Former Penn Charter Star Matt Ryan To Face Tampa Bay On Thursday Night Football
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Quarterback Matt Ryan will be featured on Thursday Night Football when his Atlanta Falcons (1-1) host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) this week.
Ryan, the Exton, PA native and former Penn Charter star, grew up an Eagles fan and is 2-2 against the Birds in his career. The last time he faced the Eagles was in 2012 at Lincoln Financial Field. Ryan had a contingency of 60 supporters, friends and family, on-hand to see the Falcons beat the Eagles 30-17.
"I've been an Eagles' fan and Philadelphia sports fan my whole life, but when Matt was drafted by the Falcons, they say blood is thicker than water, and that's who the whole family roots for today," Ryan's grandfather Sam Loughery told CBS Philly in 2012. "I'm still an Eagles' fan and will always be an Eagles' fan, except when they play my grandson, and when the Falcons play."
Related: TNF Breakdown - Bucs at Falcons
Ryan, 29, is in his seventh NFL season and is already a two-time Pro Bowler. He has thrown for over 4,000 yards three times and over 4,500 yards twice. He has a career completion percentage of 63.6 percent and in 2012 he came within one win of reaching the Super Bowl.
"Matt's most impressive attribute is his head, he's always been a student of the game, even when he was at Penn Charter, and carried that all the way to BC and now the NFL," said John Loughery, Matt's uncle. "We all had a sense around Matt's junior year at Boston College some bigger things were ahead. But nothing like this, we didn't want to put the cart before the horse."
Despite all of his accolades, Ryan is 1-4 in the postseason and has yet to reach his ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl. Ryan and the Falcons hope 2014 is their year, while Ryan's family keeps one eye on the Eagles.
Watch Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football at 8:30pm E.T. on CBS3.
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