http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/q-a-boston-college-qb-matt-ryan/
Q & A: Boston College QB Matt Ryan
Around campus, they already have a new nickname for the Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan: “Matty Heisman.” Deservedly so. No quarterback in the country has led his team to three better wins this season – Wake Forest, N.C. State and at Georgia Tech. Ryan solidified himself as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks when he lit up the Yellow Jackets’ vaunted defense for 435 passing yards in prime time on Saturday night. That earned him a spot in the Quad’s Q&A. Ryan talks about why he backs Barack Obama, the Red Sox, his next cheese-steak stop in Philly and which Eagle best mimics Jeff Jagodzinski’s Wisconsin accent.
The Boston Herald suggested on the front page that Red Sox fans hit the panic button. There’s been that little Spygate matter as well. Do you think that anyone around here has noticed that you’re 3-0?
I think there’s always been a contingent of Boston College faithful fans. I think our fan base is strong and they’ve done a really good job of supporting us over the years. Recently, I think the support has gotten stronger. I think there’s plenty of people taking notice of what we’ve done as a team. It’s still early. I think we need to win a lot more games for people to really take notice.
Will the Red Sox blow the lead?
Oh man. It looks like it (laughs). That’s probably not the best thing to say around here to get in people’s good graces. It looks like it. They’re struggling now and the Yankees are hot. It will be fun to watch the next couple of weeks.
Your take on Spygate?
I think it’s probably more prevalent in the N.F.L. than just one team. That’s just my opinion. And it doesn’t bother me all that much to be honest with you. It’s so competitive. I think the measures were a little drastic. You saw Sunday night what the Patriots did without it. They’re a pretty good team, so I wouldn’t worry too much.
I know you often stop by the BC Sports Information office to chat politics with Dick Kelley, the assistant athletic director for media relations. What’s your take on the presidential race?
It’s so early. I’m actually kind of a Barack fan. I think I’m a Barack guy. I think it’s a good fit at the right time. I have a gut feeling and that’s the kind of person I am. If they’re reading this in New York, Hillary would probably be a better call, huh?
How much have you enjoyed these last three weeks? You had to digest a new offense and have a lot of new guys fill roles. How much have you enjoyed all that work coming to fruition?
It’s been fun. It’s been fun the first couple of weeks because we’ve had some success on offense and scored some points, and we’ve moved the ball pretty well. It’s nice to see how everyone has come together and picked up the new offense. We still have room for improvement. But I think we’ve made a lot of good strides this early in the season.
With new coach Jeff Jagodzinski and offensive coordinator Steve Logan your offense has taken on a more vertical flavor with an emphasis on big plays. Give me an example of a play call that epitomizes the difference between this year and last year.
Down at Georgia Tech, we have the ball at our own 3-yard line. Not even. I think it got moved inside the 1 because of a penalty. We went three straight passes out of the gun. We went incomplete on two of them and hit the third for a gain of 5. It was just an aggressive approach coming out in a risky situation where you have to be sure of what you’re doing with the football. We didn’t get a first down. It was that situation where they have a lot of confidence in us. It’s at that point you realize a lot of the philosophies were different than they were in the past.
What was it like seeing former B.C. Coach Tom O’Brien on the other sideline two weeks ago?
It was different. It was definitely different. Now that it’s over, I’m glad I don’t have to play against him again. It’s someone who I have a lot of respect for and wish the best. It was different to see him on the sideline and nice to catch up with him after the game. Obviously, it’s always easier when you win. But it was nice to see him after the game. He wished me the best and I wished him the best. I’m glad that part of my senior year is done.
Coach O’Brien said in the Boston Globe earlier this year that you’re the toughest player he’s ever coached after you played half of last season on a broken foot. A lot of times toughness in sports is associated with a difficult upbringing. Where do you think your toughness comes from?
I think its being the younger brother of an older brother who was an athlete and trying to fit in. Just trying to get picked in the backyard or in the driveway. You just have to keep playing and shut your mouth and know that you can’t complain or you wont’ be allowed to play anymore. I think that’s what it boils down to. I think I’m the same way now. Keep your mouth shut, and if you can play you can play and you keep going and try and stay out on the field.
Thoughts on the happenings in South Bend? I don’t know if you heard, but Notre Dame is 0-3.
I have heard. That’s tough. It’s a tough for anyone to start 0-3. I think they’ll improve. There’s a lot of talent out there and they’re young. I think that Charlie Weis is a great coach. I think he’ll take care of business out there and they’ll turn this thing around.
There’s a Notre Dame tie here, isn’t there? Isn’t the son of your director of football operations, Barry Gallup, a player at Notre Dame?
Yeah. I know that Barry Jr. is out there and he’s a great kid. I’m sure that they have more guys out there that are high character people and they’ll get that thing straightened out and have a lot of success in the future.
You have a bunch of high school teammates from Penn Charter who’ve gone on to success in college athletics. Tell me about them.
Tony McDevitt is down at Duke playing lacrosse. I got an e-mail from him last night that one of our buddies opened a cheese steak place back in Philadelphia. When we got back we’ve got to hit it up. Tony has done a great job down there with all that they’ve gone through in the last couple of years, to continue to have the success they had to go to the national championship game. I know that they’re going to be tough again and hopefully they can pull it out and win the championship this year. I wish them the best. He was a really, really good football player in high school. He was our best guy, our most valuable player, when we were in high school.
Rob Kurz is a basketball player out at Notre Dame. Solid player and a good kid. He was really good high school basketball player. He worked really, really hard and is a very nice kid.
Sean Singletary at Virginia, who I’ve been saying is the best A.C.C. basketball player in the conference. I’ll probably take some heat from that here. We’ve got Tyrese Rice up here who is one of the best point guards in the A.C.C., too. Tyrese knows that I’ve got his back all the time, but I think Sean may pull it out because I played him and I haven’t really got a chance to play with Tyrese. Both of those guys are great players and Sean was a great receiver in high school. I threw to him quite a bit and he made it easy on me as a quarterback.
You got a favorite Steve Logan story? (Logan is BC’s quirky new offense coordinator who was the head coach at East Carolina.)
Oh god, there’s so many. He’s got a ton of one liners. I think the best one he ever gave us as a team… It was in reference to scrimmages during camp. He said as a head coach, you never know how to feel coming out of it. Because if one night the offense played well, all it means is that the defense didn’t play well. He said, ‘It’s kind of like your mother-in-law driving off a cliff in your brand new Cadillac. Some of its good, but dang, I really liked that Cadillac.’
I think people around here probably don’t have a good feel yet for Coach Jags, since it’s his first year here and he came from the N.F.L. If someone has never met him, how would you describe him?
He’s a really personable guy. He’ll get to know you fast and you’ll develop a relationship with him quickly. I think he’s a great head coach, but think he’s an even better person than he is a head coach. He’s got his values and his morals in the right spot. Ultimately I think that’s going to lead a lot of success for BC in the future. It’s been a lot of fun playing for him so far.
Any unsung heroes on the BC offense you want to give a shout out to?
The guys who don’t get a lot of recognition and do an excellent job are our offensive line. Gosder Cherilus is someone who gets a lot of recognition and it’s deserved, he’s a real phenomenal player and he’s got a really bright future ahead of him after Boston College. Ryan Poles, a senior left guard for us whose been a starter for two years, he’s played real well for us and really picked up the new system well. And then we have guys like Rich Gunnell and Clarence Megwa who have stepped up at receiver and played really, really well. It’s nice to see young guys step up and play well.
How have they done it on the defensive side of the ball? They’re fourth in the nation in rush defense after losing three of the best players – Brian Toal to an injury redshirt, B.J. Raji to academic problems and Nick Larkin for a month because of a knee injury.
It’s been incredible to see how well they’ve played and everything that they’ve gone through. They’ve lost three guys that are awesome, awesome football players. And, to see other people step up on the defensive side of the ball. I always thought we were very deep over there and that’s been confirmed. People have gotten the opportunity to play over there and they’ve gone in and made an impact. On the defensive line, Ron Brace has played, really, really well. Guys like Damik Scafe and Brady Smith have stepped up to step in for B.J. and done a great job. I can’t say enough about how well those guys have done and how impressed I am with how they responded to stepping up and filling in for the injured players.
What’s the favorite class you’ve taken at Boston College?
I’d probably say Principals of Marketing with Nick Nugent. I took it as a summer course. He was an awesome professor. He was a really smart guy. He was a Florida State graduate, so he’d always ride us about how good they were. So when we finally beat them, it was nice. He shut his mouth a little bit. He’s a great guy and an awesome professor, and I really enjoyed his class and keeping in touch with him.
Since you already graduated and are taking nine credits this semester, how much has that helped you now that the season has started?
It’s huge. I’ve got class three nights a week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. You just show up after practice and go over and spend a couple hours in there and get your work done. During the day you have so much time for film work and to get your body healthy during the season and get extra treatment. It’s nice. You kind of wish you’d had that all through college.
Who is your funniest teammate?
Funniest teammate? You ask all the tough questions today. I’d have to go with an unsung guy. We have a walk-on on our team, Mark Maglio. He does the best impersonations of coaches on our team and players on our team and administrators at BC. He definitely has a career in stand-up impersonations. He sounds exactly like the people and has great material of what they’re saying.
Who does he do?
He’s from Wisconsin, so he has Coach Jags’s accent down. He really knows Coach Jags. He’s probably one of the best. He does one of the special teams coach, Don Yanowsky. He does him really well. He does our Director of Football Operations, Barry Gallup, really well. It’s really funny and its all in good nature.
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