New Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan must be over the moon.
Dan Quinn's hand-picked coordinator spent Tuesday answering plenty of questions about Ryan's fit in his play-action, boot-heavy attack. Not mincing words, Shanahan told reporters, per the team's official site: "Matt Ryan fits into everyone's offense."
Shanahan also inherits Julio Jones, the electric pass-catcher coming off a career-high 1,593 receiving yards in 2014. After watching Ryan and Jones connect for 153.3 yards per tilt over their final four games of the season, Shanahan promised that formula will be leaned on heavily come September.
"We are going to make (defenses) defend the deep ball," he said.
More from Shanahan's introductory press conference:
- We saw Shanahan play with pace and tempo in Cleveland last season, something that will continue in Atlanta, with the coordinator promising that the Falcons will move "very fast."
- Expect major changes on the ground, with Shanahan married to a run-heavy attack that pounds defenses with multiple backs. After watching the Browns completely overhaul their corps of runners through last year's draft, it's hard to imagine the aging Steven Jackson hanging around for another season. Shanahan did tell reporters that he loved Devonta Freeman coming out of college.
- Atlanta's offensive linemen are in for a workout as they shift to a zone-blocking scheme:
- Shanahan kept quiet about his sudden departure from the Browns, praising Johnny Manziel as a "great guy" and calling his exit "a tough decision for me." From where we sit, not that tough.
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