The sum of money Floyd Mayweather Jr. is making for merely appearing in the ring reportedly reached a new record high, according to news that broke Wednesday.
According to Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, and Golden Boy Promotions head Richard Schaefer, Mayweather will receive a $41.5 million guarantee for his impending Sept. 14 fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Mayweather has shattered his own record in guarantees for this latest bout, which will be held at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. In each of his previous two showdowns against Miguel Cotto and most recently Robert Guerrero, Mayweather received a guaranteed $32 million, according to Forbes' Kurt Badenhausen.
This certainly gives Money May plenty more dough to add to the bankroll, regardless of the outcome of the fight that is being labeled "The One."
With the WBA super welterweight title on the line along with Alvarez's WBC and The Ring light middleweight titles, the hype surrounding this showdown certainly won't be minimized in light of Mayweather's exorbitant guarantee.
The 36-year-old boasts a perfect 44-0 record in his illustrious pro career, but faces a formidable foe in Alvarez who himself has never lost as a professional, with a 42-0-1 record.
A catchweight of 152 pounds has been established for the fight, and considering Mayweather's endurance and the patient style of Alvarez, this one should go all 12 rounds.
Even if this fight does live up to its monumental billing—and is worth the high-definition pay-per-view cost of $74.95 on Showtime PPV, per Badenhausen—justifying or even fathoming this kind of payday is difficult in any context.
It seems Hugh Douglas and Michael Smith, two of the co-hosts for ESPN's Numbers Never* Lie program, took the network's push to "Embrace Debate" a little too literally this Friday while in Orlando for the National Association of Black Journalists convention.
Sources privy to the situation toldThe Big Lead that Douglas and Smith were involved in a heated argument at a Sports Task Force party in Orlando's House of Blues. The altercation became so intense that parties had to intervene and break the two men up.
It's unclear whether any punches were thrown or whether the situation got physical in any nature. However, it's clear that tensions boiled over. It got to the point where one source questioned whether Douglas would be able to return to the set. Someone who saw a majority of the action described the scene as “very ugly.”
For Smith's sake, we're happy the folks on-hand didn't let things get too out of control. There are no measurables for the former Boston Globe reporter turned ESPN personality, but it's pretty clear he'd be fighting out of his weight class. Douglas was listed at 6'2" and 281 pounds during his decade-long NFL career.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Douglas has been with ESPN since 2011. He joined Numbers Never* Lie as a permanent co-host last September, replacing the departed Charissa Thompson. Jemele Hill serves as the show's third host, taking over a position vacated by Jalen Rose.
Smith has been with ESPN since July 2004. In addition to his hosting duties on Numbers Never* Lie, he is a regular panelist on Around the Horn and E:60.
It's unclear whether there had been tensions in the past between the two. Douglas tweeted a picture of himself, Smith and Hill all sitting at a panel Friday for the NABJ, which hosts a yearly convention aimed at inspiring black journalists and celebrating their accomplishments. The convention ran through Sunday.
The Big Lead's story notes that neither party has tweeted since the incident. Smith has since returned to social media, while Douglas is still silent. Neither party has given a statement on the matter or acknowledged the report's veracity.
ESPN initially declined to comment, but spokesperson David Scott later said the company was aware of an alleged incident.
"We are aware there was a disagreement between Hugh Douglas and Michael Smith on Friday," Scott said. "We are looking into the situation."
Numbers Never* Lie debuted in September of 2011. Smith has been the show's only mainstay, as it has been shuffled multiple times due to poor ratings and departures.
In addition to being hit with a 65-game suspension and missing the remainder of the 2013 MLB season, Milwaukee Brewers superstar Ryan Braun lost a major sponsor in Nike on Friday.
ESPN.com's Darren Rovell broke the news of Braun's contract being terminated in the wake of his involvement in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal. KeJuan Wilkins, a Nike spokesman, confirmed that Braun and Nike no longer have a relationship.
The 29-year-old left fielder has been wearing Nike baseball cleats and batting gloves for all seven years of his major league career, according to Rovell. Also noted in the report is that Nike recently began rolling out Braun T-shirts in its stores, with sayings like "Big Bat Like Braun" and "Braun Owns Milwaukee."
It is the latest in a long line of endorsement deals that Braun has lost, including associations with Muscle Milk and Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip. Nike is undoubtedly the most notable sponsor to sever its ties with the 2011 National League MVP, though.
Braun's brand had already been damaged significantly by his decision to take performance-enhancing drugs, and this move from Nike is just another serious knock on his image. To get back into good graces with sponsors and baseball fans alike, Braun clearly has a lot of work to do.
In 61 games this season for the Brewers, the five-time All-Star batted .298 with nine home runs and 38 RBI.
The Braun saga makes what has already been a tough season in Milwaukee even more trying. The Brewers sit last in the NL Central division with a 46-62 record entering Friday's home game against the Washington Nationals.
Commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to levy a lifetime suspension on New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, while suspending about eight others before the weekend, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.
The people were unauthorized to speak publicly because no announcement is expected until Thursday or Friday.
"I hope he does it,'' former Commissioner Fay Vincent told USA TODAY Sports. "It's right for baseball. The harder he comes down, the better it is for baseball.''
Rodriguez, according to his attorney, David Cornwell, will appeal any suspension, regardless of the severity. The other players are expected to receive 50-game bans, and most are considering accepting the discipline without appealing, according to one of the people.
As many as 20 players were originally linked to Biogenesis, a Miami clinic that allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs, but some players could not be disciplined for lack of evidence.
Besides Rodriguez, All-Stars Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers and Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers are facing possible suspensions, along with shortstop Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres.
Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president of labor relations, informed the Major League Players Association officials on Tuesday of their findings and suspensions. The players and their representatives will decide whether they will file an appeal or accept the penalties, which would all but end their regular season with barely 50 games remaining.
Rodriguez, who used performance-enhancing drugs from 2010-2012, according to Biogenesis documents originally released by the Miami New Times, has never been punished for doping. Players who violate the drug policy are subject to a 50-game suspension.
Milwaukee Brewers outfield Ryan Braun was suspended last week for 65 games for what MLB called violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Joint Drug Agreement.
We have heard the all-too-familiar comment, "Can Andy Dalton take the next step?" plenty of times over the offseason. Fans of the Cincinnati Bengals have been in a deadlock over the discussion of whether Dalton can actually become a franchise quarterback for the team.
Well, the answer to that question is beginning to emerge.
Yes, he can.
Over the first practices of the Bengals' 2013 training camp, head coach Marvin Lewis has stressed the importance of tempo for the offense. The goal is to get everyone on the same page so Dalton can get the ball in and out of his hands in a hurry.
Lewis had some very telling comments about the new up-tempo style during an interview with Bengals.com.
What jumps out is you come in and the guys know what to expect. The thing about it is that we’re pushing the tempo. I felt good about the tempo, in and out of the huddle, to the line of scrimmage and give the quarterback a chance to work. If we dilly-dally around and mess around, that play clock is sitting there at 12 when we get to the line of scrimmage. We want that play clock at 18 if we can or 20 if we’re in the huddle. If we can get in and out of the huddle in that time, that’s good. That’s why we push that envelope as much as we can.
Dalton already showed some leadership ability during his rookie season.
The key factor about the tempo that Lewis is instilling in his offensive players is that it is not only meant to be quick, but smooth as well. When everyone is on the same page, and gets in and out of the huddle as a unit, it gives Dalton the advantage during pre-snap reads.
With this new offensive philosophy comes new offensive weapons.
The Bengals were not necessarily stacked outside of A.J. Green over the past couple of seasons. Now, with the experience of Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones, and the additions of rookies Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard, Dalton has every necessary chance for success.
He has already shown that during the early days of training camp.
During 11-on-11 drills—against the 2012 sixth-ranked defense—Dalton completed 21 of 30 attempts in a situation where the offense is usually playing catchup to the defense so early in training camp.
Keep in mind, this is without Green on the field.
Plenty of this is due to the very early chemistry that is being built between Dalton and Eifert. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden expanded upon this during an interview on Bengals.com.
Tyler is already making a good mark on the quarterback; that's the important thing. You bring people in here and we can sell them all we want to, but it's up to the quarterback to gain his trust and vice versa. Both these guys are already starting to see a trust factor. Tyler is going to get better. He'll have a better understanding.
Aside from the immense weapons that Dalton has at his disposal, Gruden also commented on the vastly-improved offensive line.
We've got Whit back and Clint back and that helps because we had a lot of linemen playing and they were kind of in a funk. Now we've got stability up front. They have more confidence. That's where it starts. As long as they do their job we have a chance to get some balls off downfield.
Aside from his supporting cast, Dalton has also continued to embrace his role as a leader of the offense. He is becoming more vocal and continues to emphasize his role. Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweeted this regarding Dalton.
The offense is doing all of the right things, Dalton is saying all of the right things and the coaching staff is impressed with what they have seen so far. This is only after the first days of training camp.
If Dalton continues this trend, the questions regarding his reliability and his chances of taking this team to the next level can finally come to an end.
The Phoenix Suns' Luis Scola is headed to the Indiana Pacers in a trade, according to his publicist in Argentina.
Juan Sebastia, who runs Scola's website, tweeted Friday night that a trade to send the Argentine big man to the Pacers would be officially announced Saturday.
Neither team commented in the immediate aftermath of the tweet.
But sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com that one trade scenario on the table would send swingman Gerald Green and future draft considerations to Phoenix in exchange for Scola, whose arrival in Indiana would only strengthen a front line headlined by center Roy Hibbert and the recently re-signed David West.
Sources told ESPN that subsequent reports out of Argentina about former All-Star swingman Danny Granger being included in the trade were erroneous.
The Pacers have shown interest in Scola dating to his days with the Houston Rockets and have made it clear since a Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals that they would try to do anything they could to close the gap.
The Suns picked up Scola a year ago in an amnesty-provision auction after the Rockets waived the 6-foot-9, 245-pound power forward. Scola is due to earn $4.5 million in 2013-14 in the second year of his contract with Phoenix.
Scola, who has averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in six NBA seasons, scored 12.8 points with 6.6 rebounds per game last season for the Suns.
The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly added some depth to their pitching staff, agreeing to a six-year deal with Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez worth more than $50 million, according to Yahoo! Sports MLB columnist Jeff Passan via Twitter:
Passan adds that, according to a source, the deal could pay Gonzalez as much as $60 million when bonuses are factored in. That figure would be a record for an international player:
On Saturday, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported that the contract figures were a little different than those reported by Passan.
A talented starting flamethrower from Cuba, Gonzalez has a lot to offer Philadelphia as it gets set to make a final push for the postseason this summer.
According to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett, the 26-year-old "has a nice assortment of pitches," and can reach 96 mph on his fastball. Durrett also hears that Gonzalez possesses an impressive splitter, slider and changeup.
Gonzalez was "granted free agency" back in June, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. Around the same time, he received an unblocking license from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control that made him eligible to sign with a major-league team earlier this week.
The Phillies, who are five games below .500 and nine games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East following Friday's road loss to the Detroit Tigers, currently rank 22nd in the majors in team ERA, sporting a 4.16 earned run average.
Only San Francisco and San Diego rank worse among National League teams in that category. Therefore, this move makes plenty of sense for Philly, even if the cost is alarming.
Adding Gonzalez right before the trade deadline allows the Phillies to add a top-flight starter to their rotation without having to sacrifice any prospects in exchange. Financially, only time will tell how wise of a move this one is for Philadelphia.
This is to be no ordinary weekend in Cooperstown, New York. Hall of Fame weekend has arrived.
Huzzah...?
Not this year, no.
Ordinarily, Hall of Fame weekend is a big deal. But in 2013? Shoot, there's no shame in anyone admitting that they had no idea it was coming up. Thanks to what happened in January, it's not like it matters this year.
The Cooperstown gatekeepers pitched a shutout in this year's voting, their strongest statement yet against the dirty, no-good juicers from the Steroid Era who have found their way onto the ballot. Judging from the voting totals—37.6 percent for Roger Clemens, 36.2 percent for Barry Bonds, a mere 16.9 percent for Mark McGwire and so on—and the voting habits of from recent years, the line in the sand is as clear as day.
That line should be erased, and the sooner the better.
No, there shouldn't be an open invitation for Steroid Era stars to come waltzing in. I'm of the mind that their cases should be handled on an individual basis, with consideration given to the evidence against them and how much the naughty stuff conceivably helped them.
That's simple scrutiny, not a line in the sand that requires lumping all Steroid Era stars under one umbrella and keeping them out based on principle. Which is bogus, especially if the rationalization is that the sanctimony of the Hall of Fame must be upheld.
Psh. What sanctimony?
We can start with what Frank Thomas said last month. The former Chicago White Sox great isn't in the Hall of Fame yet, but he told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that he had spoken with a few Hall of Famers and found that they were in agreement on how welcoming they are of juicers in Cooperstown: not at all.
Said Thomas:
They say, 'Hell, no.' They don't want any of these guys in. These are super-superstars in my eyes, and they're serious about it. I would suggest you get around the Johnny Benches, the Ozzie Smiths, the Dave Winfields and Mike Schmidts. Hold court with them and see how they feel. I've talked to them and it was eye-opening.
I want the game to be where it's supposed to be. Guys have climbed that mountain for a reason, and that's important to me. To hear the Hall of Famers talk, their legacy is important to them. I respect that. That's why I had such feelings for Hank Aaron and those guys coming up, and I wanted to get to the level of the Hall of Fame. When guys take drugs like that, they're not deserving of being on that level.
I've already used the Big Hurt's remarks as a jumping-off point for another article on PEDs and the Hall of Fame, and I'll repeat a sentiment from that one here.
Current Hall of Famers don't want to be rubbing shoulders with juicers, eh? Well, too bad. They already are.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
He didn't give a name, but Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post said (viaWezen-Ball.com) in Ken Burns' documentary The Tenth Inning that he had one player tell him back in 1988 that he was drinking a "Jose Canseco milkshake." That player set a new career high for home runs that year and is now in the Hall of Fame.
So there's at least one juicer in Cooperstown. And it doesn't stop there.
We know from page 28 of the Mitchell Report that the use of anabolic steroids in baseball was "alarming" as far back as 1973. Seeing as how a problem doesn't become "alarming" overnight, it's perfectly fair to conclude that steroids were invading baseball well before 1973.
In turn, it's fair to conclude that players were juicing decades before the arrival of the Steroid Era. That span of time produced Hall of Famers. Some of those Hall of Famers are bound to have juiced during their playing days. Logic!
But wait, it doesn't stop there either.
We know that Pud Galvin, a 365-game winner, was granted posthumous entry into the Hall of Fame in 1965, and we know that he was juicing as far back as the late 1880s. We also know that he was celebrated for it.
As Galvin's career was coming to a close in 1889, he turned to testosterone treatment developed using an extract from the testicles of a guinea pig and a dog. The treatment was touted in the press as a substance that would 'rejuvenate the old and make strong the feeble.'
So if you're looking at performance-enhancing drugs in baseball as a phenomenon limited to the 1990s and early 2000s, don't. The use of PEDs in baseball stretches all the way back to the sepia-toned early days. It's not a stretch to think that the league's cleanest days are happening right now.
And this is to say nothing of amphetamines, or "greenies" in baseball parlance. They were finally banned in 2006, and that was the end of a way of life. Greenieshad been a popular performance-enhancer for ballplayers dating back to the 1950s, and they were taken by scrubs and greats alike even after amphetamines were deemed a controlled substance by the federal government in 1970.
Elect Steroid Era stars to the Hall of Fame, specifically the ones known to be dirty, and yeah, they'll be accepted begrudgingly. Or shunned entirely.
But they wouldn't be a foul new breed of Hall of Famer, bringing with them corruption unlike any Cooperstown has ever known. We have every reason to believe that the Hall already plays host to those who played chemically-enhanced and has been doing so for many years.
As for the notion that steroid users should be kept out on the basis that they're bad guys, we don't even have to get into that discussion about whether the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs is something that only bad guys are capable of.
That discussion is irrelevant in the case of the Hall of Fame. As much as it wants to be a home for the virtuous, in reality, it's not.
Ty Cobb was a generally rotten SOB who likedto get into fights (subscription required) with fans. Rube Waddell was a living, breathing id who also wasn't morally opposed to beating up fans. Mickey Mantle was a drunk and a womanizer who once gave a child an autograph complimenting his mother on her, ahem, cup size. Even the ever-lovable Kirby Puckett, one of my favorite players as a kid, had a (very) dark side.
These guys almost look like saints compared to some of the bigwigs who have found their way into the Hall of Fame over the years. Had Charles Comiskey not been such a cheap tyrant, the infamous Black Sox scandal would not have happened. Had Kenesaw Mountain Landis been a man of action rather than ofseemingly on-purpose inaction, baseball's color line would have been abolished well before 1947.
It should be remembered that folks like these are in the Hall of Fame whenever a voter dares to invoke the character clause of the Hall of Fame voting guidelines. That clause was well-intentioned, but the years that have passed and the characters who have been put in the Hall of Fame despite it have made it moot. It would be best if it was done away with, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sportsargued back in January.
Eliminate the hilariously farcical notions that the Hall of Fame is no place for juicers and/or morally reprehensible people, and you're left with the one purpose the Hall of Fame is legitimately good for: to honor the history of baseball.
Heck, that's basically the Hall of Fame's motto: “Preserving History. Honoring Excellence. Connecting Generations.”
The voters are causing the Hall of Fame to fail at the first two parts. As long as some of the greatest players ever are being denied entry, the Hall of Fame will not be preserving history or honoring excellence to the degree that it should be.
Again, I'm not arguing that zero consideration should be given to which players juiced and how much they benefited from them. If it can be proved that a player juiced and it can be reasonably concluded that he only enjoyed a great career because he juiced, then by all means, leave that player out. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa come immediately to mind.
But Roger Clemens? It can't be proved and indeed hasn't been proved that he juiced, so, really, he shouldn't even be up for discussion in this article or any other about the Steroid Era. Strip away the suspicions, and Clemens is a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame.
And Barry Bonds? He won't say he did so knowingly, but he has admitted to juicing during his career. Supposedly, his juicing started as far back as the 1999 season.
But by then, Bonds was already the first player in baseball history with 400 homers and 400 stolen bases, and his 164 OPS+ through his first 13 seasons was historically good. Per Baseball-Reference.com, only 10 current Hall of Famers had an OPS+ at least that high through their first 13 seasons.
If you want to believe that steroids invalidated the latter stage of Bonds' career, fine. I'm right there with you. But they didn't make him a Hall of Fame-caliber player. He could have retired after 1998 and still would have been a first-ballot member.
So let's say these guys and, eventually, other guys with PED links like Andy Pettitte and David Ortiz are put in the Hall of Fame. Ask yourself this:
What harm could possibly come of it?
The sanctity of the Hall of Fame wouldn't be sullied, as the sanctity of Cooperstown is already a farce to begin with. And if anyone's worried about whether glorifying PED users would give contemporary players something to strive for, well, that's really nothing to worry about.
The league is different these days. Testing and public outrage have made it undeniably cleaner than it was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the union's approach to Biogenesis shows just how much the times have changed. It no longer protects the juicers. It protects the innocent, who far outnumber the juicers.
Then there's the fact that the primary incentive for players to use PEDs is not to one day get into the Hall of Fame anyway. The much more relevant potential reward is that of a big-time payday. Go ask Melky Cabrera. Or Ryan Braun. Or any one of the minor leaguers who get busted every year.
It doesn't matter if the penalty for a first-time offense stays at 50 games or goes up to 100 games or life. The potential reward is still going to exist and is still going to be tempting. Some players will go for it. Absolutely nothing that happens with the Hall of Fame is going to change that.
So let's stop pretending like the earth is going to split open and fire and brimstone are going to rain from the sky if a few PED users find their way to Cooperstown. They should certainly be chosen carefully, and I'd be fine with their plaques being littered with asterisks and a few flashing red lights on the side just to be absolutely sure everyone knows what they did.
But putting their plaques in place would not be punching a hole in baseball's moral fiber, nor would doing so heighten the level of cheating in baseball beyond where it already is.
Here's the only thing that would happen: The history of baseball will be appropriately honored.
And that's all anybody can and should ask of the Hall of Fame.
Winning may not cure absolutely everything, but it certainly catapults you into one popular athlete.
Darren Rovell reports LeBron James is once again the most popular player in the NBA, according to the latest ESPN Sports Poll:
Nearly 13 percent (12.9) of NBA fans said James was their favorite player this season, allowing him to best Kobe Bryant (12.5) for the first time since the 2008-09 season. That was the only other season when James passed the Los Angeles Lakers star, the top pick by fans for five of six years from 2006-07 to 2011-12.
It should be fairly obvious to NBA fans why James may have slipped from the top spot for the last four years. In the 2008-2009 season, James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game on his way to the NBA MVP award.
The next season was met with some uncertainty and conjecture as to where James would play, leading up to the ill-fated "The Decision" presentation that saw King James instantly become one of the most vilified players in the league.
As Rovell notes, his popularity took a major hit when ESPN aired live coverage of his decision to head to Miami.
After "The Decision," James' approval rating slipped drastically. For his final season in Cleveland, 15.6 percent of fans called him their favorite, according to the ESPN Sports Poll taken after the 2009-10 season. But for his first two years with the Heat, James was called fans' favorite player by 10.2 and 9.4 percent, respectively.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Not only did James work his way back to the top of the basketball world, but he seemingly made inroads with fans with whom he apparently fell out of favor. As is often the case, people love winning and fall in love with those who dominate. James has reached another level in his play and captured back-to-back championships with the Miami Heat the last two years.
When all is said and done, it's funny that an obvious public relations blunder would make such a significant impact on James' brand, especially when you consider the manner he plays the game and how he carries himself off the court.
If there was any question that James was the best player in the league, he extinguished it with his masterful 37-point, 12-rebound performance in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
It seemed that finally fans, for the most part, were done quibbling about some silly show a few years prior and decided to just sit in awe and enjoy.
Of course, James will take championships, MVP awards and wins over popularity polls. Still, it's always nice to know you are liked.
Falcons team owner Arthur Blank sat on stage Thursday with general manager ThomasDimitroff and head coach Mike Smith to sing the praises of their newly re-signed quarterback, Matt Ryan.
“I’ll be having a private meeting with Matt a little later tonight to talk to him about becoming an investor in the new stadium,” said Blank. “We’re going to do that or maybe talk about the naming rights.”
Ryan doesn’t have that kind of coin, but he does have a new five-year, $103.75 million extension with $59 million guaranteed. And he’s worth every penny of it.
The accolades are proof enough.
Ryan’s led the Falcons to a 56-22 record in his five seasons in Atlanta. Those 56 wins are better than any other quarterback in NFL history during the first five years of a career. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is second on that list and Pittsburgh Steelers field general Ben Roethlisberger is third, two and five wins behind, respectively.
Courtesy Atlanta Falcons
When it comes to winning percentage in his first five seasons, Ryan ranks third all-time with a .718 showing. He trails only Tom Brady (.769) and Peyton Manning (.766) on that list, arguably two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
There are several other statistics that show why Ryan deserves this money, even though Ryan humbly said in his post-contract-signing press conference, “Both sides (Ryan was speaking about his agent and the Falcons front office) think I’m much better than I really am.”
Here’s the laundry list. And just like laundry day when you can’t find all your black socks, this isn’t a complete list.
According to the "Falcons' Fact Book," at 33-5 (.868) Ryan has the best career home winning percentage (minimum 25 starts) of any quarterback who began his career in the Super Bowl era.
After Atlanta’s Week 8 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, Ryan tied Roethlisberger as the second-fastest quarterback to the 50-win plateau. It took them both 69 games. Brady was just a bit quicker; it took him 65 games.
One of the more telling marks of Ryan’s new $103.75 million value is his fourth-quarter and overtime moxie, the juice he’s got that earned him the nickname “Matty Ice.”
Ryan has put his team on his back late in games on so many occasions. Since 2008 (Ryan’s rookie campaign), he’s led 22 come-from-behind wins that started in the fourth quarter or overtime. That’s the most of any NFL quarterback since 1966.
Courtesy Atlanta Falcons
On Thursday, Ryan joined three other quarterbacks who signed large new deals in the previous months.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a five-year extension worth $110 million with $54 guaranteed. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was given a six-year extension worth $108 million with $55 million guaranteed, and Flacco got $120.6 million over six years with $52 million guaranteed.
Ryan might not be ready to overtake Rodgers as the best quarterback in the NFL, but he definitely has every right to be mentioned with this group. And his flat-rate average of $20.75 million per extension year is higher than both Flacco’s ($20.1 million) and Romo’s ($18 million).
Ryan and Flacco will forever be compared because they both entered the league as first-round signal-callers in 2008, Ryan taken with the third overall pick andFlacco at No. 18. Flacco has a 9-4 playoff record with a Super Bowl ring. Ryan’s 1-4 in the playoffs and has a history of not getting it done in the postseason.
But outside of playoff success, Ryan’s the better quarterback.
Ryan’s completion percentage of 62.7 percent is 2.2 points higher than Flacco’s at 60.5. Ryan’s thrown 25 more touchdown passes, only four more interceptions and has accumulated 1,324 more passing yards.
NFL Network Analyst Bucky Brooks, a former player and scout, had Ryan andFlacco in a dead heat last July. Flacco got the nod with his arm and athleticism, while Ryan won in game management and clutch factor. The Falcons, with Ryan's new contract on Thursday, showed with their pocketbook which side of the Ryan-Flacco fence they fall on.
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