Arthur Blank is very happy with Matt Ryan as the quarterback of his Atlanta Falcons. "He's grown as a quarterback," Blank said. "He's grown as an individual. He's obviously a great team leader. People recognize that and identify with him. He's exactly what you would want in the CEO of a business. He's the first to work and the last to leave. He works the hardest and studies. He provides all kinds of leadership on and off the field. I'm thrilled where he is." Although Ryan had the best statistics of his career, the Falcons went 10-6 and lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2011. They have yet to win a playoff game since the arrival of Ryan and coach Mike Smith in 2008. "He understands this, that to become an 'elite' quarterback in the league, you've got to win playoff games," Blank said. "Smitty understands that. Thomas understands that. I think we've done a remarkable job the last four years considering it took us 42 years to have any back-to-back winning seasons. But there are three seasons in the NFL. There's a preseason, a regular season and a postseason. We haven't played well in the postseason. Smitty understands that, Thomas understands that and we need to change that. And Matt certainly understands that as well."