Matt Ryan does not have a very strong arm. My best friend is a die hard falcons fan and this is his number one complaint about ice. Not only is his arm not great but his deep ball placement is atrocious. Go watch some film and watch how many times Julio and roddy have to stop or come back to a pass on a fly route that they are wide open on
Agreed. How does Matt Ryan's name surface even once in a thread on this topic? Got to be some kind of joke. If he loses 5% velocity he can't play in this league. He's one shoulder hit away from throwing ducks like Todd Marinovich, who had one of the worst arms of all time for a first round pick. That's what they never want to tell you, amidst all the fixation on Marinovich's dad and the way Todd was brought up. There absolutely are examples of guys whose arm is simply too weak.
I had too low of an opinion on Matt Ryan coming out of Boston College. I hated his arm. Admittedly, I failed to concede that smart hard working quarterbacks invariably improve their arm strength upon entering the NFL. That's where Matt Ryan saved his career. His arm isn't great or even above average but it's certainly far better than his college days. I have a tendency to acknowledge that the arm will improve when it's someone I like, but ignore the dynamic when I'm otherwise biased against the quarterback.
Linemen are men entering the NFL. Quarterbacks too often are immature boys. Check out the combine photo of Tom Brady. That's a boy. But he was a dedicated type who improved his already good mechanics and grew into his body. It's obscene that Matt Ryan's name makes some of these lists but Brady does not. Brady has the most underrated arm in the league and it's been that way for more than half a decade. Check out the desperation throw to Randy Moss in the final seconds of the 2007 season Super Bowl loss to the Giants. There's a YouTube clip devoted solely to that throw, and for good reason. The ball travels 80 yards. Prior to the play I was scared to death because I knew darn well that Brady was capable of that type of distance, given the adrenaline, and I wasn't sure the Giants secondary would respect his arm enough. It didn't miss by much, not far from becoming the most famous play in NFL history, saving the 19-0 season.
Brady's arm has only recently slowed signs of slight slippage, which is logical for mid 30s.
Andrew Luck is another guy whose arm will improve in the NFL. There were already signs of that last season. His surprising question mark was accuracy, not velocity.
Tannehill has a great arm and is fine when the play unfolds perfectly for his 6 iron trajectory. His problem is when the play suddenly requires a lob wedge, or any number other than 6 iron. He occasionally makes the proper adjustment (Buffalo left corner to Reggie Bush) but not nearly dependable enough. That's one of the major variables this season and going forward, whether or not Tannehill can adjust pace and loft to fit the evolving requirements of the play.