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All that money, he better get out there and play.

They will still stink no matter what QB is on the field!

They made the right draft day choice. It has to start somewhere , and he should be a good one. I think some teams made a mistake by not moving up to get this guy. Just my opinion. Miami was willing.

I need to see more from this kid. Ryan Leaf had 2 good game to start his career if I remember correctly.

With what they're paying him, he'd better do windows too.

Mel Kiper says this guy is going to be a total bust....so we'll see.

Mel Kiper is a total bust....If it was 1880 he would be taking a wagon from town to town selling a magic potion that will cure anything....
My point: Even Mel Kiper does not take what he says seriously...But is sure does sell. He is the father of fantasy football..

Are we looking at the second coming of John Elway or David Carr?

Just a few of Kipers " predictions "
Prior to 2001 predicted that the Patriots would go 0-16 and get the top pick in the 2002 draft ( they won the superbowl that year)

Said in 1998 that Ryan Leaf's "attitude" gave him a mental edge over Peyton Manning
( you could not make this stuff up)

Declared John Walsh a 1st round pick in 95 even AFTER his dismal performance at the combine

Predicted Adam Steuer of Coastal Carolina would be in the HOF - Steuer was out of the NFL in two years.

Named Mike Williams the best player in the 2005 draft - when Merrill Hoge disagreed he said "I'll see you at his HOF induction ceremony." Pretty clear at this pt that there won't be a HOF ceremony for Mike Williams.

Stated that J.J. Stokes was a "sure-thing" as a future All-Pro. Stokes never had more than 770 yards receiving in eight seasons with SF.

Berated the Colts for picking Marshall Faulk with the second pick in 1994, and said they should have gone with Trent Dilfer or Heath Shuler. Yes. Trent Dilfer or Heath Shuler.

Akili Smith will be a great NFL QB.....J.J. Stokes will be an All-Pro..

He does not know anymore than anyone else on here.....

Since their other options were Chris Redman or Joey Harrington, the Falcons had no other choice but to go with Matt Ryan.

They are going to be a 12-14 loss team no matter who they started anyway.

"I think some teams made a mistake by not moving up to get this guy. Just my opinion"

- I disagree 50yr.....
He may be good down the road....but I wasn't too impressed with him in college, at least not impressed enough to trade up for him. Draft picks in the 2 & 3 rounds are too important to give up and the cost of top picks are so prohibitive to the cap

Had he fallen into my lap- GREAT....
but moving up ? Not so sure about that

Ryan had better be ready to get hit. That or he will throw 28 interceptions to lead the league like Peyton did in 1998 when he was a rookie.

jgb Cannot argue with your assessment. You either believe a guy has it or not. I think they looked at his short comings and decided they can be fixed. Tiki Barber is a perfect example. He led the NFL in fumbles for years, Coughlin comes along and instead of saying he is a fumbler, he teaches him how to hold the football better. He stops fumbling.
I think the kid has it. They did the right thing for them. it cleansed a lot of bad feelings about Vick and removed a dark cloud. If you are going to move up, then a QB is the way to go..It is like Jaworsky says, there are a lot of guys who know nothing about QBs making these draft assessments, which is why there are so many mistakes in drafting QBs early lately... I agree with him...It takes one to know one..

With what they're paying him, he'd better do windows too.

Lady's Coach Belicat | 08/25/08, 07:58 AM

Amen to that Lady....

He'll need all that money they are paying him for Icy-Hot and massages, he's gonna get hit more than a $2 hooker in Tijuana.

He will definitely spend a lot of his time lying down this season. The O line has been anemic for a long time in Atlanta. Vick used his running ability to avoid some of the abuse, but he still got sacked a lot. I think Ryan will get hit so much behind that line that he will end up shell shocked--just like David Carr.

Total agreement, Jughead. The will to win is nice to see, but mortgaging the future for (possibly) a few more games is a REALLY bad idea.

Let's see how the line does in the beginning of the season before just dropping Ryan into the piranha pool.

At the draft my prediction - "Ryan will start for whoever drafts him" - I, of course, was totally right again !!!

I just don't get the hype with Ryan. It's not like he had many impressive wins in college. I'm not hatin' on the guy, I just don't see him as first round material. I think with some tutelage he could be a good backup in the League. Throwing him in the starting spot from day one is a bad idea, IMO. He's going to get demoralized quickly.

50, thanks for the Kiperisms, those are priceless.

50YearFan - that post about Kiper's predictions was hilarious. I have always thought that he was full of it, but this backs it up. The one about taking Dilfer or Shuler instead of Faulk is completely hilarious......