FLOWERY BRANCH http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaiah-johnson-jersey , Ga. (AP)Matt Ryan is eager to regain his MVP form with the Atlanta Falcons.It sure seems possible with Julio Jones in camp, first-round pick Calvin Ridley ready to make an impact and – perhaps most important – a full season in the books with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.While Ryan put up his seventh straight year with more than 4,000 yards through the air, he didn’t come close to matching the best season of his career under previous coordinator Kyle Shanahan.In 2017, Ryan’s yardage dipped significantly (4,944 to 4,095). So did his TDs (38 to 20) and quarterback rating (117.1 to 91.4). His interceptions went up (7 to 12).Most tellingly, the Falcons went from leading the league in scoring (33.75 points per game) to a middle-of-the-pack 15th position (22.06). Coming off an MVP season, Ryan wasn’t even in the conversation for the league’s top player.The slide in production had some people wondering if head coach Dan Quinn would give Sarkisian another chance .But Quinn was mindful that Shanahan’s first season in Atlanta also was a bit of a struggle. He found his groove in 2016, overseeing a dynamic offense that helped carry the Falcons all the way to the Super Bowl and earn Shanahan his first head coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers.”I’ve got a lot of confidence,” Ryan said of Year 2 with Sarkisian. ”Obviously, I think Sark is a lot more comfortable with the personnel, knowing what guys to use in certain situations. I think that just comes with experience. We all kind of have a feel for his flavor as well. I think he did a great job for us last year and will continue to do a great job this year.”Quinn is certainly expecting a more comfortable relationship between Ryan and Sarkisian. For good measure, the Falcons also hired Greg Knapp, a former Atlanta offensive coordinator Devin Bush Jersey , to serve as quarterbacks coach.”Like most relationships, there’s probably some situations that you need to go through together,” Quinn said. ”OK, how did that person respond? How did he get through it? Generally as it goes, the communication improves.”For a while, it looked as though Ryan might have to make do without one of the league’s top receivers .Unhappy with his contract, Jones skipped offseason workouts in Atlanta as well as a mandatory minicamp. But on the eve of training camp, he agreed to report after the Falcons figured out a way to give him a bit more money this season, along with a promise to negotiate a new deal in 2019.No one was more pleased than Ryan to have No. 11 on the receiving end of his throws.”He’s the best teammate you could ask for,” Ryan said. ”He’s just a great worker and such a good teacher for the young guys, too.”Jones is already spreading his knowledge to Ridley , who is expected to take over the third receiver role filled so ably the past two years by Taylor Gabriel.Ryan is impressed by what he’s seen so far from the rookie.”He’s a talented player who can do a lot of different things,” Ryan said. ”Certainly through the offseason and through the first couple of days of camp, he showcased his talent level. I kind of see him having a really good year for us and really fitting in with the receiving corps that we have.”Ryan certainly has no complaints about his contract. He expects to remain with the Falcons for the rest of his career after signing a new five-year, $150 million deal http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/diontae-johnson-jersey-authentic , the most lucrative in NFL history and the first with $100 million in guaranteed earnings.To justify all that money, Ryan is focused on being more efficient in the red zone. Far too many times last season, the Falcons settled for field goals instead of touchdowns after driving inside the 20-yard line.In the early days of training camp, the team already looks much crisper in those situations.”A point of emphasis for us is improving in the red area, so we can have more touchdowns than we did last year,” Ryan said. ”We’ve got a lot of work to do before the season, but it’s a good start.”With Jones, Ridley and Mohammad Sanu catching passes, an offensive line bolstered by the signing of free-agent guard Brandon Fusco, and a dynamic backfield duo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, Ryan certainly has plenty of options at his disposal.Enough to play like an MVP.”We’ve got a really, really scary offense,” Freeman said.Notes: The Falcons agreed to terms with OL Kendall Calhoun, LB Jonathan Celestin and WR Colby Pearson. All three players were undrafted out of college. To make room on the roster, team has waived S Jason Hall Justin Layne Jersey , DB Terrance Parks and FB Daniel Marx. … Quinn split up his players Monday’s practice, essentially creating two teams roughly the size of a regular-season roster, even putting offensive line coach Chris Morgan and defensive coach Jerome Henderson in charge of the squads. ”We wanted to create some game-like, stressful situations to really evaluate the players in that environment,” Quinn said.— LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears were in trouble, leading by nine with the Rams in prime position following a big interception return by Joe Johnson III on an overthrown ball by Mitchell Trubisky.On the next play, with Los Angeles at the 27, Kyle Fuller picked off a wobbly pass by Jared Goff. In a flash, the threat was over and the Bears could breathe a little easier.That sequence late in the third quarter pretty much summed up the game.A spectacular defense delivered a prime-time performance, bailing out a struggling offense while carrying the NFC North leaders to a 15-6 victory over the NFC West champion Rams on Sunday.“We had the interception, right, and then the very next play our defense got an interception, and that’s what you’re talking about, and so it circled right back to the next-play mentality http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/benny-snell-jr.-jersey-authentic ,” coach Matt Nagy said Monday.“That’s what I thought, we talked about that all week — next play, next play, next play — and that was a pure example last night from both sides. On defense when you’re playing well, OK, next play. On offense, you’re not playing as well, next play.”The next step could be securing a playoff spot. With three games to go, the Bears (9-4) are closing in on their first postseason appearance since the 2010 team won the NFC North.They bounced back from a wild overtime loss at the New York Giants to win for the sixth time in seven games, and they figure to be tested this week when the Packers visit. Though Green Bay has a losing record and fired coach Mike McCarthy on Dec. 2, the NFL’s oldest rivalry has been one-sided in recent years.The Bears have dropped five straight and nine of 10 against the Packers, including a 24-23 gut punch in the opener at Lambeau Field. Green Bay rallied from a 20-0 deficit, with an injured Aaron Rodgers leading the way.But the Bears just took out the team that came in with the best record in the NFL. And they did it with their quarterback struggling, thanks to their dominant defense.“It definitely took us to another level going against the best team in the league,” linebacker Leonard Floyd said. “It just gave us that extra motivation to go into next week.”The Bears simply swarmed Goff Zach Gentry Jersey , who threw a career-high four interceptions. He was also sacked three times and posted a career-low 19.1 rating.Chicago gave Todd Gurley no room to run, holding the NFL’s leading rusher to a season-low 28 yards on 11 carries.And the Bears limited an offense that ranked No. 2 to 214 yards.“What I’ll say is we just had it (Sunday night),” defensive end Akiem Hicks said. “We had a lot of heart, we had a lot of focus and we pulled it out.”The Bears needed it on a night when Trubisky had too many passes sail on him. He finished 16 of 30 for 110 yards and three interceptions after missing the previous two games because of a right shoulder injury.“There were times I was just trying to do too much, make a play,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s something I was doing mentally from sitting out for two weeks, just coming out here trying to put on a show, make big plays. I need to go in there, do my job.”Nagy insisted it wasn’t a step back for the Bears quarterback.“Not when you win,” he said. “He made some plays when we needed to. For him to be able to keep learning, there’s gonna be some bumps in the road. You can’t throw for 350 yards every game. That’s just not gonna happen in this offense in Year 1. That’s not gonna happen.”NOTE: Nagy said the Bears were still evaluating CB Bryce Callahan, who left with a left foot injury late in the first half.