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FLOWY BRANCH, Ga .– Matt Ryan heard the question that was asked – a reference to the Atlanta Falcons collapsing in Super Bowl LI at the New England Patriots – and made a joke before it was even over .
“I didn’t do it,” said Ryan unmoved. “I never heard of it.”
Ryan, of course, knew the reference. The Falcons were against New England – and their quarterback Tom Brady – 28-3 in Super Bowl LI, before ultimately losing 34-28.
Ryan, 36 – who said Wednesday he would be ready to play as long as Brady – is 0-5 for life against Brady, between his stint with New England and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ryan has made it clear that losing the Super Bowl doesn’t occur to him – and it’s not something he thinks about when he takes on Brady, as he will on Sunday.
“Of course we want to win. It’s not going to make up for that,” Ryan said. “You know, it’s one of those things. It’s part of your past, it’s part of what happened.
“But that doesn’t affect this week.”
Ryan has said he focuses more on the defenses he faces than the quarterbacks that are on the other side, in part because they are not together on the pitch. Facing former New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees year after year has taught him that.
Brees is now retired and serves as an analyst for NBC, but Ryan has yet to face another future Hall of Famer quarterback at Brady.
“Tom is the same kind of player. Regardless of how the games go, he’s mentally tough and does a great job of staying in the present and performing at a high level,” said Ryan. “So you know you have to be level on your side. But it’s about their defense. The defense they’re playing with creates a lot of problems for us and we have to find ways to attack it.”
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