FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Matt Ryan made it all look easy at the beginning of his NFL career.As a rookie, he guided the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs. For the first five years of his career, he never experienced a losing season, a stretch that included two division titles and a Super Bowl near-miss.But, at age 31 and coming off the teams third straight non-winning season, Ryan finds himself at a bit of a crossroads.The quarterback known as Matty Ice still has the full confidence of his coaches and teammates, but a question keeps popping up around the city: Is he the right guy to lead the Falcons to their first championship?Matt is a guy whos been on a mission since the season ended, said Dan Quinn, the teams second-year coach.Ryan is always reticent about looking at the big picture, and hes not about to change that perspective.Still, its clear hes extremely driven to improve on the last three years.I think every year you have a great sense of urgency because you just never know, you never know how things are going to shake out, Ryan said Wednesday, looking ahead to the season opener against NFC South rival Tampa Bay.Obviously, we won a lot of games my first five years, and that hasnt been the case the last three, but none of that matters. What matters is this season. For me, is there extra motivation? I think your motivation continues to build the longer you play in your career. I think you become more and more motivated to be great, to play at a high level and to win more games.A year ago, he never seemed to find his comfort zone with new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Even with one of the leagues best receivers in Julio Jones, Ryan threw only 21 touchdown passes (the lowest since his rookie year in 2008), was picked off 16 times (the second-highest total of his career) and wound up with a rating of 89.0 (his worst since 2009).That put him 20th in the NFL, right between Oaklands Derek Carr and Miamis Ryan Tannehill. In other words, not exactly an elite quarterback neighborhood -- especially for someone who got a $103 million contract extension three years ago.There was plenty of speculation about Shanahans future after the Falcons squandered a 5-0 start last season, finishing 8-8 to miss the playoffs for the third year in a row.But Shanahan is back for his second season, and Ryan expects a much more cohesive relationship.I think a lot was made about a little, Ryan said. Anytime youre not winning a bunch of games, youre always looking to see what you can do to be better.What made last years performance really stand out -- and not in a good way -- was a perplexing series of turnovers.Ryan was picked off four times in the red zone, something you just dont expect from a seasoned quarterback who supposedly spends as much time in the film room as anyone. He also lost five fumbles.The thing that we got in trouble with as an offense last year was turnovers, Quinn said. That part of our game was a significant one. We performed well in a lot of areas, a lot of areas. We played extremely well on third down ... we ran it well, we had explosive plays, but we didnt take care of the ball well as a group.Ryan knows hes got to cut down on the silly mistakes. Theres no need to force a play when hes got weapons around him such as Jones and running back Devonta Freeman.You want to play really aggressive at the quarterback position, Ryan said. The turnovers you want to eliminate are the ones you can control. Theyre going to happen. Thats part of the game. But you want to take back the ones where you feel like you just gave them one.Theres no thought, at least within the organization, of making a dramatic change in course.Ryan is the Falcons undisputed leader, for better or worse.Hes going to be successful, said defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux, the only longer-tenured member of the Falcons than Ryan. Its just a matter of how successful hes going to be.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Air Max Shoes Online . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. http://www.airmaxcheapwholesale.com/ .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Cheap Air Max Clearance . LOUIS -- St. SOCCEROOS PLAYER RATINGSMat Ryan 7.5 - Was busy all night and made some vital saves, including Chanathip Songkrasins long-range bullet and another close to fulltime.Brad Smith 6 - Was exposed just before Thailands opener but always gets forward. Atoned somewhat with a crucial sliding tackle to deny Chanathip just before halftime.Trent Sainsbury 6.5 - The more composed of the central defenders and made some crucial clearances in the second half.Matthew Spiranovic 6 - Partially to blame for Thailands opener by allowing Chanathip space on the left. Otherwise solid.Milos Degenek 5 - Picked ahead of Josh Risdon but looked overrun at times and was targeted in the second half.Mile Jedinak 7 - Calmly slotted both penalties to save his team from a humiliating loss. Gave the ball away cheaply at times but influential as always.Tom Rogic 7 - Took a signature long-range stab and his legs lasted well, but couldnt find thhe piercing pass Australia needed.ddddddddddddAaron Mooy 6 - Not his best game in terms of creating chances but still a reliable set-piece taker.Robbie Kruse 4 - Clearly underdone as a result of playing next to no club football. Repeatedly caught offside.Jamie Maclaren 5 - Worked hard on competitive international debut but lacked service and struggled to impose himself.Mathew Leckie 5 - Came close to scoring his fourth international goal after 20 seconds. Responsible for the foul that allowed Thailand to claim a penalty and the lead.SUBSTITUTESNathan Burns 7.5 - Came on buzzing and clipped the crossbar with a long-range left-foot strike.Mark Milligan 6 - Slotted in seamlessly and should have been brought on earlier.Jackson Irvine NR - Picked up a yellow card in a 10-minute cameo. 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