Here's what Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had to say after the 24-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
On Mercedes Benz Stadium:
"I thought the stadium was great. Obviously, it was the first time in with the fans and everything. It was a cool night and very special for this organization. It was fun to be in it. I wish we could've played a little bit better but hopefully, we will take care of that during the regular season."
On what stood out about MBS:
"It's just getting your sight lines down on the field and getting used to where you're looking. You forget how automatic things are when you're in the same stadium for a long time. I think we'll get comfortable quick though. Honestly, it's beautiful and it's great. I think we will get real comfortable very quickly."
On what didn't go right during the game:
"Turning the ball over on the first play is obviously not what you want to do. We just never really got into a rhythm offensively. That's something we would've liked to have done in that first quarter of work, but we didn't. That'll be something that we need to work on as we have this fourth preseason game coming up and then getting ready for the regular season."
On whether some players were anxious:
"I don't know if they were anxious or anything like that. I just don't think we executed all that well offensively. It's something we'll watch tomorrow and try and find out what we can do better. We certainly have some things to work on this week."
On whether it is important to him to play in the last preseason game:
"Those are all decisions up to Coach Dan Quinn. He determines those things. As a player, I think the most important thing is to make sure that when we get onto the practice field Monday, we have a solid practice."
On whether or not the team will be ready if he doesn't play in the next game:
"I think we will be ready to go. Obviously, that is up to Coach Quinn and he's made those decisions before. Tonight wasn't great, but we've had a productive training camp and I feel like we've gotten really good work in. It didn't show up for us early on, but we'll be ready to go."
On the defense playing well:
"Absolutely. I think they were going after the ball tonight, taking it away and doing a great job flying around. They've looked that way all of training camp. They've been aggressive and done a great job. I think they played pretty well tonight."
On him looking at the halo board:
"I caught myself, especially during warm ups. I was making sure I was taking everything in and getting used to it and getting used to the surroundings. It's a pretty impressive board for sure and I think the fans are really enjoying it."
On the long passes to Julio Jones and Taylor Gabriel:
"We are going to take some opportunities down the field and give our guys chances. They didn't work out tonight and that'll be something that we talk about moving forward. That's part of the game. You're going to give your guys chances down the field. Some are going to hit and some don't."
About the Author