Matt Ryan has been hitting the gym early and often as the Falcons look to place a greater emphasis on their vertical passing game in 2012. "I've been working hard on that and getting with (director of athletic performance) Jeff Fish now that we're back to make sure that I'm ready to go," Ryan said. "(I'm) ready to be strong in December and January. I want to be able to play my best football at that time. That's one of the things I've tried to figure out and analyze myself; how do I get myself to be playing my very best, when your very best is needed. I'm still working on getting there." Falcons coach Mike Smith, who has emphasized a run-first mentality in Atlanta, will now be leaning on former Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter's knowledge and understanding of the vertical passing game after the team brought Koetter to run the offense.