There is always an opportunity to learn from the work of other executives when you're in the team-building business. That's why general managers around the NFL routinely study the rosters of the participants in the AFC and NFC Championship Games to see if there are lessons to be learned.
I've looked at the starting lineups of each of the finalists, and I don't believe it's a coincidence that every team features a five-star general under center. Quarterback play typically separates the contenders from the pretenders in the NFL. Teams with elite quarterbacks routinely compete for titles, while others fight to get into playoff contention.
That's why I'm fascinated by the ascension of top MVP candidate
Matt Ryan and the 2016
Atlanta Falcons. While we've grown accustomed to seeing
Tom Brady,
Ben Roethlisberger and
Aaron Rodgers lead their teams to the winner's circle, I don't think many observers viewed Ryan as one of the premier players at the position entering this season. He'd shown flashes of greatness through the years, but he had yet to prove himself as a consistent world-beater.
Let me be clear: I'm not slighting Ryan's game, but the
Falcons' QB1 wasn't viewed as a top-five quarterback in most circles -- and some observers would've scoffed at the notion of touting him as even a top-10 guy following his disappointing 2015 campaign.
"I would've considered him a borderline top-10 [quarterback] prior to the season," an AFC senior personnel executive told me. "I think a lot of us [scouts] thought that he was good, but not necessarily a
great quarterback. He has certainly taken his game up a notch this year, though."
With that in mind, I believe the
Falcons have established a blueprint for building a championship-caliber team without necessarily having a transcendent superstar to start with at the QB1 position. Thomas Dimitroff, Scott Pioli and the
Falcons' personnel staff have shown the rest of the league that a strong supporting cast not only elevates the play of the quarterback, but it can help a team go from the fringes to title contention in a hurry.
Looking at the
Falcons' rebuilding efforts over the past few years, the team has made a concerted effort to upgrade the personnel around Ryan. The former No. 3 overall pick already had a WR1 (Julio Jones) to lean on in critical moments. Jones is an all-time talent at the position, as evidenced by his three straight seasons with 1,400-plus receiving yards (behind only Marvin Harrison's four consecutive seasons). After watching Jones act as a one-man show in 2015, the team added three playmakers to alleviate some of his burden in the passing game.
Mohamed Sanu (unrestricted free agent),
Austin Hooper (2016 third-round pick) and
Taylor Gabriel (claimed off waivers) were added to the mix to provide the WR corps with enough diversity to attack the defense in a variety of ways.
"We have gas (speed) and toughness (physical pass catchers) on the outside," a
Falcons official told me. "We have a little bit of everything you could want in a WR corps. That can create problems for the defense, matchup-wise."
While it's easy to fall into the trap of strictly thinking about pass catchers when citing a quarterback's supporting cast, the
Falcons have added dynamic running backs capable of enhancing the passing game while also anchoring the ground attack. In drafting
Devonta Freeman (2014 fourth-rounder) and
Tevin Coleman (2015 third-rounder), Atlanta ensured Ryan always has a credible threat in the backfield beside him. The constant presence of an electric multi-purpose weapon in the backfield forces the defense to play it straight, particularly when one of the backs has posted back-to-back seasons with 1,000 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns (Freeman).
Last, but certainly not least, it is necessary to spotlight the improvements along the offensive line. The
Falcons beefed up the interior through a trade (left guard Andy Levitre) and two free-agent signings (center
Alex Mack and right guard Chris Chester). The trio has not only fortified the team's pass protection in the middle, but it has given Atlanta the much-needed toughness to commit to the running game when needed. Looking at the individual and collective talents of the trio, it's clear the
Falcons added scrappy blockers with the strength and power to move bodies off the ball. Although Atlanta is frequently miscast as a finesse team, the O-line improvements have given Dan Quinn a physical squad that's built for the long haul.
In the salary-cap era, team builders must decide how to allocate their resources to give their roster the best chance of winning in the short term while simultaneously building a perennial contender. Given the financial commitment the
Falcons have made to the offense (see: Ryan's five-year, $103.75 million contract, as well as the hefty deals signed by Mack and Sanu), the front office needed to rely on the draft to build up the defense.
