Matt Ryan's offseason tuneup paid off with 'best-case scenario' season
HOUSTON — If the guys over at 3DQB training create a new brochure promoting how they help quarterbacks elevate their games, they might want to consider putting Matt Ryan’s image on the cover.
Some may recall that Ryan spent time last offseason in Southern California working out with 3DQB instructors and ex-baseball players Tom House and Adam Dedeaux. Focusing on core strength and mechanics was a significant shift in routine for the 31-year-old Atlanta Falcons quarterback. Ryan proceeded to have the best statistical season of his career, setting franchise records in five categories — yards (4,944), touchdowns (38), passer rating (117.1), completion percentage (69.9) and passes of 25-plus yards (42) — while becoming the leading MVP candidate.
“Those guys sell themselves,” Ryan said of House and Dedeaux, downplaying how he might help attract more clients to 3DQB. “The work that they do, they’re so good at what they do. And they’re great people to work with. I certainly learned a lot and improved a lot having worked with those guys.”
Dedeaux declined to take much credit when reached by phone this week.
“I think when we first started getting together, we saw that there was room for improvement,” he said. “But ultimately it was up to Matt to put in the work, and I think he did exactly that. He’s a true professional. And for where he is now, I’d be lying if I said I thought this is where we’d be. I’m ecstatic. This is the best-case scenario: possible MVP and in the Super Bowl. What more could we have asked for?”
Actually, both Super Bowl quarterbacks, Ryan and New England’s Tom Brady, have spent time training at 3DQB. But Ryan was the newbie last offseason as he looked for a way to rebound from a disappointing, turnover-filled 2015 season. He spent six weeks training with Dedeaux and House on the West Coast and in Atlanta over a six-month period. The sessions were three to four hours a day, four to five days a week.
He threw weighted balls. He curled dumbbells. He took swings with bats. He monitored his diet.
But there was more to the story than what occurred during the offseason. After the Falcons suffered an ugly 24-15 loss at Philadelphia back in November, Ryan worked with Dedeaux in Atlanta during the bye week that followed. It was right around the same time that coach Dan Quinn challenged the entire team to dig deeper and find something to improve upon for the remainder of the season.
Ryan took the message to heart. And Dedeaux came in for a “tuneup” session with the quarterback.
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“Nothing had really gotten away from him, which, again, is a credit to him because he stuck to the process,” Dedeaux said. “But as new installs come in or certain plays with different footwork, maybe we change things just to make him just a little more comfortable, more in position. That was pretty much the main thing: ‘Hey, how can we be in a better position so we’re not putting on any extra strain?’ For a quarterback, when they’re out of position, that could be the difference between pulling the trigger or not.”
Ryan takes a six-game winning streak into the Super Bowl. The run of nearly two months has included 18 touchdowns and no interceptions.
His deep-ball accuracy has been on point this season, another byproduct of Ryan’s work with Dedeaux and House. “He got a lot stronger,” wide receiver Julio Jones said. “He got a few more yards on his deep ball after working in the offseason. … Matt just took care of himself to be able to do his job. As a quarterback, there’s just so much that [you] have to do. You’ve got to have everybody ready to go. I felt like this year, he just took care of Matt Ryan and let everybody else take care of themselves. So now the way he’s playing is lights-out.”
Ryan modestly shied away from thumping his chest about his improvement. He simply emphasized how much 3DQB contributed to his cause.
“It’s one of those things, when you want to get the best out of yourself, you have to find avenues to try and get that done,” Ryan said. “And those guys have been the right avenue for me. I’m really happy I decided to go out and work with them.”
So how about those “Matty Ice” brochures? Are they in the works?
“We haven’t taken Matt’s success and tried to use it for our gain,” Dedeaux said. “If people have seen the results of what he’s been able to do over this year, and if we had a small part in that and somebody became interested, that’s the best way. We haven’t gone out and used that. That’s not our M.O.
“Matt’s success speaks for itself. Obviously, we’re very grateful and happy for him.”
