Q&A with Matt Ryan

[HMFFL]

Matt Ryan on mattresses, TV, fried food

Q. So what have you learned about the South since being down here?

A. There’s a lot more fried food down here than there is up north. And the falls are a little warmer. For me it still kind of feels like summer.

Q. What [fried food] do you splurge on?

A. Popeye’s. Popeye’s are big down here and Popeye’s are one of the things that are big when we travel. I have to get into some of the three-piece spicy chicken. That’s the good stuff.

Q. Do you have a favorite restaurant in Atlanta?

A. I’d probably say Bones or Stoney River is good too, which is a little closer to where I live.

Q. So meat and potatoes?

A. Yeah, I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I’m just a little Irish boy. Meat and potatoes every meal.

Q. You been cooking [at home]?

A. Not so much. My girlfriend is actually down here, so she can cook a little better than I can.

Q. She graduated from Boston College too, right?

A. Yes. I met her at school. We were friends before we started dating. [She played basketball at B.C.] We saw each other in the athletic buildings and stuff, so that’s how I got to know her.

Q. So she’s a good cook? What are her specialties?

A. She’s good with fish actually, whether it be salmon or tilapia. I never really had (tilapia) before and she broke it out. It’s pretty good.

Q. So what do you like to watch on TV? Do you have a favorite show you’re hooked on?

A. I actually like — there’s a new show out I’ve been watching it on Tuesday nights. It’s on FOX. Fringe. It’s pretty good. I feel like a dork saying it. It caught my eye the first couple times, so I’ve been watching that on Tuesday nights.

Q. When you signed with the Falcons, were there things that you wanted to buy for your family or for yourself that were meaningful?

A. There are certainly things you’d like to be able to do for your family. And that’s a nice thing. That’s (something I keep) private. As far as purchases, the big thing … I always had the crappy bed during college. I wanted to get a good mattress.

Q. They were too short?

A. Yeah, so I got a California king which is nice and long. That was the one splurge. I got a good bed.

Q. Where did playing golf fall in? Is that something you picked up as a kid?

A. Yeah, I’ve got two brothers and my dad always had his dream foursome to take the boys out. So he taught all of us to play. That really is how we got hooked on it. It’s a fun time to go out. So I’ve been playing since I was young.

Q. Real young?

A. Yeah. We had a big backyard when we were little. My dad always had sawed-off golf clubs and we’d have them with little taped grips and get out there and hit in the backyard.

Q. Who’s the best of the brothers?

A. Actually my older brother has been playing the best as of late. And that’s not easy for me to say, I’ll be honest.

Q. What’s your handicap?

A. Since I’ve been down here, it’s gotten higher. The courses are a little tougher down here. But I probably play — during the offseason — like a 13, a 12 or a 13.

Q. Of all the celebrities you got to meet through the draft, who was especially cool?

A. I got to meet Joe Montana. That was pretty cool. Right before the Super Bowl. He’s a legend. Joe Cool. He was very nice and wished me best of luck.

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