Matt Ryan

ATLANTA - He seemed to be the perfect quarterback for the city, a Southern kid in a Southern town, an African-American in a metropolis where more than 60 percent of the population shared his skin color, but, most of all, an unconventional quarterback with breathtaking athleticism for an organization that was in dire need of something fresh. Now, only 2 years later, he is gone, replaced by a new prodigy, and a new brand of excitement, one noticeably lacking in the foibles that came as part of the Michael Vick package.

When Mike Ryan heard the news in July, he called his son immediately. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had just named Matt Ryan, Boston College's starting quarterback, as the second-best signal caller in the country, making this summer afternoon feel "a bit like it was Christmas morning" to the proud father. His son's reaction? "Well, looks like we've got a little work to do. " It was an appropriate response from the lightly recruited, three-sport captain at Penn Charter, who has turned himself into the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason player of the year and one of the area's best chances at a homegrown Heisman Trophy winner since Abington High School's Eddie George took home the prize at Ohio State in 1995 and Overbrook High's Ron Dayne won in 1999 while at Wisconsin.

Teams pick at Matt Ryan psychologically. When the Penn Charter graduate met with the Miami Dolphins, he was asked by their general manager: "If you're going to fail in the NFL, why are you going to fail?" These teams test Ryan's mental acuity. The Kansas City Chiefs played the tape of Ryan's first pass of the 2007 season for Boston College. He remembered the play. It was an interception. Ryan, presumed to be the first quarterback taken in next weekend's NFL draft, talked about how he had switched the play at the line of scrimmage - "a good decision," Ryan said - but he probably went to the wrong side of the field to make a pass, he said, then he made a poor throw.

Matt Ryan and Tony McDevitt are two of the few starters returning for the Penn Charter football team this season. Both have strong recollections of what past seasons were like for the Quakers. They remember times they held leads or were competitive in games, but wilted under the strain of superior numbers. Both also knew the potential of this year's team. Penn Charter flashed some of that potential in its season opener yesterday when it beat Cardinal O'Hara, 20-7, at Sun Valley High.

The framed 1896 charter of the Aronimink Golf Club that decorates the hallway of the clubhouse in Newtown Township shows that six charter members were women. But women members today are "second-class citizens," according to Barbara DiTullio, the president of the Delaware County Chapter of the National Organization for Women. DiTullio said that the language of the club's bylaws, which date to 1928, does not allow women to buycertificates of membership, and therefore prohibits women from being voting members of the club.

As a preferred walk-on, quarterback John Loughery could have attended Boston College, where his cousin, Matt Ryan, excelled en route to the NFL. Instead, he's bound for Division I-AA Elon. "I wanted to create my own path," said the 6-5, 210-pound Loughery, who's now doing a prep school year at Hun in Princeton, N.J., after starring at Penn Charter. "I wanted to be somewhere where they really wanted me. "I'm going to play my whole career at Elon with a major chip on my shoulder.

SOME U-TURNS are more interesting than others. After completing an unofficial visit to Notre Dame on Sunday, mammoth Penn Charter junior tackle Mike McGlinchey (6-8, 290) and his father were heading to their next stop, Wisconsin. Screech! They applied the breaks and turned around. McGlinchey told Irish Sports Daily , "I talked it over with my dad in the car and I decided to commit to Notre Dame. I decided it's the right place for me and it's a dream come true to be able to be a member of the Notre Dame football team.

Matt Ryan, the Penn Charter graduate who just finished an amazing season for Boston College, is projected by many draft prognosticators to be the first quarterback taken in April's draft. He couldn't have picked a better representative to help his transition to the NFL, super-agent Tom Condon, who also represents Peyton and Eli Manning. Ryan earned Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year honors after throwing for 4,258 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. Ryan led the Eagles to an 11-3 record, including a 24-21 bowl victory over Michigan State last season.

The Falcons, besides being without starting quarterback Matt Ryan, could be without running back Michael Turner when they host the Eagles Sunday. Turner did not practice yesterday, and coach Mike Smith was uncertain about his availability for Sunday. Wide receiver Michael Jenkins (ankle) and offensive lineman Harvey Dahl (ankle) also did not practice yesterday. Turner, who ran for a career-best 1,699 yards last year, suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 10 and aggravated the injury Sunday against Tampa Bay. Considering the injury, it actually would be a surprise if Turner plays.

Daily News football writer Paul Domowitch rates the quarterbacks in this year's draft: 1. Matt Ryan, Boston College, 6-4, 228, 4.89 in 40, projected round: 1 2. Brian Brohm, Lousville, 6-3, 230, 4.81 in 40, projected round: 1 3. Joe Flacco, Delaware, 6-6, 236, 4.84 in 40, projected round: 1 4. Chad Henne, Michigan, 6-3, 230, 4.92 in 40, projected round: 2 5. Andre Woodson, Kentucky, 6-4, 229, 4.85 in 40, projected round: 2...

SOME U-TURNS are more interesting than others. After completing an unofficial visit to Notre Dame on Sunday, mammoth Penn Charter junior tackle Mike McGlinchey (6-8, 290) and his father were heading to their next stop, Wisconsin. Screech! They applied the breaks and turned around. McGlinchey told Irish Sports Daily , "I talked it over with my dad in the car and I decided to commit to Notre Dame. I decided it's the right place for me and it's a dream come true to be able to be a member of the Notre Dame football team.

As a preferred walk-on, quarterback John Loughery could have attended Boston College, where his cousin, Matt Ryan, excelled en route to the NFL. Instead, he's bound for Division I-AA Elon. "I wanted to create my own path," said the 6-5, 210-pound Loughery, who's now doing a prep school year at Hun in Princeton, N.J., after starring at Penn Charter. "I wanted to be somewhere where they really wanted me. "I'm going to play my whole career at Elon with a major chip on my shoulder.

49ERS (-2) over Giants You can't argue that the New Yorkers have really stepped it up the last month, winning and covering five of the last six, but we have to put the Big Blue under the Vic-roscope (it's like a microscope, just more invasive). The Giants' win over the Packers (37-20) was as solid as it gets, but don't forget they were playing against the 32nd ranked defense in the league. That win over the Falcons (24-2) was solid as well, but Atlanta and Matt Ryan looked like deer in the headlights.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Timing, the New York Giants know, is an incredible force. In the NFL playoffs, it's not enough to have strong parts on your team. Those parts also have to excel at just the right time. The Giants have made that happen for the last three weeks, culminating with a bruising, 24-2 win over the Falcons in a wild-card playoff game here Sunday. The run has been enough to help the Giants win the NFC East and now, in some corners of New York, inspire comparisons to their 2007 championship run, when the pieces also fell into place at just the right time.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was much debate about how real the Eagles' defensive improvement was the last month of the season, and whether it meant the Birds could have been a competitive playoff team. We'll never know. But if the question is, "Can you have a bad defense most of the season, come together late, and dominate to win a game in the postseason?" - well, the answer there yesterday at MetLife Stadium was "yes. " The Giants came into their Wild Card Weekend matchup with the visiting Atlanta Falcons having closed the books on the regular season ranked 29th in NFL pass defense, 27th in overall defense, 22nd in points allowed.

The New York Giants are only four years removed from their last Super Bowl victory, and they have nothing on the Atlanta Falcons in terms of postseason experience. The Giants (9-7) will be the novices Sunday when they host the Falcons (10-6) in an NFC wild-card game at MetLife Stadium. New York is returning to the postseason after a two-year absence that put coach Tom Coughlin's job in jeopardy, while the Falcons will be appearing in the playoffs for the second straight year and third time in four seasons.

How fast do we expect NFL success these days? Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, now in his fourth year in the league and heading into the third playoff game of his life, is already facing questions about "getting the monkey off his back. " That big, 0-2 monkey. Three whole seasons in the making, including Ryan's rookie year, when the Penn Charter alumnus from Exton led the Falcons to the playoffs after taking over a team that had gone 4-12 the previous campaign. But impatience and expectations are realities for young quarterbacks, especially those drafted as high as Ryan, taken third overall in the 2008 draft out of Boston College.

IF YOU WATCHED this week's "Monday Night Football" pregame montage, then you witnessed a ritual devoid of Hank Williams Jr., but rife with actress Betty White. White, who seemed full of something more than just Christmas cheer, provided reasons for her football fandom - one of which included Falcons quarterback and Penn Charter alum Matt Ryan. But it ain't Ryan's play that keeps the 89-year-old White glued to her TV set. It's his looks. "Ryan's nickname is Matty Ice because he's so cool," began White.

NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees threw for 307 yards to set a new NFL single-season record for yards passing with 5,087, and completed four touchdown passes to lift the New Orleans Saints to a 45-16 division-clinching win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. Brees entered the fourth quarter needing only 30 yards to break Dan Marino's 1984 record of 5,084 yards. His four touchdowns gave him 276 for his career, moving him one ahead of Vinny Testeverde for ninth all time. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 5,000 yards twice - he had 5,069 in 2008.

ATLANTA - Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes and the Atlanta Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning season with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. At halftime the Falcons (9-5) were up by 27-0 and the Jaguars (4-10) had a net passing total of minus-1 yard. Falcons 41, Jaguars 14 Jacksonville 0 0 7 7 – 14 Atlanta 10 17 14 0 – 41 First quarter   Atl–Jones 29 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 10:51.