Matt Ryan does make risky throws. His problem is he catches fire and then thinks he can make every throw, and yes it does lead to interceptions and incompletions, sometimes sacks.
One thing people like about him is he seems to have a sense of knowing when during the game to "turn it on". One thing people don't like about him is once he does turn it on and enjoy some success, he makes some geeked up throws that are real head scratchers.
As I watch that Boston College offense, Purvis and Callendar were really the only things they had going for them. They couldn't challenge anyone deep, just horizontally with Callendar being covered by a linebacker. Combine that with a ground game that is easy to stop, if you only try, and it was a pretty bad supporting cast for Matt Ryan. You're not going to see a whole lot of intermediate comebacks and intermediate out patterns if defenses aren't scared of the deep ball even a little bit. Corners playing zone will sit on those routes and pick them off. When defensive backs are doing that, there is literally no possible way to throw the ball that does not risk interception on a timing pattern like that. The only way to avoid risking an interception is simply not to throw that ball.
It's amazing when you watch a game and you see an offense throwing the deep vertical not because they think their receivers can get open and catch the thing, but really just because your QB has a good deep arm, good deep touch and accuracy, and you'll settle for the defense thinking about the deep vertical even if it isn't complete.
Matt Ryan suffered through a lot of drops at Boston College, too. Way more than his share. When you're throwing to guys that don't get separation (and at Boston College, they didn't), you've got to throw it to spots that are more difficult to catch just so that you don't get picked off. John Beck was able to get away with a lot of high floaters at BYU that Matt Ryan couldn't get away with at Boston College.
I don't see what is so controversial about calling him a taller, younger version of John Beck. That's pretty much how most of the scouting world thinks of him.
And btw, I don't think the cutoff for marginal returns on height stops at 6'2" by any means. More like 6'4" or 6'5". Really, 6'2" is considered more like a bare minimum. That doesn't mean most scouts would consider 6'2" and 6'4" guys to be equals.
Great Post,
I'd like to add that Beck also has a very low release point so even if he's 6'2 he's playing like someone much shorter.I'm sure they have been working with him on that.
My thinking is that, thats going to make or break him in the NFL.