan has a new opportunity to help the team win its first title.<\/p>\n
The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 finish. Falcons owner Arthur Blank also made front office changes, including the creation of the president of football position.<\/p>\n
Ryan takes over the leadership of football operations from Greg Beadles, who remains president and CEO. The new coach and general manager will report to Ryan, who Blank said will oversee \u201ceverything between football and grass.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel he\u2019s a perfect choice,\u201d said Blank of Ryan, adding he spoke with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell \u201cand made him aware we were chatting with Matt. And his response was that, you know, you\u2019re not going to find anybody better, smarter, more committed, a better human being, a better leader for the NFL and for your franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan worked on the CBS pregame show on Sunday as an NFL analyst and said he hoped at this time next year the crew is discussing the Falcons in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe there\u2019s a lot of young, talented players on the defensive side of the ball,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some offensive linemen who are really, really solid, some of which I played with, which is kind of crazy, but really cool. I think we\u2019ve got a special running back in Bijan (Robinson) and what he can do as a player. We\u2019ve got some talented pieces on the outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good pieces that are here, but I also recognize it\u2019s hard. I mean, it\u2019s difficult to win in this league and it takes everyone, it takes everybody coming together and pulling their weight. And so I\u2019m excited about what\u2019s here. I think there are a lot of strong pieces, and certainly confident in the players that we have in our building.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan also said \u201cI love\u201d quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from season-ending surgery on his left knee, and struggled even when he was healthy.<\/p>\n
The Falcons interviewed six head coach candidates in Ryan\u2019s first three days, including former Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and former Miami coach Mike McDaniel on Monday. Beadles said the team has only interviewed coaches, not candidates to be GM, because \u201cthere are specific windows when we can talk to coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
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