NOTHING MORE ABSURD THAN A WINNING SEASON

The AJC's Mark Bradley makes the point in today's newspaper that Atlanta Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan is having the best rookie season of any quarterback EVER. I agree. Four years of college, three bowl victories, courage, intelligence, humility, real passing skills and perhaps most important of all, winner of The Holy War with Notre Dame ... these things all bode well for Ryan and the Falcons. There is no reason to expect a rookie moment, or at least two or three "rookie moment" games in a row.

This is a team made better by subtraction as well as addition. Locker room cancers have been excised replaced by professionals playing like professionals, for a refreshing change, instead of dancing divas whose weak and fragile egos needed more stroking than the canvas of a portrait artist who is trying to keep up the changes to Joan River's face.

Ryan's compliment to receiver Harry Douglas is more than mere humility.

“I threw it on time, actually a little early,” Ryan said. “He had man coverage, and I was hoping he’d roll his hips back toward me. But he was able to put his foo tin the ground and stop and make the catch. It was a great play by Harry Douglas, not me".

Like a tango, a successful pass attempt takes two, and any quarterback knows it. Though receivers are recognized and rewarded handsomely in the NFL, it seems to this observer that the reception is what makes the completion that leads to the touchdowns that lead to victories.

Hats off to everybody involved, from the top down, but hold the bubbly. Toast Matt Ryan's rookie season as the best ever, please, but let's hope next year is a second year QB's best season ever. No Falcon team has ever had back to back winning seasons.

Meanwhile enjoy the show. This IS the real thing.