By Eric Edholm
April 18, 2008

Matt Ryan

It’s an annual rite of passage, it seems. A top-rated college quarterback has to face the gauntlet leading up to the draft, and it’s no different for Boston College’s Matt Ryan. Despite a decorated career, leading BC to one of its best seasons in recent years and emerging as this year’s top-rated quarterback in the draft, Ryan is starting to see his name slip ever so slightly down draft boards. Why? He’d like to know just as much as you would.

Ryan isn’t sulking as the draft gets closer, though. Instead, he’s looking forward to finding out which team he’ll suit up for — and he’s blogging about his experience along with Virginia DE Chris Long with Sprint. Cell phone carriers can read Ryan’s and Long’s blogs, follow the action on Draft Day and get updates and analysis throughout. Ryan, meanwhile, spent a few minutes chatting with PFW about likely not being a Dolphin, hanging out with Doug Flutie, his best Brett Favre story and what he’ll be wearing in the green room … even if he’ll have to spend a little while longer in there than he originally had hoped.

PFW: How many of these interviews have you done so far this morning?

Ryan: Uh, what number are we on? Five? We’re on five.

PFW: Well, that’s not too bad. We’ll try to keep it simple here. So tell me about the Sprint deal.

Ryan; Well, you know, right now prior to the draft I am working with Sprint. (Virginia DE) Chris Long and myself have exclusive blogs for Sprint users that they can read about our updates and everything that goes along with it. Also, Sprint users can watch the NFL draft live via their phones. So it’s a great deal, and I am happy to be a part of Sprint.

PFW: Wow, you make a good pitch man. That was smooth.

Ryan: Thanks! Yeah, so far it has been fun to work with them.

PFW: You made it known at the Combine and since then that you would be very interested in being a Dolphin, and yet it looks like that’s not going to happen. What did you think when it became clear the Dolphins were looking in another direction with Jake Long or Vernon Gholston?

Ryan: Uh (laughs). I guess it’s kind of the same as everyone else. Jake (Long) and Vernon (Gholston), I know those guys pretty well. I have had a chance to work out with them. And both of those guys are great guys, so I am excited for them. You know, you just don’t know what’s going to happen though. There’s a lot of speculation. There are a lot of things that are going on. There are a lot of different things that can happen between now and next Saturday. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

PFW: Do you feel like you are riding a bit of a roller coaster — good news one day, bad news the next, something else after that?

Ryan: That’s exactly right. One day, you’re the number one pick. The next day, you’re the last pick. There’s just such a huge fluctuation between one day and another. For me, I am just trying to stay (on an) even keel, not trying to buy into all the hype that goes along with the draft. Just trying to stay relaxed and prepare, work hard, work out and try to stay in shape for when I get an opportunity in minicamp.

PFW: We’ve seen it before, guys like Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn — accomplished college quarterbacks who do nothing wrong whatsoever to hurt their draft stock and yet they slide on Draft Day. Do you think about the possibility of this happening?

Ryan: Well, I think no matter what the number (draft pick) is, whether it’s one, 10, 20, it’s just a great opportunity to go to a city and get to compete for a starting role and just to be a part of an NFL franchise. I am just excited for the chance. I am not going to worry too much about what the number is, what the slot is. I am just trying to enjoy it right now.

PFW: Have you picked out your suit for Draft Day yet? Do you know what you’re wearing?

Ryan: Yeah, I think I got it picked out. It should be nice. I think it’s going to be silver and very light gray. I am thinking about putting that one on.

PFW: It’s more of an epidemic at the NBA draft, but there have been some bad suits on draft days in the past. Are you sure that’s not too flashy? The silver sounds a little Raiders-ish. Any inside information you want to share with us, Matt?

Ryan: (laughs) No, no. I am just trying to keep it traditional, trying to keep it simple and make sure it’s classy.

PFW: Do you think that NFL evaluators nitpick quarterback so much more than any other position that you guys get unfairly knocked down?

Ryan: I think so. But that’s a result of how important the position is. There are a lot of really good players out there in this year’s draft, so when you’re drafting a quarterback and making that investment, you really want to know what you’re going to get. You have to understand that they are going to look very closely and they are going to analyze things as best they can. As a quarterback going through the process, you just have to deal with it and not worry about what people are saying and focus on what you can do and what you can control.

PFW: People obviously knew about BC when you were ranked No. 2, but it seemed that people weren’t really willing to grant you real respect until you guys won in Blacksburg. Is that fair to say?

Ryan: We certainly got a lot after that game. And the big thing is, as players, you don’t really think about that stuff. From having done a lot of interviews since then, that is the game that everybody points to. So, in that sense, it probably is the game that really turned people’s heads and got their attention. It was a great win for our team. With everything that was going on that night — the conditions and how well Virginia Tech was playing the first 55 minutes — it was a great win. We were No. 2 in the country, they were No. 8. And to do it down there on a Thursday night was special.

PFW: Was there a point in the game where you thought, we might not have enough time to win this?

Ryan: Not really, and that’s in all honesty. We were only down 10, and we still had time. We had done it before. We had a veteran team, a lot of seniors who have been in this situation before and come away with wins. And so the biggest thing was, we were telling each other, ‘We just need to hang on, hang on, hang on and eventually just make a play.’ We made one or two plays and we got things going, and from there the momentum switched to our favor and we took full advantage of it.

PFW: I assume both the upside and the potential drawback of being a Boston College quarterback is that you have high standards — especially in the NFL — to live up to. Talk a little about the legacy that Doug Flutie started up there that others continued.

Ryan: No question about it, he put BC on the map and won the Heisman Trophy in ’84. And he has come back and done a ton for the school. He has been very involved, very supportive of the football program as well as the entire institution. He’s beloved up there and rightfully so.

PFW: How many times have you watched Flutie's Hail Mary pass against Miami?

Ryan: I couldn’t even count how many times. (laughs) But it’s still great to watch.

PFW: More times than the video of you puking after the Virginia Tech game?

Ryan: Oh, man. Probably so, but not by a lot. I hear about that a lot.

PFW: What about your relationship with Doug?

Ryan: Doug has been very good to me. I have gotten to know him very well over the course of my five years up there. He has been extremely supportive, has congratulated me on my career at BC and I have really enjoyed getting to know him.

PFW: It seems you can’t watch a BC hoops or football game without seeing him there.

Ryan: He’s the face of BC football and BC’s biggest fan.

PFW: As a Philly-area native, what’s the scariest thing you have seen at an Eagles game?

Ryan: Ooh, man. I have seen plenty of fights, lots of fistfights in the stands and even out in the parking lots sometimes. But I have never been there when they have thrown batteries or anything like that. But you hear about some crazy stuff, especially at the old Vet.

PFW: You know that if the Eagles don’t draft you, they’ll boo you, too.

Ryan: (laughs) Yeah, that's all right.

PFW: What’s the best Brett Favre story Coach (Jeff) Jagodzinski told you?

Ryan: He’s passed along so many. But the best, one of the funniest things I have heard, was when they were out at a walk-through on a Saturday before a game. It was during the season when everyone said Brett was washed up and couldn’t do it anymore. And he had been hearing that for some time. He said he called up Coach Jags on the last play of practice and (called for) a Hail Mary and threw the ball clear out of the practice field, straight over the fence about 80 yards and said, ‘I still got it.’ It was pretty funny to hear that.

PFW: That’s great. Have you ever just wound up and chucked one to see how far you can flick it?

Ryan: I can’t throw it 80 yards, I know that. Brett might be the only one who can do that. I mean, I can probably push it out there around 65 yards, maybe 70 yards. Pretty good. But nothing crazy. I don’t have one of those crazy rockets … but I can throw it pretty well.

PFW: What aspects of Coach Jags’ offense best prepared you for the NFL?

Ryan: I think the protections. Coach Jags was an offensive line coach in the NFL for a number of years and an offensive coordinator with the Packers, and we were using the same stuff that he was using in Green Bay. I think that’s really going to help me in the NFL. I think that I understand what to look for, how things work. We did a lot of re-ID’ing the ‘Mike’ (middle linebacker) at the line of scrimmage and I think that’s something that’s going to be very beneficial for me in preparing for next year. I would certainly say the protection knowledge will be the biggest advantage I’ll have next year.

PFW: You recently worked out for the Ravens. Did you have any inkling at the time or did they say anything to you about Steve McNair retiring?

Ryan: (laughs) No, I had no idea. The first I heard about it was (Thursday) night. I got off the plane in New York and heard about it. I don’t know what that means or what it doesn’t mean. I guess it will be interesting to see how things play out.

PFW: What kind of car do you drive?

Ryan: I have a GMC Yukon.

PFW: Any big purchase you plan to make when you sign your contract?

Ryan: No, not really. I just kind of want to figure out where I am going to be, find a place to live and just really try to get situated and make sure I am putting in the time and earning every penny a team is going to spend on me.

PFW: Boy, you’ve been trained well. That’s not very fun. You’re not going to buy any fun toys?

Ryan: (laughs) I mean, obviously, I’ll buy some stuff, but I am not going to go out and buy like a Ferrari or anything like that.

PFW: You don’t seem like the sports car kind of guy, anyway.

Ryan: Yeah, no, not at all.

PFW: I have heard you are an early riser. When was the last time you slept in past 9 a.m.?

Ryan: I definitely am. Hmm, after 9? Probably a couple days after our bowl game, down in Florida. Not like 10 years or anything like that, but after the bowl game I was down there for a couple days with my family and tried to get some R&R down there.

PFW: What’s the best stadium you have been to? And you can’t say BC.

Ryan: I think the best is a tie between two places, Virginia Tech and Clemson. I couldn’t make a decision between those two. I loved playing at both of them.

PFW: And you won at both of them.

Ryan: And I won at both of them! That probably makes them a little more beautiful.

PFW: What’s the nicest college campus you have seen other than Chestnut Hill?

Ryan: I’d have to say Harvard. Right off the water in Cambridge, it’s beautiful there.

PFW: What’s your best sport other than football?

Ryan: Probably basketball. I played in high school and was decent.

PFW: Who’s the best hoops player on the BC football team?

Ryan: Ooh. Someone’s feelings are going to be hurt here …

PFW: If it’s you, you can say yourself.

Ryan: Oh, it’s not me. Trust me. (laughs) My game is mostly gone. I’d probably say a young guy, Dominque Davis, who is a pretty good player. He’s a young quarterback, and he’s a pretty good player.

PFW: I asked Brady Quinn this last year. What would be the coolest throwback quarterback jersey you could wear?

Ryan: I think it’s tied for two. I love Johnny Unitas …

PFW: So does Brady.

Ryan: I actually got to wear one when I won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and got the throwback down in Baltimore. That was pretty cool. But also Roger Staubach. He’s always been a lot of fun to watch when I turn on the TV and see those classic replays. He was a cool quarterback.

PFW: Favorite Philadelphia Eagles player of all time?

Ryan: Hmm, probably Brian Dawkins.

PFW: Really, a free safety? You’re a quarterback!

Ryan: (laughs) I was just a fan, just like everyone else.

PFW: Will you have any down time before the draft? What about afterward?

Ryan: Uh, no. I am planning on going to work afterward. I am going to take a couple of days here right before the draft and head home, spend some time with my family and then get ready to go to New York and get ready for the draft.

PFW: Who will be in your green room posse? Are you rolling deep?

Ryan: Just my family and friends. They’ll be close. And my agent (Tom Condon). So it’ll be nice to be up there and have all my close people around me.