The Indianapolis Colts officially introduced Matt Ryan as the new quarterback on Tuesday following the big trade that took place a day prior.
After trading a third-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for the 36-year-old, the Colts have their quarterback for the foreseeable future. What they do next will be big for their outlook for the 2022 season.
The introductory press conference went about as most do. Ryan comes across as a genuine person and teammate, which was easily reflected in Tuesday’s press conference.
Here are 16 quick takeaways from Ryan’s introduction as the QB1 in Indy:
Matt Ryan’s opening statement talking about the history of the Colts QB position, from Unitas to Peyton — “growing up, he was exactly who I wanted to be”; “not a better mentor that I could have had” — to Luck to Rivers.
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) March 22, 2022
“I’m not naive. I understand how this business works… I didn’t like everything I heard, but…. they were professional and handled it very well.”
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 22, 2022
“I knew I was going to have to make a decision if I wanted to stay. And if I made a move, there was only one place I wanted to go.”
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 22, 2022
.@Colts QB Matt Ryan says he’s looking to “Catch that spark and go. I’m coming in to a building that has been set up extremely well and a roster that’s set up to win.”
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) March 22, 2022
Ryan says “ultimately, it came down to a decision between staying In Atlanta and going to Indianapolis.”
Met with Ballard, Reich, Brady, Parks Frazier Saturday night. Ryan impressed with Ballard’s vision, Reich’s empathy for Ryan’s situation. Colts personally impressed him.
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) March 22, 2022
Ryan: “Leadership is about serving your teammates. What certain guys need from you is different. What each team needs from you is different. You have to know your guys.”
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) March 22, 2022
Matt Ryan asked about what it’ll be like to learn a new offense in Indy with Frank Reich.
Says he’s had six different OCs in Atlanta and 3 different head coaches. Has some experience with learning a new offense.
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) March 22, 2022
With six different offensive coordinators in Atlanta, Ryan says, “I’ve learned some different offenses,” he says, laughing.
“I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to (learn the scheme. Part of that rejuvenates you, too.”
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 22, 2022
Matt Ryan on the @Colts: “This roster is built really well. They’re sound across the board, they’re built with really high character football players, guys who work hard.”
Says every text he’s got from a new teammate has “been about winning.”
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) March 22, 2022
Ryan on how long he’ll play: “I’d like to play as long as I can. My body feels really good. … As long as I feel good and feel like I can play well, I want to play.”
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) March 22, 2022
Matt Ryan, in talking about how he always knows what’s going on with everybody around the league, is reminding me a little bit of football junkie Philip Rivers.
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) March 22, 2022
Remote question sent in from @PatMcAfeeShow on Jonathan Taylor.
Ryan on JT: “He’s a beast.”
Points out the Buffalo game from last year and seeing what Taylor did on tape. That got Ryan wanting to see more of Taylor on film. “He’s special.”
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) March 22, 2022
Matt Ryan said that Jonathan Taylor jumped off the screen at him with his performance against the Bills. Then he started watching more film.
“He’s an absolute beast. Great vision, great balance, good speed, good power. … You don’t get backs who do all of that very often.”
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) March 22, 2022
Matt Ryan had lunch with Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly today.
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) March 22, 2022
Ryan on Peyton Manning being a mentor:
Said the 1st call he got after the NFC Title win in January ’17 was about Peyton. First thing Peyton said was about mapping out the 2 weeks leading into the Super Bowl.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) March 22, 2022
Matt Ryan says of the @Colts: “The support staff here and the sports science here is probably as good as any in the league.”
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) March 22, 2022
Ryan’s No. 1 goal? “Being the best teammate I can be every day in this building. … I’m just one part of this wheel, but it’s a pretty strong wheel.” #Colts
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) March 22, 2022
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